Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 317 - Level Five Of Akaba Ruins

In the end, it was a misunderstanding that was neither too big nor too small. Unlike Feng Liusi and Cassius, Saint Feinan had been alone ever since the three had gotten separated at a corner. He hadn't encountered the disguised scaly monsters.

Therefore, he had always thought it was the ruin that had unknowingly separated them. He had remained vigilant along the way but encountered no danger. He had just gotten lost in the changing passages. After wandering for quite a while, he finally found his way and met up with the two.

But then Cassius attacked him out of nowhere with an almost full-strength punch. Saint Feinan was originally skilled in swordsmanship and whip techniques, so he couldn't compare to Cassius in strength and speed, and his hurried block failed to stop the punch, leading to a deeper misunderstanding.

Fortunately, Saint Feinan hadn’t been seriously injured. The first punch he failed to block only caused a few internal injuries. Cassius used a bit of life vibration energy to completely heal him. While Saint Feinan healed, the three exchanged their experiences from the past half-hour. Cassius had had the most eventful time, encountering at least four or five batches of scaly monsters disguised as illusions to deceive him. They had even adapted according to the situation, almost as if they possessed intelligence. At first, they had only encountered mutated beasts driven by instinct. Now, there seemed to be some changes.

The trio grew even more vigilant. They were just one stretch away from the entrance to the fourth level. But no illusions or dangers came their way.

Cassius and the others soon found their target: an underground cave that looked like a botanical garden. The ceiling was full of jagged rocks and damp moss in the crevices, while the ground had a vast expanse of lush, ground-covering vines. Large heart-shaped leaves clustered together, densely covering the ground while yellow weeds grew in the gaps.

It was quite humid and stuffy, reminiscent of summer. The air was filled with a strange mix of rotting roots and the fresh scent of leaves. It was not exactly unpleasant, but far from pleasant. Cassius took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"The air contains some toxins, but they're quite weak. It's only enough to affect ordinary people. The sharp tips of these vine leaves on the ground might also be poisonous, so be a bit careful," he reminded them. His lungs, modified by Golem Covert Martial Arts, could not only filter toxins and impurities but also act as an air quality detector.

"Better to be cautious. We can just hold our breath," Feng Liusi glanced at Saint Feinan.

Feng Liusi and Saint Feinan immediately started to hold their breath, and their chests stilled. At the superhuman level of a combat artist, they could easily hold their breath for tens of minutes while maintaining normal physical activity.

However, if they engaged in intense combat, that time would surely be significantly reduced.

"Let's go," Saint Feinan signaled Cassius with a nod.

"Wait," Cassius raised his hand. He formed a claw and scooped out a large chunk of rock from the cave wall. .

He weighed it a couple of times and then flung it out with a flick. The stone whizzed through the air and struck the cave floor with a dull thud. Several more stones flew over quickly, smashing through the layers of green leaves and revealing the black and yellow soil beneath.

"Seems like there aren’t any traps, and the ground isn't hollow," Cassius nodded slightly before saying to the two behind him, "Let's go."

They entered the botanical garden, which was about the size of several football fields, and carved out a path through the green leaves.

But once they reached the middle of the garden, the plant roots started to writhe like snakes. They moved rapidly, flashing deep green in the air as they spiraled around the trio's position, forming an upward spiral cone. Inside, poisonous spikes grew out one after another.

Each was as long as a finger, with purplish-red hues at the tips. The cone constricted, about to squeeze inward rapidly.

Zing!

A spiral long sword enveloped in black flames slashed out. The sword light grew to reach over ten meters as it sliced through the densely packed vine roots, causing sap to splatter.

Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing!

Four sword lights burst out of the house-sized cone, instantly tearing apart the fragile cage.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...

Three figures calmly leaped out of the collapsing cone. One of them wielded a 1.8 meter-long sword with a broad blade. The edge bore a flickering outline of black flames, subtly pulsating and rotating rapidly like a chainsaw.

Each time he swung the massive cross-shaped sword, a focused blast of sword light sliced through the air, tearing and cutting the surrounding plants. The resilient vine roots were like tofu before the sword's edge as they shattered upon contact, rendering any attempt to trap them futile. The three easily distanced themselves from the cave.

Cassius and his comrades left behind a scene of utter chaos, as they sprinted to the end of the cave and into the pitch-black tunnel beyond it.

Their footsteps grew distant, while the sound of flowing water grew nearer.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...

The crisp sound of water reached Cassius's ears, and the air carried a damp scent. There had to be an underground river ahead. The trio quickened their pace, but suddenly stopped after a few turns. The tip of a shoe nudged a stone at the end of the exit.

It fell into the ever-flowing underground river beneath with a plop, but the water didn’t even ripple. Cassius looked to both sides. The ten-meter-wide rock tunnel had been eroded by the rushing underground river.

"According to the map, this river runs through the next three levels of the ruins. If we follow it downstream, we can reach the fourth level," Saint Feinan said after glancing at the map.

"No, we'll skip the fourth level and go straight to the fifth," Cassius said, his eyes flashing.

"Straight to the fifth? But the spot where the underground river connects to the fifth level is marked as the most dangerous area on the map," Saint Feinan frowned slightly.

"I know, but there's something even more dangerous chasing us from behind. Do you hear that?" Cassius pressed his left ear against the cold cave wall and looked back at Saint Feinan and Feng Liusi.

Feng Liusi immediately did the same, trying to sense any movement.

Sssi... sssi...

An electrical sound? No, it was the sound of friction; the noise of insect limbs scraping against rock walls. The scarabs had caught up! The white torrent was sweeping through the Akaba Ruins and cleaning up any anomalies in their path.

The expressions of the trio changed. It seemed they had wasted too much time on the third level. If they proceeded to the fourth level as planned, they'd face various traps and mutants ahead, and the even more terrifying scarab swarm would be nipping at their heels.

