210: Chapter 210 Dead End

Stepping onto this "Sky Road" interwoven from massive roots felt like walking upon the veins of a mythological giant.

Beneath their feet was moss emitting a soft blue-green fluorescence. It felt strange to the touch, as if they were stepping on a thick, resilient velvet carpet.

Within the abyss, unknown air currents rose slowly, carrying the damp and fresh fragrance of earth. It formed a contrast like heaven and hell against the nauseating, fishy stench of the previous nest.

Above the dome hung dense giant roots and shimmering fungi, resembling an inverted starry sky—magnificent and serene, yet filled with an underlying eeriness.

The entire world was so quiet that they could only hear each other's breathing and footsteps.

The endless sea of spiders, along with that suffocating sense of oppression, had been left far behind, like a nightmare they had just woken from.

However, everyone knew that this seemingly peaceful dreamlike jungle was by no means a safe place.

Zhang Qilin continued to lead the way. His gaze was as sharp as a falcon's, carefully scanning every detail of their surroundings,

searching for the next signpost that the "Alpha" squad might have left behind.

His pace wasn't fast, but it was extremely steady, with every step landing on the firmest ground.

Wang Xianzhi followed closely behind. Her vigilance did not relax in the slightest despite the change in environment.

The hilt of the longsword in her hand was soaked with sweat, yet she gripped it even tighter, her center of gravity lowered slightly, ready to respond to any sudden attack from the shadows.

Lin Tianyi was responsible for the rear of the team. His muzzle was no longer pointed downward but was instead alertly scanning the intricate jungle of roots above and to their sides.

He knew very well that in such a three-dimensional environment, danger could come from any angle.

Fatty and Wang Shan were on either side, supporting Song Yiqing, who was almost unable to walk independently.

Although Fatty was no longer shouting, the tight lines on his face revealed his internal tension.

As for Song Yiqing, he had his eyes closed, fully operating his family's Breath-Regulation Technique, trying to draw even the slightest bit of energy from the environment to restore his nearly depleted Dantian.

"Look... what is that?"

Lin Tianyi's voice suddenly rang out, breaking the silence. He used the beam of his tactical flashlight to point toward a shadow obscured by dense fungi ahead and to the side.

Everyone followed the beam of light.

Behind a patch of fungi that glowed with a ghostly blue light like giant coral, several large, translucent "hulls" resembling cicada sloughs hung quietly.

These "hulls" took on an eerie humanoid shape, with the outlines of limbs and torsos clearly visible, but the interiors were hollow. The surfaces were covered in a thin layer of substance resembling dried resin.

They were entwined by tough, vine-like plants and suspended in mid-air, swaying slightly with the air currents and casting distorted shadows in the interplay of light and dark.

"Is that... human skin that's been shed?"

Fatty felt a chill surge up his spine.

Zhang Qilin stepped forward, observed for a moment, and then shook his head.

"It's not shed skin."

He reached out a finger and lightly touched the surface of one of the "hulls," and a layer of powdery substance flaked off.

"It's a type of Parasitic Plant. They drained the host's flesh and life force, leaving only a layer of human skin hardened by their secretions as a shell... it's like they're making... specimens."

Making specimens.

These words were even more hair-raising than "shedding skin."

Lin Tianyi shone his flashlight on them one by one. They found a total of three such humanoid "specimens." Judging by the long-decayed tactical gear remaining on them, there was no doubt—they were members of the "Alpha" squad!

They hadn't been killed by monsters, but had remained here forever in such an eerie, quiet manner.

This discovery was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the fire of hope that had just been lit in everyone's hearts.

The signposts of the "Alpha" squad did not guarantee absolute safety.

They only proved that this was a path "someone had once walked."

"Keep moving."

Song Yiqing opened his eyes weakly, his voice hoarse yet exceptionally firm.

"The fact that they fell here means the true exit... is just ahead. We have no way back."

Everyone's hearts tightened as they set aside their fear and resumed their journey.

The atmosphere was even more somber than before.

Everyone heightened their senses to the limit, staying alert to those seemingly beautiful plants around them.

Every strangely shaped fungus and every hanging vine became a potentially lethal predator in their eyes.

After walking for about another half hour, a fork in the road appeared ahead.

Three roots of similar thickness led in three different directions, disappearing into deeper darkness and ghostly light.

And this time, they found no signposts left by the "Alpha" squad.

"The markers have stopped."

Lin Tianyi's brow furrowed tightly.

"They might have... made a choice here but didn't have time to leave a mark."

"Or rather, the person who was supposed to leave the mark is one of those three 'specimens'."

Song Yiqing added, exposing the cruel possibility in one sentence.

Three paths, one choice.

Choosing wrongly could mean eternal damnation.

"Let me."

Song Yiqing broke free from Fatty's support and forced himself to stand straight.

He pulled three ancient copper coins from his robe. Though the Qi in his palm was weak, it was still steadily injected into them.

He was going to use his most fundamental method to divine a path to survival for the team.

"Heaven is Qian, Earth is Kun; the way of life and death lies within..."

He murmured under his breath and tossed the three copper coins lightly upward.

Clink, clink...

The three copper coins tumbled in the air and landed in his open palm.

However, the moment he saw the hexagram, Song Yiqing's face suddenly became paler than ever before!

"How... how can it be like this..."

He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock.

"What's wrong, Lord Song? Is it a death hexagram?" Fatty asked nervously.

"No... it's not a death hexagram." Song Yiqing shook his head, his voice dry. "All three paths... none of them are paths to life."

"The hexagram shows that these three paths lead to the same destination. A place of... great calamity."

This result stunned everyone.

Three paths leading to the same destination? It defied common sense.

"You mean, no matter what we choose, it's death?" Lin Tianyi's voice sounded somewhat desperate.

