Chapter 1108: Level 4 Mutant Creature (Part 2)

Chapter 1108: Chapter 896: Level 4 Mutant Creature (Part 2)

It paced back and forth around the stone wall where Duke had disappeared, its heavy footsteps echoing dully against the cracked stone slabs. The dark golden air current exhaled from its nostrils created ripples of delicate energy on the wall’s surface.

But when the perception expanded, there was nothing.

With all senses, smell, hearing, and energy perception fully open, there was nothing aside from the faint energy fluctuations emitted by the ancient patterns on the stone wall.

It stopped in front of the wall, tilting its massive head, a clear trace of confusion surfacing in its dark golden pupils.

It had lived for a long time, having hunted countless intruders in this labyrinth. Experience told it that something was indeed here just now, but all evidence suggested otherwise.

Finally, the Level 4 Mutant Creature retreated a few steps, shifted its gaze away from the wall, and scanned both sides of the corridor several times. After confirming there was no other anomaly, it snorted with a low hum and slowly walked to the other side of the passage.

The heavy footsteps gradually receded into the stone corridor and soon disappeared into the depths of the gray mist.

Duke waited in the safe house for two hours, leaning against the cold gray-white stone wall, his eyes fixed on the movements outside in the stone corridor through the one-way transparent pale golden light membrane.

The Level 4 Mutant Creature, which Duke temporarily named the Bone-Armored Giant Beast, had long vanished into the depths of the gray mist. After the heavy footsteps gradually faded in the stone corridor, it never returned.

Duke was not in a hurry to leave. He repeatedly scanned both sides of the passage with Life Rules’ perception, confirming that the massive and blazing life force had indeed moved far away. After waiting a bit longer and ensuring there were no signs of an ambush, he placed his hand on the stone wall and slipped through from the inside of the safe house.

After setting his feet back on the cracked gray-white stone slabs, he retrieved the previously drawn rough map from the Space Ring. The parchment unfolded slowly in his hand, roughly outlining the directions of the explored stone corridors, with each junction marked with its general orientation and notable features observed along the way.

Dead ends were marked with a cross, and the main passage frequented by the Bone-Armored Giant Beast was heavily circled with a bold red line. Its range of activity and general sensing distance were annotated in small font beside it.

In this labyrinth where high walls were unscalable and Earth Element Transformation was ineffectual, the map was the foundation of survival. He was not going to miss any opportunity to perfect the map.

He continued forward along the fork where the safe house was located, passing through several unexplored stone corridors.

After several turns, the air around him began to change subtly.

The temperature was rising, and the flow speed of the ancient patterns on the stone walls noticeably sped up. The pale golden glow faintly carried a hint of very subtle orange-red hue.

He slowed his steps, spreading his perception, and turned into a relatively narrow side corridor in the direction where the temperature was rising.

The end of the side corridor was a dead-end, with three sides surrounded by gray-white stone walls of the same material as the surrounding stone walls.

But at the bottom of the deepest stone wall of the alley, there was a naturally formed crack. The rock at the edge of the crack was a dark red hue unique to being repeatedly scorched at high temperatures.

In the depth of the crack, an orange-red glow the size of a fist was gently pulsing.

It was a mineral floating at the center of the crack, semi-transparent and dark red, with fine golden patterns constantly flowing on the inside.

At the core of the mineral burned a very tiny yet exceedingly bright flame, each pulse of which stirred fine energy ripples on the mineral’s surface, slightly distorting the surrounding air.

A Fire God’s Heart Fragment—extremely rare high-tier fire attribute treasure, naturally formed only after enduring tens of thousands of years of high heat and pressure at the core of ancient volcanoes.

Such a large piece of fragment contained enough Fire Attribute Rule Power to refine several high-quality fire attribute auxiliary cultivation Magic Potions, and if directly absorbed, could significantly advance one’s understanding of Fire Attribute Rules.

In any land, such an item is genuinely priceless, nearly impossible to acquire.

