Chapter 259: Blood of the Virgin

The shadowy bats that burst apart with a roar surged at the group; Kaide screamed "Aaah" in fright, raised his short‑handled bronze wand toward the void, and a bean‑sized Fireball shot out from the wand's tip.

A deafening "boom" rang out as the Fireball exploded among the bats, a flash of dazzling flame shooting skyward in an instant; the scorching fire spread wildly from the blast point, and the bats it touched sizzled.

Chui Lier narrowed his eyes and roared, his deep, powerful voice seeming to pierce the dark void. Then he swung his heavy spiked hammer high, tracing a forceful arc through the air, generating a razor‑sharp gust; a single strike shattered a shadow bat.

But the next moment, the vaporized bat bodies re‑coalesced in the void, forming new bats.

"These are shadow creatures; attack with flame and positive energy!" Ebi Si shouted.

Finishing, she moved like a wraith across the cramped stone slab, evading the bats, her dagger ignited with black flame and darted out like a venomous snake's fang; each thrust burned a bat to ash in the dark fire.

"Enchant for me! Kaide!" Chui Lier barked, seeing his hammer ineffective.

Kaide hurriedly muttered a spell, unleashing an Erhuan Curse Method Series spell 【Blade Fire Technique】; Chui Lier's hammer instantly blazed with fierce flames, preventing the struck bats from escaping unscathed.

Naimi Xisi stood still, and no bat dared approach him; Monsters always possess a stronger instinct than sentient races, instinctively sensing the terrifying nature beneath his humanoid façade.

Naimi Xisi gave a cold stare for a while, realizing the three were woefully weak; had it not been for the Mage's Fireball wand that slew countless bats, they likely would have fallen into the abyss beneath their feet.

He looked up at the sky, a faint yellow glint flashing in his violet pupils; an invisible Mind Power radiated instantly, enveloping the entire bat swarm.

At Naimi Xisi's current 14th‑level professional rank, controlling the low‑level Monsters before him with a Mind Gem was a casual feat; he instantly mastered all the shadow bats.

The moment Naimi Xisi took control, he sensed another presence behind the bats also manipulating them.

However, whether spell or Mana, mind control relies on the caster's spiritual power; faced with Naimi Xisi's Mind Power, the former control was no match, and in an instant Naimi Xisi shattered the previous master's grip on the bat swarm.

Chui Lier and the other two, already in despair, noticed the shadow bat swarm in the air had inexplicably ceased its assault; simultaneously the whole space trembled, the stone slabs beneath their feet rang crisply, and cracks spidered across them, threatening to shatter at any moment.

"Run!" Chui Lier shouted, urging everyone toward the pavilion at the far end of the stone slab; fortunately the distance was not great, and they reached the pavilion in a few dozen seconds.

As soon as they entered the pavilion, the stone bridge behind them shattered and collapsed into the abyss; the tremor persisted, and they could even hear a faint roar emanating from the abyssal depths.

Naimi Xisi's face was as still as water; he knew the entity behind the bat swarm had realized its puppets were seized, and this whole scene was likely the opponent venting its fury.

What puzzled him, however, was why the other side did not immediately strike down the intruding group.

Could it be imprisoned?

Chui Lier and the others sat on the pavilion floor, panting heavily; Kaide, seeing Naimi Xisi's unflushed, unbreathing demeanor, felt a flash of wariness in his eyes.

During the battle he had stood in front of that person, so he naturally noticed the oddity. The bat swarm seemed to ignore Naimi Xisi entirely, never approaching him, and the other never showed any hint of fear or panic from start to finish.

Naimi Xisi naturally noticed Kaide's attitude toward him, but he was indifferent; he simply gave him a creepy smile, raised a finger to his lips.

"Shh."

Kaide was now even more certain of his suspicion: this guy was definitely not ordinary!

However, he was always timid, fearing he might encounter a terrifying Monster disguised as a humanoid, so even when something seemed off he merely swallowed, bowed his head and stayed silent. Chui Lier at this moment stood up and looked around.

The pavilion floated in the void of a dark space, only a few dozen square meters in size; aside from a stone platform at its center, it was bare and barren.

"Kaide, come see what the Rune on top means," Chui Lier said, walking to the stone platform, studying it for a while, then frowning and calling Kaide over.

Kaide calmed himself, approached the platform and examined it for a moment, then said blankly, "I have no idea what this means."

Chui Lier stared, "How can you not know? Aren't you Mages who can cast spells that comprehend languages? And you bookworms, don't you know multiple tongues?"

Just as the few were feeling discouraged, Naimi Xisi stepped up to the platform and glanced at it.

The surface bore a circular motif, entirely filled with Runes written in various ancient Ying Ying Ming Jie script; in the center was a groove linked by several carved lines to the surrounding primary pattern.

"With the blood of a virgin as offering, one may see the prisoner within the shadows," Naimi Xisi whispered.

Hearing him, the group's eyes lit up: "You can read it?"

Naimi Xisi nodded and said, "Is anyone among you a virgin? Shed some blood onto it, and the mechanism should activate. What happens afterward, I don't know."

The few exchanged glances, and finally Chui Lier stepped forward, his face flushed as he approached the platform.

!

"You're a virgin?" Naimi Xisi asked in surprise, looking up and down at the clearly middle‑aged dwarf.

Chui Lier glared angrily, silently drew his dagger and slit his palm, letting large streams of blood flow into the central groove, then spread outward.

As the blood filled the groove in the circular pattern, the stone platform rose into mid‑air, breaking into square stone blocks that rearranged themselves in the sky.

Then the blocks formed a rectangular doorway two meters high, within which black dense fog appeared.

"Do we really have to go in?" Kaide said timidly, looking at the fog inside the doorway and the unknown place beyond it.

Ebi Si snorted, "What if we don't go in? How do you plan to return, the stone bridge is already destroyed."

Kaide turned and glanced at the massive gate a hundred meters behind them and the void in between, sighing.

It can only be that.

The group entered the black fog one after another, vanishing. After they entered, the stone blocks quickly reassembled in the air, restoring the stone platform; the previously shattered stone bridge reappeared in the void, and everything returned to its original state.

(End of Chapter)