chsdbacks Chapter 225 The Mine and the Red Shadow
Chapter 225 The Mine and the Red Shadow
The darkness within the cave was thick and viscous, like ink that couldn't be dissolved, carrying a chilling dampness that seeped into one's very bones, instantly engulfing them. Completely different from the humid heat of the rainforest outside, the air here was filled with a far more intense and nauseatingly complex odor—the rust of aged minerals, the pungent stench of deep earth, the cloyingly sweet scent of decaying plants, and… an omnipresent, indescribable "field," like countless tiny creatures whispering in one's ear, filled with both allure and blasphemy. This "field" was so intense that even the protective aura naturally flowing around Nie Lingfeng's body emitted a faint "sizzling" sound, like cold water dripping into hot oil—his sacred Qilin power instinctively resisting and purifying the evil aura within the cave.
Sight was almost completely useless here. Nie Lingfeng closed his eyes, raising his perception to its limit. In his "mind's eye," the world inside the cave appeared as a mixture of energy and matter. They were in a relatively open, enormous cavern, like the entrance hall of a mine, with a rugged floor scattered with more miners' skeletons, rotten sleepers, and rusted mechanical parts. The cavern extended deeper, branching into several passageways of varying sizes and heights, like the intestines of a giant monster, winding their way into the unknown depths of darkness. In each passageway, the evil "field" stretched outwards and diffused like living tentacles, its source seemingly in the deepest part.
And the eerie, ethereal ancient song became much clearer here. It was no longer just a melody, but more like a language, a low chant filled with pain, longing, madness, and blasphemy, intermittent, as if coming from all directions, or as if echoing directly in the depths of one's mind, trying to penetrate consciousness and evoke the deepest fears and desires within.
"Nie Lingfeng... so noisy." Chen Duo's voice rang out in the darkness, tinged with barely perceptible annoyance. She gripped Nie Lingfeng's hand tightly, her palms slightly sweaty. "That singing... is just ahead, far, deep in the distance. It's... calling us to come over."
She could "hear" the targeted spiritual manipulation contained in the song! Nie Lingfeng felt a chill. Chen Duo had keen senses and, being of phoenix blood, was even more directly sensitive to this kind of spiritual pollution and temptation.
"Don't listen to it, and don't think about it. Follow me, watch your step and your surroundings," Nie Lingfeng whispered, taking out a miniature high-powered flashlight from his backpack (actually a waist pack) and pressing the switch. A concentrated beam of light pierced the darkness, illuminating a small area ahead. He didn't use any brighter lighting equipment, lest he alert the enemy and attract unknown dangers.
Under the flashlight beam, the scene on the ground became clearer. The scattered skeletons were twisted in shape, many in the postures of their agonizing struggles before death. Some bones even had an abnormal dark green or black surface, as if they had been poisoned or corrupted by some evil force before death. On the walls and ceiling, there were more dark red deposits, some of which had even formed stalactite-like hangings, reflecting an eerie, congealed blood-like luster under the flashlight beam.
"Let's go this way." Nie Lingfeng discerned the direction and chose the widest main mine tunnel where the evil "field" was strongest and the source of the song was clearest. This mine tunnel was obviously the main tunnel that was mined back then. Although it had been abandoned for many years, it was still relatively flat, with remnants of rails and mine carts on both sides.
The two moved forward cautiously. Their footsteps and breathing were exceptionally clear in the narrow beam of light cut through the cave, amplified by the eerie wailing and singing that permeated the cave, making their loneliness all the more poignant. Chen Duo stayed close to Nie Lingfeng, her emerald eyes warily scanning the darkness at the edge of the flashlight beam. Her other small hand unconsciously formed a phoenix hand seal, a faint golden glow flowing from her fingertips, like two tiny, vibrant sparks in the darkness, dispelling the surrounding chill and unease. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
After walking for about ten minutes, the mine tunnel ahead began to slope downwards, the gradient becoming increasingly steep. The cloying, rotten smell and evil "field" in the air grew stronger, almost tangible, making one's chest feel heavy. Nie Lingfeng carefully observed his surroundings. The beam of his flashlight shone on the slippery cave walls, revealing a thin layer of dark red, seemingly alive, slightly wriggling, and slick-looking slime! This slime emitted the very same cloyingly sweet odor.
"Is it something left behind by those 'red mists'?" Nie Lingfeng muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing. He remembered the "red mist" mentioned by the seriously injured field agent in the data, which was very likely the highly concentrated or vaporized form of this kind of slime.
