The moment the bull-cry fell silent, every Xuan-Gui snapped its bird head upward, snake tails shooting straight like someone lit a fuse under them. They slammed their shells against the ground in booming thuds, matching the rhythm of the Lu’s roar—instantly turning the whole cavern murderous.

  I shrank my neck and backed away.

  “Great. Fantastic. This isn’t a demon market—it’s a demon fight club!”

  The Lu beat its wings, throwing up waves big enough to drown the whole pool.

  The Xuan-Gui didn’t back down. Two of them rammed its horns at once.

  “BOOM!”

  My teeth went numb from the impact.

  Water vapor billowed everywhere. Bull roars tangled with bird screeches, fish tails clashed with snake tails, slapping the stone walls loud enough to make them ring.

  A few Xuan-Gui were sent flying into the pool, shells clunking like drums. Another one latched onto the Lu’s fish tail and refused to let go.

  My heart nearly leaped out of my throat.

  “Holy— Did that turtle reincarnate from a dead relative? Look at it cling! If it were me, I’d have been gnawed clean already!”

  The Lu bellowed furiously. It flicked its horns, and one Xuan-Gui went spinning—half its shell torn clean off—crashing against the shore.

  And the thing STILL didn’t die. Its snake tail twitched, bird beak hammering the ground like it was cheering its buddies on.

  Hua drew his sword with a cold clang.

  “They’re fighting over something.”

  Lian’s gaze shifted to my arms.

  The purple jade glowed faintly—its light reflected in the Lu’s eyes and made the Xuan-Gui’s eyes burn red.

  “It’s the jade,” Lian murmured.

  I nearly passed out.

  “So all these monsters are fighting over the broken rock I’m carrying!? For heaven’s sake, a little warning would’ve saved me a heart attack!”

  The Lu threw its head back and roared again—bull thunder rolling through the cavern. The Xuan-Gui lunged together, attacking from north and south, beaks ripping at its tail.

  For a moment the battle went absolutely feral—louder than a blacksmith street fight, ten times more chaotic.

  Honestly, I truly didn’t know which side I should be rooting for.

  The Lu?

  Its eyes practically spelled “I’ll eat you” every time it stared at the jade.

  The Xuan-Gui?

  Bird heads, snake tails, turtle shells—they looked like rejected experiments nobody wanted.

  While I hesitated, Lian had already withdrawn his gaze. He stared deeper into the water, voice low:

  “There’s an exit there.”

  I blinked and followed his finger. Sure enough, at the far edge where the pool met the cavern wall, a small opening hid in the mist—barely big enough for one person. The problem?

  It looked more like a rat hole than a real exit.

  “You sure? That thing looks exactly like a mouse den,” I blurted.

  Lian ignored me completely—and leaped.

  He landed straight onto the Lu’s back.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  I nearly screamed my lungs out.

  “Are you insane!? That’s a bull-fish monster!”

  But Lian stood steady as bedrock, robes flying. He lifted the purple jade slightly—and its glow burst forth.

  In that instant, the Lu’s massive pupils blew wide, like someone had ignited soul-fire inside them. It let out a deafening roar.

  The jade’s light shot directly at the small water-mouth under the far wall. The Lu, as if compelled, slammed its wings against the surface and surged toward the narrow opening in a towering wave.

  The Xuan-Gui reacted instantly—jade-drunk—heads raised, tails whipping, pounding their shells like war drums. Then they hurled themselves forward, charging after the Lu like suicidal shock troops.

  “BOOM—!”

  The Lu’s horns hit the stone first, blasting shards everywhere.

  The Xuan-Gui smashed after it, shells pounding one after another, shaking the entire wall to its foundations.

  Lian stood on the Lu’s spine, sleeve flicking. A surge of inner force blasted forward—like an invisible hammer—striking the same weakened spot.

  “Again,” Lian commanded softly, jade blazing brighter and brighter.

  The Lu howled. The Xuan-Gui slammed their shells. The water roared like thunder.

