Chapter 301: The Feeder

“Little Chu is dead.” Da Bao’s blood rage power grew thicker, wrapping him like a blood beast.

Chu Danqing understood his meaning—Da Bao’s “dead” did not refer to the grain-man leader, but to the Pure Yang Heavenly General.

During their escape, Chu Danqing had also heard the grain-man leader’s words.

The so-called feeder must be the elephant-headed deity.

“Open your mouth!” Chu Danqing said immediately.

Da Bao obediently opened his mouth wide.

Chu Danqing then pulled out various consumables—boosting attributes, movement speed, and more—and tossed them into Da Bao’s mouth.

Da Bao didn’t even chew; he swallowed them whole.

As these temporary power-boosting consumables took effect, Da Bao’s speed surged dramatically.

Yet even so, Chu Danqing could still hear the sound drawing closer behind them.

The grain-man leader had caught up.

Chu Danqing knew this already—his real goal was not to have Da Bao outrun the grain-man leader.

Da Bao was carrying five people now; no matter how fast, there were limits.

Besides, the cave was dark and treacherous, inherently slowing movement.

There was no possibility of escaping the grain-man leader—his true aim was to hold out until the white-furred monster arrived.

The monster had been waiting here, likely to block the feeder’s statue and the grain-men from leaving the cave.

Thus, its power must far surpass that of the grain-man leader.

“Base humans, become food for the great feeder!” came the grain-man leader’s voice.

Chu Danqing casually switched on his 100,000-lumen flashlight.

The enemy, relying on his immense power, simply ignored the physiological discomfort caused by the sudden shift from darkness to light.

With the light, Chu Danqing clearly saw the creature’s form—the spiral wound on its chest was covered by a massive elephant trunk.

The region extending from the trunk was an impenetrable darkness even the 100,000-lumen flashlight could not pierce.

That was normal—after all, it was just an ordinary flashlight, not a quality item.

How could it illuminate the darkness brought by a deity?

The grain-man leader sneered, raised his stone hammer, and hurled it at Chu Danqing and the others.

Da Bao’s perception and instincts reacted faster—the whistling wind grazed the hair of one of the Rudolfs, striking the cave wall instead.

This sent a chill down Rudolf’s spine, his face filled with terror.

Just a hair’s breadth away—his head would have been crushed.

“White, came, close!” Da Bao said briefly.

Among the consumables were some that enhanced perception, allowing Da Bao to sense the white-furred monster’s arrival more clearly.

Though he still couldn’t pinpoint its exact location, he confirmed it had arrived.

But because Chu Danqing had the flashlight on, the white-furred monster dared not approach.

Hence the warning.

Chu Danqing immediately turned off the flashlight. Without light, the white-furred monster swept over their heads.

Behind them, violent combat erupted instantly.

In the darkness, Chu Danqing could not see the details, but the noise alone revealed how fierce the battle was.

“Little Chu, no, uncomfortable, heavier, heavier,” Da Bao said as he sprinted, nearing the cave exit.

“I see,” Chu Danqing replied—he had seen the source of Da Bao’s discomfort.

By the faint light from the cave mouth, Chu Danqing saw the elephant-headed feeder statue behind them come alive, no longer stone.

The feeder’s forearms bent stiffly at the elbows.

Its shoulders were short and broad, its chest and navel exposed, its belly swollen, and a long, snake-like trunk hung down.

It stood behind them, dragging the nearly dead white-furred monster.

The trunk swung, its tip ending in a trumpet-shaped suction mouth filled with spiral teeth, much like a lamprey’s.

The spiral wound on the grain-man leader’s chest came from the feeder’s trunk.

The feeder’s trunk pressed against the forehead of the white-furred monster’s aged face and began to suck.

The monster’s body withered—within less than two seconds, only a complete pelt remained, then turned to ash.

Chu Danqing swallowed hard.

The next moment, the feeder’s trunk loomed larger in his vision, its spiral teeth slowly unfolding.

Chu Danqing saw deep darkness spreading within.

It was about to land on him.

Fortunately, Da Bao was faster—he stepped out of the cave first.

The moment the trunk extended beyond the cave mouth, its flesh turned to stone, motionless.

The feeder statue slowly retracted its petrified trunk, reverting to flesh again.

This being—perhaps a divine avatar or divine statue—stood there blankly, watching Da Bao’s retreating form.

