Chapter 2217 - Ruin (1/2)

After watching so many insects flee the valley, Han Sen and the others were drawn by curiosity to look back at the crevice. As they watched, a hand emerged.

The crevice was very small, so it would be very difficult for any being to push a hand through it. But whoever or whatever it was seemed to be unable to get out. After failing to push its way out, the hand withdrew and an eye appeared in the crevice. When it saw Han Sen and his people, the eye retreated and vanished.

“Is that a xenogeneic or a member of the Ice Blue Knights?” Ji Qing asked. The presence of the being had struck them all as being very odd.

The bugs must have been afraid of whatever it was, and that was why they had all rushed out of the crevice. The bugs weren’t aggressive, and it didn’t even look as if they ate meat.

“Let’s dig into the wall a little and see what’s there.” Han Sen was curious, so he moved over to the wall and pulled out his Ghost Teeth Knife. He slashed at the crack in the stone to make it wider.

The rock was fairly sturdy, but it was only an inch thick. Beyond it was a hollow of sorts. Han Sen dug out an entrance so that his people could walk into the place.

The interior of the cave was fairly large. An entire wagon would be able to fit inside comfortably. The cave wasn’t man-made, though; it seemed to be a natural formation. There were many stalactites, and there were many of those purple bugs scrambling across the walls and floor of the cave. Something must have bumbled through the cave and alerted the bugs.

“You guys wait here. I am going to go take a look,” Han Sen said, directing his speech at Huangfu Jing.

“Let’s take a look together,” Ji Qing said with a blink.

“Big Brother, let us go in together. The Demon Bug Bai Semas are with us, so we ought to be just fine.” Han Yan was looking into the cave excitedly.

Han Sen didn’t object because when the hand had revealed itself earlier, he’d quickly scanned it with his Dongxuan Aura. Whatever it was, it wasn’t strong. The being the hand belonged to couldn’t be any greater than a Duke.

Han Sen and his people entered the cave, and Han Yan gleefully moved up front to lead the expedition into the subterranean dwelling.

There were vast numbers of the bugs all around, and they looked to have scattered when they were approached by that thing earlier. It was easy to see from the movement of the bugs where the creature they were following had gone.

They traveled fast through the cave, and they saw many more of the bugs running everywhere as they moved. There were many paths to take, and the structure and complexity of the labyrinth were by no means easy to navigate.

They followed the trail into an even bigger cave, where there was a complete absence of those purple bugs. Strangely, there was no other road to take, and that cave only seemed to be home to black vines and mushrooms. With firm walls composing the rest of the chamber, there didn’t appear to be any other way they could go, other than the tunnel by which they had entered.

“Weird. It should be here. Where has it gone? Did we somehow take the wrong path?” Ji Qing asked, looking up and down the cave.

“We came the correct way,” Han Sen said with certainty. He used his Dongxuan Aura to check the place out, and he looked for the aura and trace molecules of the creature they were searching for. It was still hanging in the air.

Han Sen looked around, and then his eyes locked on a rock that was near a wall. He waved his hand and pushed the rock away. Its removal revealed another small cave that had been hidden behind the stone. An Extreme King man was hiding in there. He had curled up into a ball to squeeze himself in.

After he was discovered, the Extreme King man screamed. He then scrambled out on his knees, pleading to Han Sen in a voice that was almost unintelligible.

“Don’t… don’t kill me…”