Crimson flames blossomed, illuminating the dark staircase in an instant.
The passageway was far from narrow, wide enough to accommodate five or six people abreast.
The stairs themselves were made of bluish stone slabs, and so were the walls on either side.
After a moment’s hesitation, Shelley Chan led Howard down the staircase.
They walked for several minutes before finally reaching the bottom, where they found themselves in an underground chamber.
Looking around, the chamber was quite spacious, with stone statues here and there but, notably, devoid of any monsters.
“There are no monsters here?”
Witnessing this scene, Howard couldn’t help but express his astonishment.
After all, within the Medea Ruins, they had encountered monsters at nearly every turn, sometimes even stumbling upon swarms of the bizarre creatures.
It was unexpected that upon entering a structure feared by all, they found not a single monster!
“Chaos breeds demons, be wary.”
Shelley Chan, a seasoned powerhouse, had faced many such strange occurrences and remained vigilant.
Approaching slowly, Howard soon made out the details of the stone sculptures.
These figures were like ordinary humans, differing only in posture, with one harrowing similarity—their eyes brimmed with terror.
Clearly, before they turned to stone, they had encountered something that filled them with fear.
“Ha!”
Suddenly, a crisp shout rang out. Shelley Chan’s long blade swiftly sliced through the air, sending a fiery arc of red cutting through the void, striking fiercely into the darkness beyond.
“Splat—”
“Roar!”
Just as Howard stood bewildered, the fiery blade hit a grey lizard, sending it flying with a pained roar.
Upon closer inspection, the grey lizard landed, rolled, and then scuttled rapidly towards Howard and Shelley Chan.
With a vicious snap of its jaws, a grey lightwave burst forth, aiming to cut down Howard and Shelley Chan.
Although he did not understand the nature of the grey lightwave, Howard knew he could not withstand it and swiftly stepped aside, taking cover behind a wooden pillar.
However, to Howard’s amazement, when the lightwave struck the pillar, in just the span of two breaths, the wood morphed into a stone column!
His pupils dilating in shock, Howard’s heart raced with fear as he realized how those stone statues had come to be!
Fortunately, Shelley Chan had regained some of her strength.
Clutching her long sword, she advanced in swift, short steps, closing in on the grey lizard with great speed.
“Splat—”
The sword spun, its trailing blaze whirling like a fiery hoop, severing the head of the grey lizard in a swift motion.
As its head fell, the lizard’s health depleted in an instant.
Shelley Chan remained on alert, her eyes flickering vivaciously, scanning their surroundings.
Howard quickly fell in step behind her, knowing that only by her side could his safety be assured.
“Something’s amiss!”
“This type of chamber should be an enclosed space; flames couldn’t sustain for long.”
Shelley Chan’s brows furrowed slightly, pondering the vibrant flames of her recent strike, she couldn’t help but be puzzled, “Flames like that require airflow to thrive! Could it be that this place isn’t sealed off after all, and there’s a path leading out?”
Hearing this, Howard couldn’t help but be astonished.
Shelley Chan understood such principles?
Weren’t these the so-called cultural lessons of old?
Sadly, those courses had long been discarded!
A thought struck Howard; once he returned to Holy Abyss Academy, he must diligently study those cultural lessons.
Otherwise, even if there was a path to escape, he might fail to recognize it.
Indeed, after Shelley Chan’s meticulous search, she discovered a passage.
With so many dangers within the structure, the mere possibility of an exit was enough for Shelley Chan.
She wouldn’t linger; she took the lead, squeezing through the opening.
At first, it was extremely dark inside, with only the light from Shelley Chan’s sword to illuminate their path.
However, after some time, blinding daylight finally shone through.
“There’s the exit ahead! Pick up the pace!”
Shelley Chan, overwhelmed with excitement and disregarding her fatigue, hastened towards the upward path.
When Howard and Shelley Chan finally emerged from the passage, they found themselves amidst a cluster of buildings.
“Let’s go, to Crimson Dragon City!”
Shelley Chan, unaware of the time, dared not delay.
She confirmed the direction and promptly set off towards Crimson Dragon City.
However, they had barely left for half an hour when the sound of a Dragonhawk tearing through the sky overhead reached them.
Then came the sound of a signal flare being fired.
“Quick, come here, we’ve found Shelley!” 𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ
Looking up sharply, they could see a team riding Dragonhawks in the sky.
