Traversing the Labyrinth's second floor in a similar cruising manner as Darcel's group was the handsome brother of Hao Cao, Hao Bao. His group is now just coming down from the high of battle.

All around them laid bits and pieces of destroyed plant monsters. Even as the vicious plant monsters matched the fifth level of Nascent Core, their sinister ambushes were no match to overwhelming power.

And Hao Bao's group, in terms of levels, was far superior to Darcel's team. Hao Bao himself was at the seventh level of Nascent Core, the peak of the realm!

His other teammates, consisting of three good-looking boys and two charmingly cute girls, also ranged from the sixth level of Nascent Core to the seventh level of Nascent Core.

Clearly, nothing on the second floor could ever hope to come close to matching their combined prowess.

Hao Bao held a perplexed gaze in his eyes, however.

While they were collecting a hefty sum of resources, he can't help but think back to his sister group, more specifically Darcel and Aniela. With their prowess, they surely would've directly jumped into the second floor.

But the question was, just how fast was she progressing with those monstrous freakish duos?

His group all have to concentrate on even the smallest of details given by their Spirit Sense.

While Hao Cao had that cheat like sixth sense to sniff out treasures. And there's no telling that Darcel and Aniela didn't have something up their sleeves to also achieve the same effect.

While Hao Bao was musing, the gorgeous girl next to him seemed to have picked up on his thoughts. Her black hair gracefully twirled in the air as she turned to look at his face, giving him a cute teasing smile.

"Back to thinking about how your sister might be far, and I mean far ahead of us because of the famous duo? I say, Hao Cao, are you perhaps feeling….envious of your little sis?"

Hao Bao merely furrowed his eyebrows at his teammate teasing.

Frankly, at this point, he was beginning to think he had some sort of magnetic curse of most girls he talked to being playfully teasing.

Turning to the girl, he gave her adorable face the blankest of expression while telling her, "Not even in a hundred years would I feel envy for her. Haaah, but perhaps it is so that their group is far ahead of us."

While Hao Bao's team were casually talking, none of them were utterly relaxed. Their Spirit Senses still covered a wide range around them for any sneaky ambushes.

However, throughout this whole time, none of them picked up on anything.

That is until Hao Bao finished his sentence. He was the only one to abruptly stop moving altogether.

Nothing in his Spirit Senses screamed for danger, and yet….a sinking feeling instinctively swirled in the pits of his gut.

He didn't know why, but he felt his blood run cold, his hand slightly shaking, and a cold sweat began to form on his face.

Hao Bao's change in demeanor was so sudden and swift that his other teammates didn't catch on to it. Only the girl right beside him put on a concerned face seeing him go so still.

But, before she could question him, Hao Bao swiftly jerked his head up.

Above….he was nearly sure something was happening above them! Without warning, Hao Bao ignited his hand in purple lightning and violently slapped them together!

'Sssch!!'

Instead of the sounds of lightning or Hao Bao's hands being the loudest, rather, it was the chilling sound of something sizzling.

Hao Bao's teammates were all thrown into a sudden frantic loop as the purple lightning barrier erected around them.

"Hey! Wh-What the hel-"

"Just look up!"

Hao Bao ordered out before anyone else could question him. His eyes were already glued on staring at one grotesque, strange sight that'll never leave his mind for days to come.

Under his orders, everyone else snapped their eyes to the ceilings, only to become bewildered. What made this powerful Nascent Core group froze was the terrifying human-like creature from the first floor!

But compared to the first floor, its appearance was far more vicious now.

Spats of fresh and dried blood stained its whole body, yet the blood had also managed to creepily blend into its ghastly red hue skin.

That hideous long tongue swirled out of its mouth in what looked like an apparent gleeful motion. To what was supposed to be its lips that too twitched upwards in savage excitement!

Combined with this creature's gross appearance, what added to its terrifying shock was the fact it managed to sneak up on all of them!

And everyone there sensed this creature was only at the fourth level of Nascent Core?!

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

For a single heart-stopping second, Hao Bao's group didn't move at all. And simultaneously, the human-like creature also didn't move. Still, its eyes were focused on a specific spot of Hao Bao's lightning barrier.

However, this shocking standoff didn't last long at all. The girl right next to Hao Bao jumped from her startle state and yelled to her other teammates, saying,

"Just kill it!!"

'Whir!!'

Like a dam unleashed, everyone awoke from their stupor and spewed out tremendous Nascent Qi! Upon their palms, Hao Bao's group poured most of their Nascent Qi into this attack.

Right before Hao Bao's group unleashed their attacks, the human-like creature's eyes brightly lit up. It's freakishly long tongue retracted into its mouth as its eyes never left that specific spot of the purple lightning barrier.

'BOOOM!!'

Storms of powerful Nascent Qi exploded throughout the whole area!

Staring at the same spot, Hao Bao's group were all confident that their attack killed it.

After all, even if that monster had some sort of concealing ability. It was impossible to have speed superior to them, only being at the fourth level of the Nascent Core realm.

