### Chapter 243: Big Bad Monster
On the other side…
In another pitch-dark, seemingly bottomless cave, an oppressive and unsettling atmosphere weighed heavily in the air.
Su Xinghe’s clothes were torn to shreds, with her hair all over the place. She looked like she had just been punted out of a soccer match, her hands desperately clutching the little remaining fabric on her chest. She was barely holding her ground atop an ancient and mysterious altar, which stood at least ten stories tall, resembling an enormous pillar reaching towards the heavens. Winding spiral stairs spiraled around it, descending step by step into the abyssal darkness below.
But the view from atop the altar was bone-chilling.
The entire sight was packed full of densely arranged, endlessly undulating monster beasts!
Some crawled, some stood, some roared, forming a boundless sea of beastly chaos!
Mostly foundation beasts swarmed like a tidal wave, while some golden core monsters towered massively, emitting fearsome pressure with their imposing presence!
Despite their varied sizes, they all wore menacing grins. Drool dripped endlessly from their corners, making them look utterly terrifying.
What was even weirder, each beast emanated an inexplicably eerie aura, one that somehow augmented their strength beyond their cultivation levels. They fought ferociously, recklessly, as if nothing could stop them.
Su Xinghe was, after all, a peak golden core spellcaster—no slouch in her own right. But faced with this horde of beasts, her magic appeared so pale and weak; striking those foundation beasts didn’t guarantee a one-hit k*ll. Plus, she herself took hits, getting hurt in the struggle.
Then there were the golden core monsters, towering over her. They could practically flatten her without an effort.
Each time, Su Xinghe couldn’t help but feel a chill run through her spine.
Thankfully, the monsters could only charge up the spiral stairs, which kept their numbers in check. It allowed Su Xinghe to hold on, albeit with difficulty.
It’s hard to imagine what would have happened if she didn’t have that natural barrier. With just her waning strength, the sheer number of monsters rushing in would’ve drowned her in a sea of beasts. The thought was chilling.
“What do I do…”
The despair was thick in Su Xinghe’s heart, her eyes filled with helplessness and bewilderment.
She glanced down at her storage ring, where the valuable elixirs were almost depleted. Only five third-grade elixirs capable of restoring spiritual energy remained. No, four. She’d be taking one to refill her near-empty “blue bar.”
But she couldn’t break through, her flying magical item rendered useless. Monsters swarmed around, trapping her on the altar. Trapped and doomed, she was just waiting there.
“Why is this happening…”
Just when she reconciled with her sister, things went south again. Su Xinghe felt utterly dejected.
This was her first taste of d*ath’s grip.
—
A deafening roar shattered the cave’s silence.
Though Yun Zhonghe had foreseen this, Su Xiaoxiao made a mistake and startled a few bat monsters.
Despite her solid physique and tough defenses, her lack of practical combat experience and skill left her struggling against these agile bat creatures.
The bats evaded her attacks and circled around in a mocking manner, squawking to summon reinforcements.
“Sorry,” Su Xiaoxiao muttered, fists tight, eyes full of self-blame.
“No need to apologize. I’m here.”
Yun Zhonghe focused, generating eight golden spiritual swords shimmering with light. They zipped toward the bats like shooting stars.
Fortunate enough, only twenty or so bats appeared.
Though formidable, these bats stood no chance under Yun Zhonghe’s full might. Even in groups, they posed minimal threat.
Yun Zhonghe maneuvered the swords, cutting down bats effortlessly, each strike precise. His mastery over the swords grew with each fight, his understanding deepening, control becoming seamless.
However, despite his mastery, he could only conjure eight swords maximum—seems like “No. 8” wasn’t coming off anytime soon.
It’s because of his physiological limits. His meridians could only handle so much output.
As they pushed through, monsters fell like dominos. Yet, they met no humans, just endless hordes of monsters, creating an uneasy silence between them.
Unease began creeping back into Su Xiaoxiao’s mind. Yun Zhonghe’s reassurances only did so much now, given how dire their situation was.
Prolonged fighting eroded their physical and spiritual energy.
Every stroke, every dodge, drained their limited reserves.
Lapse in concentration could lead to doom.
Time was running thin. Thicker, Su Xinghe’s danger escalated. Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes welled up with tears.
“It must be my problem. Because of my cursed luck, I’m dragging everyone down, just like how father and mother….”
Su Xiaoxiao choked back sobs, plunging into self-reproach.
Yun Zhonghe smacked her head, and she yowled pitifully, tears streaming more visibly.
“Don’t think too much. Chenchen won’t blame you, no one will, for anything unfortunate.”
Su Xiaoxiao gazed at him, puzzled, questioning silently why he knew.
Yun Zhonghe shot back immediately, “Because that’s exactly what I think.”
Su Xiaoxiao halted, stunned.
But Yun Zhonghe was firm—his piercing gaze held no hint of deceit.
He truly meant it.
Yet, just as Su Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, a horrifying screech echoed from the depths of the cave.
Something far worse was closing in, eyeing them as prey!
Su Xiaoxiao’s heart clenched, instinctively looking at Yun Zhonghe beside her.
Suddenly, an eerie aura washed over her. Her pupils dilated as in a split-second, he pulled her close.
“Sssss….”
Accompanied by a spine-tingling sound, a huge black python lunged from the cave above, aiming at Su Xiaoxiao. Missed target though, it was like something out of a nightmare.
This sent Su Xiaoxiao into a frenzy.
“Ah~!”
Terrified by snakes, Su Xiaoxiao reflexively released a flood of spiritual energy, channeling it into the ground beneath her feet.
Suddenly, Yun Zhonghe saw trees, as if infused with life, burst forth from solid stone, rising like giant mallets slamming the python.
Boom, boom, boom—cave shaking.
Yun Zhonghe witnessed this before. When initially meeting Su Xiaoxiao in the Forest Station, she’d unleashed a significant scale of plant fury due to intense fear.
Not some magic; pure spiritual power.
Su Xiaoxiao harbored unknown mystical power within, activated in dire straits.
The trees struck the python with colossal force, sending it and chunks of stone plummeting to the ground.
Stone debris clattered, dust flying wildly.
Yet, when the python’s monstrous form reappeared in their horrified gaze, Yun Zhonghe saw it had only minor injuries.
“Those tree impacts were akin to a peak golden core strike, but barely dented its hide…”
Yun Zhonghe murmured, shaken by the sight.
He concentrated his mental energy, realizing the python was a peak golden core monster!
His scalp prickled coldly.
At peak performance, he couldn’t have killed it—especially, this one was emitting dangerous, eerie auras, no ordinary beast kind.
In his eyes, this python was on par with a yuan ying stage monster.
Thoughts of this made him deeply grave, eyes reflecting unprecedented seriousness.
“Roar!!!”
Inside the cave, python’s enraged roar echoed once more, charged with fury and defiance.
It’s astonishing how a snake can roar.
Maybe this is what being a ‘big bad’ means.
Angered by the earlier attack, the python thrashed about, eyes fixed murderously on Yun Zhonghe and Su Xiaoxiao, ready to tear them apart!
Despite its bulky frame, it moved nimbly, swiftly approaching.
In moments, its fang-filled maw closed in on Yun Zhonghe and Su Xiaoxiao.
Su Xiaoxiao turned pale, frozen.
“Xiaoxiao!”
Yun Zhonghe yelled, grabbing her tight.
The python lunged right at them…
