Chapter 277: Finally Found It!

Lin Xuan raised his hand and waved it, and a wisp of Heart Fire burrowed into Wang Zhenqiu's wound. The black Qi burned the moment it touched the fire, turning into blue smoke and dissipating. "This mechanism is designed specifically for Outsiders." He glanced at the poison darts covering the ground, his expression grave, "Stay close to me on the path ahead."

Passing through the mechanism-laden passage, the two stepped into a circular stone chamber. The dome hung high, the four walls carved with ferocious beast-head reliefs, and in the center stood a three-zhang-tall pitch-black stone statue. The statue's eyes were tightly shut, and it held a giant axe; on the axe blade, dark brown patterns were vaguely visible—it was the aura of the Dust of Earth!

"Found it!" Wang Zhenqiu's eyes lit up, and just as he was about to step forward, he was stopped by Lin Xuan.

"Don't move." Lin Xuan lightly touched the ground with his fingertips, and a flow of Qi spread out like ripples, "This statue... is alive."

As if to verify his words, the statue suddenly opened its eyes, and scarlet light shot out from its pupils. The giant axe swept over, carrying the force to split mountains and crack rocks, the gale force making Wang Zhenqiu stumble backward. Lin Xuan did not retreat but advanced instead, his Heart Fire transforming into nine Fire Dragons that coiled around the axe blade, the high temperature burning the axe face bright red.

"Boom!" The statue roared, and the axe blade slammed heavily into the ground. The entire stone chamber shook, and cracks spread like a spiderweb. Lin Xuan used the momentum to leap into the air, his fingertips condensing lightning and fire as he drew a talisman in the air: "Heaven Fire: Burning Evil!"

The talisman, interwoven with red lightning, exploded with a bang, blasting a half-zhang-wide hole in the statue's chest. Dark brown Dust of Earth seeped out from the crack, hovering in the air like quicksand. Wang Zhenqiu seized the opportunity, his Dragon Suppressing Art erupting with full force as he slammed a fist into the statue's knee: "Get on your knees for Laozi!"

With a crisp "Crack!" sound, the statue slammed one knee onto the ground. Lin Xuan took the chance to leap onto its shoulder, pressing his palm onto the Dust of Earth. The extremely yin and soft power surged into his meridians, and the violent Heart Fire gradually calmed down as if it had encountered sweet rain.

"It's done!" A brilliant light surged in Lin Xuan's eyes, and just as he was about to withdraw his hand, the statue suddenly erupted. It discarded the giant axe, its arms locking onto Lin Xuan like iron hoops, and the hole in its chest healed at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"Daoist!" Wang Zhenqiu was terrified and about to step forward, but he saw a cold sneer curl the corner of Lin Xuan's mouth: "A mere puppet dares to act presumptuously?"

The Heart Fire erupted with a bang! Scorching white flames gushed out from within the statue, burning it to charred black in the blink of an eye. The Dust of Earth turned into a stream of light and submerged into Lin Xuan's palm, and the stone chamber returned to silence.

When the two rushed out of the underground ruins with the Dust of Earth, the setting sun had already stained the horizon the color of blood. However, before they could catch their breath, a strange "rustling" sound surged from all directions—

The ground was trembling.

Countless black ants crawled out from the cracks in the ground, each one the size of a fist, their carapaces gleaming with a metallic luster, their tail stingers dripping with dark green venom. They swarmed over like a tide, and wherever they passed, vegetation withered and rocks corroded.

"Poison Ants!" Lin Xuan's pupils shrank. He had once heard that "Insect Keepers" fed poison insects with the vital blood of living people; the toxicity of these ants' tail stingers was enough to cause an Outsider's Qi sea to collapse!

