“Damn it! Even after he’s dead, that bastard kid is still causing us trouble! Because of him, we’ve had to waste half an hour just standing here, waiting for that dark qi sword cluster of his to stop falling! If it weren’t for my determination to save time and find Master sooner, I would have gone back to where that bastard’s corpse lies just so I could stomp on it again!”
Ignoring Ruan Xiaoyue, who seemed to be fuming once more after being forced to wait for the massive dark qi sword cluster to stop descending, Luo Xianxiu, unwilling to console her angry senior sister nearby, was far more interested in the enormous, mysterious hole in front of her.
Her curiosity stemmed from the fact that Luo Xianxiu was fairly certain she had never seen or heard of such a massive, mysterious hole near this stone village before. She had flown over this area in the past on her way back to the Fallen Rainbow Kingdom, yet she had never once noticed such a large hole here.
Even though it was possible the enormous hole had formed as a result of Liang San’s devastating attack earlier, Luo Xianxiu was more inclined to believe that the hole couldn’t have been created by Liang San’s attack, especially given how the hole’s bottom was nowhere to be seen.
Driven by curiosity, Luo Xianxiu decided to ask Long Linglu, who had brought her and her senior sister here, about the mysterious hole. Perhaps Long Linglu, who had been guiding them, knew something about its origins.
“Miss Linglu, do you recognize the enormous hole in front of us—the place where you sensed traces of Master’s scent?”
“No, this is the first time I’ve seen this hole,” Long Linglu replied, her gaze fixed on the massive chasm before her. Then, shifting her eyes to Luo Xianxiu, she continued, “Honestly, I wouldn’t have even known this hole existed if not for the lingering scent of Master here. Maybe it appeared as a result of the dark qi sword cluster that bastard human boy unleashed before his death, making it visible now.”
“I see...”
Realizing that Long Linglu didn’t know anything about the mysterious hole either, Luo Xianxiu chose not to press further. Instead, she silently observed the area around the hole, searching for clues that might reveal its origins.
“Junior Sister, there’s no need to think too much about where this hole came from,” Ruan Xiaoyue said, now calmer after her earlier frustration. She then turned to Long Linglu. “Linglu, since you can see in the dark, can you tell us what’s inside this hole? And do you see Master down there?”
“Understood.”
Responding to Ruan Xiaoyue, Long Linglu moved closer to the edge of the enormous hole. She leaned forward, her sharp eyes intensely focused as she scrutinized the dark, vast depths below.
“Hmm… Wow, this hole is incredibly deep! Especially the pit at the bottom—I can’t see its base at all!”
Ruan Xiaoyue, dissatisfied with her friend’s vague answer, leaned over as well, placing her hands on Long Linglu’s shoulders. She spoke firmly to regain her attention.
“Hey! Don’t just tell us how deep this hole is. At least tell us if you see Master down there and what else you can make out inside it.”
"Uh, I almost forgot. Well, from what I can see on the floor below, Master isn’t there. All I see are weak monsters, animal bones, and human bones. Even so, I’m certain Master is inside this hole, but not on the current floor. She must be at the very bottom, beyond the pit in the floor where I caught faint traces of her scent," said Long Linglu confidently.
"Since your sharp sense of smell is so reliable, let’s head straight down and find Master. We—"
"Senior Sister," Luo Xianxiu interrupted, stepping forward.
"What is it, Junior Sister?"
"Isn’t it reckless to just dive in like that to search for Master when we have no idea how dangerous the monsters in this hole might be?"
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Hearing Luo Xianxiu’s cautious words, Long Linglu straightened up, crossed her arms, and smirked arrogantly.
"Heh! Luo Xianxiu, there’s no need to be afraid. Once I transform into my divine dragon form inside this hole, every monster—weak or strong—will surely be intimidated by my divine dragon’s aura! And if we encounter a monster stronger than me, we can escape while it’s distracted by the aura’s suppression. So, there’s no reason for you to worry!"
Luo Xianxiu, unconvinced by Long Linglu’s boastful words, frowned slightly and hesitated before asking, "Are you certain, Miss Linglu? For some reason, I have a bad feeling. What if we accidentally run into a monster so powerful that your dragon aura doesn’t work on it? We’d end up in another life-threatening situation, like when we fought that village boy, even though our goal is simply to find Master."
"How dare you underestimate my dragon aura!" Long Linglu snapped, visibly irritated.
