Chapter 262 - 160: Underground Palace? The Bloodthirsty Vine’s Sneak Attack! Falling into the Abyss

Chapter 262: Chapter 160: Underground Palace? The Bloodthirsty Vine’s Sneak Attack! Falling into the Abyss

Chen Chong nodded and patted the Tiger Striped Dog.

"Hu Zi, go!"

WOOF—

The Tiger Striped Dog instantly understood its master. It scrambled to its feet and broke into a sprint, swiftly charging into the depths of the darkness.

Seeing this, the four of them dropped their cautious demeanor. They went all out, following the Tiger Striped Dog as they charged deeper into the cave...

....

As they hurried onward, the cave’s environment began to change.

The surrounding rock walls became less uniform, marked by irregular protrusions and indentations.

Countless rocks were scattered across the ground, some of them taller than a man.

More importantly, as they ventured deeper, many signs of a battle appeared.

Claw marks several centimeters deep crisscrossed the area. Feathers as long as a forearm and shattered, dried-up vine fragments littered the ground.

In many places, Chen Chong even found dried patches of intermingled red and green fluids.

Clearly, the Stone Claw Eagle and the Bloodthirsty Vine had engaged in a fierce battle here.

Staring at the tracks that led ever deeper, the group halted.

Just then, Xu Jun’s nose twitched, and he spoke up. "Brother Chong, the smell is getting stronger!"

"Could it be because of the feathers and vines here?" Wang Biao asked tentatively.

Xu Jun shook his head. "No, I can tell the difference between a lingering scent and an active one. The residual odor here is strong, but a much thicker scent is drifting over from further ahead. We’re getting very close to them. Also..."

"Brother Chong, I think there’s a more open space ahead. I can smell many other scents carried on the wind."

Chen Chong focused his senses, but his animal instinct was still quiet.

"Alright, let’s keep moving. Go!"

The Tiger Striped Dog broke into a run again, and the four of them followed...

Along the way, Xu Jun repeatedly warned that the scent was growing thicker. The farther they advanced, the more distinct the smells of the Stone Claw Eagle and the Bloodthirsty Vine became.

More importantly, the cave environment started to show even more changes.

Countless signs of fighting and rock fragments still littered the ground.

The marks were fresh, clearly not natural. It looked as if something had forcibly ground its way through, carving out a passage.

The Tiger Striped Dog sprinted ahead. After its evolution, it had become more robust, and its jumping ability was several times more astounding than before.

It could clear ledges several meters high in a single bound.

Chen Chong followed close behind.

Though unable to be certain of the exact time, he estimated they had been traveling underground for over two hours since entering the cave.

At such a rapid pace, they had covered tens of thousands of meters at the very least. They had long since lost track of how deep they were.

He was filled with amazement. ’How can there be such a vast space underground?’

Most of it seemed to be natural, but a small section had clearly been deliberately broken through to connect several separate chambers.

’Could all of this be the handiwork of the Bloodthirsty Vine King?’

At this thought, Chen Chong was utterly baffled. ’Why would it do this?’

’Could it be... its lair was already underground? After sensing the Stone Claw Eagle hiding in the cave, did it deliberately carve out this passage to drag it deeper and trap it before it could react?’

Just then, Chen Chong’s pupils contracted...

His animal instinct, long dormant, suddenly flared to life!

A tremor of fear shot through him.

The feeling was faint, yet it was a clear warning: something life-threatening lay ahead.

This also meant the distance between them and the two Extraordinary Creatures had closed completely. A direct confrontation could happen at any moment.

The crisp ring of a blade being drawn suddenly echoed.

The Blood Eye Blade slid from its sheath, and Chen Chong gripped it tightly.

Seeing this, Xu Jun, Wang Biao, and Qi Zhen behind him knew without a word that Chen Chong had detected something. They immediately tightened their grips on their weapons.

Xu Jun unslung the Snakebone Giant Axe from his back, gripping it tightly with both hands.

Wang Biao quickly drew an arrow and nocked it on his Bipolar Bow.

And Qi Zhen, a pure Body Cultivator, had no weapon but habitually ripped open his shirt, clenching his fists, ready to fight at a moment’s notice...

...

After leaping down a stone cliff several meters high, Chen Chong came to a sudden halt.

Xu Jun and the others behind him quickly skidded to a stop.

"Brother Chong, what’s wrong? Did you see the Extraordinary Creatures?"

Chen Chong didn’t answer, but Xu Jun soon discovered the reason for himself...

He took a few steps forward to get a clear view of the scene ahead and froze.

The tunnel didn’t continue. Instead, it opened onto a bottomless cliff!

A cliff hidden deep within an underground cave!

"Abyss" was perhaps a more fitting description.

The pitch-black abyss stretched out of sight.

Without seeing it with one’s own eyes, it would be impossible to imagine such a sight hidden deep underground.

The abyss didn’t drop straight down. Ledges of rock jutted out at staggered intervals below, like giant, naturally formed steps.

One could follow these ledges to descend step by step.

Xu Jun said in shock, "Holy cow, there’s a huge chasm down here. A place like this looks like something out of a movie!"

Chen Chong remained silent, but he was just as stunned.

This confirmed his earlier suspicion.

The cave in the low mountain and this place had originally been separate. The only reason they could reach this point was that a Bloodthirsty Vine had forcibly smashed a path through the intervening rock.

And its purpose for breaking through the rock was self-evident—the Stone Claw Eagle!

This alone was enough to show how terrifyingly strong the Bloodthirsty Vine King was.

The creature could tunnel through solid rock. The hardness and strength of its vines had clearly reached their peak.

Although the vines of the Parasites they had encountered before were also tough enough to pierce rock, their destructive power was nothing compared to the Bloodthirsty Vine King. They paled in comparison.