Chapter 682 The Final Area

Compared to the environment Xia Nan and the others had just come from, if one word had to describe the path through the ruins before them, it was incredibly "clean."

Yes, clean.

In a conventional sense, given the dust covering the ground and the scattered rubble, this path could not be called neat and tidy by any stretch of the imagination.

But that was Xia Nan's first impression.

The reason was that the dark purple mycelium—which had been everywhere, almost threatening to swallow the entire subterranean world—had bizarrely and abruptly vanished here without a trace.

It was as if some invisible barrier were keeping those spine-chilling fungal threads at bay.

His sharp Perception allowed Xia Nan to notice the strangeness of the environment the moment he arrived, prompting him to observe it more carefully.

It was called a "path," but judging by the horizontally striped stone slabs extending under the collapsed walls and rocks on the other side, it must have originally been very spacious. It might have even been the core road of the serpent-folk tribe.

It had only been reduced to its current state by the collapsed buildings and falling rocks—likely caused by an earthquake or the mycelium.

Xia Nan estimated that fifty to seventy-five percent of the road's original width was currently buried beneath the ruins, forming this "hidden path."

Opposite the building ruins stood a stone wall twelve chi high.

A grand, massive mural was painted across it.

Dozens of blurry half-human, half-serpent figures formed a circle, and floating above the center was a slender, twisted figure with wings, larger than all the serpent-folk combined.

Xia Nan's art appreciation skills were average, and he couldn't find any aesthetic beauty in the crude, primitive brushstrokes of the mural. However, his outstanding Perception allowed him to bypass his lack of artistic background and, from a more abstract perspective, sense the reverence for ancestors and history it sought to convey.

He guessed that this mural was meant to depict a sacrificial ritual held by these serpent-folk.

And that slender, winged serpent shadow—its exact form unidentifiable and composed purely of lines and shadows—was the deity they worshipped.

Referring to the transcendent knowledge he had previously studied, this deity should be the legendary Sseth, the active primary god of the serpent-folk, who held authority over domains like "Intelligent Serpents" and "Betrayers," and bore the title of [Death's Hiss].

He specifically singled out the word "active" because, before Sseth, there had been another ancient god who was now lost.

Rumor had it that there was a very close connection between the two, and the related conspiracy theories were innumerable.

Xia Nan had only glanced over this briefly back then without delving too deep, so he naturally couldn't glean any more information now.

But considering he had only transmigrated to this world two years ago, and given the vast, ocean-like depths of transcendent knowledge on the Aifala Continent, the fact that Xia Nan could clearly identify the deity on the mural and even briefly understand its corresponding titles and divine duties was actually quite impressive.

To some extent, it was hard to say if even the native Adventurers of this world beside him knew more than Xia Nan did.

After all, not every Adventurer possessed Xia Nan's sense of crisis, which forced him to systematically absorb transcendent knowledge in large quantities. For them, knowing how to make money and at most learning a few gambling tricks for the card table was more than enough.

In fact, Xia Nan was the only one paying attention to the mural right now.

Ake was currently fussing over his young master's physical condition, asking if he was injured. Meanwhile, the three from the "Shadow Crow" squad were cautiously observing the battle between the Dire Corbies and the goblins outside the path.

From the tense face of the gnome Rogue and the increasingly furrowed brow of the Half-Drow, one could tell that the situation outside was not optimistic.

"The number of those goblins seems to be growing."

Perhaps due to the influence of the mycelium they were infected with, the Terrifying Shriek that the Dire Corbies relied on to run rampant in the Underdark had lost its effect on the Goblins.

But their sheer numbers were still there, and they were at least monsters with a Challenge Rating of 1/2. Entangled in combat, they were locked in an inextricable struggle with the goblins for the time being.

And the massive commotion from their battle was gradually drawing over all the goblins scattered throughout the serpent-folk tribe.

"We might have to head further inside," Ye Xi proposed.

Their original plan had been to wait for the Dire Corbies and the goblins to mutually wound each other, or simply wait until one side was completely annihilated, before seizing the opportunity to break out.

But right now, with more and more Goblins gathering, even if the Dire Corbies were ultimately no match for those goblins, they wouldn't reap much benefit. They might even face greater risks instead.

