Qin He saw that it was a collapsed opening, pitch-black. It had likely been covered by ice before, only revealed after the collapse.
The opening was irregular, barely wide enough for two people to squeeze through sideways. Qin He tried to dodge aside, but Da Yajin's Immortal Binding Rope yanked him off balance. The two of them stumbled and rolled straight into the hole.
Behind them, the sound of ice spikes piercing earth was like ten thousand arrows loosed at once. They grazed past their hair and stabbed into the cave wall, ice crystals splashing onto their skin with bone-chilling cold.
"Let go!" Qin He reached back, seized Da Yajin by the shoulder blade, and squeezed hard.
"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!" Great Gold Tooth immediately let out a pig-slaughtering howl. The Immortal Binding Rope slackened, and he dropped to the ground with a smack.
"Rumble!"
At that moment, the opening suddenly collapsed, cutting off the inside from the outside.
The cave abruptly darkened. Only the Ice Flood Dragon's dim blue radiance seeped through cracks in the ice.
Da Yajin fumbled at his waist, tore off a leather pouch, and pulled out a night pearl the size of a fist.
Its glow revealed mottled carvings on the cave walls—some kind of ancient Inscriptions.
"What is this?" Great Gold Tooth's eyes widened at the sight.
Qin He was equally surprised. They had taken one good tumble—where the hell had it brought them?
"Roar!"
There was no time to inspect it closely. Outside the hole, the frenzied Ice Flood Dragon tried to break through the ice and force its way in.
Yet its movements only hastened the collapse of the ice layer.
Qin He and Da Yajin hurried deeper inside. They ran a considerable distance before stopping, only once the commotion had