Chapter128

Outside the mining vein's core

The moment they stepped into the central zone, the already strong smell of blood and poison intensified several times. The nauseating scent made Elara feel like vomiting. Even Uno, who was carrying her, furrowed his brow slightly and tried to hold his breath as they moved, which showed just how toxic the air in this spider nest really was.

Thankfully, before entering this area, Elara had already guessed what the situation might be. She had taken precautions by giving herself another dose and had the guards take the pills in advance. With their strong inner force, even though the air was filled with poison, it didn't affect them much.

Still, to keep the promise made before going underground, Uno and the others sped up, planning to finish things quickly.

They were almost at the core of the mine. Just as Uno, holding Elara, turned the final corner and was about to step into the center, a hoarse and gloomy voice suddenly echoed through the cave.

"Who's there?!"

In the next second, countless venomous spiders of all sizes rained down from above. They swarmed toward them in a thick, writhing mass.

Elara had never been afraid of anything in her two lives. But when she saw the spiders falling from above, her arm broke out in goosebumps.

Luckily, with the guards around, none of those things could get close to her.

Uno held her with one arm. With the other, which had been gripping the rock wall, he made a small move. A wave of powerful inner force burst out around them, slashing all the spiders to pieces before they could get within two meters.

Once the area was cleared, Uno stepped back slightly with Elara in his arms. He picked a safe spot with a good view and hovered there. Behind them, the guards all moved out at the same time, each reaching behind their waist to draw the specially made iron daggers Elara had ordered before leaving Marigold City.

The sharp silver blades gleamed coldly in the dim space. In the past, they could easily handle heavier bronze daggers, so these lighter ones felt like part of their arms. The blades spun nimbly between their fingers, and soon the air was filled with the sound of hissing and slicing. The cries of the spiders being cut down and the thud of bodies hitting the ground filled the cave.

"You dare use inner force? Don't you know that the more you use it, the faster you'll be poisoned? Ha, I'll let my little pets play with you all. Let's see how long your inner force can last," the hoarse voice echoed again, cold and mocking.

Right after that, huge waves of venomous snakes surged up from the mine floor. The sky was filled again with disgusting spiders in five or six different colors. From the walls, twisted-faced cockroaches and rats crawled out, and from every entrance of the dark mine, crazed human puppets with savage faces came charging straight at Elara and the guards.

Fortunately, Elara had already locked down the infected villagers of Anqu Town. Otherwise, those people would have been the ones attacking them now.

The Puppet Hall master's control over poison was truly terrifying. These snakes, rats, and puppets came like a tide. An ordinary group would have been devoured to the bone in seconds.

But unfortunately, they were facing the guards.

Elara had brought just over a dozen guards, but each one was among the best. Dos, Tres, and the others were all present, and their inner strength wasn't far from Uno's. Their daggers, empowered by that force, sliced through the enemies like nothing.

The result was a strange sight. Huge waves of enemies came crashing in like a bloody mountain wall. But the moment they reached the guards, it was like they were made of paper, instantly torn apart. Bodies of men and beasts piled up into hills in no time.

Seeing just over a dozen guards easily hold back that tide, and even push the enemy back, Elara for the first time began to understand just how powerful inner force really was. It was also her first time seeing just how strong her guards were.

In the darkness, the Puppet Hall master finally realized something was wrong.

"How is this possible?! Your inner force hasn't been corrupted?!"

With a furious roar, the blood-heavy scent in the mine doubled again. The already filthy air turned crimson red.

Elara raised her hand to cover her nose and mouth. Her brows furrowed as she looked at the increasingly red air.

"This is my most concentrated and potent poison! I don't believe you can last much longer!"

The twisted voice faded. More snakes, rats, and puppets surged out from all sides again.

The one controlling them was clearly trying to stall the guards. If they were kept in this poisonous space long enough, their inner strength and stamina would be drained.

Elara frowned. Even if her blood could detoxify the poison, they couldn't just sit around and be worn down.

She looked down, quickly thinking of a solution. But then she heard Uno suddenly let out a muffled groan.

She looked up and saw his face had gone pale, and bright red spots appeared on the skin of his neck. It looked like the color in the air had stained him.

Elara's expression tightened.

The detoxifying pill's effect had worn off early.

The poison in the air was too strong.

Her own body had the Nirvana Pill, so she couldn't feel the effects of the poison. But looking at Uno's condition, she didn't hesitate. She pulled out her small knife and medicine box, sliced her fingertip, and let the blood drip into the container.

Since the poison was getting thicker, Elara cut her finger deeper than usual, trying to squeeze out as much blood as she could. She wanted the pills to hold up longer for the guards.

What she didn't expect was that the moment her blood dropped, all the snake-rat puppets around them suddenly froze.

Then, all the human and beast eyes turned directly toward her. Next, they ignored the guards completely and even let themselves get torn apart just to charge at her.

"Holy blood essence?! You're the Blood Essence Master?! No, that's the scent of the Nirvana Pill too! You... you're the Plumera State princess?!"

The Puppet Hall master, who had been furious just moments ago, suddenly went wild with excitement after smelling the blood he had dreamed of for years. His hoarse voice rang out again, laughing hideously through the cave.

"In the whole world, only the legendary blood essence of the royal family of Plumera could elevate my puppet poison into sacred poison!"