Finally, it slowly sank into the cave’s deep darkness, its body stiffening back into stone.

As if nothing had happened, the cave remained perfectly still.

Chu Danqing snapped back to awareness, heart pounding—he had been too close to death.

‘Holy shit! Holy shit!! Holy shit!!!’ His mind screamed three times over, expressing his relief.

He had thought the greatest obstacle to completing his mission would be the Nightmare Walker in the Nightmare Space—now he realized he must first survive long enough to reach Mayflower Bay.

This identity might offer advantages, but the dangers were equally great.

The danger came from the trial world’s deities and monsters.

As for tricking the deity with the covenant? After encountering the feeder statue, he had abandoned the idea entirely.

Such beings were beyond his ability to manipulate.

“Safe, now,” Da Bao stopped, panting heavily as he set everyone down.

He had just pushed far beyond his limits; the intense focus had masked the strain.

Now that he relaxed, his blood-red fur was soaked in sweat.

Not just cold sweat from fear, but also hot sweat from overheating.

“Good you’re alright,” Chu Danqing replied, then turned to the female lawyer named Phila and asked: “Where are the inheritance documents?”

The three female lawyers had no injuries, only severe shock.

After all, this journey was far too intense for ordinary people.

“Mr. William, rest assured—I’ve kept them perfectly intact,” Phila Lambert said, reaching into her lower back clothing to pull out a slightly bulky waist pouch.

She opened it for Chu Danqing to see—inside lay a dense bundle of documents and several seals.

These were the essential materials and items required for inheritance.

“I’ll keep the inheritance documents, Mr. Rudolf—you don’t mind, do you?” Chu Danqing’s tone was polite, but it was not a request—it was a notification.

As he spoke, Da Bao reached out and forcibly snatched the pouch from Phila’s hands.

“Of course not, William,” Rudolf dared not object.

Chu Danqing, an unconfirmed noble heir with exorcism incantations and knightly protection, was indeed safer to entrust with them.

As for violating professional codes?

To hell with professional codes right now.

The codes never told lawyers how to handle terrifying grain-men and elephant-headed statues.

Besides, even if he objected now, it would be useless—Chu Danqing already had the documents and had secured them.

He had no desire to test whether his face was harder than his bodyguard’s fist.

Especially after seeing that bodyguard sprint out of the cave carrying five people.

“Good. We must hurry to catch up with the other lawyers—getting separated again won’t be good,” Chu Danqing said.

“Yes, but we likely can’t tell which way they went,” Rudolf worried.

Chu Danqing had told them to wait outside the cave, but they weren’t fools—they wouldn’t stay at the entrance; they’d find a safe spot.

No matter how much money, you need to be alive to spend it.

Da Bao sniffed the air, then pointed in one direction: “This, side.”

Since they hadn’t been out of the cave long, the scent trail was fresh—Da Bao easily identified the direction they had taken.

“Let’s go,” Chu Danqing gestured to move out.

Rudolf looked astonished—Da Bao, this bodyguard, had such ability?

No wonder nobles used him—he was truly exceptional.

This seemingly dull-witted noble bodyguard had been sent by their client, accompanying them to find William.

They hadn’t paid attention before—after all, bodyguards could be tall, strong, ugly, or stupid; as long as they could take a blade, it was fine.

“If we go this way, it should be our original route.”

“The map mentions a monastery—Ikram Monastery. We were supposed to refill water there.”

“Now we have no carriage—we’ll likely arrive there after dark tomorrow night and must rest overnight before continuing,” Rudolf recalled.

As the team leader, he naturally prepared everything—including knowing key locations along the route.

This task had belonged to the guide, but the guide was dead, and the map was lost.

Fortunately, he remembered the general route—enough to avoid major errors.

Even if we make a mistake, it doesn’t matter—Mayflower Bay is a famous port of the Golden Eagle Federation, not some obscure backwater.

We just need to find a town and buy another map; without a guide, our estimated arrival time will likely be delayed considerably.

“Oh? I recall it was a renowned healing sanctuary that later declined after a scandal broke out—the Iklam Monastery?” Chu Danqing asked.

William’s memories contained fragments of this monastery.

“Yes, it’s said the scandal involved murders stemming from forbidden liaisons, but that was thirty years ago,” Rudolf wasn’t entirely sure.

Chu Danqing narrowed his eyes, sensing a strange, ominous déjà vu—as if trouble were about to strike again.

(End of Chapter)