NABC Chapter 38 Legend of Gods and Demons 5
Chapter 38 Legend of Gods and Demons 5
The Sandworm King's force as it crashed into the rock face was like a landslide. The violent shockwave, carrying rubble and dust, transformed the sheltered riverbed into a destructive crater. Even a mere glimpse of its massive body—a terrifying cylinder nearly three meters in diameter, covered in glossy black scales with clearly defined segments—was visually overwhelming. From its gaping maw, layers upon layers of sharp teeth, rotating like a meat grinder, gleamed coldly in the dim light, and an intense, almost tangible stench assaulted the senses.
Its target was extremely clear—the bald captain of the Indian team, whose energy fluctuations were the strongest in the riverbed and whose negative energy field of the "Corridor of the Dead" was the most obvious to be disturbed! This lurking predator clearly regarded the "delicious" energy emanating from the bald captain, which was a mixture of Buddhist power and the power of the dead, as the best target for its hunt.
Faced with this sudden, deadly attack from the side and above, the Indian team displayed the ferocity and teamwork typical of a seasoned reincarnation squad.
The figure shrouded in black robes was the first to react. He abruptly raised his withered arm, pointing it in the direction from which the sandworms were attacking, uttering a series of rapid, hoarse, and ominous syllables. On the riverbed, the sand in front of the bald captain suddenly bulged, and several undead abominations, forcibly pieced together from pale bones and rotting flesh, each the size of a rhinoceros, roared as they burst from the earth, fearlessly meeting the descending maws! Thick, dark green pus flowed from their bodies, emanating a nauseating aura of death; they were clearly the black-robed necromancer's most prized summoned creatures.
"roar--!"
The beast-like giant roared to the sky, his already exceptionally large body expanding even further, his skin gleaming with a rock-like grayish-white sheen. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his fists clenched, enveloped in a thick layer of earthy-yellow energy. He leaped into the air and slammed his fist into the side of the Sandworm King's protruding head! Wherever the fist passed, the air exploded under the immense pressure.
The assassin's figure, as elusive as smoke, vanished from its spot and reappeared in the shadow of the rock wall above the Sandworm King's head. Two short blades, gleaming with a ghostly blue light, pierced towards the relatively vulnerable junction of its compound eyes, like the spitting tongues of venomous snakes.
The bald captain, at the eye of the storm, maintained an unwavering expression of compassion mixed with indifference. He merely ceased his energy manipulation of the distant "Corridor of the Dead," and abruptly parted his clasped hands! The dark golden Buddhist light and gray-black death aura surrounding him instantly transformed into a solid barrier of light, rising upwards to withstand the Sandworm King's bite! Sanskrit characters flowed across the barrier, interspersed with the eerie and powerful wails of the dead. Behind him, the bald woman's cinnabar between her brows shone brightly, and an even more refined spiritual field spread out—not as an attack, but to stabilize and reinforce the barrier erected by the bald captain, and to attempt to disrupt the sandworm's simple, frenzied hunting instincts.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The obstruction of the undead abomination, the flanking attack of the giant, the eye strike of the assassin, the blocking of the light barrier, the interference of mental power—the Indian team instantly demonstrated their powerful adaptability and individual strength, attempting to minimize the damage of this fatal blow, or even to turn the tables.
Boom!!!
The Sandworm King's massive jaws slammed into the light barrier erected by the bald captain! The ear-piercing friction and the deafening explosion of annihilating energy drowned out everything else! The undead abomination shattered like paper, pus and bone fragments scattering everywhere. The giant's fist slammed into the sandworm's hard head armor, creating a burst of earthy-yellow energy ripples, but only causing the sandworm's head to tilt slightly. The assassin's dagger successfully pierced the soft tissue near the sandworm's compound eyes; the eerie blue toxin spread rapidly, causing the sandworm to let out an even more furious and painful hiss, but its biting force remained largely undiminished.
