With the crimson pickaxe in hand and the speed of a demon, Bai Xuebing began digging with precision and swiftness. Each strike against the ground raised small clouds of dust as he extracted and stored as many natural stones as he could inside his spatial ring.
"Natural stones everywhere... hehehe." The thought filled him with satisfaction as his eyes scanned the area, observing the terrain saturated with those precious gems that seemed to glow with a faint spiritual radiance.
His movements were efficient, as if he had done this a thousand times before. The stones, big and small, disappeared into his ring in seconds, his ever-cold expression adorned with a faint smile of triumph.
"With this, I'll not only cover the expenses but have a good margin to negotiate with that sect."
Suddenly, something caught his attention. A large red stone, oval in shape, was partially buried in the ground before him. Its size and intense crimson glow made it stand out among the rest. Bai Xuebing leaned towards it, his icy blue eyes observing it with interest.
—Oh... this one is undoubtedly huge— His voice was low, almost a whisper —How much could something like this be worth?
He raised the pickaxe, ready to free it from the ground. But just before striking, something stopped him. A strange sensation coursed through his body, as if the air around him had suddenly turned heavy.
—Wait... this is...
Bai Xuebing stepped back, his mind working rapidly. He observed the stone more closely, his cold eyes turning calculating. Then, he understood.
—It's the formation's core.
His breathing quickened for a moment, but his face quickly regained its usual calm. He stored the pickaxe and turned on his heels, rushing back to the camp at full speed.
When Bai Xuebing returned to the group, Xia Ruyen observed him with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
—What's going on?
—I found the formation's core.
The entire group fell silent for a moment. Xia Ruyen's amber eyes narrowed as she assessed him.
—Show us.
Without waiting for further response, Bai led them to where he had found the red stone. Every step was laden with tension, and although Bai remained serene, the others' gazes were filled with expectation and concern.
When they arrived, the group halted in front of the red stone. Its glow was more intense now, as if the stone itself knew it had been discovered. Xia Ruyen moved forward until she stood before it, her amber eyes fixed on the core.
—So, this is the root of it all...
The mercenaries exchanged nervous murmurs. Liang Cheng stepped forward, crossing his arms.
—And now what? How do you plan to deactivate something like this?
Xia Ruyen ignored his tone and turned her gaze back to Bai Xuebing.
—How sure are you that this is the core?
Bai nodded slowly, his voice firm.
—The spiritual energy it emanates is too stable and concentrated to be an ordinary natural stone. Moreover, it's deeply connected to the formation. If we destroy or deactivate it, we should break the formation.
Xia Ruyen contemplated the stone in silence for a moment before speaking.
—Alright. Prepare the area. This might not be as simple as it seems.
The mercenaries began to move, forming a new defensive formation around the site. The tension in the air grew as the group prepared for whatever might come.
Bai Xuebing remained silent, observing the stone with cold yet attentive eyes. He knew that deactivating the core wouldn't be simple, let alone without consequences.
The wind blew again, carrying an icy whisper that seemed to mock the group, as if the forest itself resisted letting go of its prey.
Xia Ruyen positioned herself before the core, her wind sword glowing with dangerous intensity. Beside her, Ren Jihao, the sub-leader, gripped his sword enveloped in flames eager to consume everything. They looked at each other, nodding with military precision.
In perfect synchronization, they channeled their attributes—the wind of Xia and the fire of Ren merging into a scorching whirlwind that seemed to defy the very laws of the environment. In one fluid motion, they struck the core.
The impact was deafening, a blinding flash engulfing the area like lightning, and within seconds, the core split into an X-shape, its fragments falling to the ground with a dull thud.
For an instant, everything fell completely silent. But then, the surroundings began to change. The heavy, oppressive air dissipated, giving way to a fresh, natural breeze. The sounds of the forest returned: the chirping of birds, the gentle flow of lake water, the creaking of branches swaying in the wind. Everything seemed... normal.
The group stood motionless, expecting the worst. Weapons were still raised, and their eyes scanned every shadow among the trees, ready to fight or flee.
One second. Two. Three.
One minute. Two. Three.
Nothing happened.
