"What kind of creature is this? Why does it feel so familiar? Damn, itâs such a comforting feeling..."
Big Black Cat stared deep into the underground palace, a cryptic smile on his face.
"Little Cat, why do you feel this way?" Wan Feng asked in surprise.
"I donât know. Anyway, ever since I entered this underground palace, Iâve felt a strong sense of familiarity, not fear at all..." Big Black Cat shrugged and smiled wryly.
"Master, this creature drained your Essence Blood and Mana. Do you have any idea what it is?" Su Wanyi asked in a low voice.
"I have no idea. All I saw was a long dark shadow zipping past in front of me, and then I passed out..." Recalling his previous experience, Wan Fengâs eyes still held a look of fear.
Su Wanyi blurted out, "A long, dark shadow? Could it be a dragon?"
"Probably not. How could there be a living Divine Dragon in this underground palace?" Wan Feng shook his head.
The rumbling sound from deep within the underground palace continued to move, showing no signs of heading towards them. This put everyone slightly at ease.
"Letâs get out of here quickly. We canât stay in this place for long..." Wan Feng said solemnly.
"Master, thereâs something off about this underground palace. We should stay and investigate..." Su Wanyi shook her head, her beautiful eyes filled with determination.
"Wanyi, I know you must have had a rare fortuitous encounter this past year. However, this underground palace is exceedingly dangerous, and your current cultivation base is insufficient..." Wan Feng sighed helplessly.
"Master, rest assured, nothing will happen to me!" Su Wanyi smiled.
"Exactly! Master, my Lady wonât come to any harm. Why donât you head outside first while we stay and deal with this creature?" Big Black Cat said with a dismissive laugh.
Even if there were some strange creatures in the underground palace, how tough could they be? At most, they would be in the Eternal Realm. Even if there were, by some miracle, a True God-stage creature, they would have nothing to fear. Although their current strength wasnât enough to deal with it, they had plenty of seniors above the True God Realm ready to intervene! Elder Celestial Silkworm had said to let the Young Mistress gain experience as she wished, as it would always keep an eye on her. Moreover, the Old Masterâs Primordial Spirit could possess someone again at any moment, eradicating any crisis. They had too many trump cards up their sleeves; they were truly fearless. Therefore, storming this underground palace was just childâs play for them.
"Little Cat, why do you call her âLadyâ? Have you recognized her as your master?" Wan Feng caught the undertone and asked in surprise.
He hadnât placed any spiritual imprint on the Nine-tailed Spirit Cat he was raising; he was only its master in name. The reason he had done so was that Wan Feng felt the Nine-tailed Spirit Cat had immense potential for growth and didnât want to use a beast taming seal to restrict its development. That way, the Nine-tailed Spirit Cat could have multiple masters.
"Well..." Big Black Cat looked a bit embarrassed, pondered for a moment, then said, "Letâs discuss this with Master later!"
"I understand!" Wan Feng nodded curtly.
The Nine-tailed Spirit Cat had broken through to the Fourth Level of the Life and Death Realm in such a short time, a cultivation speed nearly identical to his disciple Su Wanyiâs. Wan Feng knew there had to be a great secret between them. As the master of the Nine-tailed Spirit Cat and Su Wanyiâs master, he didnât want to pry into othersâ secrets. It would be an unethical act.
"Dog, Iâll trouble you to escort Master out safely!" Big Black Cat said.
"Cat Brother, I want to stay here and gain experience with you all. Why not let Sky-boring Rat go out? Heâs scared to death here anyway!" Big Black Dog reluctantly looked at the Sky-boring Rat.
Hearing this, the Sky-boring Rat got extremely excited, hastily saying, "Cat Brother, let me escort Sect Master Wan out then!"
"You coward! You sure know how to seize an opportunity!" Big Black Cat chuckled teasingly, then nodded.
"Master, if you exit the underground palace, Lu Shaoyouâs main body wonât harm you, will he?" A flicker of concern crossed Su Wanyiâs eyes as she suddenly asked.
"How dare he touch me in broad daylight? That would be outrageous!" Wan Feng snorted coldly.
"Thatâs good!" Su Wanyi nodded, looked at the Sky-boring Rat, and transmitted her voice with profound meaning: "At the critical moment, you must protect my master. Donât worry, someone is watching over your little life; you wonât die!"
"I understand, Miss!" Understanding dawned on the Sky-boring Rat, and he nodded repeatedly.
Next, the Sky-boring Rat helped Wan Feng up and quickly left the area.
"Letâs go. Weâll go see that monster..." Su Wanyi drew the Seven-star Dragon Abyss Sword from her back, a calm expression on her face. Accompanied by Big Black Cat and Big Black Dog, she swiftly moved towards the depths of the darkness.
ăOn the other side.ă
In the depths of the underground palace, thousands of Black Shadow Bugs converged, forming a human figure.
The Nine-tailed Spirit Cat... this fellowâs Divine Skills are truly terrifying. If not for the sheer number of my Black Shadow Bugs, they would have been completely wiped out...
Lu Shaoyouâs face was gloomy. The Supreme Ancestor had lent him a portion of these Black Shadow Bugs, also to enhance his strength.
After all, the Ten Thousand Beast Divine Sect is currently vulnerable. Other Super Sects might seize this opportunity to plunder it. The Supreme Ancestor, despite his power, has lived for ages. Heâs now old and frail, his vitality severely depleted, spending most of his time asleep. He only awakens occasionally, stepping forward only when the Ten Thousand Beast Divine Sect faces a major crisis.
BOOM! BOOM!
The earth trembled, and the distant rumbling reached Lu Shaoyouâs ears.
What exactly is this monster? It feels terrifying... But even though itâs strong, it doesnât leave the underground palace. It seems this place restricts it somehow...
Lu Shaoyou muttered to himself, continuously analyzing the current situation.
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, his vision went dark. Lu Shaoyou felt himself entering a peculiar small world, pitch black all around, where he couldnât see a thing. He hurriedly released his Divine Sense, only to find it was blocked within a radius of several thousand feet, unable to probe further.
Could there also be some fortuitous opportunity in this underground palace?
Lu Shaoyouâs heart leaped, and a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face.
His wisp of Divine Sense, currently controlling these numerous Black Shadow Bugs, can form a very peculiar Black Shadow Bug avatar. In this perilous underground palace, even if all these Black Shadow Bugs perish, his true body wonât be affected. Though I just lost two-thirds of my Black Shadow Bugs, if I can obtain a precious opportunity in this underground palace, it will be more than enough to cover the loss.
What? The space is shrinking rapidly?
The next moment, Lu Shaoyou glared furiously. His Divine Sense perceived that this space was rapidly contracting. An indescribable pressure instantly bore down on him.
CRACK!
The boundary of the dark space contracted rapidly, and Lu Shaoyouâs body was shattered by an immense force, reverting to countless tiny Black Shadow Bugs that scattered in all directions in panic.
In the void, a colossal shadow, hundreds of thousands of feet tall, stirred slightly. It suddenly lifted an arm that had been resting on the ground. Its fist was clenched. When its fist reached its mouth, it abruptly opened its hand and tossed all the Black Shadow Bugs within into its maw.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
A chilling crunching sound that set oneâs teeth on edge rang out, accompanied by Lu Shaoyouâs bloodcurdling screams echoing in the darkness.
In the span of two or three breaths, the thousands of Black Shadow Bugs were crushed and devoured by the mysterious, colossal shadow.