The ninth level was even stranger than the eighth.
The cave before them was vast and empty, almost deathly silent, with smooth walls that gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen. Linley and his companions, having escaped from the Evil Eye King, were now sitting in a corner of the cave, panting heavily, the places in their minds pierced by the Evil Eye still aching.
Finally, they were able to survive. Tulilei held his scimitar, his face pale.
Linley rubbed his still throbbing forehead and was about to speak when he heard footsteps coming from inside the cave.
So everyone immediately picked up their weapons. But the footsteps were not hurried; they were calm and unhurried, as if they had already anticipated their arrival. After a while, a person came out of the cave.
He was a tall man, dressed like an ordinary villager and wearing a straw hat, but his face was kind and approachable, and his smile made people feel warm. Looking at these disheveled intruders, he bowed slightly and spoke as gently as an old friend.
"You've all had a long and tiring journey," Thorium said. "My name is Thorium, and I am the master of the ninth floor." "This place is very quiet; few people come here. If you don't mind, you can rest and recover here. I'd be happy to be your host."
All eyes turned to him. But Linley's gaze lingered on " Thorium " for a moment longer without the other man noticing. He couldn't describe the feeling in words; he could only sense an inexplicable disharmony about this man. His kind smile and gentle voice were too perfect, like a meticulously crafted mask. Wearing it for too long would reveal some subtle flaws.
"Thank you so much for your kindness." Linley suppressed his doubts and clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute, saying, "We're only staying one night; we'll leave tomorrow."
"Okay, very good." Thorium's smile grew even more amiable as he led the group into the cave. "Please follow me. There's some food and water inside, all readily available from the mountains. It's rough, but it'll quench your thirst."
Linley followed Thorium inside. He brought up the rear, subtly touching the hilt of his sword. The deeper they went into the cave, the stronger the cold metallic luster became, and every inch of the stone walls exuded an aura that did not belong to any living being.
Tulilei walked over and asked in a low voice, " Linley, do you believe this person?"
"I don't believe it," Linley said in a low voice. "Too kind." In the Necropolis of the Gods, someone who could single-handedly guard the ninth level wasn't like that.
As soon as he finished speaking, Thorium stopped in his tracks.
He stopped in the deepest shadow of the cave and slowly turned around. His usual kind and friendly smile had vanished, leaving only a cold expression, as if he had finally shed his disguise.
Thorium's voice had turned cold, no longer gentle as before, "You must be exhausted from running all this way. Now that we're here, there's no need to walk any further."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the metallic luster in the entire cave suddenly intensified. Thorium's body also instantly grew taller and deformed, transforming into a monster with a silver-gray metallic sheen all over its body. Many sharp blades emerged from around it, creating a battlefield of carnage throughout the cave.
"It's definitely not a good thing Fain roared, dodging a sharp metal blade aimed straight at his face.
Linley was prepared, holding his sword horizontally in front of him and slicing away the blade coming at him. But as soon as they clashed, he found that the Thorium Demon was not easy to deal with. Its body was mostly made of a special silver metal, and when the sword struck it, it only sent up some sparks and could not cause any damage. If you pierced it with your sword, it could easily gather itself back together, as if it was impossible to kill.
Worse still, when cornered, the Thorium Demon suddenly roared, and the silver-gray metal around its body flowed out like water, tightly enveloping its entire body. In the blink of an eye, its size increased several times, transforming into a huge monster covered in thick silver armor that almost filled the entire cave. That metal armor was extremely hard; ordinary swords and blades could not leave a mark on it.
"This thing is covered in such thick armor that ordinary weapons can't break through it at all!" Tulilei swung his giant axe several times, but only left a few shallow dents on the silver armor.
As they fought and retreated, the Thorium Demon, with their heavy armor, forced them into a series of defeats. New metal blades kept emerging from all directions, filling the entire cavern completely, as if trapping the intruders in a metal cage.
Fain was cornered and had no way out. He made a snap decision, immediately mobilized all his Battle-qi, and struck his palms together, causing a thick bolt of lightning to shoot into the sky from his body.
This is the strongest strike of the Lightning Law: Lightning Dragon Descends.
A colossal dragon, its entire body formed from pure electric lightning, roared from Fain's hand, circling above the cave, baring its fangs and claws, and crashing down on the heavily armored Thorium Demon with lightning.
"Boom!"
The thunder dragon slammed into the thick, silver-gray armor, instantly crackling with electricity. The incredibly hard metal armor, which even a giant axe couldn't dent, gradually shattered under the thunder dragon's lightning power. The Thorium Demon let out a scream as the lightning cleaved through its heavy armor, revealing its even more vulnerable body underneath.
Fain gave it no chance to reform, letting out a furious roar and striking with both palms. The thunder dragon exploded, transforming into a sky full of lightning that engulfed the Thorium Demon's true form from head to toe. When the lightning subsided, the person disguised as the Thorium Demon had turned into a pile of charred metal fragments, without making a sound.
The metallic sheen in the cave also completely disappeared.
Linley gripped his longsword, gazing at the charred ruins. He then looked at Fain was panting heavily, with a few streaks of lightning still burning on his body. A hint of respect appeared in his eyes.
" Fain," Linley said, "This battle was all thanks to you."
"If I'd known he was just pretending to be a good guy, I would have had lightning strike him into metal scraps." Fain shook his numb hand and cursed, "All my good intentions wasted."
Having survived the ordeal, the group collapsed amidst the charred ruins, exchanging smiles. The master of the ninth floor had been killed by Fain's lightning dragon. But Linley sensed a strange atmosphere in the world; the real danger had only just begun.