Even though Cassius and the others were strong combat artists, they might still perish if they faced successive dangers. Hence, they decided to skip the fourth level and go straight to the fifth.

With the entire fourth level as a barrier, they wouldn't have to worry about the terrifying scarab swarm for the time being and could focus on the dangers of the fifth level. Even though the area they would enter via the underground river was marked as the most dangerous on the fifth level, they still felt the scarab swarm was more perilous!

"Never mind, let's hurry and get going," Cassius urged.

Immediately, the three leaped from the exit and landed on the opposite rock wall. They climbed upward effortlessly, their fingers easily gripping the uneven crevices to pull themselves up. Such movements weren't uncommon; even some rock-climbing enthusiasts could do it. It was a piece of cake for Cassius and the other two. Unless it was necessary, they preferred not to enter the river.

It was not because they feared anything lurking in the darkness, but because any punches and kicks underwater would be restricted by the current and lacked leverage. They didn’t enjoy the feeling, so they chose to traverse by leaping side to side.

Swish... swish... swish...

Above the underground river, three figures bounced back and forth between the cave walls. With legs like springs and fingers like climbing picks, their speed was swift. Though they were performing high-difficulty movements, they still moved faster than an average person could run.

Three minutes later, Cassius estimated they had descended quite a distance.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The three suddenly stopped, one hand holding them up. They turned to look at a dark entrance on the opposite wall. It was the passage to the fourth level, their originally planned entry point.

However, they had to temporarily abandon it. Each level of the Akaba Ruins had multiple entrances to the next. Cassius and the others had planned the optimal route but given unforeseen circumstances, it was no longer suitable. They needed to adapt.

"Keep going down," Cassius took a deep look and then continued descending along the river tunnel, followed by Feng Liusi and Saint Feinan.

Two minutes later, they stopped. The path ahead had narrowed, its diameter halved, causing the passage to be completely submerged. In short, they had to dive into the water.

"The entrance to the fifth level is seventy meters below. It’s probably a cave submerged by the current. Stay focused," Cassius reminded before diving into the water.

Saint Feinan and Feng Liusi remained motionless. A dozen seconds later, Cassius resurfaced.

"No toxins in the water for now. Come on down."

Two splashes later, the trio swam with the current and were carried into the tunnel. Occasionally, Cassius would reach out to grab the rock wall to slow down.

Half a minute later, Cassius and the others found the underwater cave entrance.

Gurgle!

An undercurrent surged above the tunnel, as if something massive was squeezing down rapidly. A barrel-thick black shadow was charging toward them. Underwater, Cassius pushed Feng Liusi and Saint Feinan, signaling them to leave first. Grabbing the cave edge with one hand, he clenched his other hand into a fist.

His fist carved out a two to three meter cavity in the water as he landed a solid punch on the black shadow's head. The blow instantly shattered its tough scales, and a large cloud of green blood spread in the water. The black shadow writhed in pain, its tail whipping madly against the cave walls with loud thuds.

Cassius had no intention of throwing a second punch as he turned and swam toward the fifth-level entrance. If they had not been underwater, that punch would have been enough to break the opponent.

Cassius swam upward for over a dozen meters through the cave passage and saw the two figures waiting at the bend. The three nodded in the water and swam upward together.

Gurgle...

Bubbles suddenly rose on the surface of a room-sized pool, and then three figures broke through the water and landed on the ground.

Their clothes were soaked. Just as they were about to use their Qi to dry off, their expressions suddenly changed. They could feel a burning sensation, like needles pricking them, on every inch of their skin.

Cassius saw flames suddenly erupting on Feng Liusi and Saint Feinan, spreading from their chests toward their faces. He immediately guessed the reason. The underground river water wasn't non-toxic. But when it came into contact with the air of the fifth level, it triggered a special poisonous flame.

In other words, there was no easy shortcut like the underground river from the third to the fifth level. Taking shortcuts came at a price.

"Even my eyes are catching fire..." Beside him, Feng Liusi said calmly. He quietly opened his eyes, a faint black flame burning silently on his pupils.

Having one's eyes burned... Was it painful? Of course it was. But these three could bear it. It was just some physical punishment. After all, there was once a sect among Covert Martial Artists that relished pain.

Feng Liusi and the others weren't at that level, but as combat artists, their resilience and endurance were extraordinary. They could continue fighting even if their bodies were severely damaged. Of course, with Cassius around, fighting while injured wasn't necessary.

The three quickly sat cross-legged, circulating their internal life vibration energy to repair the damage. The nourishing liquid and burning flames clashed in a two-minute tug-of-war.

In the end, the poisonous flames were extinguished and life vibration energy swept through their bodies to repair the damage.

After another minute or two, Cassius and the others opened their eyes. Their pupils, once blinded by flames, were restored even clearer due to regeneration. The pain across their bodies and skin vanished, leaving a fresh and clear sensation.

Saint Feinan also relaxed from his awkward posture. It was his second time—once with the fish, once with the fire. Arguably, he was the unluckiest among the three.

After a brief rest, Cassius and the others confirmed their location on the map. They could see a passage ahead. Leaving the passage would bring them face-to-face with the most dangerous area of the fifth level.

The Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance they sought was near the area, which was the only good news they had.

Tap, tap, tap...

Three footsteps left the cave where the pool was located. At the same time, on the third level, scarabs converged into a white river that rushed into the fourth-level passage.

Mist surged and swirled at the top of the tunnel. The hazy mist gradually condensed into a faintly discernible human shape.

It floated mid-air as the insect swarm below ignored it. The mist drifted, and a voice like a dream murmured softly, "Sss... Cassius... sss..."

"Go... sss... obtain... sss... Southern Dipper..."