The silence, this time, was not unsettling but filled with relief. The mercenaries began to relax, some lowered their weapons, and the tension on their faces faded.
—Hmp. In the end, we worried for nothing— said Liang Cheng, crossing his arms with an arrogant smile.
—Haha, yeah! —laughed another, letting out a nervous chuckle —It was just an illusionary formation, nothing more.
The relieved murmurs spread through the group. Some even began to joke with each other.
—Good, now we can continue our journey. What a scare!
Bai Xuebing, however, remained silent, the spear still in his hand. His icy blue eyes never left the core's fragments on the ground. Something was wrong.
—Idiots... —he muttered to himself, though no one heard him.
They thought everything was over. That there was no danger. That it was just an illusionary formation that could no longer harm them. But they couldn't have been more wrong.
In this world, nothing is easy. Those who think otherwise are doomed to death.
Because in this cruel world, even the smallest actions have consequences. Like the flap of a butterfly's wings that unleashes a storm, every movement leaves its mark. Every act, no matter how insignificant, leads to an outcome.
The crimson glow of the fragments grew with each passing second, pulsing like a furious heart. Bai Xuebing, his gaze fixed on them, felt a chill run down his spine.
—This isn't over... —he murmured, his voice barely audible but loud enough to be heard in the tense silence surrounding the group.
Xia Ruyen quickly turned towards him, her expression hardened.
—What do you mean by that, Bai Xuebing?
Bai pressed his lips together, his icy blue eyes never leaving the fragments of the core.
—Breaking it... was just the beginning. —He paused, evaluating the situation with precision—. This didn't deactivate the formation. It was part of the trap.
The weight of his words fell like a stone on the group. Some mercenaries instinctively took a step back, their faces pale.
—What are you saying? —asked Liang Cheng nervously, his eyes darting between Bai and the fragments.
Bai opened his mouth to respond, but then he felt it. His survival instinct, trained and refined over the years, kicked in like an internal scream. The air around him changed, growing heavy and oppressive.
Before he could say anything else, the guttural roar of the mountain-shelled turtle pierced the silence. The beast, normally calm and obedient, began thrashing violently, trying to break free of its control. Liang Cheng, who maintained the bond with it, gritted his teeth as he struggled to restrain it.
—What the hell is wrong with this thing?! —he shouted, veins bulging on his forehead as he channeled his spiritual energy to maintain control.
The turtle let out another, more intense roar, glaring at the core's fragments with a mixture of fury and fear.
—It's reacting to the core... —Bai Xuebing murmured, his eyes fixed on the beast.
Suddenly, a single word echoed through the air, as if born from the forest itself.
—Run!
It wasn't clear who had said it. Perhaps it was Bai, perhaps Xia Ruyen, or even an unknown voice from the depths of the place. But it didn't matter.
—Run!
And then it happened. The core fragments began to vibrate frantically, and the crimson glow became blinding, illuminating the entire forest. The ground shook violently, as if the earth itself wanted to swallow them whole.
—Move! —Xia Ruyen shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos as she pointed toward the trees.
The group scattered, running at full speed in different directions, trying to distance themselves from the clearing. The clients were escorted by the mercenaries.
—It's going to explode! —shouted Ren Jihao as he ran alongside Xia, his sword blazing with flames ready for anything that might emerge.
The mountain-shelled turtle, unable to hold itself back any longer, broke free from Liang Cheng's control. The massive beast burrowed into the ground in one swift motion, its survival instincts driving it to shield itself within its shell.
Bai Xuebing didn't look back. Each step took him farther from the core, yet the sense of danger kept growing, like a shadow chasing him.
—This isn't just an explosion...— he murmured to himself as his mind worked franticall —This is going to trigger something much worse.
No sooner had he thought that than the core finally detonated.
A shockwave of crimson energy swept through the forest, uprooting trees, tearing up the ground, and sending fragments of rock and wood flying in all directions. The roar of the explosion was deafening, and a torrent of corrupted spiritual energy spread through the surroundings, saturating the air with a pressure that seemed to crush everything in its path.
Bai shielded himself with his spear, using his blood energy to form a barrier around himself as he dived behind a fallen trunk. The impact pushed him back, but he managed to stay on his feet, though his breathing was labored.