Everyone had also noticed the uniqueness of the path they were on. There were no signs of mycelium spreading, so heading further in might lead to some discoveries. At the very least, they could hide from the goblins' sight outside.

If worse came to worst, they could find a safe, hidden spot deep in the path and tough it out for a while, waiting for the Goblins outside to finish their battle and disperse before coming out. It wouldn't be too late.

After drinking Healing Potions, the conditions of the heavily injured Adventurers had recovered somewhat.

But having just escaped from prison, everyone's weapons, equipment, and items had been confiscated, severely weakening their combat strength. They needed to avoid battle as much as possible unless absolutely necessary.

After mulling it over, they all agreed to Ye Xi's suggestion. Following a brief rest, they got into formation and cautiously headed deeper down the path.

The "cleanliness" persisted; the dark purple mycelium had vanished without a trace.

The mural on the wall wasn't just the single piece Xia Nan had seen earlier, either.

From the initial sacrificial ritual, to battles against strong, beast-hide-wearing intelligent creatures suspected to be ancient barbarians, to being driven into the Underdark after their defeat, and then fighting various monsters inhabiting the Underdark, culminating in the establishment of their own homeland.

The serpent-folk had completely recorded the developmental history of this tribe in the form of murals.

The only pity was that, perhaps because the outbreak had been too brief and sudden, no elements related to the mycelium or the Swamp Druids appeared on the murals, making it impossible to learn the origin of the fungal colonies from them.

Following this sloped path designed for the convenience of serpent-folk, they walked inward for another twenty minutes before reaching its end.

The stone slabs originally carved with friction textures were replaced by neatly paved dark square bricks. They were clearly more exquisite, and the surface of each brick was carved with line patterns resembling serpentine creatures.

There should have been a magnificent building situated there.

But right now, the vast majority of it had been obscured by fallen rocks and shattered stones, making it impossible to view in its entirety.

All they could see was an arched gate standing atop the exquisite bricks, its surface carved with intricate patterns.

Out of absolute rationality, for the group whose goal was to leave this place, the safest and most proper approach when facing this building that suddenly appeared in their sights was naturally to pretend they hadn't seen it.

But in their current situation, even a psychological master capable of truly controlling their emotions would find it hard to execute the optimal solution.

The only clean place in a tribe swallowed by mycelium, the massive murals on the stone walls along the way, the magnificent building at the end of their sight—no one could completely suppress their curiosity about what lay behind the archway.

Even Xia Nan was no exception.

It was just that caution ultimately overpowered his bodily instincts.

No matter how curious he was, there was no way he would just walk straight in.

Instead, he first utilized his outstanding Perception to carefully observe the vicinity of the entrance.

—He didn't detect any danger.

At the same time, the other members of the party had come up with their own ideas.

"This is the only place in the entire serpent-folk tribe that hasn't been eroded by the mycelium. Could there be something inside that counters it?" Landa offered.

"We haven't seen any serpent-folk corpses along the way, either. Maybe they all hid in here?"

"If we go in and ask, we might be able to find out what exactly happened to this serpent-folk tribe and clarify the specific origins of that mycelium," Ye Xi added from beside him.

As veteran Adventurers who had managed to survive in this line of work until now, the several Class Holders in the party weren't overly reckless in the end.

After a detailed discussion, they decided to let the gnome Landa enter alone first to scout the path.

They would make a plan once they confirmed exactly what was inside the building and whether any danger was present.

As for why Landa was the chosen candidate:

His Class as a [Rogue] was the main reason; he excelled at moving through dim, narrow environments.

Moreover, based on the content of Ye Xi and Benny's negotiations with him, this gnome Rogue seemed to possess some kind of life-saving trump card. Its general manifestation involved utilizing shadow energy for short-distance spatial teleportation.

If there was an insurmountable danger within the building, he would be able to use it to escape.

Additionally, Landa himself appeared very eager.

On the surface, he claimed it was to make up for his previous mistake of abandoning his teammates to find an exit on his own.

But based on Xia Nan's Perception, he judged that the gnome was likely coveting whatever treasures might be inside the building and wanted to get in first.