Alas, it was only a costly shame that none of them spotted the creature moving at lightning-like speeds at the very last second.

Making at a blind spot of the group, the creature spat out a batch of disgusting red fluids.

The creature's spit flew at blazing speed and sailed straight at the specific spot on the purple lightning barrier.

Even now, none in the group had the time to notice a small spot in the purple lightning barrier being darker than the rest.

And it was their second fatal flaw. As Hao Bao's group all were expanding their Spirit Senses for any other creatures, they abruptly heard once again a fearsome sizzling sound.

Only this time, the fearsome sizzling was accompanied by,

"AHH-KEAHHH!!!"

The blood-curdling shrieks of immense pain of the other girl on their team! Everyone's eyes snapped to the girl to get shocked by a gruesome sight.

The skin on her face was quite literally bursting off in a bloody fashion!

And for the skin that wasn't getting burst off, a bright blaring red hue formed over her. Pain, excruciating, torturous pain that would destroy one mind overloaded the girl's senses.

Under the threat of imminent death, no one remained idle. Hao Bao's group attempted to massively raise their Nascent Qi in order to fight, but a red shine burned into their vision.

"Sh-shit! Why is Lin so-"

'Chi!'

Before one of the boys could finish his sentence, a sinister red mist spewed out from the bloodied girl! This strange red mist exuded right out where her skin shined the brightest of bloody red.

Immediately, everyone but Hao Bao suddenly couldn't move any more!

Their massive waves of Nascent Qi completely halted as immense horrifying pain coarse throughout their bodies.

Inside their bloodstreams, the terrifying red mist quickly entered. None of them could even put up the slightest bit of resistance as their prowess was speedily and heavily weakened.

"Augh!!!"

Hao Bao could only helplessly watch as his teammates puke up fresh blood.

He was able to just barely resist allowing for small use of his Nascent Qi. But it couldn't change the fact it was nearly impossible to move.

Because of Hao Bao now lack of Qi, the purple lightning barrier dropped, much to the group's dismay. Though this was to the glee of the human-like creature.

Its tongue eerily danced around its mouth as it just scored another big feast. Although for some reason, a bright purple flash emitted from the strongest looking boy there.

The creature was confused and surprised as Hao Bao brought out a dark purple talisman and struggled to lift his hand. Seeing as Hao Bao was a rare exception to his poisonous mist, the creature sailed its tongue to him!

"Cao' er…."

Nearly fainting and in the face of imminent death, Hao Bao forcefully tore through the pain and crushed the talisman! Before the tongue reached him, magical dark purple energy covered the whole group.

Sensing the violent shift of energy, the creature swiftly changed targets. Red acid-like fluids now coated its tongue as it directed its tongue to go for the girl spasming on the ground.

Its tongue wouldn't reach the talisman in time at its distance, plus the girl was also the closest to the creature. In only a split second, the creature tongue managed to wrap around the twitching girl as,

'Chi!'

A blinding purple flash lit up the area!

As the flash died down, all that was left was the human-like creature and one juicy body in its tongue. And while its feast wasn't as big as it expected, this girl would do for now.

Besides, the creature lips twitched upwards as it sensed the juiciest of prey just running distance from him….

….

"Ahh?!?"

The confused and slight panic screams of Hao Cao got Darcel and Aniela to abruptly stop. They were smoothly traversing the second floor, killing any plant monster, and finding valuable rooms of resources.

Nothing so far even made the three bat an eye to danger.

So when Hao Cao suddenly raised a spine-tingling scream, the duo spiked up for any threats. Though, oddly enough, they still didn't sense anything to be wary about.

It was a totally different story for Hao Cao, however. Her special sixth sense powers frantically sent off alarm bells in her mind.

A dark foreboding feeling sank in her gut as she felt her brother was in massive danger.

And this perilous danger….it was coming directly at them!

"We need to get to a portal now! It's far too dangerous to stay here!" Gone was Hao Cao's usual playful tone. Now there was only a deep edge of severeness in her voice.

This dramatic, profound change in Hao Cao also got Darcel and Aniela to become entirely focused. Nodding at her, Darcel said, "We're ready whenever you are."

Swiftly, Hao Cao called upon her soul and pour power into her eyes.

Whenever doing this, she could always find whatever she wanted with extreme ease. However, now was the only time her sixth sense was all confuddled and disorder.

That daunting death feeling disrupted the whole balance of her mind. Gritting her teeth, Hao Cao instead poured tremendous Nascent Qi into her hands, igniting them in ferocious purple lightning.

Without a second thought, she slapped her hands together!

'Ssschh!!'

Hao Cao clenched her teeth as the sounds of something sizzling slithered into her ears as she erected her purple lightning barrier.

Darcel and Aniela spiked up for battle as a deadly sizzling noise entered their ears. Try as he might, in his current state, Darcel couldn't sense what tried to attack.

And Aniela only had an inkling feeling of perilous danger because of her intuition.

It was then, Darcel, Aniela, and Hao Cao all froze in their steps. From a mile ahead of them, the trio spotted a haunting figure that immediately imprinted itself into their minds.