The hungry shriek from deep within the remains lasted only an instant, yet it stabbed into everyone's minds like an icy steel needle.
The grogginess and exhaustion were instantly swept away, replaced by piercing chill and a sense of impending danger.
"Move!"
Neji barked, taking the lead as he charged toward the passage they had come through. Shadowweave followed close behind. Xuan and the Night Owl, who had only just regained his mobility, stayed in the middle, while Flame Calamity and Stoneforce—the two largest and comparatively slowest—covered the rear.
The gelatinous walls of the passage seemed to have been affected by that shriek as well. Their previously sluggish writhing became noticeably stronger, like intestinal spasms. The dark-red currents of energy flowing through the walls grew chaotic, their glow flickering bright and dim. The sweet, rotten stench in the air intensified, now mixed with a faint, nauseatingly fishy odor.
They did not slow their pace, sprinting with all their strength through the slick, winding tunnel. The vibrations behind them became increasingly distinct. No longer a single dull thud, they came in intermittent rumbles, like a giant beast turning over in its sleep. More and more debris shook loose from the gelatinous walls. At times, entire softened sections collapsed and blocked the way, forcing Flame Calamity or Stoneforce to blast through them.
The return journey was even more difficult than the way in.
Half an hour later, they finally rushed out of the passage and returned to the hive chamber piled with bones and wreckage. The dark-red glow on the three massive black pillars was now flashing rapidly enough to be seen with the naked eye, like a dying heart making its final struggle. The dark-red gelatinous matter among the piles began to writhe and bubble in small patches, giving off an