Chapter 345: Strange Statue

The speck in Xiao You's mouth gathered the annihilating stars and the black‑gold glimmer that violently devours will, in the dim underground space, like a micro black hole about to erupt, emitting a terrifying aura that freezes the soul!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The giant salamanders that had originally lunged ferociously, in their huge yellow vertical pupils, their primal greed was instantly replaced by a fear rooted in the instinct of life, etched deep into their genes!

Their massive bodies suddenly stalled in the water, even letting out uneasy low roars, instinctively trying to retreat!

Now!

"Hoo—!" a low yet piercing syllable sounded from Xiao You's throat.

That speck of black‑gold light vanished silently.

No, it didn't disappear!

It compressed to the extreme, moving faster than the limits of visual perception!

Puff!

A faint, almost negligible thud.

The giant salamander, temporarily bound by Lin Yifan's dark golden vines and badly wounded, suddenly bore a fist‑sized, smooth‑edged, bottomless hole in the center of its head, which was covered with thick teal‑black scales!

No blood spurted, no sound of bones cracking. The moment the hole appeared, all the life force and power fluctuations of the salamander's massive body were instantly erased as if by an invisible giant hand! Its huge yellow vertical pupils instantly lost all luster, becoming like murky glass spheres.

Immediately, centered on that hole, a strange gray‑white layer, sparkling like stardust, spread rapidly like a plague! Wherever it passed, the tough scales, strong muscles, even the stout bones silently turned into the same dead, gray‑white dust!

In just one breath!

A mountain‑sized ancient giant salamander, under the horrified gazes of Lin Yifan and Ling Ling, completely turned into a massive, bizarre gray‑white statue frozen in its dying posture!

Dead silence!

Absolute dead silence enveloped this waterway!

The remaining few giant salamanders froze completely, their massive bodies trembling slightly in the water, throats emitting an incomprehensible, utterly terrified "hoho" sound. They stared at the gray‑white statue of their companion, then at the tiny dark silhouette on the surface; their huge yellow vertical pupils held only pure, incomprehensible fear!

Xiao You hovered on the water's surface, the flowing star‑river pattern on its body dimming slightly, yet the Overwhelming Pressure that blended cold and devouring became even more concentrated. Its star‑eyes swept over the remaining giant salamanders, as if looking down on ants.

"Run... run quickly..." Ling Ling whispered weakly from Lin Yifan's arms, using all her strength.

Lin Yifan snapped back to his senses! Xiao You's terrifying strike stunned the beast, but it inevitably consumed massive energy! This was their only chance of survival!

"Go!" he roared, ignoring the searing pain in his right arm as if molten lava, clutching Ling Ling tightly with his left hand, kicking the water fiercely, while frantically driving his consciousness to command the dark golden vines that had pierced the rock wall to contract and pull with full force!

Sizzle!

The vines tightened, the massive pull thrust Lin Yifan and Ling Ling like arrows off a string toward the edge of the rock wall that glowed with eerie blue and grim green light, away from the salamander swarm!

Splash! Splash!

Only after Lin Yifan, dragging Ling Ling, clumsily slammed into the slick, icy rock wall did the remaining giant salamanders snap out of their stupor, letting out panicked roars, their massive tails wildly slapping the water, raising towering waves, and fleeing headlong toward the deep water, away from Xiao You, without looking back! Their huge bodies churned the water, creating chaotic whirlpools, and none dared to glance back.

The crisis, for now, is lifted.

"Cough cough cough..." Lin Yifan leaned against the cold rock wall, gasping heavily; each breath tugged at his injuries, pain surging like a tide. The dark golden vines on his right arm dimmed quickly after the pull, coiling around his arm like lifeless metal thorns. The backlash from forcibly driving two forces had nearly drained his last ounce of strength.

Ling Ling fared worse, curled in Lin Yifan's arms, her breath feeble, the dim rune mark on her forehead almost vanished, and pale silver blood stained her chest fur red.

Lin Yifan looked toward the water's surface.

Xiao You still stood quietly on the water's surface. It did not chase the fleeing salamanders, but slowly turned, its star‑eyes now fixed—without blinking—on the gray‑white statue formed from the giant salamander!

An extremely faint yet unusually clear… yearning sensation traveled through the soul link.

A chill rose in Lin Yifan's heart. He instantly grasped Xiao You's intent—it coveted something contained within the statue! The most pristine… primordial energy left after its annihilating beam erased life? Or something else?

Xiao You lightly leapt, silently landing on the massive gray‑white skull of the salamander. It lowered its head, its tiny nose sniffing the smooth rim of the hole, a hint of human‑like… focus flashing in its star‑eyes?

The next moment, it extended a small fore‑paw, gently pressing against the gray‑white statue's surface.

Buzz...

The dim star‑river pattern beneath its fur slowly brightened again, this time not a blinding attack but a strange, eerie blue radiance with absorptive power. The glow, like a living thing, flowed along its paw onto the gray‑white statue.

A hair‑raising scene unfolded.

Where the stone‑hard gray‑white statue's surface met the eerie blue glow, it began silently crumbling and dispersing as if weathered, turning into ultra‑fine dust sparkling with tiny star‑like specks! The dust did not drift away; it was drawn by the blue glow on Xiao You's paw, like iron filings pulled by a magnet, threading into its paw tip and vanishing!

The star‑river pattern on Xiao You's body, as the star dust merged, brightened and deepened at a visible speed, even faintly revealing a previously absent, denser, heavier texture!

It is devouring!

Devouring the last essence left after its annihilating beam on the ancient giant beast!

Lin Yifan watched, heart pounding. Xiao You's ability was far more bizarre and domineering than he imagined! It was not merely combat, but a predatory form of growth!

At that moment, Ling Ling let out an extremely painful moan, her body convulsing violently in Lin Yifan's arms.

"Ling Ling!" Lin Yifan exclaimed, looking down. The rune mark on Ling Ling's forehead, which had almost vanished, now flickered weakly yet rapidly like a reflected afterglow! Each flash accompanied an instinctive painful spasm in her body.

"It hurts... so painful... something... is pulling... my power..." Ling Ling's voice broke, filled with pain and confusion.

Pulling?

Lin Yifan jerked his head up, looking at the surrounding rock walls that glowed with eerie blue, grim green, and dark purple light! Earlier, in the crisis, he had only noticed the strangeness of these lights; now, sensing carefully, an extremely faint yet all‑pervasive 'pulling' sensation came from all directions!