646 Sealed In! (2/2)

Such intense discomfort could be tolerated and overcome, but that was not the end of their struggles. As the group continued their descent, the force emanating from the hole intensified exponentially, boxing them in from all directions. Ten seconds into the descent, an early-stage Core Formation realm cultivator's face went from a pale white to a ruddy red, then a dark purple. His eyes widened, then rolled up, and his body exploded under the extreme pressure.

Wang Baole's breathing quickened. He summoned his Flame Snatch Thearch Armor to protect him against the increasing pressure. Together with Chi Lin and a few other cultivators, they tried to aid the other Core Formation realm cultivators in fighting against the growing pressure. There was only so much that they could do. Soon, a second Core Formation realm cultivator perished as his body exploded!

He was followed by the third, then the fourth explosion. Two other Core Formation realm cultivators finally broke down. They howled, terror and despair bright in their eyes, and started ascending instead of descending.

”Come back!” Feng Qiuran shouted frantically after them, but her words were lost to the wind. They seemed to run even faster upwards. They vanished into the distance with the aid of the suction force, disappearing into the other end of the hole.

Two screams of pain pierced through the darkness then. They were followed by a low grinding, as if the two cultivators were being forcefully ground down into pulp. Their screams echoed in the air as a sudden sense of danger surged downwards from the top end of the hole.

Wang Baole thought his soul was about to be ripped apart. There was no time to think. He activated A Thousand Lives on his bracelet!

An overpowering stench of something rotten rushed down through the hole at the exact moment he activated the divine power. It was as if a huge beast was charging through the hole towards them.

Before the creature could approach, Feng Qiuran bit the tip of her tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood. Her hands came together in a flurry of hand seals. The blood she had spat out turned a glaring red and transformed into a vast red-colored net that sealed the hole behind Wang Baole and the other Nascent Soul realm cultivators, preventing the creature's approach.

A deafening roar rang out. The blood-colored net pulsated brightly. As they descended further, Wang Baole could see a huge, festering palm the size of the hole claw at the net. The net seemed to be holding it back, but it was a temporary measure. It was already fading right before their eyes.

It was going to be ripped apart at any time, and then there was going to be nothing between them and the monstrous hand. It was then that an opening finally appeared at the bottom of the hole. A soft glow emanated from the opening as the group raced madly towards it.

It seemed as if the opening was unwilling to let them leave. It was sealing itself shut. They had but a dozen or so seconds before they were completely sealed in!

Wang Baole's heart pumped rapidly at the sight of escape. He unleashed a sudden burst of speed. It was then that the blood-colored net collapsed completely. The festering hand seemed to realize that they were about to slip through its fingers. It shook and suddenly sped up, whipping up sudden winds that stank of decay as it caught up with the cultivators and… made a sudden grab for them!

Most of the cultivators managed to dodge the attack, but there were six to seven of them, including a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, who failed to evade the monstrous hand. They were caught and crushed instantly when the hand tightened into a fist!

Wang Baole had been within the monstrous hand's range as well, but he had bizarrely managed to slip through its fingers. A sudden wind then sent him knocking into the walls of the hole. Blood seeped from Wang Baole's lips. The devouring seed started churning inside him, pulling him against the wall. He climbed down rapidly and sneaked into a crack in the wall.

The enormous hand began swiping the air madly just as he wormed into the crack. Deafening booms and screams of pain filled the air. Sudden winds rushed past him. It was a long time before silence took over.

Pale and terrified, Wang Baole waited a long while before he finally released a puppet out from the crack to survey the area. The opening had been sealed shut, and its surroundings were tainted with smashed bits of flesh and blood. Wang Baole grew silent.

He had no idea if Feng Qiuran, Zhao Yameng, Kong Dao, and the others had managed to successfully escape through the opening before it had sealed shut. However, he was certain that many had perished during the earlier clash with the monstrous hand.

If not for his divine power, A Thousand Lives, which had allowed him to evade the blows mysteriously and led him to fall inside this crack, there was a great chance that he wouldn't have survived either.