Chapter 20: The Flower-Falling Cave: A Bride Not of This World

Chu Danqing did not approach Da Bao rashly; he waited until Da Bao had completely consumed the Cave Beast Priest before acting.

At this point, Da Bao’s health had fully recovered, and he came toward Chu Danqing carrying the treasure chest.

“Here, treasure chest,” Da Bao handed the Excellent-grade chest to Chu Danqing, then said: “Rage is unbearable.”

“Can’t control it.”

“Next time you rage, run farther.” Da Bao held no grudge against Chu Danqing’s avoidance—he believed Chu Danqing had done the right thing.

In his rage state, he was entirely dominated by brutality and savagery; this time, the Cave Beast Priest served as a target, so it was fine.

But anything carries a risk.

Chu Danqing’s heart sank—if Da Bao’s health were reduced below 30% by ranged kiting, he’d become a party-annihilating engine on the spot.

“Alright, I understand,” he said aloud, while internally pondering how to solve this.

He stored the Excellent-grade chest in his storage space, with no intention of opening it immediately.

With the Cave Beast Priest and the Skeleton Monkey dead, only the destruction of the Flower-Falling Cave remained.

As for the Cave God, he had no intention of entering the cave’s depths.

With little time left, he planned to keep it for opening back in the Dimension Paradise.

“Let’s go—climb the mountain quickly. We’re pressed for time,” Chu Danqing said.

Setting up the explosives was no light task, and Da Bao was useless for it.

Doing it himself, an hour was already tight.

“Donkey’s too slow,” Da Bao said, untying the donkey’s restraints and driving it down the mountain alone while he pulled the cart.

Since no further combat was needed, Chu Danqing paid no mind to Da Bao’s stamina drain.

Da Bao pulling the cart was naturally far more efficient and faster than the donkey.

Soon, they reached the Flower-Falling Cave.

“So big? Guess we can only blow the tunnel.” Chu Danqing had planned to blow the entrance, but the entrance was no smaller than a soccer field.

The tunnel, however, narrowed steadily—visible ahead, it barely allowed two people to walk side by side.

Moreover, the entire tunnel spiraled downward, like a mountain road carved into the mountain’s body, winding to its base before vanishing into the earth’s veins.

Chu Danqing unloaded all the explosives from the cart, took out paste, and began sticking the explosives to the tunnel walls.

He didn’t even spare the ceiling.

At his height, he couldn’t reach it—but Da Bao lifting him up solved that.

After attachment came the fuses: he connected all the explosives together.

This step was the most complex and tedious—he had to ensure all explosives detonated simultaneously.

Thus, careful planning was needed; he wasn’t a professional, so the connections looked messy.

As the work neared completion, Da Bao suddenly said: “Black hole’s watching us.”

Chu Danqing’s movements froze; he instinctively gazed into the dark depths of the Flower-Falling Cave.

Da Bao’s Perception stat of 8, combined with his savage instincts, granted him extraordinary intuition.

The chance of error was negligible.

Chu Danqing swallowed hard—the Cave God was watching him. That was no good.

Suddenly, a gust of wind echoed from within the cave; Da Bao instantly stepped in front of Chu Danqing, his body covered in Blood Fury energy, his claws glowing crimson.

He roared furiously into the cavern, warning the Cave God.

To Chu Danqing’s ears, the wind’s whisper transformed into a seductive female voice.

“You love me, I love you—through countless lifetimes, let us be together.”

A surge of agitation rose in Chu Danqing’s mind—he slapped his own face sharply.

The slap left five clear finger marks on his cheek, which rapidly swelled and reddened.

But the clarity and fading agitation it brought saved him from the Cave God’s enchantment.

Deep within the cave, a crimson figure had appeared without warning.

Head covered in a red veil, clad in a red bridal gown, it stood precisely at the farthest edge of Chu Danqing’s vision.

【Hidden Quest: Cave God’s Bride—Wed the Flower-Falling Maiden, Complete the Wedding Ceremony】

【Quest Difficulty: ??? Level (???)】

【Reward: Hidden Class ×1, Class Bloodline ×1, Permanent Summon: Flower-Falling Maiden, Paradise Points ×100000, Attribute Points +25】

【Failure: None】

【Accept/Reject?】

【Note: Accepting this hidden quest prevents return upon completion of the trial quest; return is possible only after completing the hidden quest.】

At that moment, the Dimension Paradise’s quest interface appeared.

“Accept your head!” Chu Danqing unhesitatingly clicked Reject, then ignited the fuse: “Run.”

Without a word, Da Bao turned, snatched up Chu Danqing, and bolted for the exit.

The trial difficulty was a question mark, the reward so rich it could inflate Chu Danqing’s power—but failure carried no cost.

This was no longer just a trap falling from the sky.

The fuse ignited; flames raced along it, instantly detonating most of the explosives.

Chu Danqing’s work was incomplete—a small portion of explosives remained unconnected.

But the connected portion was enough: the explosion’s force was immense, collapsing the entire cavern.

Amid the blast, Chu Danqing heard an agonized scream—initially sounding female, yet upon closer listening, more like the roar of some beast.

Even as the thunder faded, the noise did not cease.

The Flower-Falling Cave had fully collapsed, yet black, oil-like sludge seeped from the soil, slowly writhing.

Chu Danqing saw it—he suspected this was the Flower-Falling Maiden.

He checked the return timer: three minutes left.

“Can we kill it?” Chu Danqing asked Da Bao.

Da Bao shook his head firmly: “Not human. She’ll eat me. Not a match.”

“Then why are you standing there? Keep running!” Chu Danqing grabbed Da Bao’s fur tightly.

Da Bao reacted instantly, sprinting downhill.

Meanwhile, the black sludge fully seeped from the ground, never taking a female form—just a sludge-like mass spread flat on the earth.

Its surface bristled with countless eyes—not grown upon it, but as if immersed, undulating as it moved.

The sludge adapted to its environment, accelerating steadily, locking onto Chu Danqing, and soon caught up.

Da Bao ran with him; Chu Danqing observed.

“It’s catching up! Half a minute left to return!” Chu Danqing shouted.

Da Bao didn’t hesitate—he hurled Chu Danqing forward with all his strength, then turned and lunged at the sludge.

“You—run!” He blocked the sludge, shouting at Chu Danqing, now far away.

Da Bao knew his Agility was inferior—he’d rather stand and endure than be caught.

Half a minute—he could hold out!

(End of Chapter)