In her frustration, she immediately transformed into her divine dragon form, releasing a shockwave that almost sent Luo Xianxiu flying. Fortunately, Ruan Xiaoyue, unaffected by the transformation, quickly grabbed Luo Xianxiu’s arm to steady her before she was flung away.
“Quick, both of you, get on my back! I’ll show you that my aura is truly effective!”
“Uh, Miss Linglu, please calm down. I think you misunderstood. I wasn’t underestimating you; I was just suggesting we proceed cautiously before entering this mysterious hole.”
“Silence! Just get on already! I’ll prove to you how every monster that sees my aura will flee in terror!”
“But, Miss Linglu, it’s not wise to take risks just to prove a—”
“It’s no use, Junior Sister,” Ruan Xiaoyue interrupted, her hand still gripping Luo Xianxiu’s arm.
Startled, Luo Xianxiu turned her gaze to her senior sister, silently waiting for an explanation.
“We’ve been together for over a month now. You should know by now that once Long Linglu’s pride is challenged or questioned, she won’t stop until she’s proven her point. It’s better to just go along with what she wants until she’s satisfied.”
“… Fine. To be safe, I’ll use the divine sword we took from our enemy earlier. That way, we’ll be better prepared to defend ourselves.”
“Good idea. Equipping yourself with that sword should provide enough protection for us if danger arises.”
After Ruan Xiaoyue convinced her, Luo Xianxiu agreed. The two of them climbed onto Long Linglu’s back, who had been impatiently waiting. Without further delay, Long Linglu dove at full speed toward the pit in the center of the hole’s floor.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
When Long Linglu rammed her head into the pit to widen the hole, she didn’t expect the floor to be so much harder than she anticipated. Instead of the pit expanding, her head took the brunt of the impact, leaving her dizzy. The two passengers on her back, caught off guard, were also flung violently onto the floor.
“OW! My nose is bleeding…”
“Ugh… Damn, it’s so dark in here. I can’t see anything. Long Linglu! Are you alright?”
“Ugh, my head hurts… Damn it! How dare this floor humiliate me like this! This is unacceptable!”
Enraged by her inability to break through the floor, which she saw as an affront to her pride, Long Linglu soared high into the air once again and dived headfirst into the pit with full force, ignoring the dizziness from her previous attempts.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
“Damn it! What is this blasted floor made of? Why can’t I destroy it?”
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
“GRAAAAAHH!”
“Curse it! What kind of fool managed to drill through every layer of this mysterious pit when even I can’t break it?! AGHHH!!”
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
“L-Linglu! Have you lost your mind?! Stop hurting yourself! You’re not going to destroy that floor! Let’s just abandon this hole and look for Master’s trail somewhere else,” Ruan Xiaoyue yelled, trying to reason with her.
Hearing her words, Long Linglu finally ceased her rampage. Ruan Xiaoyue let out a sigh of relief as the oppressive aura emanating from Long Linglu faded, signaling she had reverted to her human form.
However, what Ruan Xiaoyue couldn’t see in the pitch-black darkness was that Long Linglu, now in her half-dragon form, still wasn’t ready to give up. Standing tall with clenched fists, she seemed to be preparing for something else entirely.
“Fine! I’ll reluctantly give up on breaking this damn unbreakable floor! But that doesn’t matter! At the very least, I won’t give up on proving to you both that my dragon aura can intimidate any monster! Watch, and I’ll show you that we’ll reach the bottom of this pit without a single monster daring to attack us! Hngh! Grahh!”
With a loud roar, a dramatic transformation overtook Long Linglu. Her fangs grew longer, giving her a feral appearance. Her nails elongated into sharp claws, and white scales began to sprout along her arms, legs, and around her eyes. Small, glowing golden wings appeared on her back, casting a faint light that gave the group some visibility in the otherwise dark pit.
“See? I knew this would work! With this form, my intimidating aura is still intact. No monster would dare approach me now! It’s time to prove it!”
“W-wait, Linglu! Why are you grabbing my hand? What’s this glowing light on your back—ahhhhhh!”
“Miss Linglu, please wait! My nose still hurts—I need to—ahhhhh!”
Ignoring their protests, Long Linglu grabbed both of her companions’ hands and yanked them along. With incredible speed and determination, she dove down to the bottom of the Death Pit, racing past the gaping hole left by the foolish creature she had cursed earlier.