Duke’s gaze lingered on the Fire God’s Heart Fragment for quite a while, then slowly shifted to the shadow beside the crack.

In the shadow not far from the fragment lay the demon, its enormous body almost merging with the dim stone wall.

Its size was a notch smaller than the Bone-Armored Giant Beast but more robust, entirely covered with obsidian-smooth and solid scale armor, with edges glinting with dark golden gilded patterns.

Its four sturdy claws were deeply embedded in the gaps of the stone slabs, and with each breath, two faint streams of flame spewed from its nostrils.

Its eyes were closed, but beneath those eyelids, a dark red glow faintly circulated inside.

Demigod Level, just a step away from Level 4.

Duke slowly retreated, pulling himself back into the shadow behind the corner of the side corridor.

He was uncertain of this demon’s specific combat style, clueless about its attack range, perception type, and weaknesses.

In such total ignorance, facing a Demigod-level Guardian Beast, the best choice was to bypass it.

Yet, the Fire God’s Heart Fragment held significant value for him. To be safe, a decisive strike with Six-Color Divine Light, leaving no room for counterattack, was imperative.

He took a deep breath, his body silently dispersing, once again turning into a gentle wind.

The World Tree’s aura covered his Wind Elementalized form like a thin green veil, completely integrating his presence into the labyrinth’s energy backdrop.

Then he silently drifted along the shadows on the stone wall of the side corridor, heading towards the Demigod-level demon’s position.

The closer he approached the demon, the higher the air temperature became.

The Fire God’s Heart Fragment’s Fire Attribute Rule Power had already turned the air at the end of this side corridor into something akin to the interior of a furnace, with ancient patterns on the stone wall glowing a dark red under the heat.

The demon still lay near the fragment, eyes closed, breathing steadily, the rhythm of the flame streams from its nostrils highly regular with each exhalation.

Duke circled to its back and side, his Wind Elementalized form gliding quietly through the scalding air, moving above its rear neck, starting to slowly and silently solidify.

Just at the moment he emerged from the Wind Elementalized state, the demon suddenly opened its eyes.

Its perception was extremely keen, and although the airflow Duke stirred during his movement was exceptionally subtle, it was enough for it to sense the anomaly.

In the instant before Duke appeared, it had already detected that minute eddy which should not be there.

Without confirming the identity of the intruder, it immediately thrust its giant obsidian-scaled claw violently in Duke’s direction upon sensing the threat.

The dark golden gilded pattern on the claw’s surface instantly lit up, Flame Rule Power erupting from the claw’s tip with glaring orange-red light, the air tearing with a sharp explosive sound.

But it was too late; the Six-Color Divine Light Sword in Duke’s hand had already taken shape.

The intertwining of six rule lights formed a brilliant and deadly blade, tracing a straight arc of six colors in the air as it was swung down, precisely slashing at the demon’s back of the neck.

The Demigod-level scale armor was tough enough to withstand a full-force attack from a peer of the same level, yet the Six-Color Divine Light was a rule attack that entirely surpassed its current defense tier.

The scale armor shattered from the moment of contact with the sword edge, the jet-black Shadow Rules infiltrating through the gaps, disintegrating the structure of the scale armor and muscle fibers from within.

The sword severed its neck, fully detaching the head with dark red eyes still open from the body.

Just as Duke swung his sword to behead the demon, the obsidian-scaled giant claw struck heavily on his left side.

The Sand Guardian activated automatically upon sensing the threat, dark golden sand grains surged, forming an arc-shaped barrier in front of him.

But this time, he did not have the opportunity to attach Six-Color Divine Light to the Sand Guardian.

The conjuring and slashing of the Six-Color Divine Light Sword had consumed all his focus, leaving insufficient time to attach Six-Color Divine Light for defense.

As he drove the sword edge into the demon’s neck, the Sand Guardian was just a pure metallic yellow sand barrier, without the empowerment of Six-Color Divine Light, sustaining only the standard defensive strength of a Level 3 Middle-Tier Mage.