Chapter 500 - Strengthening Of Foundation (2)

Crack...

The black mist condensed into a rapidly spinning vortex. A colossal, sinister black scythe came forth. Its tip dripped with a tar-like viscous fluid, as though stained by blood from countless battles. With a sweep of the Golem's mighty arm, the scythe slashed through the air in an instant!

Zing!

The rampaging flood of scarabs suddenly halted as an invisible force claimed their lives. When the reaper's scythe swept by, every insect dropped to the ground. That included the two-meter-tall, three-meter-tall, and even the four-meter-tall giant scarab that had just emerged. That last one was one which the three onlookers had found threatening. All were killed by a single slash of that scythe.

Boom...

The ten-meter-tall Golem trembled within the mist. Blazing light like midday sunshine erupted from the gaps in its armor, as though something was exploding and about to blow the Golem to pieces.

But Cassius had never felt so gratified. He felt as though he were submerged in a chilly river, with every muscle, blood vessel, inch of skin, and organ greedily absorbing nutrients, and relishing the revitalization.

His heart thumped more powerfully, each beat feeling as if it might tear his entire body apart. His lungs and respiratory system grew stronger, and his breathing became unimaginably deep. His inhalations felt like vortices drawing in air, and his exhalations gusted out like a gale. Moreover, the various organs managing fluid circulation, detoxification, and nutrient absorption evolved and took on a monstrous vitality.

Now, if someone randomly took one of Cassius's organs from his chest and tried to destroy it, it was likely impervious even if they tried blades, axes, or even artillery bombardment. After all, this was the essential foundation of the Golem in its path toward becoming an Ultimate Dark Form.

One need only think of the Totem King, whose body stood as tall as a mountain. Even though it was maintained by supernatural power, the inherent resilience of that body was unimaginable. It likely even surpassed most metals in the world.

Now, Cassius had taken a great step toward that level.

He was entirely enveloped by the Golem phantom, as he felt a robust spring-like vitality emerging from deep within his body. Very soon, it reached a point where it was on par with the hardness of his Golem body's outer shell, and as more time passed, his organs surpassed even his muscles and bones in strength.

Furthermore, it continued onward, hurtling toward the limits of the Golem Covert Martial Arts stage that Cassius could currently attain. It was his foundation, his potential, and indeed his bedrock!

The insect swarm continued to surge from the black hole in the center of the plaza, yet was ceaselessly reaped by that massive scythe swinging again and again. Strands of life vibration energy emanated from the countless corpses, converging into a cool river that enveloped Cassius's true form.

Meanwhile, the three who had retreated to the plaza's edge were now somehow perched on the higher steps of the cave wall, at least thirty or forty meters above the ground. They were still hesitating whether to climb a few more steps, as the area below felt extremely dangerous...

Whether it was the white insect swarm erupting from underground or the sharp scythe swinging in the Golem's hand, both made the three tremble with fear, as though a single careless brush could mean death.

***

At the same time, in the whirlpool area, within a gray cave...

Rows of black coffins were arranged inside a blood-red pool. The ground around them was lined with dense trenches and ceremonial grooves, where a red-brown liquid still trickled silently, seemingly some form of specially treated blood.

Suddenly, two coffins placed at the very top opened.

Two high-ranking Blood Race members dressed like nobles sat up in their coffins, looking bewildered and dazed. The entire gray cave was shaking violently, causing the floor and walls to quiver as dust rained down, making it impossible to rest in peace.

The scarab's nest was not just a single cavern but a network of underground tunnels spanning the entire ruins. Once a full-scale riot broke out, every layer of the ruins would shake like an earthquake was happening.

"W-What happened? I-Is the insect swarm here again?" A golden-haired Blood Race member spoke, still somewhat groggy.

"Is... is it an insect swarm? Why do I feel that this is much more intense than any insect swarm we've faced before? Is the entire ruins going to collapse?" Another pale-faced, youthful-looking Blood Race member spoke worriedly.

"This..." The golden-haired Blood Race opened his mouth. The two of them likely had no choice but to investigate. If the ruins truly were collapsing for some reason, wouldn't they all be buried underground?

If it was an insect swarm, so long as they retreated immediately upon encountering it, their superior Blood Race speed would likely help them escape.

"Let's go!"

The two instantly made their decision, leaping from their coffins and darting out of the cave along the complex network of tunnels.

Time passed as the two high-ranking Blood Race members continued to navigate the ruins. They could clearly sense that the nearer they got to the fountain plaza infested by scarabs, the more violently the ground and tunnels shook, as though a volcano was erupting at the source.

The two exchanged a glance, cheering each other on before pressing forward.

At last, the two high-ranking Blood Race reached the tunnel's exit. They immediately halted because the doorway was blocked by an enormous mound of scarab corpses. The tall passage was three-quarters clogged with all sorts of severed limbs and sticky bodily fluids, forming a wall of corpses that emitted an intensely foul stench inside and out.

"Th-This..." Both were appalled, and after exchanging glances, they kicked off powerfully from the ground, abruptly transforming into humanoid bats, darting out through the upper section of the passageway.

They rushed into the fountain plaza, flapping their wings in the enclosed space from hell.

Zing!

A massive scythe cut across the entire white stone plaza, instantly slaughtering countless scarabs.

Whoosh!

A fierce wind roared over the heads of the two high-ranking Blood Race members—they had come within less than ten centimeters of being harvested by the reaper's blade!

Their hearts pounded frantically, nearly causing them to fall out of the air. They whipped around to look for the scythe’s origin and saw, to their shock, a towering ten-meter-tall black statue. It was imposing and icy, vicious and bloodstained, and grasping a massive scythe in its hand. The blade's edge slowly dripped with a tar-like fluid.

Drip... drip... drip...

Like the eerie sound of doom.

"Dessert after dinner?

Heh heh heh...

"

"Seems like today is really going to whet my appetite..."