Chapter 313 - Simply Preferring to Stay at the Bottom

A massive ‘torrent’ of white erupted from the side passage and flooded nearly half the space. This was a terrifying swarm of scarabs, surging with overwhelming force.

The swarm crashed against the rock walls, causing loud bangs. The entire chamber vibrated, sending bits of gray-white wall dust falling from above.

At the top of the blood pool, a high-ranking Blood Race noble trembled with fear in the uppermost coffin. His fists clenched tightly, his sharp nails digging into his flesh. His whole body tensed, but out of fear of the danger outside, he forced himself to close his eyes and suppressed his bodily functions to the bare minimum.

Every rumble from the swarm crawling outside made his eyelids twitch. He no longer had the elegance of a noble but resembled a prisoner awaiting a death sentence.

Suddenly, a sound resembling rain began to pelt the top of the coffin. It was the noise of insect legs crawling across its surface.

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

The young Blood Race noble's eyelids twitched as he prayed. He had been startled awake just moments ago, and a hint of his aura might have leaked out after opening the sealed coffin. He could only hope that the scarabs weren't sensitive enough to detect it and would leave soon.

Shunk!

Suddenly, an unbearable pain shot through his abdomen, forcing him to open his eyes. A rock-white insect leg, sharp as a long blade, had pierced through the coffin and him.

"Is this...?"

Crackle!

Half of the coffin was violently torn apart as the high-ranking Blood Race noble was lifted into the air. He stared at the nearly two-meter-long scarab in horror. Its thick, wrinkled shell resembled a turtle’s shell and was covered in strange, dense patterns. Its legs were like those of a spider, with blade-like tips, densely covered in steel-like bristles.

The most horrifying sight, however, was the scarab's enlarged mandibles. They were terrifying and repulsive beyond words!

"Nooooo!!!"

The noble roared, trying to transform into his true Blood Race form, but his scream was abruptly cut short as the giant scarab bit off his head in one swift motion, leaving a headless corpse spewing blood.

Shwing!

The insect's leg, sharp like a battle blade, came down, slicing the body into two halves. The swarm rushed in, relishing the reaction between the corrosive liquid and the Blood Race energy that produced a unique vapor.

Half a minute later, the swarm surged away, leaving the area in silence. The only evidence of their rampage was the wrecked ground.

Ten minutes passed and one of the coffins in the blood pool trembled slightly.

After half an hour, the lid of the coffin opened, and a shadow darted out, shooting into the air like a cannonball. It clung to the cavern wall, resembling a massive, humanoid gecko.

The figure turned its head, revealing a face as pale as a corpse. It wore an opulent evening suit, and a decayed bouquet was pinned to its chest. It too was a high-ranking Blood Race.

The man surveyed the chamber carefully. Once he confirmed there was no immediate danger, he slowly descended.

He found the shattered coffin beside the blood pool, with obvious bite marks from the scarabs. His gaze shifted to the ground, and his pupils contracted. There, scattered, were the three body parts, shriveled and corroded almost beyond recognition. Upon closer inspection, it became clear these were two halves of a body and a severed head.

"Dead?!"

That was his first reaction.

"A scarab swarm!!!"

That was his second reaction.

At that moment, the man realized the gravity of the situation. After examining the corpse further, he concluded it was even more severe than he had first thought. Not only had a scarab swarm emerged, but a giant scarab had appeared! This wasn't just a typical scarab riot.

Someone had invaded the ruins and enraged the scarabs!

The Blood Race knew a little about the Akaba Ruins. The first five zones of the upper layer were perilous, filled with traps, poisons, and strange creatures. The deeper levels were even more dangerous.

But the scarabs were unique among these dangers. They were not only part of the ruins' dangers but also served another role: cleaners.

It seemed that the ancient civilization of the Akaba Ruins had designed these scarabs as a cleaning force. They would periodically swarm through the upper three layers, sweeping through every corner and killing the continuously spawning creatures.

They could be considered one of the most terrifying disasters in the ruins.

The lower three levels, however, were different. The upper three levels consisted of human-made underground structures, while the lower three were a bizarre, mysterious labyrinth. This maze seemed alive, with the ability to self-repair, alter its structure, and spawn new creatures.