Xia Nan didn't have many opinions on this.

Danger and opportunity were often positively correlated. Since the gnome was taking on the risk of scouting, it was only natural that he gained the opportunity to be the first to discover any potential treasures. There wasn't much else to say.

Landa appeared very professional regarding his scouting work.

Holding a Short Dagger in both hands, he tensed his body into a combat stance while leaning against the wall, completely hiding his already short frame within the shadows.

He groped his way forward at a decent speed, yet the sound of his footsteps was virtually inaudible.

In just a few seconds, his short figure completely disappeared deep into the archway.

They stayed vigilant of the path they had come from, lest any goblins accidentally wander in and discover them, while keeping an eye on the massive archway at the end of the road, waiting for their scout to return.

The group didn't have to wait very long.

In less than five minutes, the silhouette of Landa's short figure appeared behind the archway once again.

Compared to his caution upon entering, he appeared extremely panicked now. Even his footsteps, which should have been concealed, were clearly exposed.

The short journey of just a few minutes hadn't consumed much stamina, yet his mouth hung open unconsciously, and he gasped heavily as his chest heaved, looking like he was still in shock.

"What's the situation inside?" the Half-Drow Ye Xi hurriedly asked, standing guard at the door and seeing her teammate in such a state.

After rushing out of the archway, he took a few more steps forward.

Facing the Half-Elf's question, Landa opened his mouth, stammering and mumbling for a long time without being able to articulate anything coherent.

Only after a long while did he speak in a bizarre tone that was hard to describe with words, "I—I can't really say."

"But there shouldn't be any danger."

"You guys... you'll know once you go in and take a look."

According to Xia Nan's observations, the gnome Rogue indeed had no obvious injuries on him. He just seemed to have suffered a violent shock on a mental level, which made him appear somewhat incoherent.

This indicated that there was no danger within the building.

But Xia Nan still kept his guard up. He exchanged a glance with Winter Wolf Fanny beside him, signaling her to stay vigilant.

Only then did he, led by the gnome Rogue, walk into the archway with the rest of the group.

It was unknown whether it was a psychological effect or a special trait of the building itself.

The moment they stepped through the archway, the ambient noise from the surrounding environment—including the howling of the cold wind squeezing through the gaps in the ruins and the sharp shrieks of the Dire Corbies and goblins mixed together in the distance—seemed to be submerged in water, becoming indistinct and blurred.

The already cold and damp air of the subterranean world gained a few extra degrees of bone-chilling coldness that seemed capable of seeping into one's pores, causing the two young men in the party to shiver in unison.

There was no light source within the corridor. The luminescent fungal colonies that originally emitted a dim glow seemed to have been isolated outside along with the dark purple mycelium. Fortunately, the tunnel itself wasn't long, and they could faintly see the light shining in from the exit ahead, allowing them to grope their way toward their destination.

Xia Nan inexplicably felt that something was wrong, but even when pushing his Perception to the absolute maximum, he still didn't detect any danger.

Beside him, Winter Wolf Fanny was simply following along, showing no unusual reactions.

His Perception, which far exceeded that of Class Holders at the same level, had been practically an unfailing advantage in his past adventures.

It often allowed Xia Nan to spot potential dangers a step ahead of other Adventurers.

But regardless, his current Perception attribute, no matter how extraordinary, was ultimately only at 14 points.

It might have surpassed many Transcendent Tier individuals who were relatively weak in this area, but compared to existences at much higher levels of power, it still fell far short.

He passed through the tunnel.

Xia Nan finally saw what had thrown the gnome Rogue into such a panic that he had temporarily lost the ability to speak.

It was the dark purple fungal threads, which he thought had been completely sealed away, yet now filled every inch of his vision at a terrifying density far exceeding what he had seen in the serpent-folk tribe.

It was the tribal serpent-folk, whom he had assumed would have banded together and fled to safety ahead of the devouring fungal erosion—or rather, it was their corpses.

And it was a massive cocoon woven from dark purple fungal colonies. Held high upon an altar, it exuded an inexplicable divinity as the serpent-folk corpses bowed in worship before it.