Shackles of Humanity

The white-furred mouse’s appearance and mannerisms were so human-like it sent a chill down Luo Kai’s spine. ’This must be a Fierce Beast.’ He carefully crept forward a little farther.

The closer he got, the stronger the Magnetic Field became, and the tingling, itching sensation on his skin intensified. The skull of this unknown creature was like a nuclear reactor, constantly emitting powerful radioactive Energy. Under this radiation, the surrounding creatures grew stronger, some even evolving.

Luo Kai could already feel the deep tissues of his skin beginning to Split and multiply under this radioactive Energy. ’If I stay here for a while,’ he mused, ’I’d probably get taller and heavier.’ He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of greed. If he could somehow take it with him, his constitution would slowly strengthen just by sleeping next to it every day. Unfortunately, the thing was far too large, and it would undoubtedly attract a constant stream of other creatures.

This radioactive Energy was effective not only on animals but on plants as well. All plants require sunlight to grow and survive, yet this dark, silent Underground Space was filled with all sorts of unknown flora. They survived solely on the radioactive Energy emitted by the creature’s skull.

Right in front of Luo Kai was a blade of grass, about an inch long and pure black, as if it had been dipped in ink. Strangely, this seemingly fragile little plant occupied a large patch of ground all by itself; other creatures gave it a wide berth.

As if sensing his approach, the tip of the grass suddenly shot a puff of black mist at Luo Kai. Startled, he scrambled to dodge. A nearby rock, touched by the mist, was instantly corroded into black ash.

The black grass didn’t attack again; that had just been a warning. Luo Kai broke out in a cold sweat. Every living thing in this Underground Space was venomous. The closer a creature was to the skull, the more powerful it was—even a mere blade of grass.

The three creatures closest to the skull were the white-furred mouse and a Cyan-Scaled Python. The python was identical to the poisonous snakes Luo Kai had been eating for the past few months, only magnified. It was five or six meters long and as thick as a bucket, its cyan-black scales glinting with a metallic sheen. It lay coiled up beside the skull.

The last creature was the same type of vine plant Luo Kai had seen from above. Being a plant, it couldn’t move. It seemed to have pierced through the thick rock strata to reach this place. A few of its huge branches, tipped with small flowers, hovered above the skull, swaying gently.

These three were almost certainly Fierce Beasts, and likely at the Growth Stage or even the Mature Stage. A Growth Stage Fierce Beast was already beyond the capabilities of a human Martial Artist, and even a Body Master wouldn’t necessarily be able to defeat one at the Mature Stage—to say nothing of the countless venomous creatures in the vicinity.

Though Luo Kai coveted the prize, he knew his own limits. ’Time to go,’ he decided. He quietly got to his feet, but as he turned to leave, he couldn’t resist one last look at the unknown creature’s skull. Specks of phosphorescence drifted toward him on the air currents. This time, his vision was a little clearer. It resembled the skull of a snake, but with horns growing from its head. A pair of pitch-black eye sockets stared right at him.

Those pitch-black eye sockets were like a vortex, sucking in Luo Kai’s very Essence Qi and spirit. His consciousness frequency flared uncontrollably. A roar like that of a tiger and a dragon boomed in his mind once more, far more intense than the last time. His vision went black, and he toppled headfirst to the ground.

At that moment, the radioactive Energy radiating from the skull intensified. CRACK! CRACK! With a series of sharp sounds, fissures began to web across the skull’s surface. An indescribable, wondrous aroma began to permeate the air.

This wondrous aroma seemed capable of stirring a ravenous hunger from the very souls of all Living Creatures. Every creature in the Space sensed it instantly. They awoke from their hibernation, shaking themselves and letting out hisses and growls as they swarmed forward. Even some of the plants strained to extend their branches. Luckily, Luo Kai had fainted. Otherwise, he would have surely been torn apart and devoured by the venomous horde.

The three closest creatures scrambled onto the skull with lightning speed. The massive python flicked out its forked tongue, trying to probe the fissures in the bone. The white-furred mouse stretched out its forepaws, struggling to reach into the cracks as well. But the skull was immense and the fissures were too narrow; they couldn’t touch a thing.

The vine plant proved to be the most adept. It extended its finest tendrils and inserted them into the fissures. Thin streams of a white, sap-like fluid seeped out, and the overwhelming, exotic aroma filled the entire Space. All the creatures went into a frenzy. They began to fight viciously, biting and spraying venom to claim the fissures for themselves.

The creatures gathered here were all venomous, and their resistance to poison was extremely high. For the moment, venom was useless against one another, leaving only physical combat. The scene instantly turned bloody. The Cyan-Scaled Python was the most ferocious of the three; a single sweep of its massive body crushed an entire row of venomous creatures into a pulp.

SQUEAK! SQUEAK! The white-furred mouse shrieked in anger. It scrambled to the very top of the skull and waved its forepaws. Wisps of white mist rose into the air, and the temperature plummeted. Several venomous creatures that charged forward were instantly frozen into ice sculptures.

The vine plant hanging from above also joined the fray. Countless more tendrils extended from the rock ceiling, lashing out at the surging horde of venomous creatures.

The three powerful Fierce Beasts instantly reached a tacit agreement: they would monopolize this extraordinary treasure.

This was the scene that greeted Luo Kai when he awoke. He shook his groggy head, the last image before he passed out replaying in his mind: a creature with a pair of horns, a body covered in cyan scales, and four sharp claws on its belly—just like the legendary Cyan Dragon—roaring madly in the sky. Below, countless artillery shells and missiles bombarded it. An oval-shaped warhead struck it, and the vision froze in a flash of blinding white light...

He was beginning to understand. This giant skull must be the remains of that Cyan Dragon—a redefined Complete Form Fierce Beast. Even after countless eons, a powerful imprint of this mighty being’s will remained. This was a form of Evil Energy. His own accidentally leaked consciousness frequency must have resonated with it, which was why he had felt the creature’s resentment from before its death.

This creature was truly terrifying. The mere lingering resentment from its death was almost enough to wipe out his consciousness.

Taking a deep breath, he carefully retreated behind a large rock and watched the bloody slaughter unfold. The three Fierce Beasts had each claimed a corner, fending off the attacks of the frenzied venomous creatures. As the white-furred mouse waved its sharp claws, the Water Element in the air gathered and rapidly transformed into chilling frost. The area before it turned into a vast white expanse as countless venomous creatures were frozen into ice sculptures, only to then shatter with a deafening crash.

Luo Kai stared, dumbfounded. The giant snake and the vine plant were one thing. ’But this white-furred mouse... it’s just too powerful!’

The giant snake was fierce and violent, the vine plant’s tendrils were endless, and the white-furred mouse could lower the temperature. At first, they held an overwhelming advantage, but as more and more venomous creatures swarmed them, the three were clearly becoming overwhelmed.

The besieging creatures grew smarter and began to spray venom from a distance. There were many of the black grass plants Luo Kai had encountered earlier. They extended their thin stalks to shoot black mist from afar. The mist was terrifyingly toxic, capable of corroding even inorganic matter.

The Cyan-Scaled Python was the first to falter. Its body was already riddled with several holes corroded by various venoms. No longer daring to meet the attacks head-on, it coiled up into a defensive posture. Its Life Force was incredibly tenacious, however, and it was a formidable venomous creature in its own right. It opened its massive maw, and its fangs spat venom in retaliation.

The white-furred mouse was busy manipulating the frost to block the incoming poison mists, leaving it unable to attack. Only the vine plant continued to extend an endless stream of tendrils, sweeping away any creature that drew near. For the plant, as long as its roots remained undamaged, its Life Force was virtually infinite.