This group of high-ranking Blood Race nobles had once relied on their immortality to explore Akaba Ruins. But after losing a fifth of their group on the fourth level, they had retreated to the first layer's Water Vortex Zone, occupying a key node and converting it into a blood pool where they could rest and recuperate.

The man narrowed his eyes as he sank into thought. He was curious about the intruders in Akaba Ruins, but he wasn't about to risk his life by investigating. Curiosity was one thing, but he had no desire to become insect food.

Every glance at the mangled remains made his eyelid twitch. He wanted to clean up the bones but hesitated, fearing the scent of pheromones would linger.

In the end, he sighed and quietly returned to the blood pool. He pressed his lips together and made a difficult decision. He lifted the coffins below him and placed his own coffin at the very bottom.

His movements were swift, using the buoyancy of the blood water to slip into his coffin just before the other coffins fell back into place.

The man wasn't concerned that the scarab swarm would kill the Blood Race sleeping in the top coffins. He simply preferred sleeping at the bottom. He liked the quiet, safe feeling of being submerged.

Yes, that was it... definitely.

The man closed his eyes again, a peaceful smile spreading across his face like that of a child in restful sleep.

***

At that moment, in the first layer of the Akaba Ruins, in the Wind Separation Zone...

Three black figures darted past a corner, leaving only a blur of their black robes. A fierce wind roared through the passage, the gusts filling the hollow spaces, creating a palpable sense of air pressure.

"We finally made it through. What the hell was that place!"

The three figures halted at a fork in the path where Saint Feinan couldn't help but complain. He cautiously touched his well-maintained braid, his face filled with regret. The once shiny, full black hair had grown dry and split.

Beside him, Feng Liusi looked equally grim. His face was black—literally. He had been hit directly by flames that had shot out from a wall. If not for the weakening effect of his Qi aura, all his hair would have been burned off, turning him into a shiny bald egg.

Both men were red-faced, sweating profusely, and breathing hard. Only Cassius seemed remarkably composed.

An hour ago, they had angered the scarab swarm and stumbled into the Fire Spark Zone. There, they had witnessed the true dangers of the Akaba Ruins. The earlier traps and creatures were nothing compared to what they now faced.

As the name suggested, the Fire Spark Zone was filled with walls covered in moss-like fluffy fibers. At times, the air in entire corridors would be filled with floating white spores that resembled dandelion seeds.

These spores were extremely flammable and possessed a ridiculous ability to cling to anything they ignited. All three had suffered minor burns when an array of hidden flamethrowers activated, setting the spores ablaze and causing a chain reaction of explosions.

The sound of explosions roared in their ears, and the ground shook violently. It felt like the entire area around them was being blown to pieces. Despite the chaos, the three had managed to escape with only minor injuries. In fact, the scarab swarm chasing them had been delayed by the explosions, giving them some breathing room.

It was a strange stroke of luck.

"What were those insects? I sensed something even more dangerous under that plaza..." Feng Liusi said grimly, wiping his sooty face. He had the highest Qi cultivation of the three and was highly perceptive.

He could feel an extremely dangerous presence below the plaza. One wrong step, and even though the three of them were skilled combat artists, they could easily lose their lives here. The Akaba Ruins were proving to be much more perilous than they had first thought. Their earlier smooth progress had been nothing but a deception.

Now, they were truly in danger! The deeper they went into the ruins, the more high-level threats they would encounter!

They couldn't afford to let their guard down.

"Sigh, whatever. At least we've shaken them off for now. Let's move on to the next level. Once the ruins have been fully explored, these bugs will probably retreat as well." Saint Feinan muttered, counting his strands of hair with a pained expression while releasing cold air to cool the group down.

On the side, Cassius remained silent. He had been even more startled by the scarab tide as well. The disturbance felt like a collapsing mountain. He suspected that the high-ranking Blood Race members, slumbering somewhere in that mysterious blood pool, had also been awakened by the commotion. These creatures might soon be hunting intruders, and the three of them would need to be prepared for a sudden confrontation with those powerful dark creatures. High-ranking Blood Race members were no joke.

