Chapter 288: Chapter 232: Behind the Stone Gate
"How strange. Why isn’t there anything here?" Song Mingyue said, stepping inside.
Ling Xiao suddenly sensed something was wrong and shouted, "Get back!" But it was too late. He heard Song Mingyue cry out in alarm as a large hole abruptly appeared in the floor, and Song Mingyue lost his footing and fell in!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ling Xiao leaped in after him. He grabbed Song Mingyue’s wrist and was about to soar back up when the light above them suddenly dimmed. An immense suction force pulled at them from below! Their strength was no match for it, and they both plummeted downward!
By the time Ling Su and Tiger arrived, they found the Stone Gate had slammed shut and wouldn’t budge, no matter what they did.
Ling Su and Tiger stared at each other. Tiger said in a deep voice, "Miss, step aside!"
Ling Su obediently moved to the side. Tiger let out a low roar as three bright yellow halos of light rose from his feet. He concentrated all his power into his right arm, swung his iron fist, and bellowed, "Open!"
"BOOM!"
At the deafening sound, Ling Su quickly covered her ears as the shockwave threw her back more than ten meters! The entire hall seemed to shake, and the Luminous Pearls—hundreds of them—rained down from the ceiling.
The rumbling continued for a long while before stopping. But the Stone Gate before them... hadn’t moved an inch!
Tiger was stunned. Ling Su was also in a daze, her ears still ringing. She felt that the Beastman’s punch could have pierced even a thick steel plate, yet the Stone Gate was completely undamaged!
Tiger was furious. He looked at Ling Su and said, "Miss, go back to the room and hide!"
After Ling Su went inside, Tiger roared again and landed three consecutive punches on the exact same spot. Finally, a hairline crack appeared on the massive Stone. The crack grew larger and larger until the Stone Gate shattered, breaking into chunks of rubble that scattered across the floor. Ling Su picked up a few Luminous Pearls from the ground and tossed them into the room, instantly illuminating it.
Tiger picked up the stones from the ground and threw them onto the floor of the room. They landed with a dull thud, as if hitting solid earth.
Relying on his formidable cultivation, Tiger jumped in fearlessly and stomped around on the ground, but nothing unusual happened. Annoyed, he knelt and slammed his fists into the floor several times, but again, there was no reaction.
Tiger scratched his bald head, at a loss. He turned to the pale-faced Ling Su behind him and asked, "Miss... what do we do now?"
Ling Su bit her lower lip, walked into the room, and searched carefully for a long time, but she couldn’t find any mechanisms. Finally, she said dejectedly, "How about this: I’ll read through all the notes left by that senior again. There’s no reason he would leave a room like this just as a trap!"
Tiger nodded. This was something he couldn’t help with. In his heart, he could only pray to the Beast God to protect Ling Xiao. ’After all, the Young Master is the hope of the entire Beast Race!’
Though Tiger was uneducated, he understood one thing very clearly: the Young Master’s future was limitless. Only with the Young Master around did the Beast Race have any hope of one day having a paradise of their own!
A place where they could eat their fill!
This had been the greatest wish of the entire Beast Race for thousands of years!
...
Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue plummeted downward as if pulled by a colossal force. It felt as if their powers were completely useless here.
Ling Xiao’s perception was incredibly sharp. Although it was pitch black, he could still feel that the air in this space was heavy with moisture!
’There’s water below!’ Ling Xiao thought. For several dozen counts, their descent accelerated due to inertia.
SPLASH!
Sending up a massive spray of water, the two of them landed ungracefully in a pool of unknown depth.
Ling Xiao felt the immense suction force vanish the moment they hit the water. Their momentum carried them dozens of meters deep into the bone-chillingly cold pool. Ling Xiao immediately released his Protective Spiritual Qi, enveloping both himself and Song Mingyue. Just then, a faint blue light appeared before his eyes, and he felt the pressure around him lighten.
