391: rshark (Drafted 2/21)
The path under the water was dark because the light was weak, but it was navigable thanks to the light items the people in front were using. They didnt see their hoped for exit. It was a long path without an end in sight.
Feng Wu and Zo were in the back of the group.
Look ahead!
What is it?
They looked forward only to see a huge shell at the bottom of the stream bed. On it, was a beautiful woman with a fin on her lower body. She looked at them from a partially reclined position with a crooked mouth full of fangs. Clearly she was not a kind person.
There was a hint of eagerness in her eyes, as though she was staring at delicious food, and from ti to ti, she would flick her fangs with her tongue. No matter how you looked at it, the image was just too strange.
This. . . is this a rshark? Soone asked uncertainly.
rsharks were one type of rpeople.
rpeople had a powerful sound attack, but luckily they were docile and timid with a tendency to hide from humans. They were peace loving creatures that didnt take the initiative to attack, but at the sa ti it was difficult for humans to attack them as well.
rshark belonged to one of the stronger sea people groups. They were closer to humans, with a body of half fish/half human, and a mouth filled with serrated teeth. They were hostile, war-like creatures who loved to kill and were nearly unbeatable in water battles because of their ability to control water.
But rsharks and rpeople didnt like to appear in front of humans. The two groups hid away so well, people had never been able to find them.
So for a rshark to appear in front of them now was really shocking.
This was a rsharks natural battle ground. The odds of winning against one in an underwater fight was so abysmally small it may as well be zero.
Hiss. . . The female rshark made a hissing sound through her jagged teeth. Bloodthirst flashed in her eyes.
Everyone! Perpare for battle! This is a rshark!
The woman sneered. She flipped her palm and suddenly two whirlpools appeared in the water. Its fast rotation sucked in those closest to it without giving them the chance to resist.
Ah! Help!
Save !
Whats going on?! I cant get out!
No matter how hard they tried, those sucked in couldnt escape the tug of the whirlpool; they kept spinning in circles.
The woman raised her hand gently and created several large water columns. The columns moved as though they were sentient and attacked the people not engaged with the whirlpool.
People avoided the water columns as best they could. The columns, if they were to be hit by one, would certainly be very damaging, if not lethal.
Who were the lucky ones? The ones caught in the whirlpool or the ones avoiding the water columns?
The answer ca soon enough.
The two vortexes moved to the side of the rshark. Then she reached out and grabbed a random person from inside. Before the guy could even resist, shed already dug into his chest with her long nails and yanked out his heart with her hand. He only had ti to let out a scream before dying.
Bright red blood flowed out of his chest and dyed the water near him a hazy red.
The rshark ate the heart in two bites. The joyful expression on her face made you think she was eating so kind of tasty world delicacy.
People watching swallowed nervously at the scene. Legends spoke of how brutal and fierce rsharks were; but they had thought legends were just legends. They knew the reality now.
They may as well be food. She didnt view them as a threat whatsoever.
Impressive! Feng Wus eyes lit up but then dimd. What to do if she couldnt beat it though? She could see the rshark with a fishtail was very powerful. It wasnt sothing she could beat. What to do? Feng Wu thought with so annoyance.
Dont be afraid Xiao Wu. See the shell bed there? You can use it like a boat to escape. Just find a way to lure her away from it. A soldier, who was part of the labor involved in sealing the cave, ca out and let his existence be known.
Yeah, easy to say. Both White Lotus and Rui Baby rolled their eyes.
Baby Rui was at ease resting on Feng Wus small wrist and had no interest in the fierce battle. But if Feng Wu were in danger, of course he would take action. Other people though, he didnt care about at all.
What were you thinking putting sothing so powerful in there? How is Xiao Wu going to get out?! A cute, beautiful maid yelled as she angrily pointed at the man in charge of the construction.
The general smiled bitterly. Really, you cant bla for that. How would I know things would be like this now?
The spirits all thought about it. It was true, you really couldnt bla anyone for it. It wasnt like any one of them could have predicted the future.
But what should they do now? The rshark was too powerful for Feng Wu to beat. With her small arms and legs, it would be too difficult for her to get out.
Did you do anything else? Soone rembered the general liked to get insurance.
The general said in embarrassnt, Haha. I also asked my soldiers to put a corpse demon upstream.
Even if you had beaten him to death, had he known then what he knew now, he would never have done such a troubleso thing.
A corpse demon?! Its not the one that massacred all those villages is it?
All those who knew the possible origins of the corpse demon covered their mouths in shock.
Dangerous demons ran rampant and had shared the sa living space with humans at that ti. Back then, humans were much weaker and so had gathered together on the continent, but despite having the highest density in population on the continent, they did not have the advantage over other races.