"Even the leader thought it would take years to seize control of Plumera and get that blood. But you came to me on your own!"

"No wonder your guards are so hard to deal with. They're all bound by your blood contract. They must be the legendary guards who never leave the princess's side. Hahaha! Wonderful!"

While that eerie laughter echoed, Uno suddenly disappeared with Elara.

In just a blink, they reappeared at a narrow, hidden crevice near the very top of the mine.

It was so well hidden that Elara probably wouldn't have noticed it even if she walked past it herself. But Uno had carried her straight into it without hesitation.

Once they entered the mine tunnel, Uno tightened his arm slightly around her. With his other hand, he reached behind his waist and pulled out the dagger that Elara had specially ordered for him. His tall and lean figure carried Elara with ease as he moved swiftly and effortlessly through the winding, narrow passage, his broad body shielding her from all the snakes, rats, bugs, and mosquitoes that popped out from the walls.

Maybe it was ten seconds later. Or maybe just seven.

Uno burst out of the cramped tunnel with her still in his arms. Then, his dagger surged with powerful inner energy as he aimed straight for the man standing in the middle of the suddenly wide space, the man's entire body hidden in darkness.

"Pfft!"

The eerie laughter that had echoed through the cave came to a sudden stop.

The man who had been stabbed through the left side of his chest froze in place. His face, hidden behind a twisted mask, turned toward Uno and Elara in shock, his eyes wide.

"You... cough, you... how could you... find me... so fast... cough..."

The man's life was draining rapidly, but his eyes remained locked on Uno. He seemed completely shaken by the fact that Uno had found him and killed him with such speed and precision.

But after that shock passed, the light in the man's eyes faded and he started to laugh again.

"Hehehe… Holy Blood... no wonder... a blood slave… cough… the blood… I want... cough…"

Thick, dark blood poured from the corners of his mouth, making his already hoarse voice even harder to hear.

Still, he stared at Uno and Elara. His throat let out another eerie laugh. Then, under Elara's horrified gaze, he suddenly raised his hand and jammed it into the wound in his chest.

With a sickening squelch, he dug into his own flesh and yanked out a pulsing lump of bloody meat!

Elara: ...?!!

[What the hell! Is this some kind of horror movie?! System! That's his heart, right?! He ripped out his own heart and he's still not dead?! You told me there's no spiritual power in this world?!]

System 92 sounded disgusted too. [No, Master! This world really doesn't have spiritual energy, but just like the master from the Divine Doctor Valley can live hundreds of years, this man has something else. It's a kind of parasite force, like those from the martial arts novels you've read! It's not inner strength, but it's just as real here! I've never seen it before either! Ugh, it's disgusting! But I can't deny it's... kind of amazing. Bleh...]

Elara didn't know what to say anymore. This world just kept shattering her understanding of reality. She had no time to mentally prepare at all.

When the man pulled out his own heart, Uno frowned. A sharp throwing spike had appeared in his palm without warning. His inner energy surged into the weapon. In a flash, he flicked it toward the man with deadly force.

But the man who had pulled out his heart seemed to have broken some kind of seal!

The bleeding piece of flesh he held started to emit a faint red glow right as the throwing spike closed in.

The next moment, a layer of black insect armor suddenly spread across the surface of the man's skin.

It was densely packed and looked horrifying from a distance, like his entire body was filled with crawling bugs.

No matter how disturbing it looked, that insect armor was incredibly strong.

Uno's spike hit it and sparked like metal striking metal. Then it bounced right off.

"Hahaha! It's useless. This is the hardest black beetle armor! If you're not attacking with your own hands, just relying on a bit of inner strength won't break it."

The man, now looking like some human-insect hybrid monster, stared at Uno with wild eyes and a sharp laugh.

Uno's frown deepened. He stared at the creature for a few more seconds, then his lips pressed tightly together. His tall frame crouched slightly. His back muscles tensed like a predator ready to strike.

In the next second, aside from Elara who he held tightly in his arms, the air around him started to shift visibly, as if the space itself was trembling.

He unleashed his full power.

A massive wave of inner energy began to pour out of him. Even though he hadn't made a move yet, just the faint traces that leaked from his body were enough to stir the entire chamber's airflow.

Since becoming Elara's shadow guard, Uno couldn't even remember the last time he used his full strength like this.

Against a normal enemy, he wouldn't need such overwhelming force.

But right now, he was holding his master. Uno couldn't risk even the slightest mistake.

And this man… he gave off a sickening presence that made Uno deeply uncomfortable. That presence seemed somehow connected to Elara.

Uno's expression tightened again. No matter what happened, no one would get past him and hurt the person in his arms.

At the center of the cave, even though most of his body was covered in that rock-hard insect shell, the "Poison Spider" was still forced to take a step back by just a few threads of Uno's released energy.

So strong, terrifyingly strong.

The "Poison Spider" stared at Uno with growing excitement in his eyes. No wonder they called him a blood slave. This ocean-like power, even if the cult leader showed up, he might not last more than a few rounds. No... even those top sects in the martial world, most of them wouldn't be able to last more than a few moves against this man.

Even with thousands of parasite bugs inside him, if Uno personally struck with full power, the "Poison Spider" wasn't sure he could even take a single blow.