"Dodge!" Wang Zhenqiu flicked out three strands of Qi, the lightning light exploding and clearing a patch of the ant swarm. However, more Poison Ants followed one after another, surrounding the two in the blink of an eye. Lin Xuan released his Heart Fire, the ring of fire sweeping out, and the Poison Ants crackled and burst in the flames. But the ant swarm seemed endless, and several even broke through the defensive line, their poison needles thrusting straight at Wang Zhenqiu's back!

At the critical moment, a green light descended from the sky. Xiao Qing held dual swords and killed her way into the battle, her sword Qi like a rainbow, and wherever she passed, ant corpses flew. "Benefactor, there is a gap to the southwest!" she shouted urgently.

The three fought and retreated until they escaped into a dense forest. The Poison Ant swarm lingered outside the forest for a moment, then slowly retreated as if fearing something. Lin Xuan stared at the ground—there, a few copper coins engraved with cherry blossom patterns were scattered.

Lin Xuan picked up a copper coin and rubbed it gently between his fingers. Wang Zhenqiu and Xiao Qing were panting heavily, each resting against a tree trunk.

"The cherry blossom patterns on these copper coins... look like some kind of special mark." Wang Zhenqiu frowned, trying to find clues within them.

Xiao Qing's eyes flickered: "We seem to have been guided here. Could there be some special reason?"

Lin Xuan raised his head and looked around the dense forest, as if trying to find the answer within it. "The most important thing now is not to study these copper coins," he said solemnly, "The Poison Ants haven't left completely, and what's more, they likely have a greater threat closing in."

Suddenly, a series of rumbles came from underground, and the ground began to vibrate slightly. The three immediately became alert, standing guard with strict caution. Sure enough, after a short while, a massive Poison Ant King appeared before everyone; its huge body was covered with a thick carapace, and a pair of ferocious mandibles made one look on with awe.

The Poison Ant King let out a low roar, as if declaring its sovereignty over this forest.

"This guy is countless times stronger than ordinary Poison Ants." Xiao Qing's expression tightened, and she gripped her swords even tighter.

Wang Zhenqiu also stood up, an invisible pressure radiating from his body. "Are you ready? We can only fight with all our might!"

"Then that's it!" Lin Xuan nodded in response, then closed his eyes, and a faint radiance began to emanate from his entire body, "I will attract its attention, you find an opportunity to attack its weak point! Remember, you must seize the right moment!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the initiative to charge toward the giant beast. The Poison Ant King was clearly enraged by this action and immediately launched a fierce attack on him. Meanwhile, Xiao Qing and Wang Zhenqiu took the opportunity to find the best angle to launch a sneak attack.

Lin Xuan moved flexibly through the battlefield, skillfully dodging while guiding the enemy to move toward their predetermined position; on the other hand, Xiao Qing leaped lightly, drawing graceful trajectories in the air as she tried to find the weakest point in the opponent's body defense to perform a thrust; at the same time, Wang Zhenqiu gathered strength in his fists, waiting for the enemy to reveal a slight flaw before delivering a thunderous blow.

Just as the confrontation between the two sides was at its most intense, Lin Xuan suddenly discovered a small, inconspicuous hole on the enemy's left hind leg—that was clearly its naturally formed fatal defect!

"Found it!" Through their ability to communicate via thoughts, Lin Xuan immediately passed this important information to his companions. The two immediately adjusted their strategic direction and launched an all-out offensive toward that spot.

"Good, let's proceed according to plan!" Hearing the hint, Xiao Qing accelerated her sprint instantly, her dual swords crossing into an X-shape as she thrust straight toward that point, while Wang Zhenqiu, following closely behind, gathered all his strength into his right arm, releasing the long-accumulated destructive power at the exact moment he struck!

As the two rays of light struck the target area simultaneously, a miserable and extremely shrill cry rang out from the dust and smoke filling the air, and then that incomparably massive body collapsed to the ground with a bang, no longer having any movement.

Just as everyone was preparing to relax their vigilance and celebrate the victory, a slight but continuous sound came from the distance again. The hearts of the three sank, knowing that this was only a brief peace.