392: The Exit (Drafted 2/22)
No one would have thought humans, the race all other powerful creatures looked down on, would one day rule the continent.
In fact, humans played a pivotal role in the creation of corpse demons, one of the powerful creatures that had run rampant in that era. Back then, sacrifices to gods and powerful demons were common. Most sacrifices were often in the form of beautiful, sixteen-year-old virgins.
Small spirit monsters would co and fuse into their dead bodies. Not every fusion was successful, but those that were successful resulted in a new entity called a corpse demon. They were extrely powerful with bodies as hard as the toughest ore. And by taking in human blood, they could evolve even further. The stronger a magician or warrior was, the more delicious it was to a corpse demon.
The corpse demon they sealed inside the tomb was a powerful one that had managed to eat several tribes in its quest to evolve. A different general had been responsible for getting rid of it. He had wanted to destroy it completely, but the general in charge of the tombs construction had sothing else in mind.
He wanted to use it to guard the exit tunnel created by the prisoners. Thus, did the corpse demon escape death and stay alive for tens of thousands of years all the way to today.
The slaughter of the tribes hadnt been a secret at the ti, so when the spirits heard ntion of a corpse demon, they were able to figure out which corpse demon it was that was sealed inside.
Feng Wu successfully avoided a water column. Her small brow furrowed at the thought another could appear at any ti.
Feng Wu, what are you thinking about? Be careful not to get hit. Zo was worried when he saw Feng Wu not paying attention.
Feng Wu turned to look at Zo and said in all seriousness, Im thinking about how to leave here.
Leave? But we dont know where the exit is. How do we leave? Zo wanted to leave as well. Even if it was an infinite dungeon, being soplace else in it was better than staying where they were and dying.
I know where the exit is. Its under the shell.
The way out was under the shell bed? Zo was surprised. He wanted to ask how she knew, but thinking about it a little made him realize it must have been Rui Baby who told her.
It was a good thing he didnt ask. With Feng Wus personality, she would have told him the truth and that would have been chilling.
Everyone, listen! The exit is under the shell bed. We can leave if we get the bed out! The only way to leave was to get everyone to work together. He and Feng Wu alone wouldnt be able to move the shell.
Those close to him heard. The were quite surprised and had wanted to get closer to clarify the matter, but the rsharks attack intensified, preventing them from doing so.
They didnt know how Zo knew this, but they didnt think there was any reason for him to lie. So the people who heard spread it to the others farther away, and soon enough every one was aware where the exit was.
Find a way to lure her from the bed!
Everyone shared the sa thought. They had to get her off the shell and away from it if they wanted to leave.
The thought that there was a way out buoyed everyones spirits. No one wanted the exit to be a lie, so they chose to firmly believe in it.
They all worked hard to leave. This, of course, included Feng Wu. She successfully helped Zo avoid water columns and whirl pools. There were several tis he nearly got sucked in, but Feng Wu pulled him out and away each ti.
Everyone ran from the water column so they could coordinate an attack on the rshark. They attacked one by one with magic and qi, but unfortunately the rshark was so powerful that their attacks didnt have an effect.
It wasnt that their attacks were useless, no, it was that the water in front of the rshark acted as a shield. The water really was the rsharks ho. It was just too difficult to deal damage.
Hit the bed! The only female magician in the group shouted.
Everyone changed targets to hit the shell. Fortunately the shell was much easier to damage. A few attacks with magic and qi was all it took to shatter it to smithereens.
With it gone, they could see a black vortex hidden underneath. It was clearly a teleportation channel.
They were overjoyed at being able to use it to leave the place. Though no one had doubted it was there, seeing a physical representation of their hope was heartening.
Ha! The rsharks irritation got worse upon seeing its beloved bed blown up by its food. The water columns accelerated and the number of whirlpools increased from two to four.
Now the adventurers had to avoid the water columns while paying attention to the whirlpools at all tis.
The man standing at Zos left couldnt dodge a whirlpool in ti and his body involuntarily moved toward the vortex. He panicked, and without even thinking, pulled at Zo. They ended up switching positions, allowing him to escape the whirlpools gravity.
Ah! Zo only had ti to let out a scream before he was tugged hard into the whirlpool on his way to the vortex center. Just when he thought he was dead, a slender hand reached in and yanked him out, effectively swapping places.
Feng Wu! Zo had escaped the catastrophe, but he wasnt overjoyed in the least. His heart filled with guilt and despair as he watched Feng Wu get sucked toward the vortex in his place.