"It stinks..." Chen Duo frowned, covering her nose with her sleeve, but her eyes were fixed on the wriggling slime, her emerald green eyes filled with disgust and wariness. "They... are alive. They're watching us." As a former Gu Poison Saint Child, Chen Duo had an extraordinary sensitivity to the activity of living beings. In addition, since awakening her Phoenix bloodline, Chen Duo had been well protected by Nie Lingfeng and had always maintained a pure heart, so she was even more sensitive to the evil things in the world.
Alive? Nie Lingfeng trusted Chen Duo's words implicitly, so he heightened his senses. Sure enough, the slime was not inanimate; it contained extremely weak but chaotic and malicious life energy, like some kind of low-level, primitive, and contaminated "fungal carpet" or "insect nest." It seemed to be able to sense light, heat, and the presence of living beings, and could also function as a monitor and a barrier. At this moment, the slime had begun to slowly gather and wriggle towards them, like a snail crawling.
It seems that this mine has been deeply polluted and transformed by the evil forces from "Namu Cave," becoming its domain and the extension of its tentacles.
Just as the two slowed their pace and more cautiously observed the wriggling slime around them—
"Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh—!"
Several blurry shadows, moving with lightning speed and almost blending into the darkness, shot out silently from the cracks in the rock walls on both sides of the mine tunnel, and even from the fissures in the cave overhead, heading straight for Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo! They had no fixed shape, like flowing, twisted ink, leaving faint, almost invisible dark red trails in the air, carrying an evil aura that was of the same origin as viscous fluid, but more concentrated, sharper, and filled with malice and a devouring desire!
It's a "moving shadow"! Another strange existence mentioned by the seriously injured field agent!
These shadows are incredibly fast, attack from unpredictable angles, and seem to be somewhat immune to physical attacks (because they don't have a fixed shape). If it were an ordinary person, or even a weaker superhuman, facing such a silent, eerie attack from the darkness, they would probably be instantly struck, invaded by the shadows, or dragged into deeper darkness.
However, they encountered Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo.
The moment the shadow struck, Nie Lingfeng didn't even turn his head; he simply uttered a low shout: "Break!"
An invisible force field, imbued with the majesty and purifying will of the Qilin, suddenly spread out from his center! Like a purifying agent being added to murky water, the shadows that rushed towards him, upon contact with the force field, were as if they had encountered frost under the scorching sun, emitting a faint but sharp hissing sound, like countless insects being burned. Their movements suddenly became slow and distorted, and their forms began to rapidly thin and dissipate!
At the same time, Chen Duo also moved. Her hand, which had been holding the Phoenix Seal, swung forward without hesitation!
"Hey——!"
A clear, short cry, like the first cry of a fledgling phoenix, rang out! It was not the reactive, out-of-control phoenix cry of last night, but a refined, precise cry imbued with pure, purifying power! Several phoenix true fire arrows, only as thick as a hair, yet condensed as if they were solid, radiating a warm golden light, shot out from her fingertips, striking with unparalleled accuracy the shadows that had become sluggish and dissipated under Nie Lingfeng's force field!
"laugh--!"
Like a red-hot steel needle piercing through ice and snow, the Phoenix True Fire Arrow struck the shadow the instant it sank in. The shadow froze for a moment, then, like ignited oil, it exploded into a small, dark red, foul-smelling flame before being completely annihilated and purified, leaving not a trace behind!
Clean and efficient! Their teamwork, honed through countless adventures and seclusion, had become incredibly synchronized. They didn't even need reminders or words; a single glance or expression was enough for the other to understand their actions. Nie Lingfeng swiftly suppressed, slowed, and weakened the opponent with his force field, while Chen Duo precisely purified and finished them off with her Phoenix True Fire. This combination was exceptionally effective against beings highly corrupted by evil energy and possessing opposing attributes.
"Well done, Duoduo." Nie Lingfeng gave Chen Duo an approving look. A small, mixed sense of satisfaction—a mix of seriousness and "mission accomplished"—appeared on Chen Duo's face, but she quickly became alert again. Chen Duo sensed more subtle hissing and wriggling sounds coming from deeper into the mine tunnel and from the surrounding slime. Clearly, the commotion had alerted more "things" here. Nie Lingfeng, seeing Chen Duo's serious expression, knew that the two of them had been discovered.
"Looks like we've been 'welcomed'." Nie Lingfeng's eyes were icy as he swept the beam of his flashlight into the deeper, seemingly endless darkness of the mine tunnel ahead. "Speed up, head straight to the source! These things can't be killed all at once; they'll only multiply!"
"Hmm!" Chen Duo nodded, the golden halo at her fingertips becoming even more solid.