The barrier of light flickered violently, its light erratic, and the Sanskrit characters flowing upon it shattered one after another, as the illusory figures of the dead vanished with wails. The bald captain's body jolted violently, a trickle of dark golden blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, and the tiger's mouth of his clasped hands split open. But he had ultimately blocked an attack that could have reduced an armored vehicle to scrap metal!
The Sandworm King's attack, incomplete and wounded, coupled with excruciating pain and rage, drove it into a frenzy. Its massive body violently broke free from the rock wall, its thick, powerful segments swung violently, sending the giant clinging to it flying. The giant crashed into the opposite rock wall, creating a deep crater. Simultaneously, its gaping maw, filled with sharp teeth, opened again, not to bite, but to spray! A thick, foul-smelling, highly corrosive, dark green acid, like a high-pressure water jet, enveloped the bald captain and the black-robed mage below, who were temporarily immobilized by the attack!
"Now!"
Above the rock face, Chu Xuan, who had been observing coldly, suddenly froze the data stream in his eyes and issued an attack command in a sharp voice! Like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind! At this moment, with the Indian team being restrained, worn down, and even injured by the Sandworm King, it was the perfect opportunity for the Central Continent team to launch a fatal surprise attack!
"Midnight! Ming Yanwei!"
Zero, who had already locked onto his target, calmly pulled the trigger. The sniper rifle emitted a muffled roar as a specially made armor-piercing round, engraved with anti-magic runes, tore through the air and shot in a near-straight trajectory toward the bald woman below, whose defenses were at their lowest due to maintaining the light barrier and mental interference, and whose attention was distracted by the acid threat! That cinnabar mark between her eyebrows was the most dazzling bullseye in Zero's eyes!
Almost simultaneously with the gunshot, Ming Yanwei released her bowstring. She didn't even aim deliberately; relying solely on the intuition and lock-on granted by her "Eagle Eye," an arrow composed entirely of highly compressed pale blue wind-attribute energy, shot later but arrived first, not aimed at a person, but at the seemingly empty area between the bald woman and the bald captain! That was the point where their mental energy fields intertwined and resonated most closely!
The instant Wang Lin shouted "Attack!", Wang Lin and Zhan Lan unleashed their prepared mental attacks, like venomous snakes poised to strike! Wang Lin's mental energy condensed into an invisible, intangible cone, yet it contained nearly half of his remaining mental power, possessing strong "penetrating" and "chaotic" attributes. It pierced fiercely towards the bald captain's mental defenses, which were fluctuating due to injury and the need to maintain his light barrier! Zhan Lan, meanwhile, unleashed her "Mind Blast" with all her might. The target wasn't a specific individual, but rather the entire area where the Indian team was located, indiscriminately impacting and disrupting their consciousness, creating momentary disorientation and impaired judgment!
Chu Xuan fired his energy pistol in rapid succession, several beams of blazing white energy accurately targeting the black-robed mage and the giant beast who had just struggled to his feet from the rock wall pit, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth! His attacks were not intended to kill, but only to restrain, interrupt spellcasting, and create more chaos!
The crimson electronic eye of Guide 7341-ZJ synchronized data on every energy fluctuation, vital signs, and movement trajectory on the battlefield below to Chu Xuan's terminal and Wang Lin's mental link in real time, coldly reporting key information: "Target C (bald woman) mental field fluctuation peak decreased by 17%, protective energy cracks appeared... Target A (bald captain) mental defense experienced 0.3 seconds of disorder, light wall energy output decreased by 12%... Target E (smoke assassin) position is erratic, energy characteristics are concealed, threat level assessment: medium..."
The Central Continent team's surprise attack was precise, swift, and perfectly coordinated, directly targeting the Indian Continent team's weakest point at this moment—the bald woman with mental specialties, and the core pillar, the bald captain!
The demon-piercing bullet at midnight arrived first! Just as Ming Yanwei's energy arrow "exploded" at the mental resonance node a step ahead, causing a violent ripple and a brief imbalance in the bald woman's mental field, the bullet pierced through the thinned and unstable mental shield and pierced deep into the cinnabar between her eyebrows!
puff!
A soft sound, like a bubble bursting. The bald woman's eyes, which had always been half-open, filled with pity and indifference, suddenly widened to their limit, filled with disbelief, horror, and excruciating pain. The cinnabar dot between her brows, like shattered red glass, exploded into a cloud of blood mist. The spiritual energy field surrounding her collapsed instantly like a punctured balloon, and she fell limply backward as if her bones had been removed, letting out a short, piercing wail before her life force rapidly waned.
Almost at the same moment the bald woman was severely injured, Wang Lin's mental spike pierced the bald captain's mental defenses, which were beginning to falter! The intense mental shock caused the already injured bald captain, who was defending against the sandworms' attack, to groan. His clasped hands trembled violently, and the protective barrier of light flickered violently again, becoming even thinner! And the dark green corrosive acid he was facing was now almost within reach!
"No--!!!"
The bald captain let out a furious roar of resentment, unable to maintain the absolute defense of the light barrier any longer. He could only barely turn to the side, concentrating most of his Buddhist power on one side of his body. *Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!* Most of the foul-smelling acid was neutralized by the remaining light barrier and Buddhist power, but some still splashed onto his right shoulder and arm! The Buddhist power, mixed with the power of the undead, seemed less resistant to the acid than expected. His dark gold monk's robe was instantly corroded, creating large holes. The flesh beneath emitted a teeth-grinding sizzling sound, billowing blue smoke, and the holes were deep enough to expose the bone!
The black-robed mage was forced to retreat repeatedly by Chu Xuan's energy beams, interrupting his spells that interfered with the sand worms. The giant beast, having just gotten to its feet, was struck in the chest by two more energy beams. Although it withstood the blows thanks to its strong defense, it was still knocked back, roaring repeatedly. The smoke assassin's figure was briefly frozen under the influence of Zhan Lan's indiscriminate mental blast.
Team Indiana, caught in a pincer movement between the Sandworm King and Team Central, was instantly plunged into a desperate situation! One of their core pillars was dead and the other seriously injured; their melee combat was hampered, their support was interrupted, and their assassins were affected.
"Retreat! into the canyon!" The bald captain roared, enduring the excruciating pain in his right arm that felt like his very soul was being corroded, and the dizziness left by Wang Lin's mental attack on his mind. He knew that if they didn't escape now, not only would the mission be lost, but the entire team would perish here. He bit his tongue sharply, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with golden light. The blood transformed into a complex rune in the air, imprinting itself on the broken light barrier. The light barrier exploded with a deafening roar, transforming into countless streams of dark golden light that rained down on the Sandworm King and the Central Continent Team above the rock wall! This was a mutually destructive spell, quite powerful, but the price was that his aura weakened once more, and his face turned ashen.
Using the impact and cover of the exploding light barrier, the black-robed mage scooped up the bald woman, whose fate was unknown, and transformed into a wisp of black smoke, dashing towards the entrance of Hamunaptra Canyon. The beastly giant roared, once again forcing back the sandworms that tried to entangle him (the sandworms, hissing and retreating from the exploding light, were even more ferocious), and followed closely behind. The smoke assassin had already merged back into the shadows and vanished.
The bald captain himself used his uninjured left hand to crush a small bone talisman. A hazy gray mist instantly enveloped him, negating most of the subsequent damage from the corrosive acid, and carried him away in a bizarre gliding motion, chasing after his companions in the direction they had retreated, at an astonishing speed.
The Sandworm King was dazed and confused by the explosion of the light barrier, and the wounds on its compound eyes were also affected, making it even more painful and enraged. However, it clearly lost interest in the few "little bugs" and instead cast its greedy and savage "gaze" towards the Central Continent Team members above the rock wall, who exuded the aura of "fresh flesh and blood" and "pure energy"! Especially Wang Lin and Zhan Lan, who had just launched a powerful mental attack and were now somewhat weakened, were like beacons in the darkness in its simple perception.
"hiss--!!!"