393: Finally Getting Out (Drafted 2/23)
There were only twenty of the original thirty or so people left since the battle started. Most had either been hit by the water columns and died, or had been sucked by the whirlpools and beco food for the rshark.
The panic rose in the survivors as they watched more and more people die. It didnt make them want to retreat; on the contrary it motivated them to escape even more. They fought desperately because they knew they had two choices: survive and leave, or fail and beco food for the rshark.
The rshark recalled the whirlpool that held Feng Wu to her imdiately. There was excitent in her eyes as she hissed. Out of all the food morsels there, Feng Wu was the most delicious. Feng Wus innate chemistry and unusual life essence were both very attractive to the rshark.
The rshark had originally wanted to save Feng Wu for last, but since it had caught her early, might as well enjoy the delicious treat now. The rsherk licked its lips and swallowed a pool of saliva in anticipation.
No! Zo shouted loudly. He knew wasnt good enough to be the rsharks opponent, but he wanted to rush to Feng Wus side as fast as possible.
The rshark reached out its hand and grabbed Feng Wu out of the vortex. Just as she was about to dig Feng Wus heart out with her fingernails, a long sword cut straight into her chest.
Hu. . . The tragic cry made the water shake with hard currents.
The unexpected developnt shocked everyone. They couldnt believe such a powerful rshark was actually stabbed. Turns out this was how one went about killing it!
The female magician was the first to recover. She scread, Lets go! as she headed straight for the exit. She wasnt about to linger to see what would happen next.
Ahhh! A murderous and bloodthirsty cry sounded from behind.
Turning to look back, the group watched as a woman with red hair and eyes, bore down on them. The overwhelming aura let them know how powerful she was.
Lets go!
Just killed one and another shows up? What the heck?!
They turned forward and increased their pace through magic and martial qi. They wanted to leave before another big boss could get to them so they rushed as fast as they could to the exit.
It didnt matter if the rshark was dead or alive, Feng Wu pulled Xiao Chun out of the rsharks body imdiately after stabbing it. She grabbed Zo, who was close by, and hurried to the exit.
Zo felt a force propelling him forward at great speed.
There was indeed sothing behind them pushing them forward: the group of spirits following Feng Wu. They hadnt engaged in the battle with the rshark, but they had been carefully protecting Feng Wu.
It was the king who suggested using the whirlpool as a cover for a sneak attack. Rui Baby and White Lotus supported the idea. Who would have expected it to actually work in the end but it did.
Feng Wu didnt know if the rshark would die, but Rui Baby said that even if it didnt die, it would need a long ti to heal from the injury from Xiao Chun.
Everyone made it into the teleportation vortex just as the red figure arrived.
Spirits: Hello corpse demon! Goodbye corpse demon!
After entering the teleportation vortex, Feng Wu found herself in a desert.
What was this place? Feng Wu was confused. What happened? Where was everyone else?
At the sa ti in another location. . .
Zo frowned as he looked around him. He was in an ice field with three other people from the escape.
Hey, little pansy, hand over your space ring. The man speaking had a wicked smile.
Other than him, there was the female magician and another sword user of moderate strength. The two looked around their new environnt without any interest in ddling.
Zo imdiately recognized the man speaking as the sa one who had yanked him into the whirlpool. If it hadnt been for him, Feng Wu wouldnt have been sucked into the whirlpool. If Feng Wu hadnt been competent, she would have surely died. Anyone else would definitely have died.
Zo had always been good-natured, but with this guy, he actually felt like killing him.
Zo wasnt strong, but his father had given him many self-defense items. He hadnt useed any because Feng Wu had protected him the entire ti.
What? Boy, you going to wait for that girl to co and save you? Soone as useless as you shouldnt have co to a place like this. You overestimate your abilities! The man sneered with disdain in his eyes as he looked at Zo.
If you want my space ring, then co and get it. Zo looked at the guy without a trace of panic or fear.
The guy was vigilant. Was it possible the kid had so other ans of protection himself?
Stop ssing around! He yelled, but didnt move any closer to Zo. Though he looked down Zo, he was careful and kept his guard up. Stupid people didnt stay alive for long.
Master! A surprised voice rang out and a plump girl rushed to Zo excitedly.
Plum! Zos heartrate sped up when he heard the voice. When he turned to look, it was his little maid, Plum!
Woo! Young Master are you alright? I was worried to death! Young Master, are you injured anywhere? Did you get bullied? Woo. If I had known this place was so dangerous, I wouldnt have let Young Master co! Plum hugged Zos arm tightly, leaning heavily on his shoulder.
