Chapter 373 (1/2)

* Dub—dub, dub—dub, dub—dub…*

He was not imagining it. The sound of a heart beating just ahead was real, and it gave Hao Ren goosebumps. He checked his Steem Membrane Shield instinctively like he was approaching some ancient being of horror.

He knew he had a pretty accurate sixth sense but he hoped it was wrong this time.

Leading in front and having forgotten about their previous creepy encounter, the husky screamed again. “Whoa! What’s this?”

Hao Ren inched closer cautiously. His stopped breathing when he saw what was outside the cave.

It was another gigantic, ellipsoidal karst cavern, which had many similar smaller caves distributed evenly on all sides. The one Hao Ren was standing in was just one of them. Roots grew out from the caves, the walls, and the ceilings, joining into a giant lump in the centre of the cavern. The mass, which looked like a crater-laden meteoroid was roughly a thousand metres across. Dark-red skin tissue could be seen through the gaps of the entangled roots spread over a mass that emanated a red, light pulse. The tissue danced with the “lub-dub” sound like it was a heartbeat, or breathing.

The “heart” had its roots spread out into the earth and up to the surface.

Surrounding the heart was a pool of surging, dark-red fluid. It was like the water in Beinz Blood Lake, but darker. Its liveliness made it look like it was also some kind of living creature.

Even Y’zaks choked in awe. “There isn’t such a ridiculous thing even back in my home.”

Everyone knew the entire Gnarled Grove was a single life form. What they had seen back then was just a part of it—only the trees and the roots, which were pretty normal stuff. But this bundle of roots in the shape of a heart with its constant beating in the cavern was out of this world. It was a horrifying ancient creature.

Becky clenched her sword instinctively. But, she quickly doubted her weapon. She said, “Do you think I can jab this thing with my sword and see if it hurts? By the looks of it, the skin of this thing may be as thick as 10 metres!”

Cold sweat flowed down Hao Ren’s forehead: he could not fathom why the maiden’s first thought was to jab the thing…

Lily’s eyes lit up in a golden glow as she raised her claws of ice and fire, all the while remaining behind Big Beardy. “Are you sure this is the sacred cavern?”

Although Big Beardy and his company were also half-stunned. However, they quickly regained their composure and became as cool as cucumbers again. “It looks exactly like the drawing in the ancient record, which the first pope drew when he found the goddess’ sacred patrimony here. Guys, put down your weapons. This must be the sacred ancient one. We cannot afford to offend it.”

Vivian pondered for a second. Then she took out a bat, shoved it into Hao Ren’s hand and said, “Keep it in your Dimensional Pocket.”

Hao Ren was flabbergasted. “What for?”

“If things go wrong, your Dimensional Pocket is the safest place to be.” Vivian said, looking serious. “I could then transfer my consciousness to the bat—it’s a way to stay alive, though a lot of fresh blood and energy may be needed.”

Hao Ren never knew Vivian had such an ability—this bat was a fetish. As he pinched the bat a little before putting it into the Dimensional Pocket, he noticed a subtle change in Vivian’s expression. Vivian said, “You should segregrate the bat from Lil Pea, the kid’s grinding her teeth…”

“…”

He was sincerely curious about what was in Vivian’s mind, and how she dealt with schizophrenia when she was split into a swarm of bats.

Everyone moved closer to the heart, which lay in the centre of the gigantic cavern. And they began to feel the pressure in their minds. The constant thuds of the heart sounded like it was pounding directly in their chests. It could drive a weak mind insane. The pulse of red light in the heart was ominous just by looking at it. So, what was underneath its skin? Blood?”