Ambushed!

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the four of them first split up to search for a cave. If they couldn't find one, Asuma would use Earth Style jutsu to create one.

After searching for about an hour, Ming Jing was the first to discover a cave. It wasn't large, just big enough for one person to enter, and it was pitch black inside. Seeing this, Ming Jing couldn't help but recall the plot of The Descent, thinking about ancient humans and such. But then he considered that if there really were ancient humans down there, Ming Jing and his companions would be the ones in trouble! Qing Yan's "Indestructible Golden Body," Konan's secret techniques, not to mention Jonin Asuma.

Thus, his slight apprehension was immediately cast aside. Ming Jing called Qing Yan, Konan, and Asuma over. To his surprise, only he was excited; Konan was habitually calm, Asuma was thoughtfully calm, and Qing Yan was simply indifferent.

"Qing Yan, you'll go first. I'll be second, Konan third, and Captain Asuma will bring up the rear. Any problems?" Ming Jing said after some thought. Qing Yan had the highest defense among them, Ming Jing possessed some close-combat ability, Konan had ranged attack capabilities, and Asuma could ensure they could retreat at any time.

No one had any objections, so Qing Yan lit a wooden stick and led the way into the cave. The others followed in order. The cave was filled with a mixed smell of decaying corpses and feces, which was quite unpleasant. After walking for less than half an hour, they suddenly noticed the cave had become wider. Asuma felt the cave wall and said, "Look at this wall, there's hardly any moisture. I doubt there's an underground river in here!"

Ming Jing nodded in agreement and asked, "Then what do you think it is, Captain?"

"I don't know," Asuma shrugged directly.

Ming Jing pondered for a moment and said, "Regardless, we need to figure out what's inside, otherwise, the next phase of the project can't begin. Let's keep moving forward!"

Qing Yan didn't speak. Upon hearing Ming Jing's words, he raised his torch and walked forward without hesitation. In the silent cave, only the sound of four people walking could be heard. After a while, Ming Jing started to feel a bit uneasy, and he subconsciously slowed his pace. Qing Yan also slowed down, and Ming Jing's distance from Konan slightly decreased.

After an unknown period, Qing Yan suddenly stopped. Ming Jing looked ahead from behind him and saw that there was no path forward, only a huge pit. Asuma walked up and looked down into the bottomless pit in silence. Konan also came up and looked but said nothing.

"Young Master?" Qing Yan called out.

"This is troublesome... Do we have any spare torches? Throw one down to see," Ming Jing said with a frown. Qing Yan immediately pulled an unused torch from his backpack, lit it, and threw it down. They all watched as the flame grew smaller and smaller, eventually reaching the bottom of the pit. From above, the torchlight looked like faint, flickering starlight.

"What do we do now? Should we go down?" Asuma took out a cigarette and was about to light it, but seeing Konan frowning beside him, he awkwardly put it away.

Ming Jing was also thinking about what to do. They had too little information to analyze anything. Just then, Ming Jing suddenly noticed that the torch below had gone out! He frowned and said, "We'll retreat for today. We'll come back tomorrow with some explosive tags!"

"It's too late!" Konan, who had been observing below, suddenly exclaimed, then spread her paper wings and flew into the air.

"Wind Style: Dust Cloud Technique!" Asuma completed the hand seals within two seconds and spat out six whirlwinds at the shadowy figure rushing up. However, the whirlwinds had no effect on the dark silhouette.

"Indestructible Golden Body!" Qing Yan stood in front of Ming Jing, activating his strongest defensive state.

Accompanying a massive figure was an unbearable stench. In the light of the torch, Ming Jing finally got a clear look at the monster. It had two long antennae, a red head covered in scales, and a segmented body, each segment equipped with scythe-like legs. It was a giant centipede!

"Retreat the way we came! This thing can't fit in the cave!" Ming Jing shouted, pulling Qing Yan back. Asuma, holding Flying Swallow, also retreated. Konan, overlooking the giant centipede from the air, was separated from Ming Jing and the other two.

"You guys go first," Konan said coolly, summoning several paper shuriken and firing them at the centipede. The shuriken, controlled by Konan, lodged themselves in the centipede's segments and then detonated.

Amidst a series of rumbles, the giant centipede lost its grip on the wall and fell. Konan took the opportunity to fly back. Just as Ming Jing breathed a sigh of relief, the centipede's massive tail swept towards them without warning. Konan tried her best to dodge, but the tip of its tail brushed her wings, causing her to lose balance and fall from the air. The centipede had already climbed back up, its huge mouthparts opening as if to swallow Konan whole.

"Damn it!" Ming Jing cursed and suddenly charged forward. He reached Konan before the centipede and, facing its charging mouthparts, used his other hand to grip his sword horizontally, perfectly jamming two of the centipede's long fangs. However, the centipede didn't stop; it rammed Ming Jing and Konan towards the opposite stone wall.

"Young Master!" Qing Yan exclaimed, but Asuma grabbed him before he could rush forward.

Asuma shouted at Qing Yan, "Calm down! If you rush in now, you won't save them and will only put yourself in danger!"

"I can't let the Young Master face this alone!" Qing Yan tried to shake off Asuma, but Asuma was a Jonin, how could Qing Yan easily shake him off?

Asuma tackled Qing Yan to the ground and yelled, "Your Young Master is so calm, why can't you be?"

Ming Jing couldn't see the playful struggle between Qing Yan and Asuma. He was slammed into the stone wall by the centipede. If the centipede's mouthparts hadn't chipped away at the rock first, they would have been crushed into paste.

The centipede clearly realized this and abruptly lifted its head, flinging them away. Unfortunately, before Ming Jing could land, the centipede pursued them. This time, its mouth was open even wider, and its fangs were spread further apart.

"Illusion Technique: Blade-less Head Shave!" In this life-or-death moment, Ming Jing no longer cared about "forgetting illusions." He unleashed one of his few illusions capable of causing physical damage directly at the centipede's gaping maw. It was that same formless, eerie power that left a meter-long gash inside the centipede's mouth.

The centipede let out a cry of pain, its mouth involuntarily snapping shut. Ming Jing took the opportunity to step on its head, using the rebound force to retreat even faster. He slammed into the stone wall again. The sudden pain almost made Ming Jing loosen his grip on Konan.

However, neither of them was in good condition, as they began to fall after hitting the wall. Ming Jing made a swift decision, flicked his sword-wielding hand, discarded the scabbard, and plunged the sword directly into the stone wall. They slid down another meter or two before stopping. Ming Jing felt his arm was about to tear. Damn it! Watching Itachi do this as a kid in the anime looked cool, but who knew this move required so much from arm muscles?! Is Itachi really that skilled...?

The centipede turned back. This time, the behemoth seemed angry. Ming Jing's heart sank. He had previously thought his Bloodline Limit was quite powerful, but in this situation, illusions seemed useless!

"Th-that way..." Konan suddenly spoke at the critical moment. Ming Jing looked and saw a small opening diagonally below them, just as Konan indicated. Facing the charging centipede, Ming Jing gritted his teeth, swung his arms, and loosened his grip. Luckily, one hand found the edge of the opening. Ming Jing quickly channeled his chakra and, before the centipede could bite, pulled Konan into the small cave