Cave Adventure

"You bastard, let go of me! If those mercenaries find out you treated me like this, you'll never make it out of the Monster Beast Mountain Range alive!" Held tightly in Xiao Tian's arms, Xiao Yi Xian cried out angrily, both embarrassed and furious. Her beautiful eyes blazed with resentment.

But when Xiao Tian heard her words, he didn't loosen his arms. Instead, he held her even tighter and said calmly,

"Save your breath. You could scream until your throat gave out and nobody would hear you!"

A flash of anger crossed Xiao Yi Xian's pretty face. She struggled in his arms for a while, then finally bit her lip and said,

"Then let go of me first, and I'll tell you what's hidden down here!"

Hearing this, Xiao Tian loosened his hold slightly, raised an eyebrow, and looked at her with interest.

Xiao Yi Xian glanced at Xiao Tian and spoke with obvious reluctance,

"One time, when I was out gathering herbs, I found a hidden cave behind those bushes. Judging by the traces, it's been here for a long time. It was probably left behind by a powerful senior. As for what treasures are inside, I don't know yet."

After saying this, Xiao Yi Xian glared at Xiao Tian resentfully.

She had risked her life to discover the secret at the bottom of the cliff on her own, but now someone else had learned it so easily.

"A cave left behind by a powerful expert?" Xiao Tian rubbed his nose, growing curious.

"We should find a way to get back up first. If we take too long, Kyle and the others will get suspicious!" Seeing Xiao Tian's expression turn thoughtful, Xiao Yi Xian suddenly said.

"Kyle—the Young Leader of the Snake Nest Mercenary Group?" Xiao Tian looked at her and asked with a faint smile.

"Mm." Xiao Yi Xian nodded lightly, then lowered her voice.

"Since you know who Kyle is, you should also know how powerful the Snake Nest Mercenary Group is. You won't come out ahead if you offend them. To be honest, not long ago, some members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group harassed me, and Kyle wiped them all out with his men!"

There was a clear note of warning in Xiao Yi Xian's voice as she spoke that last sentence, as though she was certain Xiao Tian wouldn't dare offend Kyle.

However, she failed to notice that when she mentioned the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, Xiao Tian raised an eyebrow and blurted out instinctively,

"He lied to you. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group wasn't wiped out by Kyle and his men."

Hearing how certain Xiao Tian sounded, Xiao Yi Xian looked at him and said coolly,

"If it wasn't him, was it you? I'm not joking. If we get back too late, they'll get suspicious. You don't want more people finding out about this cave, do you?"

Xiao Tian didn't care whether the mercenaries got suspicious. Now that he had reached the bottom of the cliff, he wasn't about to leave easily. Why give up when he was already at the entrance to a treasure trove?

"If you don't want me to have my way with you right here, I suggest you lead the way." Xiao Tian watched Xiao Yi Xian with an indifferent gaze, shrugged, then strode ahead toward the cave entrance.

"You..." Xiao Yi Xian stamped her foot in exasperation, but could only hurry after him.

A moment later, Xiao Yi Xian crouched down and picked up some dry branches. After bundling them together, she sprinkled them with pale yellow powder, then took out a fire starter and lit them. Glowering, she said,

"Take it!"

Xiao Tian froze for a moment, took the torch, and stepped into the cave.

But after only a few steps, Xiao Tian frowned and stopped.

The cave was unfathomably deep, as if it led straight into the abyss of hell, sending a chill down one's spine. More importantly, his spiritual power couldn't probe inside. He could only sense that there was something more to the place than met the eye.

"Thump!"

Just as Xiao Tian stood there, lost in thought, a soft body suddenly bumped into his back. A moment later, Xiao Yi Xian's angry, embarrassed voice rang out:

"You bastard! Why did you suddenly stop?"

At that, Xiao Tian glanced back at Xiao Yi Xian and curled his lip.

"Why don't you go first?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian could only clamp her mouth shut in frustration. The cave was deep and eerie, and the air was bone-chilling. There might be magical beasts lurking inside. She had no intention of volunteering to get herself killed.

"Hold on to me. There are dangers lurking in this cave, and I don't want to have to bury you!" Just then, Xiao Tian's expression turned serious. He reached one hand back and said solemnly,

Xiao Yi Xian hesitated for a moment, then finally reached out with her soft, pale hand and clasped his broad palm.

Feeling her gentle touch against his palm, Xiao Tian smiled faintly and slowly explored deeper into the cave.

The cave was long, stretching for several hundred meters. Before long, glowing stones appeared along both walls, illuminating the dim passage.

On either side of the passage, countless enormous rocks had been piled together, forming what looked like a stone platform.

All kinds of figures had been carved into the platform. Some looked like humanoid creatures, others resembled animals, and some were hideous, lifelike monster faces.

"Ts-ts-ts!"

Just then, an eerie series of hisses sounded in Xiao Tian and Xiao Yi Xian's ears.

Xiao Tian raised an eyebrow and immediately pulled Xiao Yi Xian back by the hand.

Once they had steadied themselves, they saw that numerous snake-shaped magical beasts had appeared in front of them without warning, flicking blood-red tongues.

These were all first-tier magical beasts called Rock Snakes. They lived among the rock walls year-round, and their bodies were as hard as iron, impervious to blades and spears. Their venom was extremely potent; the slightest mistake could leave someone poisoned.

"We're done for. There are so many Rock Snakes—we'll never get through!" Looking at the enormous swarm, Xiao Yi Xian instinctively clutched Xiao Tian tighter and spoke in alarm.

"If you don't want to die, hold on to me. Now!"

Xiao Tian's expression was grave as he turned to Xiao Yi Xian and urged her on.

Hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian gritted her teeth and had no choice but to cling tightly to Xiao Tian. Her slender, snowy arms wrapped firmly around his neck, and her beautiful face flushed crimson as it pressed right beside his ear.

Feeling the soft, fragrant warmth in his arms, and catching the faint scent of her hair whenever it brushed against him, Xiao Tian's heart stirred. Unable to resist, he slipped his arms around her waist and held her close.

The next moment, a sharp glint flashed in Xiao Tian's eyes. He abruptly exerted his strength, leapt into the air with Xiao Yi Xian in his arms, and used his momentum to swiftly pass over the terrifying swarm of Rock Snakes.

But just as he cleared the swarm, a bizarre sight unfolded: the Rock Snakes all grew fleshy wings and rushed toward them at full speed!

At the sight, Xiao Yi Xian's pretty face turned deathly pale. She cried out in panic,

"We're really done for this time! These Rock Snakes have advanced to second-tier magical beasts. With their wings, they can soar through the sky like eagles, and they're incredibly fast!"

Seeing Xiao Yi Xian panic in his arms, Xiao Tian spoke calmly.

"It doesn't matter. I'll handle it. Hold on tight!"