"No." Song Yiqing's gaze suddenly moved away from the three paths, turning toward the direction they had come from, and then looked at the bottomless abyss beneath their feet.

An extremely bold, even crazy idea took shape in his mind!

"The hexagram says these three paths are dead ends. But it didn't say... we don't have a fourth path."

His gaze finally landed on the side wall of the root they were on, and then on another smaller root extending parallel dozens of meters below them.

"You mean..." Lin Tianyi understood his meaning instantly and sucked in a breath of cold air, "We're going... down?!"

"Exactly!" A mad yet rational light flickered in Song Yiqing's eyes!

"This entire 'Sky Road' is a giant maze trap! It uses seemingly safe paths to lead us toward the true core of death! The 'Alpha' squad was deceived; they chose one of the paths and eventually encountered those Parasitic Plants!"

"The true path to life has never been on the 'road'!"

"It's underneath the 'road'!"

This judgment was too shocking.

Jumping from here to the root below meant a vertical distance of over twenty meters! There were no points to catch oneself in between! A single mistake would mean falling into the bottomless abyss, leaving no corpse behind!

"This... this is too risky!" Fatty stammered.

"If we don't take the risk, we're just waiting to die."

Wang Xianzhi's cool voice rang out. She glanced toward the three "specimens," her eyes exceptionally firm.

She was the first to express support.

Zhang Qilin didn't speak. He simply walked to the edge of the root, looked down, then looked back at Song Yiqing and nodded. His actions had already stated his choice.

"Damn it, let's do it!" Lin Tianyi grit his teeth. "A desperate gamble is better than none!"

"Good!" A look of resolve appeared in Song Yiqing's eyes.

"We don't have professional climbing ropes, so we can only use the most primitive method. Fatty, take out everything useful in your backpack and tie them into a rope!"

Soon, a crude and pitiful "rope" made of spare shoelaces, torn canvas, and even strips of clothing was produced.

"Qilin, you have the best skills, you go down first. Once you're down, secure the rope, and we'll slide down one by one," Song Yiqing arranged quickly.

Zhang Qilin took one end of the rope, wrapped it around his waist several times, and tied a dead knot. Then, he handed the other end to Fatty and Lin Tianyi, who were the strongest.

"Hold tight."

He said only those two words before jumping into the abyss without hesitation!

"Holy crap!" Fatty was pulled into a stumble by the massive force. He used every ounce of strength he had to press the rope firmly against the rough surface of the root along with Lin Tianyi!

The rope was pulled taut, making an overburdened "creak"!

Everyone's hearts were in their throats!

In the darkness, Zhang Qilin's figure was like a nimble cat, his feet rapidly kicking against the vertical side of the root to constantly bleed off the downward momentum.

In just a few breaths, he landed steadily on the thinner root below.

"Safe!"

His voice came from below.

Everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.

Next, Wang Shan, Lin Tianyi, and Fatty slid down the rope in turn.

Finally, only Song Yiqing, who had the least physical strength, remained.

He tied the rope to himself, glanced at the three paths leading to death, and then resolutely flipped over the edge.

Just as he had slid halfway down!

A sudden change occurred!

On the "road" they had previously walked, those giant coral-like fungi that were originally quiet and glowing with ghostly blue light suddenly "bloomed" all at once!

From the top of every fungus, snake-like, mucus-covered crimson tentacles extended!

These tentacles danced and stretched wildly in the air, coiling toward the descending Song Yiqing at extreme speed!

"Watch out!"

The people below shouted in unison!

Wang Xianzhi reacted the fastest. She tapped her toes and surged upward against the rope like a startled swan, the longsword in her hand unleashing a sky full of sword light to slash at the incoming tentacles!

Squelch! Squelch!

The tentacles were severed upon contact, spraying a large amount of foul-smelling green juice from the cuts!

But there were too many tentacles! They were endless, coming one after another!

More terrifyingly, the giant root the rope was tied to also began to "come alive"! Its surface cracked with several fissures, from which countless smaller, vine-like tentacles emerged, coiling toward the place where Fatty and Lin Tianyi had secured the rope!

This maze was alive!

Realizing its prey was about to escape, it finally revealed its hideous true face!

"Song Yiqing! Hurry!" Lin Tianyi roared, feeling like he was about to lose his grip!

At this critical moment!

The ever-silent Zhang Qilin moved!

He didn't go for the tentacles. Instead, he suddenly looked up and threw the black gold ancient blade in his hand upward with all his might, like a javelin!

The target wasn't any tentacle, but the base of that crude "rope"!

Swish—!

The black gold ancient blade flew out spinning with unparalleled force!

Thud!

The moment Song Yiqing slid to the bottom, it precisely severed the rope that had saved them but was now also binding them!

With the rope severed, Wang Xianzhi used the momentum to flip in the air and landed lightly back on the root below.

As for Song Yiqing, he was caught by Zhang Qilin the moment he landed.

The tentacles, having lost their target, danced wildly in the air for a while before reluctantly and slowly retracting back into those giant fungi.

The entire world returned to that deathly silence once more.

It was as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

Everyone panted with lingering fear, looking up at that "jungle" that had become beautiful and dreamlike again, feeling a chill throughout their bodies.

They had, once again, brushed past the God of Death.

"Let's go."

Zhang Qilin walked forward and retrieved his black gold ancient blade.

"This path is the right one."

There was a rare, absolute certainty in his voice. Because at the moment he severed the rope, he had seen countless pairs of greedy "eyes"—exactly like those of the "Parasitic Plants"—lighting up in the darkness at the end of those forks above.

They stepped onto this unexplored, literal path to survival.

And this new path wound and turned, leading toward an even more ancient, mysterious, and dangerous unknown region within this underground world.