There was another issue that required attention. Cassius had experienced the effects of his Golem lungs for the first time in the Fire Spark Zone. His lungs could filter out all sorts of impurities, and even the oxygen depletion caused by the explosive flames hadn't affected him. The robust bronchi in his lungs easily absorbed large quantities of oxygen, filtering out any harmful gasses. Breathing in the fiery environment felt no different from breathing in normal air. After they had escaped from the Fire Spark Zone, even Feng Liusi's breathing had become erratic and his stamina had been severely drained, but Cassius had been barely affected.

The abilities of his Golem lungs had shown their worth.

After a brief rest, the three of them pulled out their map and started studying the route leading to the next level, located in the Wind Separation Zone.

"Hurricane Garden? What kind of strange name is that?" Saint Feinan pointed to the area on the map.

The Book of the Devil revealed that there was an unknown area in the southwest corner of the Wind Separation Zone called the Hurricane Garden. There were no indications of traps, poisons, or any exotic dangers. Instead, there was only one bold reminder: "There's wind."

"Wind? What does that mean?" Cassius furrowed his brows. As a veteran combat artist whose body had long surpassed normal human capabilities, even hurricane-level winds wouldn't be an issue. Even the kind of gales that could blow people away wouldn't budge a combat artist like him, unless it was something as catastrophic as a tornado.

The Book of the Devil had given only a light warning. But the more simple it seemed, the more suspicious it felt.

Ten minutes later, the three arrived at the Hurricane Garden.

Rumble!

Cassius pressed his back against the cave wall, his gaze fixed on the roaring gap ahead. His mind was somewhat dazed. It certainly lived up to the name "Hurricane," as the gusts of air pouring out from the opening were half-white, half-transparent. At first glance, it resembled a massive waterfall, with torrents of water rushing down from a great height.

"The passage to the next level is in there?" Saint Feinan was slightly embarrassed.

The gusts were too powerful. It was fortunate that it was air and not water; otherwise, they wouldn't have even been able to enter. But still, how were these strong winds generated? Was there some kind of mechanism deep within the Hurricane Garden?

"Should we go in?" Saint Feinan glanced at the others.

"Three, two, one!"

When the countdown ended, the three of them dashed forward like speeding spears, plunging headlong into the gusts. Cassius led the way with his superior physique, while Feng Liusi and Saint Feinan clung tightly behind him to reduce wind resistance. If this area wasn't too long, Cassius could hold out at the front. When he could no longer manage, they would switch places, and together, they should be able to make it to the entrance.

Tap, tap, tap...

The sound of their footsteps was drowned out by the roaring wind. The trio advanced slowly, their steps heavy, moving at the pace of an ordinary walk. All around them, wisps of white air exerted a strong forward force. If a normal person were hit by these winds, their skin would likely be peeled off.

Cassius kept his arms raised in front of him, blocking half of his view. He could vaguely make out the path ahead and their surroundings. He had already memorized the directions noted in the Book of the Devil.

"Pass through the hall, turn left, proceed forward. At the fork, take the third path. Keep going, turn right, a long straight corridor, a circular cavity..."

Cassius planted his feet firmly on the ground, advancing step by step through the fierce gale. His muscles and tendons were like tightly strung steel cables, contracting and expanding with each movement, generating immense power.

He slowly led the group to the left turn at the corner.

Just as they left the hall, Cassius' peripheral vision caught a glimpse of something unusual. An object was flying rapidly towards them, like a crescent-shaped, translucent blade.

Clang!

The blade moved too fast, slashing across Cassius' arms, causing blood to spray out. His steps faltered, and he was nearly blown away by the gale. Fortunately, he quickly spread his hands, pressing them against the walls of the passage on both sides, and staggered backward a few meters.

"What's going on?" Saint Feinan asked from behind.

"There's an attack... It's coming again!"

Cassius' eyes narrowed as he saw a series of translucent blades spinning and accelerating in the wind. These spiraling wind blades resembled the ferocious piranhas lurking at the bottom of rainforest rivers.

The situation was perilous, but just as he focused to deal with it, an odd thought flashed through his head.

"If only the Azure Wind Flow were this powerful..."