"Creak—"
"Tap, tap, tap—"
Faint sounds came from the next room. Su Nian was highly focused at the moment. Upon hearing these two sounds, a strong sense of foreboding welled up in her heart.
"There's a trick!"
"What's wrong, Teacher Su?"
Su Nian motioned for everyone to crouch down. She pressed her ear against the wall, as if observing something intently. However, the previous sounds never came again.
"Teacher, are you just too nervous?"
"Teacher Su, it's okay. I heard the previous sounds too. This is the place where spirit beasts pass away. It's normal to have such sounds. Maybe an old spirit beast has come back to find a place to pass away. It's normal for it to make a bit of noise."
Normal?
No, not at all!
As they walked along the various paths in the maze cave, Su Nian was also puzzled. Why had their journey been so smooth this time, with basically no living spirit beasts?
The deeper they went, the stranger it became.
Logically speaking, each level of the maze cave should have spirit beasts of different levels passing away. However, she found that the deeper they went, the fewer places they found where spirit beasts had passed away.
"Sese, how long has it been since we last encountered a place where a spirit beast passed away?"
"Teacher Su, we've passed by five areas already, and there were no spirit beasts passing away."
As soon as she said this, Sese also noticed something was off. Logically speaking, it was normal for one or two areas to have no spirit beasts passing away. But for there to be no spirit beasts in five consecutive areas was rather strange.
Su Nian's face darkened instantly.
They seemed to have been tricked.
Since they entered the maze cave, they had been attracted by the so - called soul - guiding incense. They thought they were just lucky, but now it seemed they had fallen into a villain's trap.
"Damn it! Listen to me. Now! Retreat immediately."
As soon as Su Nian realized the problem, she immediately called the others and wanted to retreat from the maze cave. However, at this moment, thick smoke began to billow in from behind them.
"What's going on?"
Kong Shishuang immediately stepped to the front and looked at this scene.
"Did someone set a fire?"
"What should we do, Teacher Su?"
Su Nian looked at the smoky path. Their breathing began to quicken. Sese, who had a weaker constitution, even started to feel weak. If they rushed out rashly, it would be a dead end. The only way out was to rush forward.
She remembered that Old Chen had said that there was a stone gate in the center of the maze cave that could block any heat source. Maybe there they would have a glimmer of hope.
"Ashui, Ayue, support Sese well. The rest of you, follow me."
Su Nian led the group and quickly walked towards the center of the maze cave.
The smoke behind them was getting closer and closer.
Finally, Su Nian and her group saw the legendary stone gate. After they went in, they immediately closed the stone gate. Only then did everyone get a chance to catch their breath.
Huang Sheng and his group, who had been waiting in a corner of the maze cave center for a long time, looked at Su Nian and the others in a sorry state and sneered.
"Zhang Tianyuan, you're really something."
Zhang Tianyuan smiled but didn't say a word.
Previously, he had said that the soul - guiding incense was no ordinary one. When it reacted with the dragon's saliva incense of the Longyan Beast, it would produce a large amount of smoke - like substances. At first, these substances would be extremely fierce, but they would gradually dissipate in a short while.
"Zhang Tianyuan, where did you get such a good thing? Even our Yanyu Tower can't produce it."
The person who gave him this thing? When Zhang Tianyuan thought of that person, a look of fear involuntarily appeared on his face. But because it was dark, no one noticed his abnormality.
"Teacher Huang, now, the good show is about to begin. You should know what to do, right?"
Huang Sheng nodded with a sly smile.
Su Nian, since you've come to the center of the maze cave and fallen into my hands, this time, don't even think about leaving alive.
At this moment, the others came to their senses and slowly stood up, looking at the scene in front of them.
Previously, Su Nian had never been to the center of the maze cave, so she never knew that it was actually a place like a palace.
"Teacher Su, is this the center of the maze cave?"
Su Nian nodded, her face also showing shock.
The center of the maze cave was completely different from other places.
It was a circular hall. Above the center of the hall was a huge dark - green gem. Moreover, there were no less than a dozen large night pearls in the four corners of the palace.
Unlike the previously dim paths, this place was bright and magnificent.
But what was strange was that there was no so - called place where a spirit beast passed away in the center. There were only eighteen chains tied to a huge stone slab in the center.
Wasn't this a natural maze cave? Why were there chains, something forged by humans?
Also, what was under that circular stone slab?
"Teacher Su, the center of the maze cave doesn't seem as scary as you said."
"Don't let your guard down, and don't approach the center of the giant circular platform on your own initiative."
Hearing what Su Nian said, the others remained highly vigilant. Looking at the sunken part in the center, there seemed to be a small red circular egg.
"Teacher Su, is that red thing the inner core of a spirit beast after it passed away?"
Su Nian was also puzzled. She then motioned for everyone to crouch down first.
"It doesn't seem to be an inner core. The inner core of a spirit beast couldn't have such a good luster. This is more like the offspring of a monster that hasn't hatched yet. Damn it! Everyone, retreat and scatter in all directions to find an exit."
Only then did Su Nian suddenly realize that the reason they hadn't encountered a place where a spirit beast passed away for four or five times after entering was not an accident at all. It was because those spirit beasts were all afraid of the thing in the center of the giant circular platform. The fiery - red chicks' egg was usually only laid by monsters, which could give birth to offspring with such a gorgeous luster.
The wound on the chest of the Longyan Beast they had seen there seemed to have been left by this monster.
Laying offspring in the center of the maze cave meant that the monster didn't pass away here. Instead, it regarded this place as its home.
Now, their group had rushed in rashly. The monster, being protective of its offspring, would surely not spare them.
"Teacher Su!"
"It's too late. You all retreat quickly and find an exit. Remember, don't startle the monster under the giant circular platform. Be very quiet."
Huang Sheng, hiding in the dark, watched this scene.
A look of amusement flashed across his face. Want to retreat now? It's too late, Su Nian!
"Teacher Huang, it's up to you."
Huang Sheng smiled cunningly. He picked up a stone on the ground and said, "It's not easy to lure them into the trap. If I don't catch them all, how can I let them out?"
Then, the stone in Huang Sheng's hand was thrown towards the red chicks' egg in the center of the giant platform. Su Nian had sharp eyes and saw this, but she simply didn't have time to stop it.
"Bang!"
"No!"
The red chicks' egg was broken, and the liquid inside began to flow out slowly. The monster in the egg had already taken on a beast - like shape, but because of this blow, its eyes would never have a chance to open.
It's over!