The Sacrifice

“Long Ao!”

Hong Yuan stared anxiously at the seamless wall and shouted, pointedly ignoring the other person.

Long Ao and the usually silent Liu Feiyu had been sealed off on the other side of the wall.

On the other side, Long Ao and Liu Feiyu found themselves in a space completely cut off from the outside world. It was pitch-black, so dark they couldn’t see their hands in front of their faces. Icy water came up past their ankles, splashing loudly with every step.

“Tch. More of this smoke-and-mirrors nonsense.”

Long Ao snorted in disdain.

He pulled out a flashlight and swept its beam through the darkness.

Faintly visible in the depths, pair after pair of scarlet eyes slowly lit up, watching them coldly. There were at least dozens of them.

“They came at just the right time. Saves me the trouble of looking for them one by one.”

The joints in Long Ao’s body cracked loudly as his fighting spirit surged. He clenched his fists and was about to charge forward.

“Stop, you idiot.”

A hand seized his arm. Liu Feiyu’s voice was noticeably tense, as though he were suppressing his urgency.

Long Ao halted and turned his head, displeasure filling his eyes.

“What did you call me? And let go.”

Liu Feiyu did not release him. Instead, his grip tightened.

“Use that muscle-packed brain of yours and feel carefully.”

He lowered his voice. “These things have no heartbeat and no physical bodies. They’re all illusions made of water elements.”

“Your fists are useless against them. All you’ll do is splash yourself with water.”

“Whether my fists are useful isn’t for you to decide.”

Long Ao yanked his arm free, his tone brimming with arrogance.

He refused to believe it. He didn’t trust Liu Feiyu, either.

With a furious roar, he lunged forward and slammed his fist into the nearest pair of scarlet eyes.

It was the illusion of a sleek leopard. Under his punch, it shattered on the spot.

There was no spray of flesh and blood. It simply turned into a sheet of icy water that splashed all over Long Ao.

“See? Completely—”

Long Ao didn’t finish speaking before a gust of wind struck from behind.

He didn’t even have time to turn around. With a ripping sound, sharp claws tore a long gash through the back of his clothes. Fortunately, he had moved quickly enough to avoid injury, though his shirt was ruined.

He spun around.

The leopard illusion he had just scattered had already re-formed behind him. Its scarlet eyes gazed at him mockingly.

Long Ao’s expression darkened.

The frustration of having strength but nowhere to use it made his chest feel stifled.

“Believe me now?”

Liu Feiyu’s voice came from nearby. “Savage Dragon, are you willing to listen to me now? Hear me out—I need your help.”

“Your strength isn’t only meant for throwing punches.”

He began forming hand seals, water vapor swirling around his body.

“The cores of these things are hidden in the flowing water. I can’t see where they are.”

Liu Feiyu raised his head and looked at Long Ao, his expression more serious than ever.

“Use your strength to shake up all the water in here.”

Long Ao glanced at the scarlet eyes closing in around them and nodded.

“Got it. Stand back.”

He lowered his hips and settled into a horse stance. Every muscle in his body bulged as power gathered in both fists.

“Up you go!”

With a low roar, he smashed both fists into the water at his feet.

Boom!

His formidable strength traveled through the layer of water into the ground, and the entire sealed chamber shook violently.

The standing water exploded upward, sending towering waves surging through the room. Countless droplets were flung into the air.

Amid the violent turbulence, the scarlet eyes began to flicker uneasily. Beneath them, one blue-glowing core after another finally revealed itself in the chaos.

“Three steps to the left.”

A sharp glint flashed through Liu Feiyu’s eyes, and his voice rang out clearly and decisively.

Long Ao’s battle instincts drove him three steps to the left in an instant.

At the same time, a high-pressure water needle Liu Feiyu had already condensed shot through the air. It passed over Long Ao’s shoulder and struck the exposed blue core dead-on.

Pfft.

The core shattered. The corresponding leopard illusion let out a mournful cry before collapsing completely into stagnant water.

“Behind you.”

Relying on his combat instincts, Long Ao shouted without turning his head. At the same time, he drove an elbow backward, smashing into an attacking illusion and knocking it off balance.

“Understood.”

Liu Feiyu’s calm voice rang out.

He didn’t even need to look. Another water needle had already left his hand, shooting from a tricky angle and piercing the illusion’s core.

The two men, who had previously been at each other’s throats, now worked together with a tacit understanding that seemed almost telepathic.

As the last water-element illusion was pierced by a water needle and dissolved into nothingness, every scarlet eye in the chamber went dark.

Click.

Several dim lamps flickered on, illuminating the room.

Long Ao was drenched from head to toe, but his eyes shone brightly.

He looked at Liu Feiyu, who was also catching his breath. After a long silence, he finally let out an awkward grunt through his nose.

“Hmph.”

“You’re not completely useless.”

Liu Feiyu glanced at him and ignored the compliment that contained no hint of praise. However, the corners of his tightly pressed lips curved upward.

It was rare indeed to hear praise from this Savage Dragon.

He turned around and inspected the stone chamber. The water at their feet was receding at a visible rate, absorbed by the floor.

Once the last traces of moisture had dried, complex scarlet patterns appeared across the ground.

Liu Feiyu crouched down and lightly touched the runes with one finger. A moment later, his expression changed.

“This is bad! All the energy released during our battle has been absorbed by this formation.”

He rose to his feet, realization dawning on him.

“This is a massive altar. We’ve been supplying it with energy.”

The instant he finished speaking—

Boom!

A deafening crash, mingled with the roar of some enormous beast, came from the direction they had entered. The entire theater shook violently.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in the other’s eyes.

Without the slightest hesitation, they charged toward the source of the sound.

…

On the other side of the wall, the atmosphere around Chen Guan also grew tense after the thunderous crash.

“Was that caused by Long Ao and the others?”

Hong Yuan held her giant axe horizontally before her and warily stared at the wall separating them.

An Changqing shook his head, his expression grave.

“No. There’s no way that came from Long Ao.”

The moment he finished speaking—

Boom!

The wall directly ahead suddenly bulged outward, a massive outline appearing in its surface. Spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the entire wall.

“Careful!”

An Changqing immediately shouted a warning. His long sword was already out of its sheath, held protectively before the group.

The next second, the wall exploded.

Countless chunks of stone flew in every direction, mixed with the pungent stench of blood.

A huge, twisted figure staggered out from behind the collapsed wall.

The deafening roar it unleashed nearly tore the entire theater apart.

“Oh my God…”

Hong Yuan stared at the monster before her, her eyes widening in stunned clarity.

“What… what is that thing?”