Chapter 97

"Plop!" "Plop!"

The bone-chilling icy river water instantly enveloped Wang Zhize and Wang Zhitao; the two shivered almost simultaneously.

"Cough cough... so cold!" Wang Zhitao choked on several mouthfuls of water, his teeth chattering from the cold, he hastily wiped his face, feeling that the sticky poison on his face had been somewhat diluted by the river water.

"Zhitao, grab hold of me!" Wang Zhize's voice sounded from beside him; he was slightly calmer than Wang Zhitao, he grabbed his brother's hand, "This water... seems able to wash away the poison!"

Wang Zhitao also felt it; the deep bone-piercing stabbing pain had lessened considerably. He turned his head, and through the dim, unclear water light, he could faintly see the huge shadow on the shore and his grandfather's blurry figure.

"Grandfather..." Wang Zhitao's voice trembled with tears, the rapid current pushed them downstream.

"Don't look back! Listen to grandfather, go downstream!" Wang Zhize gritted his teeth, tightly pulling his brother, letting the icy river water sweep them into the unknown darkness. His only thought: survive, cannot let grandfather's sacrifice be in vain!

At the bottom of the Abyss, the moment Wang Shan activated the Second-rank Water Escape Talisman and the Third-rank Maze Talisman, he felt his body lighten, and the surrounding scenery became somewhat indistinct.

"Beast! Your grandfather is here!" Wang Shan roared at the Third-rank Peak Mutated Giant Lizard, not retreating but advancing, instead charging toward its flank.

"Roar——!"

The giant lizard's scarlet huge eyes locked firmly onto Wang Shan; this tiny human actually dared to provoke it! It stepped forward with heavy steps, the earth trembling, its huge head swung violently, a foul-smelling emerald-green poison sprayed like an arrow toward Wang Shan.

"Good timing!" Wang Shan cursed inwardly, yet his steps remained perfectly steady.

The effect of the Maze Talisman manifested now; the giant lizard's perception seemed to momentarily falter, the poison just grazed Wang Shan's collar and flew past, corroding the distant rock face with a hissing sound, sending up a wisp of white smoke.

"You bastard, your vision isn't great!" Wang Shan didn't spare him verbally, but his heart tightened. This beast's attack range is too large.

He relied on the strange power of the Water Escape Talisman, his body becoming like a water shadow, swiftly weaving between the wet, slippery rocks at the edge of the Dark River, always keeping a subtle distance from the giant lizard—neither letting it easily strike him nor allowing it to notice the Dark River entrance not far away.

He certainly didn't want this big guy to block the grandchildren's path of survival.

Roar! Roar!

The giant lizard's successive attacks missed, and it was completely enraged. Its massive body began to charge and ram, its thick tail sweeping like a steel whip, kicking up fierce gusts. Boulders were swept into fragments, smoke and dust filling the air.

Wang Shan narrowly dodged a tail swipe, gravel scraping his cheek and drawing a line of blood.

"System! Give me another defensive one! The cheapest kind!" Wang Shan roared in his mind.

"Ding—exchange 【First-level Diamond Talisman】, costing five Spirit Plant Points. Zhuren's current Spirit Plant Points remaining: zero."

Gone again! Wang Shan felt he was about to be drained dry by this system. How could these Spirit Plant Points be so unreliable!

The Diamond Talisman's light flashed and vanished, barely blocking a flying boulder. Wang Shan felt his chest tighten, a hint of sweetness rising in his throat.

This beast, its strength is too great!

Just as Wang Shan felt he could barely hold on, wondering whether he should also jump into the river to flee, a deafening roar suddenly came from above his head:

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

This voice…… is Wan Tianjue!

Wang Shan's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly looked up.

He saw a figure surrounded by violent Spiritual Energy Fluctuation plummeting rapidly from above the Abyss's fissure—who else could it be but Wan Tianjue!

"Holy shit! This old coot also jumped down?!" Wang Shan could hardly believe his eyes. Is this guy crazy? Down there is a Third-rank Peak mutant beast!

Is he courting death? Or… has he also discovered the secret at the bottom of the Abyss, or that Dark River?

In an instant, Wang Shan felt a chill from head to toe.

Ahead looms the Giant Lizard, behind is Wan Tianjue—truly now there's no way to heaven, no door to earth!

"Old dog! You came just in time!" Wang Shan's thoughts raced, and an extremely bold idea sprang up.

He no longer merely dodged, but moved toward the edge of the Giant Lizard's attack range, while his position gradually shifted toward where Wan Tianjue was falling.

"Beast, look over here!" Wang Shan taunted the Giant Lizard again.

The Giant Lizard, already seething with rage, saw Wang Shan daring to approach and flew into a greater fury, opening its blood‑filled maw to spew forth the thick venom it had been brewing, while its massive claw came down with tremendous force.

The target, precisely Wang Shan!

At this moment, Wan Tianjue had already fallen to a height of less than a hundred zhang above the ground, and he naturally saw Wang Shan below and the terrifying Giant Lizard.

"Wretched beast! Wang Shan, you brat! You all go die for this old man!" Wan Tianjue, while airborne, unleashed a fierce palm wind slicing toward Wang Shan.

However, at that very instant, the Giant Lizard's violent venom and massive claw arrived!

At the critical moment, Wang Shan narrowly rolled aside, dodging the fatal blow, but the attack's aftermath still made his qi and blood surge.

While most of the Giant Lizard's attacks missed, a portion of its venom and gusts just happened to sweep toward the falling Wan Tianjue.

"What?!" Wan Tianjue also hadn't expected the monster's attack to be indiscriminate; in the hurry he could only muster his Protective Spirit Power to resist.

"Pfft—Boom!"

The venom corroded his Protective Body Light, and the claw's gust made his posture stall, his falling speed instantly slowing a bit.

"Great opportunity!" Wang Shan's eyes lit up.

"Now!"

He hesitated no longer, pouring the last trace of his Spiritual Power into his legs and the Water Escape Talisman, his whole body shooting like an arrow released from a bow toward the nearby Dark River Entrance!

"Old dog! This big guy is yours now—I'm out of here!" Wang Shan's voice echoed from afar.

"Roar!!!" The Giant Lizard saw its cooked duck fly away, becoming even more furious, but its massive body was clearly unsuited to enter the narrow Dark River.

"Wang Shan! You think you can escape!" Wan Tianjue, smoking with rage from all his orifices, was smeared with dirt from the Giant Lizard's attack; he watched Wang Shan's silhouette vanish into the Dark River Entrance, yet was entangled by the Giant Lizard, unable to break free for a moment.

"Plunk!"

Wang Shan dove headfirst into the icy river water.

The familiar chill enveloped him, but this time he felt a hint of relief.

The turbulent current instantly engulfed him, sweeping him toward the dark downstream.

He faintly heard behind him the Giant Lizard's unwilling roar and Wan Tianjue's frustrated, angry howl, but these sounds were quickly drowned by the rushing water.

His consciousness gradually blurred, his body, from exhausted Spiritual Power and prior injuries, having reached its limit.

Zhize…… Zhitao…… are you all right?

This river…… where exactly does it flow to?

Wan Tianjue, that old dog... will he find another way to catch up?

One after another, doubts flashed through Wang Shan's mind; finally, he completely lost consciousness, letting the icy river water carry him toward an unknown fate.