Zo affectionately touched her head. Plum was an orphan his family adopted for her outstanding talent. She was a simple person who didnt know how to please the other staff mbers, so she had been reassigned to him because he was so unskilled himself.
Plum was a loyal girl. Zo would have died from one of the cracks in space if Plum hadnt saved him with her chubby body.
394: The Land of Sand (Drafted 2/23)
Zo loved Plum like a little sister. He vowed not to let her die for him again. Never mind about , wheres the butler? Hes not with you? Zo asked when he didnt see his butler.
Plum shook her head. I didnt see the butler. We were together originally, but then we got separated during teleportation.
Plum and the butler had also survived a kings tomb and been transported to a new location. Unfortunately they did not et in the new location.
It had made Plum uneasy, but she felt much better now that she was with Zo.
Master ," Plum was about to say sothing, but was interrupted.
Boy hand over your space ring, and the girl too! I dont have all day to wait for you! The guy had been keeping tabs on Zo and eyeing the things in Zos space ring for a while. He did not want to miss the current opportunity.
Who are you? Plum turned to look at the man who had spoken. It was like shed only just then realized there was soone else in front of Zo.
It doesnt matter who I am. Just hand the space ring over quickly! He was getting impatient.
You want to rob Young Master? Plums eyes turned cold. Her originally innocent expression turned abstruse.
Little girl, if you dont want to die, hurry up He was about to say sothing cruel to force them to hand the ring over, but he was interrupted by the girl. He never expected her to directly pull out a sword and aim for his heart.
Though he was startled, he imdiately raised his sword to defend. He managed to block but was forced to take several steps back. He felt the blood pumping in his chest. Horrified, he wondered who the girl was. She had addressed the kid as Young Master.
Could soone this skilled in swordsmanship only be a maid or attendant?
It didnt matter how terrified he was, Plums sword style kept changing and his own sword felt heavier and heavier with each block. After a dozen moves, his hands could barely hold onto his sword. Plum knocked it out of his grasp and sent it flying several ters away.
His face was pale as a long sword jamd into his heart.
You. . . you. . . was all he could get out before coughing out a mouthful of blood. His eyes dimd as his life faded away.
Plum pulled her sword out and flicked it at random. The blade was spotless, as clean as a mirror, after the blood flew off. If people hadnt witnessed the fight just then, it would have been hard to believe the immaculate sword was just used in a deadly fight.
The female magician and swordsman watching never expected the ordinary girl to be so strong. They wondered who the young man was. An ordinary nobleman could never afford an attendant of that caliber. So who was he?
The two regretted not interfering. Maybe if they had, they could have ford a worthwhile connection for the future. These kinds of connection couldnt be purchased even with a thousand gold. A pity they didnt know.
After Plum dealt with man who had disrespected Zo, she turned her gaze to the other two. She ignored them after ascertaining they had no intentions toward Zo.
Feng Wu was unaware of any of this; she was in a desert alone. An angry sun shone from above, roasting everything beneath it. Feng Wus face was red and a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead. She drank so water from the waterskin in her hand.
Baby, where is this place? There was no one else around. Feng Wu had a question so she asked Rui Baby, who seed to know a lot of things.
If Im not mistaken, this place is the tomb of the Czar. Rui Baby told her.
Czar? Feng Wu cocked her head to one side as she thought about whether or not she had read about this character in a book before.
She finally rembered after thinking for a while. I know him. The book said the Czar was a powerful man in ancient tis who ruled the Kingdom of Sand. He and his country perished after the war between the two realms. The kingdom has been gone for a long ti.
Feng Wu liked this. She had learned a lot from all her reading, so she was able to connect what Rui Baby said with what she learned.
Thats right. The Kingdom of Sand did perish long ago. The survivors built the tomb for the czar. Im not surprised the sea god moved his tomb, but I dont understand why he had to move the entire kingdom as well. So unreasonable. Rui Baby couldnt figure out why the sea god would want to move the entire kingdom. Even the spirit king here only had his tomb moved.
I think I know why. The king spoke. Thousands of spirits stood behind him as comfortable as can be, completely unaffected by the heat.
Whats the reason? Feng Wu asked with wide eyes.
The king smiled slightly and said, The reason is very simple. The Czars tomb has always been linked to the Kingdom of Sand. When the kingdom fell, the last survivors sealed the entire country as a tomb for him. So if the sea god wanted to remove the Czars tomb, he would have had to remove the entire kingdom along with it.
It was a simple reason.
Feng Wu nodded in understanding. It turned out they were in the Kingdom of Sand! She thought back to the description written in the book. The kingdom was supposed to be the most beautiful city in the desert, an oasis. But she didnt see an oasis anywhere. What was going on?
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