When the light finally faded, the forest was unrecognizable. Uprooted trees, craters in the ground, and a dark mist rose like a shroud over the remains of the clearing.
The silence that followed was even more terrifying than the explosion.
Bai Xuebing slowly rose, scanning the area with his cold eyes. His spear was ready, and though he couldn't see the others, he could feel that the danger wasn't over yet.
—This... wasn't the end— he whispered, his words lost in the air heavy with tension.
In the distance, a sound began to emerge. A low, deep growl, followed by an echo that resonated like a lament. Something was moving in the mist, something that didn't belong to the forest or the natural world.
Bai Xuebing adjusted his stance, his expression hardening as he gripped his spear tightly. His breathing was slow and controlled, but the air around him was charged with an unbearable pressure, as if something colossal was watching him from the shadows.
Suddenly, a serpentine roar filled the air, deep and deafening, like thunder tearing through the sky. The ground trembled beneath his feet, vibrating with a force that almost knocked him down. The sound was inhuman, a mix of fury and hunger that pierced the souls of those who heard it.
The ground began to crack before him, as if something were emerging from the depths of the earth, something primitive, twisted, and otherworldly. It was like witnessing the birth of a demon torn directly from hell.
In the distance, a bloodcurdling scream broke through the noise of the tremor. Bai turned his head just in time to hear the mountain-shelled turtle's roar. But it wasn't a roar of anger. No. This sound was different. It was a scream of pure terror, a desperate wail he had never before heard from the beast.
Then, in a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, something fell from the sky.
The turtle's head landed in front of Bai Xuebing with a dull thud that caused the ground to sink slightly. Its colossal size, now lifeless, seemed out of place. Blood gushed like a crimson river, splattering Bai's face and soaking his clothes in seconds.
Bai Xuebing remained motionless. His expression froze in a mask of disbelief, his icy blue eyes now vacant, as if staring directly into the abyss. It wasn't fear that held him still, but the sheer magnitude of what had just happened.
The severed neck of the turtle still steamed, its hot blood filling the air with a metallic, acrid stench. The beast's scream still echoed in his ears, but now it was only a distant echo, a reminder of its abrupt and violent death.
Bai Xuebing slowly lifted his gaze to the place where the core had exploded. A dense cloud of dust and dirt still covered the area, but something was moving within it. Massive, deformed shadows stirred, and the sound of claws scraping against rock accompanied every movement.
The roar resonated again, this time louder, deeper. The pressure in the air intensified to the point of crushing Bai's chest, forcing him to clench his jaw to maintain his balance.
His thoughts halted for a moment as he stared at the dust cloud, from which slowly emerged giant, sinuous forms.
—This is not... possible.
The dust began to clear, and what Bai saw froze the blood in his veins. A monster, as large as a mountain, revealed itself before him. Its body was an amalgamation of black scales as dark as the night, eyes red like burning embers glowing with an unnatural intelligence. Its mouth, filled with jagged and razor-sharp teeth, seemed to grin, as if it relished the terror it had caused.
Bai Xuebing took a step back, his hands still gripping the spear firmly, though his body betrayed a slight tension. For the first time in years, this danger wasn't something he could overcome easily. This being wasn't just strong—it was something beyond human comprehension, an entity born of hatred and chaos that defied logic.
The monster tilted its head slightly, as if it were assessing Bai, and its heavy breathing filled the air with a sound like the hissing of a million serpents.
Bai Xuebing's face, splattered with the turtle's blood, remained expressionless, but his eyes carried a glimmer of determination.
—Demon...! It's a demon! —one of the men shouted, his voice cracking as he stumbled backward in fear.
The monster finally revealed itself fully, emerging from the cloud of dust like a nightmare made flesh. Its head was that of a demonic dragon, with twisted horns that gleamed like molten iron and crimson eyes that radiated an ancient fury. Its body, long and serpentine like that of a snake, was covered in black scales that seemed to devour the light around them—an abyss no blade could pierce.
The demonic beast Xuán Mó Shé (Abyssal Demon Serpent) had awakened, and it was hungry for blood.