Chapter 197

"Here it is? This is the cave?" Two hours later, Han Li stood atop a black rock half a man's height, studying the several-zhang-tall entrance ahead, muttering to himself.

"Looks like nothing special at all!" Han Li did not rush in blindly; instead, he carefully observed the surroundings for a moment. Though time was tight, he could not risk his life through carelessness!

According to the information, this secret cave appeared utterly unremarkable from the outside—identical to the wild caves Han Li had passed on his way, with not the slightest hint of distinction. He couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration for whoever had originally found this place.

After a full cup of tea's time, Han Li finally confirmed no beasts or humans were lying in wait nearby, and only then cautiously approached the cave entrance.

The entrance was entirely natural, formed of pale greenish stone with not a trace of human chiseling. As soon as Han Li stepped inside and glanced at the walls on either side, he reached this conclusion.

Then, Han Li flashed forward, slipping silently into the cave. But after only a dozen steps, he halted again, for beyond a couple of bends, darkness swallowed everything.

Han Li frowned, reached into his storage bag, and pulled out a moonstone the size of an egg. The moment it appeared, its soft white light illuminated the surroundings clearly. He sighed helplessly.

His original plan had been to slip into the cave's depths without a sound, check if any beast guarded the place, and strike a fatal blow if needed—saving himself the trouble. But now, with the moonstone glowing, he had become an obvious target. How could he possibly launch a surprise attack?

Holding the pale moonstone in one hand, Han Li hesitated, then slapped a soil-elemental shield onto his body before continuing forward, stepping cautiously, one foot shallow, the other deep.

Inside the cave, unlike open wilderness, swift movement was severely limited. A protective barrier brought peace of mind. Though this greatly reduced his agility, Han Li well understood the principle that one cannot have both fish and bear's paw—so he had no complaints.

The cave was extremely long. Han Li walked for half a quarter-hour without seeing any end. Doubts began to creep into his mind—had he mistaken the location? Was this perhaps the den of some top-tier beast?

Fortunately, after walking another dozen zhang, a sharp bend appeared ahead—and faint beams of white light glimmered from beyond it. The target was right there.

Seeing this, Han Li's heart leapt. He immediately tucked away the moonstone and crept forward silently. Since light already existed here, and it was around a bend, his original plan could still proceed!

As the sneaky Han Li slowly poked his head around the corner, his first reaction was delight—but then he grimaced inwardly.

Ahead lay the cave's end: a spacious natural stone chamber, adorned with many glowing stalactites, and on the farthest purple stone wall, grew three or four small pale green flowers, each with a single stem and several leaves.

These flowers were barely an inch across, their petals curled strangely in the same direction, forming a unique shape that, from afar, resembled several comical little monkeys hanging there—truly astonishing!

"No doubt these are 'Purple Monkey Flowers.' Their stems and leaves are green, but that's clearly because they're underripe!" Han Li exclaimed inwardly the moment he saw them.

But when his gaze shifted to the ground beneath the purple wall, his face fell. There lay a giant centipede, several chi long. Its glossy black carapace, long antennae, and grotesque form made his skin crawl even before he moved.

Though he had never killed a venomous beast before, he had heard plenty of tales about their reputation.

Others said venomous beasts were far more troublesome than beasts or flying creatures of the same rank, often wielding obscure yet devastating poison arts that could kill a man in an instant. Unless absolutely necessary, one should avoid provoking such creatures at all costs!

This centipede was enormous—certainly at least a mid-tier beast, possibly even high-tier. Han Li couldn't help but draw a sharp breath, gritting his teeth for a long while.

He hadn't come to provoke it—this centipede was already the guardian of the "Purple Monkey Flowers." Without eliminating this giant venomous beast, plucking the medicinal flowers was pure fantasy.

Han Li suppressed his aura and slowly drew his head back, moving as gently as possible to avoid waking the seemingly sleeping giant centipede.

Leaning against the stone wall, he furrowed his brows and pondered a foolproof strategy to deal with the beast.

He could brute-force it with a few top-tier magic treasures—he could easily flatten the beast with a single strike from the Golden Light Brick talisman. But after such a battle, his magic power would be heavily depleted, and he wouldn't remain at peak condition.

The road ahead was long, and dangers would only multiply. Since he was pressed for time, he couldn't afford to spend half a day meditating to restore his power. So, spending so much magic power for this one opportunity? Han Li was reluctant.

After deep thought, Han Li's mind brightened—he had a good idea.

Before acting, he cautiously peeked again at the centipede. It still lay motionless. Relieved, he smiled faintly—and vanished into the darkness behind him.

Not long after, Han Li returned, beaming.

This time, his protective shield was gone. He made no furtive moves—instead, he strode boldly around the bend and entered the great hall where the centipede lurked.

Such noise could not go unnoticed. The giant centipede, if it hadn't sensed him, wouldn't be a beast—it would be a fool. Instantly, it raised its head, its long antennae thrashing wildly, emitting a hissing, chilling sound.

Han Li said nothing. He raised his hand, and several small fireballs shot out swiftly, striking the beast's head with a series of explosions.

After the flames faded, Han Li clearly saw the beast's head remained glossy black—no mark, no damage. He gaped. Some people were right: venomous beasts were indeed extremely tough!

Though unharmed, the centipede was now thoroughly enraged by Han Li's provocation.

Its sharp fangs parted, and a torrent of crimson poison mist erupted from its mouth, surging toward Han Li like a tidal wave, as if determined to dissolve him into toxic sludge.

Han Li, of course, wouldn't stand still and let even a drop of that obviously deadly mist touch him. Without his shield slowing him, he tapped the ground with his toe and shot backward faster than the mist, then spun and sprinted full speed down the corridor—as if terrified, fleeing in panic.

The centipede refused to let him escape. Its countless legs moved in a blur, and its body shot out of the hall like the wind—its speed equal to Han Li's frantic run. Han Li, glancing back, was stunned, and pushed himself harder, widening the distance before vanishing into the tunnel.

The centipede hissed low and followed without hesitation. It had traversed this tunnel countless times—it knew it far better than Han Li. Soon, it caught up, clearly seeing his back.

The centipede rejoiced, its limbs moving even faster, charging forward with murderous intent!

At that moment, Han Li suddenly stopped. He turned around, grinning at the beast, no longer running—as if he had abandoned all thought of escape!

In an instant, the giant centipede lunged to within three or four zhang of Han Li. It was about to use its fangs to tear the little man apart—when sudden, searing pain erupted in its belly. It froze, writhing in agony on the ground, and thick black poison blood gushed from beneath it, pooling everywhere.

Unbeknownst to it, the centipede's most vulnerable belly had been cleanly sliced open by an extremely sharp blade—its entire abdomen laid bare. No wonder it was in such agony!

Standing nearby, Han Li naturally didn't miss the chance to finish off a fallen foe. He raised his hand, and a circular golden light and a blue-hued flying dagger shot forth, slicing straight toward the centipede's two thick antennae.

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