  I watched from behind, scalp exploding.

  “Are they trying to break through the wall or bring the entire tomb down with us!?”

  With a final earth-shattering crash, the wall split open—stones flying, water surging back in a violent wave.

  The tiny rat-hole had been forcibly widened into a passage wide enough for all of us.

  Lian steadied himself atop the Lu—never once losing balance—as the jade’s glow began to dim.

  The Lu writhed beneath him, unwilling to stop. The Xuan-Gui thrashed at the pool’s edge, desperate to squeeze through after it.

  Then Lian leaped lightly from the Lu’s back, landing on the bank.

  The jade dimmed completely—its pull fading.

  The Lu and Xuan-Gui, now without guidance, raged helplessly in the water like trapped beasts.

  Hua flicked his fan, smirking. “Well, that saved us quite a bit of effort.”

  I wiped water off my face, nerves still shaking.

  If I’d known the jade packed THAT much punch, I would’ve used it to knock down mountains ages ago.

  While the monsters were occupied, I spotted a chunk of cracked shell on the ground.

  Looked sturdy. Interesting.

  I discreetly grabbed it and stuffed it into my clothes.

  Who knew—could be a decent shield. Better than going in empty-handed.

  Lian, now back on the shore, leapt again—this time landing neatly on the back of a dizzy, half-stunned Xuan-Gui.

  The shell was slick. Just watching him made my legs wobble.

  Great. This is where I die doing dog-paddle.

  Before I could react, Lian grabbed my wrist, lifted me like a kid, and dropped me onto the shell beside him. I stumbled—almost doing an involuntary split—but he caught my shoulder and steadied me.

  “Stand firm,” he said calmly.

  I cursed silently.

  Easy for YOU to say!

  Hua snorted, snapped his fan shut, and vaulted gracefully onto another Xuan-Gui—landing as casually as stepping onto his personal boat.

  The Xuan-Gui began to panic, paddling furiously, shells thumping wildly as they lifted us atop the water. Like unwilling ferrymen, they carried us toward the freshly blasted water tunnel.

  The passage was narrow, pitch-black, lit only by the fading pulse of the jade.

  I clung to the shell for dear life, feeling like I was being swallowed by a massive whirlpool, water roaring in my ears.

  Who knows how long we were dragged—

  Suddenly, light burst ahead.

  At last, the three of us shot out of the water tunnel, tumbling into another cavern—larger, walls covered in moss, droplets echoing like falling beads.

  I had just breathed a sigh of relief when the ground dipped beneath my feet.

  I looked down—

  And saw a hand clawing up the side of the Xuan-Gui shell.

  “Mother F—!”

  I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  Clinging under the Xuan-Gui’s belly—like some stubborn barnacle—was the leader of that tomb-robbing gang. I had no idea when he’d started tailing us, but there he was, stuck on the underside like a parasite refusing eviction.

  Hua’s face darkened. His folding fan lifted slightly—

  but Lian stopped him.

  “Wait.”

  Sure enough, the man hauled himself ashore in a sloppy tumble, but his expression twisted into a vicious, predatory grin.

  “Heh. The purple jade… so it does have a marvelous little trick.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach. I immediately shoved the purple jade and that chunk of turtle shell deeper into my robes, trying to block his line of sight.

  But in the split second I hesitated—

  The bastard moved like lightning.

  Before I could react, he snatched the purple jade straight out of my arms.

  I screeched, “HEY—! The jade—!!”

  The moment the jade hit his palm, its glow flared—bright and sharp—sending a shiver through the entire cavern.

  Then—

  Ka—ka—ka—ka—

  Deep inside the cave, some enormous gear mechanism groaned awake, grinding slowly like a mountain being pushed by giants.

  The water’s surface flashed.

  A red gemstone embedded in the stone wall suddenly blazed to life—casting an eerie, blood-tinged light that made the rock around it seem to writhe like something alive.

  Lian’s expression snapped cold.

  He said quietly, sharply:

  “Be careful.”