Wilderness: I Tame Beasts to Survive

Chapter 334: Chapter 242: The Deepest Part, An Important Clue (2)

Gradually, the crack grew wider and wider, until even the massive Egg Pancake could pass through.

At the same time, a grand hall of a completely different style from before came into Han Ning’s view.

The towering ceiling was covered in paintings of all kinds of Soul Beasts.

The four walls, which should have been stone, had been replaced by a smooth material of an indiscernible substance, colored a deep purple that was almost black.

Overhead, huge, intricately crafted metal chandeliers hung in a crisscrossing pattern.

The base of each chandelier was inlaid with Tears of the Stars, which emitted a brilliant light.

The most striking feature was in the center of the hall.

In the very center of the grand hall stood a colossal statue.

It had wings sprouting from its back and four arms. Its face was stern and majestic, its sharp gaze fixed toward the heavens.

The statue was at least nine meters tall, its length and width difficult to discern. Its base color was jet-black, and it was surrounded by uniquely shaped Soul Beast statues.

Directly in front of the humanoid sculpture, a long stone pillar supported a jet-black orb.

In addition, the statue was surrounded by a dense sea of treasure chests decorated with purple markings.

The chests were stacked in neat, uniform piles, filling more than half of the grand hall and reaching as high as the humanoid statue’s abdomen.

Under the light of the Tears of the Stars, the countless treasure chests emitted a faint purple glow.

At that moment, Han Ning, Hom, Ah Yu, and all the Soul Beasts wore identical expressions of dazed shock.

The hall remained silent for a good ten seconds before Han Ning heard an astonished cry:

"Ghk’ashh zzzk’th’a...!"

"Ah Yu, communicate telepathically."

"Y-Yes... This... this is a statue of the great Duke of Night Nether Sesto!"

Ah Yu stared blankly at the towering statue of the Duke of Night Nether before dropping to her knees with a THUD and kowtowing frantically.

’Is the Duke of Night Nether’s influence really that great? Even a Beast Master like Ah Yu, from a minor peripheral race, knows what he looks like...’

Intimidated by the powerful aura emanating from the statue of the Duke of Night Nether, even the mighty Elder Qingyao didn’t dare to act rashly. Everyone stood at the entrance in a daze for a long moment before Han Ning shook his head, sighed softly, and said:

"Let’s go in and take a look."

With that, he took the lead and walked into the magnificent hall.

Flanked by Yin Yi and Elder Qingyao for protection, Han Ning walked about a third of the way into the palace. When his Authentication ability detected no anomalies, he waved to his companions behind him. "It’s all clear. Come on in."

Once everyone was inside the palace, Han Ning turned his attention back to the tall statue in the center and silently thought, ’Authentication.’

However... it was merely an exquisite sculpture made of a special type of stone, containing no particular Power within it.

His gaze shifted to the jet-black orb atop the stone pillar before him.

This time, the panel finally reacted.

[

Material Name: Spiritual Crystal

Rarity: ???

Introduction: A special crystal that stores the Spiritual Marks of various Beast Masters. It is typically used to record information.

]

[Warning! A special Spiritual Energy Circuit is etched beneath the Spiritual Crystal. It may be dangerous. Unlocking and analyzing the Spiritual Energy Circuit will require an additional 20,000 Energy points.]

The panel’s warning made Han Ning pull back the right foot he had been about to step forward with.

"Another 20,000 points..."

Han Ning frowned. Resigned, he looked at Elder Qingyao and said,

"Elder Qingyao, could you lend me a few more Crystal Stones?"

Without a word, Elder Qingyao swiped a claw, and dozens of assorted Crystal Stones materialized from the void, floating before Han Ning.

’As expected of the Dragon Race, they’re loaded.’

Han Ning marveled to himself as he took a few Crystal Stones, absorbed the Spiritual Energy within, and converted it into Panel Energy.

[Analyzing...]

Blue light spilled from his fingertips, sweeping across the grand hall like a 3D scanner.

[Warning! The grand hall is engraved with a large number of highly destructive Spiritual Runes. The system’s current processing power is limited. Due to the unique nature of this Spiritual Energy Circuit, only approximately 99.7% of the Spiritual Nodes can be weakened. Even after being weakened, the circuit will still pose a certain degree of danger to the host.]

