Chapter 194: Chapter 194
Because the Desert Leopard King and Mother Desert Leopard seemed afraid of the dagger, Yu Su stored it in the space first, deciding to examine it later when returning to the village.
Other than a dagger, there was nothing else here.
Yu Su, accompanied by two desert leopards and a small dark bird, exited the side passage and, upon returning to the collapsed corridor, found that Lu Yan had also come back with three mountain-piercing beasts.
In total, three mountain-piercing beasts, all brought back.
Lu Yan asked as Yu Su emerged from the side passage, 'Any discoveries?'
Yu Su informed Lu Yan of what was found in the two side passages.
Lu Yan also examined the dagger and found it to be quite unique."
Lu Yan: "Don't show this to Chi Nan when we go back. Let Lord Mountain God take a look."
Yu Su raised an eyebrow: "You make sense."
Then, Yu Su put away the dagger, crouched down to look at the three mountain-piercing beasts. The larger one leading the group was the one Yu Su had a contract with.
Yu Su said to it, "The corridor collapsed. See if you can dig through."
The mountain-piercing beast made two squeaking sounds, called two other mountain-piercing beasts, and together they arrived at the collapsed area.
In about half an hour, the three mountain-piercing beasts dug a stable passage that could be traversed without any signs of collapse.
Yu Su performed for the three mountain-piercing beasts without reservation: "Impressive work, as expected of you."
The three mountain-piercing beasts proudly lifted their heads, making two squeaking sounds.
Yu Su took out three small spirit fruits from the space and handed them to the three mountain-piercing beasts.
The three mountain-piercing beasts' eyes lit up, happily accepting the spirit fruits and nibbling on them.
Yu Su and Lu Yan exchanged a glance, then, accompanied by two desert leopards and the small dark bird, they passed through the passage and reached the other side of the collapse.
"This is..."
After walking for a few minutes through the collapsed area, they arrived at an underground hall-like place. Four stone pillars supported the hall's ceiling, and two large murals with vibrant colors adorned the walls.
From the murals, it seemed this place was once the territory of the Yao tribe.
Without textual explanations, Yu Su and the others could only guess the story from the murals:
This was the city of a Yao king.
The Yao king had a human appearance, quite robust, with two huge black wings on his back that, when spread, covered the sky. He possessed the power to control flames.
He was benevolent, not only protecting the Yao tribe but also sheltering a large number of humans.
Those humans who were bullied and chased by other tribes all came here to seek refuge.
The city gradually prospered, becoming a paradise for both humans and Yao.
However, the second mural depicted a drastic change.
One day, the Yao king's eyes turned red, and his once benevolent nature transformed into a bloodthirsty ruler. Both humans and Yao became victims under his claws.
Darkness enveloped the Yao king's body, turning him into a bloodthirsty demon lord.
The subsequent events were not depicted, but the likely outcome could be guessed.
Most probably, the bloodthirsty rule of the Yao king was overthrown.
Lu Yan, looking at the red-eyed Yao king surrounded by black aura, commented, "His appearance is similar to the barbarians after they were corrupted."
Yu Su, recalling the previous incident, understood what he meant, "You mean the Yao king was also corrupted by the power of the evil god?"
This was not implausible, considering the stark contrast in the Yao king's before and after.
Clearly, the Yao king underwent a sudden change due to some kind of power.
Either he fell into madness, or he was corrupted by the power of the evil god.
...
Apart from the murals, they found nothing else. Yu Su and Lu Yan continued searching along the underground passage.
When they reached a pitch-black passage, the Desert Leopard King suddenly stopped. Both the Desert Leopard King and Mother Desert Leopard bit onto the pant legs of Lu Yan and Yu Su, pulling them back and preventing them from moving forward.
Yu Su and Lu Yan realized something was wrong, retreating with the Desert Leopards.
Yu Su held the small dark bird: "Little ancestor, do you sense anything?"
The runes here suppressed their divine consciousness, making it impossible to spread out.
The small dark bird chirped twice: "There's an evil aura."
Yu Su asked, "Could it be that the Yao king isn't dead?"
His words sent shivers down the spine of everyone present.
Lu Yan: "..."
They probably wouldn't be that unlucky.
After saying it, Yu Su also felt that this speculation was too chilling. He quickly shook his head, "It shouldn't be. The Higher God wouldn't let us walk into a death trap."
But danger was still likely.
Lu Yan drew his sword, blocking Yu Su and saying, "I'll go check."
Yu Su held him back, "Wait, let me go with you."
He had the Desert Leopard King and Mother Desert Leopard wait here, taking the small dark bird with him as he and Lu Yan entered the passage again.
This time, he held a magic sword in one hand and an exorcism talisman in the other, ready to throw it if things went south.
They reached the place where they had retreated earlier, and Yu Su gave the gem to Lu Yan.
