Chapter 95

Boom——!!!

A deafening roar accompanied by violent shaking, the entire cavern seemed to shudder three times! Rubble rained down like rain from the ceiling, smoke and dust filled the air, instantly swallowing the blast point Wang Shan had meticulously set up.

Toward the cave entrance, Wan Tianjue had just rushed in a few steps when he felt the ground give way beneath him, and immediately an overwhelming shockwave surged toward his face!

"Not good!"

Wan Tianjue, after all, was a Foundation Establishment cultivator; his reaction was not slow. In an instant, his protective aura flared. Even so, though the Micro Explosive Bead was low-grade, at such close range and aimed at the narrow cave entrance, its explosive power was truly considerable. What was worse, the explosion triggered a chain collapse of the cave entrance!

"Rumble——..."

Countless boulders mixed with soil poured down like a breached dam, instantly sealing the already narrow cave entrance completely.

You little brat, Wang Shan! How dare you scheme against me!

After the smoke and debris sealed off the area, Wan Tianjue's furious roar came through, his voice muffled by the barrier, yet the anger within seemed capable of melting stone.

"Hmph, old dog, take your time!" Wang Shan, having used the Concealment Pill's effect, slipped away silently to a safe distance. He brushed off the dust on his body, listened to the commotion inside, and finally let out a sigh of relief. That old coot had finally been played by him! Although this blow likely wouldn't injure his bones, merely buying a moment was already a great victory.

He dared not linger, immediately turned and darted toward the direction of the abyss fissure.

"Clan Leader!"

"Grandfather!"

Wang Zheze and Wang Zhitao were hiding in a depression beside the fissure, craning their necks to look out, their faces full of tension. The earth-shaking blast just now they heard clearly, their hearts leapt to their throats.

"How is it? That old thing…" Wang Zhitao, impatient by nature, blurted out.

Wang Shan made a hushing gesture: "Keep it down! That old dog I've temporarily trapped inside with the Micro Explosive Bead—he won't die, but he won't be able to get out for a while."

No sooner had his words fallen than a booming "Boom! Boom!" came from deep within the cavern, obviously Wan Tianjue forcibly breaking through the blocked entrance; each impact made the whole cavern tremble slightly.

"Damn it, this old coot really is an indestructible cockroach!" Wang Zhitao couldn't help muttering under his breath.

Wang Shan's face grew grave: "System, scan Wan Tianjue's condition! How long until he can get out?"

"Beep—Target is forcibly breaking through the obstacle; based on its energy fluctuations, analysis predicts he will break free within three minutes."

Three minutes!

Wang Shan's heart skipped a beat. That fast?

"Clan Leader, what about us…?" Wang Zheze looked at Wang Shan, his eyes full of inquiry.

Wang Shan's gaze swept over the pitch-black fissure beside him, which seemed to connect to another world, exuding a chilling dread and unknown danger.

"No time to hesitate." Wang Shan gritted his teeth: "Jump down, and there might still be a sliver of hope! Stay here, waiting for that old dog to come out, and we're all done for!"

"Jump… jump down?" Wang Zhitao's voice trembled: "Clan Leader, down there… who knows what monsters lurk!"

"Down there are monsters, up there is a death-dealing old ghost— which do you choose?" Wang Shan glared at him: "Take a gamble, there's still a way to live! Don't gamble, and it's a dead end!"

Although Wang Zheze also felt apprehensive, he was calmer than Wang Zhitao at this moment: "Clan Leader is right. Rather than wait for death, let's fight!"

"Good!" Wang Shan didn't waste words, immediately telling the System: "System, redeem three Tier 3 Slow-Fall Talismans and three Second-rank Illumination Talismans!"

"Beep—Redeeming three Tier 3 Slow-Fall Talismans consumes 150 Spirit Plant Points; redeeming three Second-rank Illumination Talismans consumes 30 Spirit Plant Points. Zhuren's current Spirit Plant Points remaining: 70."

Three yellow Slow-Fall Talismans and three white Illumination Talismans appeared in Wang Shan's hand. He distributed the talismans to Wang Zheze and Wang Zhitao: "Crush these two talismans and stay close to me! Remember, this jump is a nine-deaths-one-life chance—but as long as there's still a breath, we cannot give up! We, the Wang family, have not yet reached the point of resigning to fate!"

"Yes, Clan Leader!"

"Understood, Grandfather!"

Wang Zheze and Wang Zhitao took the talismans; although fear still lingered on their faces, their eyes grew resolute.

"Go!"

Wang Shan gave a low shout, first affixing the Slow-Fall and Illumination Talismans to himself. The two talismans instantly turned into a faint halo that merged into his body, while the Illumination Talisman formed a fist-sized light ball above his head, shedding a soft glow that could pierce the darkness.

Immediately after, he took a deep breath, glanced at the growing roar behind him, hesitated no more, and leapt into the pitch-black abyss fissure.

"Ah!"

Wang Zheze and Wang Zhitao almost followed suit, jumping down with their eyes closed.

Weightlessness instantly enveloped the three, the wind howling past their ears. The Slow-Fall Talisman's effect took hold immediately: their bodies, which had been plummeting at breakneck speed, felt as if cradled by an invisible hand, their descent slowing markedly into a gentle drift.

The faint glow from the Illumination Talisman above their heads dispelled the utter darkness around them, allowing them to make out some features of the abyss. The fissure was far wider than they had imagined; the stone walls were slick with damp moss, some of which emitted a faint phosphorescence. Thick, unidentified vines hung from crevices in the walls like giant pythons, swaying slightly in the gloomy wind.

The farther down they went, the stronger the sulfurous and bloody stench grew, mingled with an indescribable rot. Faintly, low, subdued howls could be heard from below the abyss, like the sleepy murmurs of some colossal beast, sending shivers down their spines.

"'What… what kind of damned place is this…?' Wang Zhitao's voice trembled as he clutched Wang Zheze's arm, as if drawing courage from it."

"Everyone, stay on guard!" Wang Shan warned in a low voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

Just then, a sharp, piercing screech—"Squeak squeak squeak!"—suddenly came from above.

Wang Shan snapped his head up to see a dark mass like a storm cloud swooping down from the darkness above them! By the light of the Illumination Talisman, he could barely make out a flock of huge bat-like demonic beasts, each the size of a grinding disc, with wingspans of several zhang, their metallic‑shimmering claws flashing cold light as they sliced the air.

"They're Underground Corrupt Blood Bats! Watch out for their corrosive venom!" Wang Shan had seen this demonic beast recorded in the System's Beast Encyclopedia, never expecting to encounter them here.

These Underground Corrupt Blood Bats were extremely fast, lunging forward in an instant. They opened their fang‑filled maws and spewed streams of murky‑green liquid, reeking of a foul stench, shooting it at the trio.

"Scatter!" Wang Shan bellowed, simultaneously channeling his spiritual power to narrowly dodge a stream of venom. The venom striking the rock wall hissed with corrosion, sending up white vapors as it ate pits into the hard stone.

Wang Zheze and Wang Zhitao also scrambled to evade. Although the Slow-Fall Talisman slowed their descent, it also made their movements in mid‑air somewhat sluggish, leaving them vulnerable to the agile, swift bat‑like demonic beasts.

"Use attack talismans!" Wang Shan shouted, quickly pulling several First Order Fireball Talismans and Wind Blade Talismans from his storage pouch and hurling them at the bat swarm.

Fireballs and wind blades screamed forth, striking several bats that couldn't dodge. Though the bats were low‑rank—roughly mid‑to‑late First Order—their hides were thick and tough; the Fireball Talismans merely scorched them black, eliciting shrill cries but not killing them outright. The Wind Blade Talismans fared a bit better, leaving deep gashes down to the bone on the creatures.

Wang Zheze and Wang Zhitao also pulled out talismans to counterattack. For a moment, the abyss flickered with random flashes of light, as explosion sounds, the demonic beasts' anguished cries, and the trio's shouts intertwined.

Relying on the hover‑granting ability of the Slow-Fall Talisman, together with their limited talismans and medicines, the three barely managed to fend off the bats' successive assaults. Yet the Underground Corrupt Blood Bats were fearless of death and numerous, pouring forth from the darkness as if endless.

After fighting for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Wang Shan and his two companions were panting, having expended more than half of their spiritual power. Worse still, Wang Shan sensed the energy of his Slow-Fall Talisman rapidly draining, and the glow of the Illumination Talisman above his head began to dim.

"No way, Clan Leader! The talismans are about to run out! The Slow-Fall Talisman won't hold much longer!" Wang Zheze shouted anxiously; a bat's claw had gouged a shallow cut on his arm, and the tingling numbness around the wound made his chest tighten.

"'Pfft!' Wang Zhitao barely dodged a lunge, but another bat's wing swept him, sending him tumbling in mid‑air; he nearly fell, but Wang Shan's quick reflexes snatched him back."

"'Damn it!' Wang Shan was also frantic with worry. This abyss was nothing short of a death trap!"

Just then——

"Beep—Warning! Warning! Detected at a depth of three hundred zhang below is an ultra‑high energy reaction! Lifeform level assessment……at least Third‑rank Peak! Possibly even higher! Danger! Extreme danger!"

The system's alert sound exploded in Wang Shan's mind like the Nine Heavens Mystic Thunder!

Third-rank Peak?! Even higher?!

Wang Shan felt a chill surge from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head! He never imagined that at the bottom of this Abyss lay hidden such a terrifying existence! Damn, did we stir up a demon beast nest?

Almost at the same moment as the system's warning, the Slow-Fall Talisman light on their three persons dimmed sharply, and the last trace of energy was completely exhausted!

Weightlessness struck again!

"Ah——!"

The three of them, like a kite with its string cut, plummeted uncontrollably toward the black, terror‑aura‑emitting bottom of the Abyss!

And at the edge of the crack above their heads, faintly, a furious roar seemed to be heard:

"Wang——Shan——! Old man will tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!!!"

It's Wan Tianjue! He actually broke through the seal at the cave entrance so quickly!

Before us looms the Abyss Giant Beast; behind us closes in a deadly pursuit!

A true desperate situation!