As they called out, they also cast a huge net downwards.
As the massive net descended, Shelley Chan let out a scoff, and with a whirl of her sword, she unleashed a flurry of sharp, dazzling blade lights.
They crisscrossed and slashed through the air, severing the net with ease.
Yet, Shelley Chan’s destruction of the net couldn’t stop the flare from bursting open.
In an instant, whooshing sounds filled the air as a dozen figures rapidly converged, encircling both Howard and Shelley Chan.
Nurbaski was among them, but now his face bore a ghastly wound that glowed with an ominous black light.
It stretched from the corner of his eye to his chin, writhing as if alive, with black blood oozing from it, a sight most horrifying.
“Damn it! That cursed Ravenous Wolf has escaped, so today, I’ll take it out on you!”
Nurbaski glared venomously at Howard, his teeth clenched in fury. “Boy, you’re said to be the Ravenous Wolf’s apprentice, eh? Once I’ve got you, I’ll make sure you’ll be unable to live or die as you wish!”
Upon hearing this, Howard was certain—Wales was not dead!
More than that, Howard had a premonition that Wales was nearby.
After all, Wales had always been kind to him; if he were alive, he surely wouldn’t stray far from Howard.
In this, Howard had great confidence.
If Wales didn’t care about his safety, he wouldn’t have done so many things he had done before.
With this thought, Howard felt less tense.
While Wales might not have the head-on combat prowess of Shelley Chan, Howard was confident that Wales could ensure his safety.
Otherwise, Wales would have taken him and fled long ago, rather than remaining in such perilous circumstances.
Shelley Chan’s face was a picture of surprise; she couldn’t believe that the Ravenous Wolf could survive amidst the onslaught of so many formidable opponents!
But now was not the time for such thoughts.
With the need to protect Howard pressing her, Shelley Chan wasted no time in banter with Nurbaski, Solyes, Baheir, and the others.
Seizing Howard’s arm, she bolted towards the direction of Crimson Dragon City with all the speed she could muster.
“Kill them!”
“Show no mercy, kill them!”
Nurbaski and his cohort were quick to pursue, launching a relentless barrage of attacks.
Fists, blades, blade auras, and spells of various elemental properties were unleashed, along with arrows imbued with formidable strength, raining down upon Shelley Chan.
Howard was shielded perfectly, escaping all harm.
Yet, Howard could feel Shelley Chan’s vitality swiftly wane, her skin marred by wounds, blood trickling from her lips.
Shelley Chan was not one to suffer blows without retaliation.
Whenever an opportunity arose, she would whirl around and strike back with arcs of fiery red blade energy, making the battle fiercely intense.
Howard was deeply moved; he hadn’t expected Shelley Chan to truly not give up on him! But not giving up seemed futile!
Already grievously injured, Shelley Chan could not withstand the torrent of attacks for long.
In less than a quarter of an hour, after receiving a strike to her heart, Shelley Chan coughed up a spurt of blood and, clutching Howard, crashed to the ground in a heavy fall.
The air was sliced repeatedly by the sounds of rushing wind as Nurbaski, Solyes, and their entourage surrounded the fallen Shelley Chan and Howard once again.
“Stubborn to the end, if it’s death you seek, then… death you shall have!”
This time, Nurbaski allowed no opportunity for Howard and Shelley Chan, conjuring a blood-red spear in his hand and hurling it with lethal intent.
Whizz—
The blood-red spear, carrying formidable power, tore through the air, heading straight for Shelley Chan and Howard.
In that moment, Shelley Chan surged to her feet, positioning herself in front of Howard.
Thwack!
In an instant, the blood-red spear pierced through her chest, causing her body to tremble violently as she coughed up copious amounts of blood.
The light in her eyes began to dim, steadily fading away.
Seeing this, Nurbaski and the others couldn’t help but exhale in relief, except for Solyes, who quietly stepped back, a faint light emanating from within him.
“Take my… Storage Bag… and the Space Ring… all of it… take it away!”
Shelley Chan’s voice suddenly rang out beside Howard’s ear, startling him.
With a quick glance, Howard was certain Shelley Chan had a contingency in place.
Without fear or worry, he quickly leaned forward, taking the Storage Bag from her embrace and the Space Ring from her finger.
Meanwhile, Nurbaski dove down, his right hand outstretched like the talons of a hawk, reaching for Shelley Chan’s chest!
.