LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 66 Demon's Lair
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The sky seemed to be stained with ink, leaving only darkness.
The vast forest had been plowed flat, with pristine snowflakes intertwining with black rubble and mud, creating a striking black and white contrast.
In between this world, the enormous body of a giant python slowly writhed, its lower half coiled together, raising its massive head high.
Then, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded.
A dark light burst from the Snake Demon, enveloping its entire body.
In the blink of an eye, the dark light gradually shrank, and the enormous Snake Demon transformed into a handsome man dressed in a black robe.
He stood tall, his eyes as deep as abysses, pupils vertically slit, gleaming with a soul-stirring light,
an indescribable aura of majesty permeated the air.
"Hmph, how annoying, being disturbed by mere ants," the black-robed man's voice was deep and magnetic. He gently flicked his long, slender tongue, expressing his extreme dissatisfaction.
"Since the hibernation is broken, and I can't fall asleep for the moment, with idle time on my hands, I might as well enjoy hunting some blood food."
A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of the black-robed man's eyes, revealing a longing for prey, as he thought joyfully, "This will also help improve my cultivation, and increase my chances of seizing future opportunities."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black-robed man pointed his toes lightly, instantly transforming into a wisp of dark light, slicing through the sky, his figure disappearing beyond the horizon.
Winters darkened faster than other seasons.
It had only just reached the Xi hour, yet the night had already descended upon Yongzhou.
Above, the sky was starless and moonless, everything was dead silent.
Two marks after the black-robed man's departure, Commander Jia Zhiping led forces from the Military Department and the Guardian Martial Department, following the traces left by Huang Furo and others, and pursued all the way here.
When they saw the scene of devastation before them, everyone was struck dumb, unable to utter a word for a long time.
...
In the dark underground cave.
After being struck by the Snake Demon's tail, Shen Qing felt his entire body collapse like a city disassembled, in excruciating pain, unable to muster much strength.
He only felt a sharp wind in his ears, as his body fell uncontrollably downwards.
Just when he thought he was about to be smashed into pieces, a sliver of fortune befell upon him.
The bottom of the cave wasn't as unfathomable as he imagined, nor was it solid rocks, but instead, it was a Clear Water Pool.
With two muffled splashes.
Shen Qing and Huang Furo fell into the Clear Water Pool one after the other, splashing up large amounts of water.
Being winter, as soon as Shen Qing touched the pool water, he felt an icy chill seeping in.
Strangely enough, even though he was at the Yu Luo Realm, with his Qi-blood vast as the sea, he couldn't ward off the cold in the slightest, causing him to shiver involuntarily, instantly waking him up.
For martial masters with True Qi and Spiritual Power within, holding their breath underwater was very easy, capable of lasting several marks of time at once.
Dan Realm people, once underwater, were no different from fish, able to temporarily substitute breathing with surrounding Spiritual Power, capable of living underwater for even a month without issue.
Shen Qing gathered all his focus to avoid panic, then used the natural buoyancy of the water to suspend himself in the pool, allowing his broken bones to relax.
He held his breath, circulated his True Qi to stimulate the Whale Swallowing Technique, refining the Spirit Essence around him, to heal his injuries.
Unaware whether it was the peculiarity of the pool water or some other reason,
Shen Qing only felt that the concentration of Spiritual Energy in the pool was significantly higher than outside.
After about half a mark, Shen Qing finally regained some strength and slowly opened his eyes.
The pool water was unfathomably deep and pitch black, invisible beyond his fingers.
Shen Qing gradually sensed the pool's cold penetrating to his bones, actually eroding his True Qi.
He dared not linger, instinctively swimming upwards.
With a loud splash.
He emerged from the water, taking deep breaths, and after calming his breath slightly, opened his heavy eyelids. Upon seeing the scene before him, he paused in disbelief.
Shen Qing discovered he was in a confined and damp space, surrounded on three sides by rough rock walls, with the high cavern ceiling seemingly within reach.
However, the only side without a rock wall was a flat cave space stretching far away, and sloping, the space gradually becoming extremely spacious.
Amazingly, the seemingly ordinary cave ahead hung with peculiar stalactites, emitting a soft, cold light.
The light was very faint, yet just enough to dispel the cave's darkness, illuminating the entire space rather brightly.
Shen Qing focused his eyes and saw a familiar figure on the cave's shore ahead, causing him to pause slightly.
At some point, Huang Furo had already swum out ahead of him.
At this moment, she was entirely soaked, with her colorful embroidered robe clinging tightly to her graceful figure, outlining curves hard to avert one's eyes from.
Most likely also significantly injured, Huang Furo was sitting on a dry rock, her legs crossed, hands gently folded over her Dantian, eyes closed, focusing on regulating her breath.
Her breathing was long and even, the fabric on her trembling chest rising and falling with her breaths.
Shen Qing didn't think much further, enduring the excruciating pain of his fractured bones, swimming forward.
A subtle and sudden sound broke the surrounding silence, instantly putting Huang Furo on high alert.
She suddenly opened her eyes, a gleam of vigilance and wariness in her eyes, hands instinctively formed in a defensive posture.
The abrupt movement instantly aggravated her injuries, pain flooding her like a tide, draining her face of color, turning it paper white.
"Who's there..."
Her voice was deep and tense. No sooner had she spoken than she saw a familiar figure swimming rapidly towards her.
As that figure became clearer, her sudden tension and defensive stance dissipated instantly.
Shen Qing swam near Huang Furo, not far away, causing a splash as he laboriously climbed from the pool into the cave.
He sat on a rock beside Huang Furo without thinking, his garments moving with the motion, scattering water droplets.
Shen Qing glanced at Huang Furo, and their gazes met in the air.
Huang Furo's wet hair clung to her scalp and cheeks, a few loose strands lightly hanging on her forehead, droplets sliding slowly down the tips, or dripping onto her fair neck, adding a touch of allure to her.
"Lord Huangfu, it's I." Shen Qing quickly diverted his gaze, surveying the surroundings as he asked, "My lord, do you know where we are?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but this place is pungent and damp, I think it should be the Snake Demon's lair," Huang Furo ventured her guess.
"So, this should be the giant demon's dwelling?"
"More or less."
Shen Qing inquired, "Lord Huangfu, do you know why we ended up here, and is there a way out? I remember we fell into a deep pool, why did we end up here after surfacing?"
Huang Furo replied, "I observed when I arrived, the pool ahead connects with an Underground River, we were swept here by chance. As for a way out, let me recover first and then we'll discuss it."
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