The Sandworm King abandoned its pursuit of the fleeing Indian team. With a sudden twist of its massive body, it moved like a giant python, rushing madly down the steep cliff face towards the rock pillar where the Central Continent team was hiding! Wherever it passed, the cliff face crumbled, and sand and stones rained down!
"It's charging at us! Retreat! Follow the planned route into the canyon!" Chu Xuan ordered without hesitation. The Indian team had been severely wounded and routed, their objective achieved. Now, they faced this thoroughly enraged desert overlord and the unknown dangers of Hamunaptra ahead.
"Go!" Zheng Zha's voice suddenly came through the mental link, panting and showing signs of injury, but still full of energy. "We've shaken off most of the evil spirits and sandworms and are heading towards the canyon entrance! Those bastards from the Indian team ran that way? Let's intercept them!"
"No! Zheng Zha, don't stop them! Let them in!" Wang Lin shouted urgently, retreating along the narrow protrusions on the rock wall towards the canyon entrance under the cover of Lingdian and Mingyanwei. He quickly relayed through the connection, "The bald captain is seriously injured, the mentally gifted one's fate is unknown, their strength is greatly diminished, but they're fighting like cornered beasts. Let them go in first and trigger Imhotep's final trap for us! We'll follow behind, clean up the mess, and avoid this sandworm!"
"Understood!" Zheng Zha immediately understood.
The Sandworm King's pursuit was incredibly fierce. Its massive body moved with surprising agility along the rock face, constantly spraying fragments of rock and acid. Zero calmly targeted the wounds in its compound eyes, slowing it down. Ming Yanwei's energy arrows exploded into ripples of energy on its hard scales, creating tiny obstacles. Chu Xuan continuously threw delayed-action explosives, creating small-scale collapses in the Sandworm's path.
Wang Lin and Zhan Lan supported each other, using their last bit of mental energy to maintain stability and avoid danger. The three newcomers stumbled and scrambled, crying and wailing, only managing to stay together thanks to the occasional gentle push from their guide, 7341-ZJ.
Finally, as the Sandworm King launched another fierce attack, smashing the rock pillar where everyone had just been hiding to pieces, the main force of the Central Continent Team, along with the slightly disheveled but still largely intact bait team that had joined them from the other side (Zheng Zha, Ba Wang, Li Shuaixi, and Zhao Yingkong successfully escaped the pursuit, while O'Connor, Evelyn, and the old curator also miraculously survived), rushed into the entrance of Hamunaptra Death Canyon, a place filled with endless darkness and the aura of death.
The king of sandworms let out a resentful hiss outside the canyon entrance, lingered for a moment, but ultimately became wary of the more powerful and ancient will of death within the canyon that instinctively terrified it. It did not pursue them and slowly retreated into the depths of the desert.
Inside the canyon, the light suddenly dimmed, as if even the sunlight had been swallowed up. On either side were sheer cliffs hundreds of meters high, pitch black as ink, as if scorched by flames, covered with honeycomb-like tombs and twisted reliefs. Beneath one's feet lay thick layers of sand and gravel accumulated over countless years, interspersed with broken bones. The air was thick with a suffocating stench of decay, and an invisible, intangible yet oppressively heavy pressure of death that seemed to stop one's heart.
Here, Wang Lin's newly recovered mental energy was suppressed to the point where it could only detach from his body a few meters away. Zhan Lan's mental scan was almost ineffective. Even the red light from the electronic eyes of Guide 7341-ZJ became dim and unclear in this dense darkness.
Ahead, deep within the winding canyon, the figures of the Indian team fleeing in disarray could be vaguely seen, and even deeper still, there was an endless darkness that seemed to connect to hell.
At the very heart of that darkness, the vengeful spirits that had slumbered for three thousand years seemed to sense the approach of the "key," the arrival of the "sacrifice," and... the nourishment of fresh blood. That cold, ancient will, filled with endless resentment and hunger, like a demon slowly awakening, turned its "gaze" toward the entrance to the canyon.