Lu Yan held the gem in one hand, grasped the sword in the other, and walked forward.
After about twenty meters, Yu Su and Lu Yan sensed an uncomfortable aura. Something in the darkness also seemed to sense their presence and let out a low roar.
As Yu Su and Lu Yan walked out of the passage, they finally saw what was happening.
They arrived at a place similar to the previous hall, but this place had been transformed into a cage. Inside the cage was a golden lion with two wings on its back.
... To be precise, only the tail and the heart of the golden lion were still golden. The rest of its body had been completely tainted by black aura.
If not for this cage, it might have already escaped.
However, the cage, after multiple impacts, was on the verge of collapse.
Perhaps after one or two more hits, the cage would completely crumble.
Then it wouldn't be able to contain it.
Yu Su and Lu Yan both felt the terrifying pressure from this golden lion. It was definitely a powerful monster, and if it escaped, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Just as they were frozen, the golden lion also spotted Yu Su and Lu Yan, roared angrily at them, revealing its fangs.
Under the terrifying pressure, both of them couldn't help but groan and spit out a mouthful of blood.
At a critical moment, the small dark bird chirped loudly twice, using its own bloodline power to confront the roar of the giant lion, preventing them from getting severely injured.
Yu Su was bewildered, after spitting out blood, the blood in his chest surged violently. Even his legs couldn't help but tremble, not out of fear but due to the overwhelming pressure.
"What kind of monster is this!"
"It's the mount of the Yao King."
Lu Yan's voice rang out. He had seen a flying golden lion in two murals just now, precisely the mount of that Yao King.
The voice of the all-knowing elf quickly echoed in Yu Su's mind:
[Flying Golden Lion, high-level Yao Beast. Born with the cultivation of a human Golden Core, an adult Flying Golden Lion has the cultivation of the Yuan Ying stage. This Flying Golden Lion has been tainted by the power of the evil god, making its strength at least double!]
Yu Su: "..."
At this moment, the small dark bird had already spat out a divine fire with a "pfft" sound.
The divine fire floated towards the golden lion.
Yu Su and Lu Yan held their breath.
The giant lion looked at them, showing a mocking expression, and its wings on the back flapped, causing a gust of wind.
The divine fire made a turn and flew straight toward them.
"Oh, damn!"
Yu Su grabbed Lu Yan, took the small dark bird, and quickly ran backward.
The small dark bird was also stunned; it didn't expect its divine fire to be blown back.
It had no idea how to retract it once it was released!
Just at this moment, the dagger hanging at Yu Su's waist, which he had shown to Lu Yan earlier, suddenly lit up, and a mysterious cold aura filled the underground space.
Then a cold wind, seemingly from nowhere, blew over and pushed the divine fire into a corner.
The divine fire landed in the corner and ignited with a "pfft."
Just as Yu Su and the others breathed a sigh of relief, they were once again shocked.
And it wasn't over yet. The dagger at his waist suddenly flew up on its own and swiftly stabbed towards the flying golden lion.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Su saw the eyes of the mermaid on the dagger open.
In that instant of eye contact, Yu Su saw a gleam in the person's eyes.
Yu Su froze.
This mermaid... wasn't it just drawn?
It's actually a real person?
In his momentary daze, the dagger had already pierced through the heart of the flying golden lion.
After a thud, the giant lion fell to the ground.
"Go!"
Just at this moment, Lu Yan grabbed Yu Su and hurriedly ran back.
Yu Su looked back and saw the dagger, after pausing for a moment, flying back to Yu Su's side and obediently hanging back at his waist.
Yu Su didn't have time to think about how the dagger became sentient. He had already seen the divine fire setting fire to the cave behind them.
Having witnessed the power of this divine fire, Yu Su didn't dare to delay for a moment. Holding the small dark bird, he followed Lu Yan and ran back.
The Desert Leopard King and Mother Desert Leopard also sensed the approaching danger. When they saw them coming out, they quickly ran back along the same path.
Arriving at the collapsed passage, the two of them, along with the two leopards and the bird, quickly bent down and passed through the passage. The three mountain-piercing beasts waiting in front of the passage had already disappeared when they sensed the danger.
As they reached the cave exit, the heat wave behind them was getting dangerously close.
Fortunately, at the cave exit, there was no longer a force suppressing them.
Lu Yan summoned a flying sword and charged out with Yu Su.
The three mountain-piercing beasts were outside, and when they saw them coming out, they squeaked.
Lu Yan controlled the flying sword, flying over them.
Yu Su casually picked them up and flew away.
The Desert Leopard King and Mother Desert Leopard followed on the ground, running swiftly.
After they had flown about two hundred meters, a thunderous roar echoed from behind.
When they looked back, the entire ruins were already engulfed in a sea of flames.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone