King

Yuan Ming had no time to think further. He could only swim with all his might, striving to reach the next place where they could catch their breath before Chen Wan ran out of air.

Chen Wan also swung her arms through the water, helping them move forward quickly.

She had risked taking part in this trial precisely to advance further and become an inner sect disciple. Naturally, she did not want to die here just like this.

Time trickled away drop by drop, and the tiny bit of air remaining in her chest and lungs was nearly exhausted. The suffocating pressure in her chest had turned from mere oppression into pain that felt as though it would burst open.

She had reached her limit. She could not hold on any longer.

Just as Chen Wan's body began to twitch uncontrollably, she discovered that Yuan Ming was rapidly carrying her upward. With a sudden surge, they broke through the surface.

"Ha..."

The instant Chen Wan emerged from the water, she expelled all the stale air in her chest. Immediately afterward, needle-like pain stabbed through her lungs, making her let out a soft cry.

But right afterward, she began greedily gulping down fresh air in rapid breaths.

After finally recovering a little, she looked around, only to find that she was still inside the cave. Not far overhead was a pitch-black vaulted ceiling.

"How far are we from the hollow chamber you mentioned?" Chen Wan asked after taking a deep breath.

Yuan Ming's expression was grave as he replied, "We're already here."

"We're already here?" Chen Wan felt as though she had been struck by lightning upon hearing that.

"The underground river has risen too violently. This place is about to be completely flooded as well," Yuan Ming said with a sigh.

In the darkness, his gaze fell on Chen Wan. Her clothes clung tightly to her exquisite figure, and her water-soaked hair stuck to her snowy cheeks. She looked somewhat bedraggled, yet it did nothing to diminish her beauty; instead, it stirred pity in one's heart.

Yet Yuan Ming had no mind to pity her now. What he was considering was whether, with his own life at stake, he should simply abandon her here.

After all, if he were alone, he would certainly be able to swim faster and hold his breath longer. Perhaps he could last until he found the underground river's exit.

Just then, Chen Wan suddenly raised a hand high. A blaze of fire lit up in her palm, then shot outward, flying straight toward the cave ceiling.

Yuan Ming had just been about to question her when he saw the fireball rise higher and higher, drilling all the way into the ceiling.

The next instant, his eyes flashed, and uncontrollable delight appeared on his face.

"There's a vertical tunnel in the ceiling!" Chen Wan cried, her voice brimming with surprise.

At that moment, the fireball, which had already risen seven or eight zhang, seemed to strike something. It flared fiercely for a moment before going out.

"Could it be a dead end?" Yuan Ming and Chen Wan both felt their hearts sink at the sight.

"I'll go up and take a look," Yuan Ming said.

With that, his two frog legs suddenly clamped together. A stream of water was squeezed out from between them, and the upward force immediately propelled his body out of the water, hurtling him toward the ceiling above.

As he entered the vertical tunnel, Yuan Ming braced himself with both hands, pressing outward to either side, and wedged himself firmly against the tunnel walls.

Then, using both hands and feet to support himself as he climbed, he soon reached the end of the vertical tunnel, where the lingering warmth of the Fireball Technique remained.

"How is it?" Chen Wan asked anxiously from below.

A long silence lingered in the darkness before Yuan Ming's somewhat muffled voice came through. "There's a slanted tunnel connecting to it. I don't know where it leads."

"Pull me up first. The water level is rising fast, and the current is getting stronger," Chen Wan said urgently.

By now, the water level had risen far too much. She was less than three chi from the ceiling.

After waiting a moment, a hand reached out from the vertical tunnel above and pulled her inside.

Yuan Ming crawled cautiously ahead. Upon reaching the end, he turned into the slanted tunnel and continued onward. Chen Wan silently followed behind him, her heart filled with countless emotions.

She had never imagined that she would go through such an ordeal with a furred beast slave she had only known for such a short time.

No one knew how long they crawled through the dark, cramped cave before Yuan Ming suddenly stopped ahead.

"What is it?" Chen Wan's heart tightened, and she hurriedly asked.

She was terrified of hearing that it was a dead end.

"There seems to be a sound ahead," Yuan Ming said in a lowered voice.

"A sound... doesn't that mean we're about to get out?" Joy immediately rose in Chen Wan's heart, but she soon noticed that Yuan Ming's body ahead of her had tensed. She instantly realized something was wrong.

Could they have encountered some danger again?

"Wh-what is it?" Chen Wan could not help lowering her voice as well.

"That sound doesn't seem like it was made by a person. Something feels off. I'll go ahead and take a look first. Don't follow me too quickly," Yuan Ming said as he removed and stored away the frog beast hide, then put the White Ape Beast Hide back on.

He did not use the Furring Technique. Keeping low, he continued crawling forward.

After quite some time, a faint glimmer finally appeared in the darkness ahead, and they reached the cave entrance.

Yuan Ming crawled to the entrance but did not rush out.

After examining it closely, he found that the exit was actually in the wall of another underground cavern. A hanging stalactite happened to conceal the opening, making his position extremely well hidden.

Yuan Ming quietly poked his head out, slipping around the downward-hanging stalactite and looking farther away.

The moment he saw what lay beyond, his eyes widened instantly.

In one corner of the cavern, a ray of daylight shone down through a hole overhead, illuminating a relatively bright patch below.

In that area stood a large group of humanoid monsters covered in long white hair, with withered arms and black claws.

"Man-Fiends!" The words leaped into Yuan Ming's mind almost instantly.

He silently counted them and found that there were no fewer than seventeen.

What puzzled him, however, was that all these Man-Fiends were gathered together. Each stood with its arms hanging at its sides, its body swaying slightly, like a pack of brawny drunkards. Their posture was exceedingly strange.

He knew very little about these creatures and naturally did not dare act rashly. He could only retreat, then call Chen Wan over.

The two of them barely squeezed together at the cave entrance and peered outside.

When Chen Wan saw the scene, shock clearly flashed across her face, followed by bewildered confusion.

"Impossible... This is impossible..." she murmured softly.

"What's impossible?" Yuan Ming immediately asked.

"Judging by their appearance, these are definitely Man-Fiends. But... Man-Fiends are monsters with no intelligence, no sense of pain, and no knowledge beyond slaughter and devouring. They are no exception even toward their own kind. There's no way they could gather together so peacefully like this," Chen Wan said, unable to make sense of it.

"They're all gathered here. How are we supposed to get out?" This was what worried Yuan Ming.

Just then, Chen Wan's expression changed again, as though she had thought of something terrifying. Her mouth even fell slightly open.

"What is it?" Yuan Ming asked with a frown.

"There is only one reason that a group of Man-Fiends can gather without killing one another..." Chen Wan said, her voice trembling slightly.

Yuan Ming's gaze sharpened when he heard this, and he also guessed an answer. "Something is controlling them?"

"A king. A king has been born among the gathered Man-Fiends. Only a Man-Fiend King can control these monsters," Chen Wan said.

"A Man-Fiend King..." Yuan Ming muttered.

"This is bad, this is bad. I have to hurry back and report this to the sect," Chen Wan said, her face filled with anxiety.

As she spoke, she was about to rush out from the cave entrance.

Yuan Ming quickly grabbed her and stopped her, scolding in a low voice, "If you want to throw your life away, I won't stop you, but don't drag me down with you. Are you rushing out there like this because you want to feed those monsters?"

"You don't understand. If a king has been born among the Man-Fiends, then something has gone wrong with this trial. A lot of people could die," Chen Wan said, struggling with a deathly pale face.

"Explain it clearly. What exactly is going on?" Yuan Ming demanded, gripping her shoulders.

This registered disciple from Jade Luo Cave had clearly rarely faced danger directly. Her panicked behavior after losing her composure at a time like this undoubtedly revealed her lack of experience, making Yuan Ming feel disdainful.

"This trial is an entry assessment for us Registered Disciples. Its purpose is to investigate and kill Man-Fiends. Disciples who perform well might be chosen by the elders of the various halls and accepted as inner sect disciples," Chen Wan explained, only steadying herself after Yuan Ming grabbed her.

"You said a Man-Fiend King would cause problems. How?" Yuan Ming pressed.

"A Man-Fiend King develops a soul pearl in its body, allowing it to control Man-Fiends and make them act together. Its strength is far beyond that of ordinary Man-Fiends. All the Registered Disciples participating in the trial are, at most, around the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Refining, and most are acting separately. If they encounter a Man-Fiend King leading a large group of Man-Fiends, they're doomed," Chen Wan said rapidly, her voice carrying a tremor she could not suppress.

Yuan Ming also frowned upon hearing this.

No wonder Chen Wan was so panicked. This trial for the Registered Disciples might suffer massive casualties because of the appearance of a Man-Fiend King.

"If only isolated Man-Fiends appeared, the sect would not care at all. So long as they did not become active beyond the designated area, nothing would be done. If several Man-Fiends appeared beyond the designated area, the sect would intervene at the proper time and organize a trial like this one. But if a Man-Fiend King appears, the threat level multiplies. That already exceeds the risks this trial should entail. If everyone is not informed in time, the consequences will be unthinkable. The best way to deal with it is to have the sect send elders to handle it," Chen Wan continued at a breakneck pace.

Yuan Ming was just about to speak when he suddenly heard a rustling commotion.

He quickly raised a hand to signal Chen Wan to be quiet, then secretly looked toward the Man-Fiends. He saw a tall, white-haired Man-Fiend leap down from the place above the cavern where daylight spilled through.

Its build and appearance were not much different from the other Man-Fiends, but the hair on its face was sparser and shorter. The outlines of its features could vaguely be seen, and it was actually seventy percent similar to an ordinary human.

The difference was that each of its temples bore a white bony protrusion, less than half an inch long, making it look as though it had grown two pointed horns.

Though ugly in appearance, it stood tall and straight, carrying an inexplicable air of a valiant and domineering ruler.

And in its hand, it was actually carrying a young man dressed in a short red robe.

A flame pattern was embroidered over the young man's chest. He appeared to be from the Fire Refining Hall, just like Chen Wan.