The Cross

Shi Mu, mindful of the traps on the floor, continued his quiet, uninvited journey up the rocky stairs. Now guided by his previous experience, he no longer gave other floors as much as a passing glance. When it appeared that nothing was out of the ordinary, he would proceed to the next level until the twenty-first floor.

After spending precious time on the sixteenth floor, Shi Mu had reason to fear that the Azure Ape King may be returning soon.

He was just about to move on to his next destination when something made him stop his tracks and quickly hide under the shadows of the stairs.

Corpses of a dozen fully transformed demon guards lay sprawled on the stairs, all of them bearing the same lethal chest wound as if stabbed right through. Blood was still gushing out of their wounds—a sure sign that the deed was done only very recently.

A glint crossed Shi Mu's eyes as he stared at the corpses for a few moments before immediately looking up.