Opening his eyes, he saw Song Mingyue, face beet-red and lips pursed, lost in thought. When he noticed Ling Xiao looking at him, Song Mingyue turned his face away and tried to shift his body away from Ling Xiao, as they were pressed tightly together.
"Brother Ling... I... I’ve caused trouble again. I’m so sorry for dragging you into this," Song Mingyue said softly, as if to break the awkward silence.
"Brother Song, what are you saying? Since we’re friends, don’t say such unpleasant things," Ling Xiao said with a slight frown. He suddenly had a strange feeling. Right now, Song Mingyue seemed very delicate. Steam was rising from his clothes; he was actually using his Inner Strength to dry them.
’So pampered!’ Ling Xiao thought. ’After all, we don’t even know if this place is dangerous, yet he’s in a hurry to dry his clothes.’ Ling Xiao found this behavior a bit hard to understand.
Looking at the water held back before them, Ling Xiao asked, "Is this a Deep Sea Poison Dragon Eye?"
Song Mingyue’s face flushed red. "My apologies, Brother Ling. I hid it from you back then, and then I forgot to mention it!"
"It’s nothing. Let’s just figure out how to get back up!" Ling Xiao said casually. Internally, he thought, ’I’ve hidden far more from you. We’re even.’
Protected by the water-repelling Deep Sea Poison Dragon Eye, the two began to slowly swim upward. Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold swept over them. Even Song Mingyue felt it. She looked up at Ling Xiao in surprise.
"What is that?"
Ling Xiao’s expression grew solemn. Underwater, he couldn’t use his full strength. If there really was a powerful aquatic Magical Beast here, the best course of action would be to leave this place as quickly as possible!
"I don’t know. Let’s go, quickly!" Ling Xiao said, frantically circulating the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi through the meridians in his body while simultaneously gripping his Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword.
As they ascended rapidly through the water, they suddenly felt a massive, powerful current shoot toward them! They had no chance to resist and were blasted over a hundred meters away by the immense force!
Once again, they were driven deep to the bottom of the pool! It was pitch-black, and they couldn’t see a thing. Ling Xiao could only rely on his powerful Spiritual Power to perceive what kind of creature they were facing.
Ling Xiao extended his Spiritual Power in the direction of the attack. Suddenly, it collided with another Spiritual Power that was fierce, violent, cruel, and chillingly cold. Ling Xiao let out a muffled grunt, his face instantly turning deathly pale as blood trickled from the corners of his eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears.
Under the faint blue glow of the Deep Sea Poison Dragon Eye, Song Mingyue was filled with terror. Casting aside all restraint, she threw her arms around Ling Xiao and asked in a trembling voice, "Ling Xiao, Ling Xiao, are you okay?"
Ling Xiao forced a smile and coughed, more blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. He joked, "Brother Song, why does your voice get so high-pitched when you’re worried?"
"How can you... how can you still be in the mood to joke at a time like this? Don’t you know I’m worried about you?" Tears welled up in Song Mingyue’s eyes. Having spent her childhood practically living in water, she could also sense that the incomparably powerful creature was swimming toward them at a leisurely pace.
Just like... a cat toying with a mouse!
"I’m fine, I’m fine." Ling Xiao took a porcelain vial from his robes, tipped out an Elixir, and tossed it into his mouth. "I just took a small loss," he said. "That thing’s Spiritual Power is actually stronger than mine! I wonder how many years that monster has been cultivating!"
"Damn it, if it weren’t for my curiosity, we wouldn’t have fallen into such a dangerous place. Honestly..." Song Mingyue said, her eyes brimming with tears as she blamed herself.
"Haha, even if you hadn’t come in, Brother Song, I would have. Are you saying you would have just watched if I were the one who fell?" Ling Xiao wiped his mouth and said, "So, Brother Song, stop acting so girlish. And don’t try to talk like a girl. It sounds weird!"
At that moment, Song Mingyue surprisingly wasn’t scared anymore. Her heart was filled with shame and anger. ’I’m already talking like this, and he... this pig-headed fool still hasn’t realized I’m a woman!’
’This... idiot!’
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