[Danger Level: Monarch I]

As lines of data scrolled past, a dense array of Spiritual Nodes suddenly materialized in Han Ning’s vision, filling the vast hall.

They crisscrossed to form an intricate, chessboard-like pattern, exquisitely beautiful yet filled with lethal danger.

’Monarch... With Elder Qingyao and the other Soul Beasts here, we should be able to handle it.’

The Spiritual Crystal might hold important clues, and Han Ning didn’t want to give up halfway.

He gritted his teeth and finally took a step forward.

The next second, a faint glow of Spiritual Energy lit up on the walls all around them.

Rays of light scanned over Han Ning’s body, as if checking his bloodline and Spiritual Fluctuation against the requirements set by the Alataku People.

Before he could get close to the statue, Elder Qingyao, who was standing behind him, suddenly shot his eyes wide open as a powerful Spiritual Pressure rapidly spread from him.

"KRA—!"

Elder Qingyao cried out, but halfway through the shout, disaster struck.

A dazzling purple light flared from the walls all around the palace.

In the next instant, the air filled with a terrifying, suffocating Spiritual Pressure.

An astonishing number of Spiritual Particles formed a hazy black and purple fog, sealing the exit behind them.

And then, with a BOOM, Han Ning heard a sound from behind him like a heavy stone block crashing down.

The black and purple light compressed, coalescing a few meters in front of the statue into a bizarre figure just over ten meters tall.

A cloak formed entirely of Spiritual Particles drifted gently, concealing most of its body but revealing a pair of fierce, savage eyes.

[

Race: Revenge Shadow (Energy Projection)

Gender: /

Talent: B

Level: ???

Talent: Soul Capturing

Mastered Elements: Dark, Undead

Introduction: Where it gazes, all souls tremble.

]

"Everyone, don’t look at its eyes!"

The moment he saw the Energy Ghost Shadow, Han Ning couldn’t help but roar out.

"Damn it, it’s a Revenge Shadow, a type of Soul Beast that specializes in capturing the Soul Spirits of living creatures," Hom hurriedly warned Han Ning. "Quick, have Elder Qingyao use a Sealing Technique to seal its eyes!"

At the same time, Yin Yi, Egg Pancake, Fei Lin, and even Ah Yu’s Soul Beasts all took a step forward, assuming defensive stances.

Spiritual Light flashed in Elder Qingyao’s eyes as mysterious cyan chains erupted from the void, stretching out between them to block the impact of the Soul-Vibrating Power.

The All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm protected Han Ning and Ah Yu, transforming to create several Puppet Soul Beasts that guarded their perimeter, though it too looked ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

"The Revenge Shadow is attacking! What a terrifying energy fluctuation!!"

Suddenly, Han Ning felt his breath catch. The oxygen in the air plummeted, and a suffocating chill seemed to squeeze the very air from the hall!

It started as a thin stream of water, then swelled as if caught by the wind, finally transforming into a monstrous tidal wave that filled the entire palace.

BOOM!

The terrifying Dark Energy instantly poured down.

In an instant, a multicolored array of defensive techniques, each with a different Attribute, appeared below.

Below the Revenge Shadow, Elder Qingyao, Yin Yi, Egg Pancake, and Fei Lin all put forth their full Power, unleashing their signature Soul Techniques.

Dragon Race Sealing Technique, Star Flash, Star Core Pressure...

The attacks, each glowing with a different color and possessing a unique Attribute, violently collided with the endless, monstrous black wave.

It was, quite simply, a pure clash of Energy.

Han Ning’s ears were filled with a deafening roar, and his vision was completely whited out by the brilliant flash of Energy. He had no choice but to hold his breath, cover his ears, and squeeze his eyes shut.

Only when the sound faded and he could breathe again did he dare to open his eyes.

Elder Qingyao’s expression was unchanged, its chest heaving only slightly. It appeared to be unharmed.

Yin Yi, Egg Pancake, and Fei Lin were weaker. After just that single blow, Egg Pancake and Fei Lin were bent over, panting heavily.

The glow of Spiritual Energy around Yin Yi’s body had dimmed, and it looked extremely weak.

He looked up.

The Revenge Shadow projection above them had shrunk by half.