CHAPTER 610: CHAPTER 589: ONE MORE UPDATE

Zong Yunqian and his two companions had not yet had time to be surprised when the speed of the black liquid began to increase rapidly, as though... it were a living creature.

This realization sent a deep shock through the three of them. This, this couldn’t be possible.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng had been ready to close the net, but now they dared not; not only did they not dare, but the moment the black liquid approached the edge of the Soul Locking Net, they instinctively stepped forward and pressed down on the edge of the net, as if the black liquid would escape otherwise.

What, what was this?

Zong Yunqian thought of the demonic creature mentioned by Ju Nanyi. Was this it?

Wasn’t it said that only...

Zong Yunqian could hardly believe his own eyes because the black liquid was becoming more and more abundant, and the disciples of the Ghoul Ravine were slowly transforming into more of the black liquid.

It was then that Zong Yunqian realized that not all of the black liquid could turn into living things; most of the black liquid flowed throughout the entire Soul Locking Net—"alive" was only a small part of it, mixed within the black liquid. Had their opponent not been so desperate to escape, they would have never noticed it.

"Princely Heir, what is this?" Gu Dao couldn’t help but ask. Although he was not versed in spells, he knew some secrets about the practices at Qiandao Temple only because he followed his own princely heir.

But what was before their eyes had already surpassed what they knew.

And it was, after all, impossible...

The expression on Zong Yunqian’s face confirmed that Gu Dao’s thought was not mistaken.

Zong Yunqian felt that he must have seen it wrong, but when the black liquid flowed to the edge of the Soul Locking Net, and Gu Dao and Xi Feng intentionally pressed down, the liquid immediately became restless, like a fish flapping in shallow water, growing more and more agitated.

After several attempts like this, Zong Yunqian, on the outside of the Soul Locking Net, seemed unable to kill the creature, and as the black liquid increased in volume, the bodies of the Ghoul Ravine disciples within the net were reduced to nothing but stark white bones, and the black liquid slowly began to seep into the soil. Even through the Soul Locking Net, Zong Yunqian could see that the soil had become soaked and soft, slowly forming a small mud pond.

Zong Yunqian seemed to think of something, and immediately took a pair of gloves out of his satchel. Although the gloves did not possess the function of soul locking, they had been made from Golden Spider Silk, which repelled all evil spirits.

"Princely Heir—" Gu Dao felt this was too risky; this thing was so evil that even the Ghost Shadows of Ghoul Ravine, were only half sentient. Without human control, they were just a mass of dead material.

"There’s no time left—" Zong Yunqian decisively spoke up, signaling for Gu Dao and Xi Feng to cooperate and create a gap in the Soul Locking Net. After exchanging a glance, Gu Dao and Xi Feng slowly lifted an opening in the net. Just as Zong Yunqian had thought, that "black liquid" immediately squirmed toward the gap.

Zong Yunqian immediately took action, grabbing the "black liquid" that was about to escape.

Only then could they see clearly, this thing was like a black mud loach, now without the cover of the black liquid, completely exposed in front of the three of them.

Zong Yunqian inhaled sharply; this creature was more cunning than he had imagined. Now realizing it had been captured, its entire body writhed. Although Zong Yunqian’s gloves were made of silk, they were secretly blessed with the spells of Qiandao Temple, and the creature was like trapped in an even smaller net.

The creature struggled even more fiercely, its tentacles trying to penetrate Zong Yunqian’s gloves, and so it twisted frantically.

Zong Yunqian did not know how to deal with this thing and thought to first see if spells could have any effect.

However, before Zong Yunqian could act, the opponent launched an "attack" first. The black, mud loach-like thing suddenly shot out one of its tentacles rapidly, aiming straight for Zong Yunqian’s eyes, and the force of its shot was so strong that an unsuspecting Zong Yunqian nearly stumbled and fell backward. Gu Dao and Xi Feng immediately rushed toward Zong Yunqian, and in doing so, let go of the Soul Locking Net they were holding.

"Princely Heir—"

"Princely Heir—" Zong Yunqian, though a step late, acted swiftly the next moment, his killing intent already aroused. He rapidly chanted an incantation, and with a firm squeeze of his hand, the black mud loach let out a ’pfft’ and then sprayed out a clear liquid, limply dangling in the palm of Zong Yunqian’s hand.

Zong Yunqian quietly breathed a sigh of relief. If it could be killed, then all was well.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng also silently let out sighs of relief. This thing was dead...

"I should have..." kept it alive for further study.

Before Zong Yunqian could finish speaking, Gu Dao suddenly stepped back, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at the Soul Locking Net, unable to utter a sound from his throat. Seeing Gu Dao’s expression change, Xi Feng turned his head and also stepped back.

"Princely Heir—"

"Princely Heir—"

Zong Yunqian kept his gaze on the thing that had died in his hand—only a thin layer of skin remained, revealing nothing. Wait a minute...

Zong Yunqian raised his hand to signal Gu Dao and Xi Feng to stop shouting, but Gu Dao had already reached out and tugged at Zong Yunqian’s sleeve.

"Princely Heir—" Xi Feng’s voice shifted in pitch, finally snapping Zong Yunqian out of it.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng were retreating step by step, their eyes filled with fear. With the two men now lacking the force to suppress it, Zong Yunqian immediately looked behind him—the Soul Locking Net was moving, and it was getting more frequent.

"Princely Heir—" Gu Dao spoke again, swallowing hard because the movement of the Soul Locking Net was accelerating rapidly, as if countless things were writhing beneath it, a truly hair-raising sight.

Zong Yunqian could even see, within the Soul Locking Net, ten, no, dozens, or even hundreds of black mud loaches squirming. Without the suppression of Gu Dao and Xi Feng, the Soul Locking Net was now utterly useless, and its cover only made everything more terrifying.

Zong Yunqian’s first thought was that there were more, not just one, but hundreds, perhaps thousands.

Zong Yunqian immediately harbored an ominous notion—if these things emerged from within the body, they would undoubtedly seek new hosts. One could parasitize a host, but with so many...

Zong Yunqian suddenly dared not think further, as if realizing in a flash, it was not them who had lured the Disciples of Ghoul Ravine to the forest. Instead, the disciples’ secretive arrival was not for any other reason than that they had intended to come here in the first place, and the rest had merely followed.

Therefore, what Zong Yunqian quickly understood was that even if they hadn’t come, the Disciples of Ghoul Ravine would have ended up in the same state, the same predicament.

Was this situation just beginning, or had there already been disciples of Ghoul Ravine who had turned into this likeness? Zong Yunqian’s heart sank further and further—all these indicated that his master had foreseen this situation long ago, so was that why he had told Ju Nanyi?

Moreover, telling Ju Nanyi was a last resort because he was the first person ever to have successfully entered the dungeon.

Zong Yunqian could even imagine how many mages of Qiandao Temple might have been trapped in the dungeon while trying to rescue their master, never to come out again.

"Princely Heir, what do we do next?" Gu Dao and Xi Feng’s voices interrupted Zong Yunqian’s train of thought. Coming back to his senses, he noticed that those black "mud loaches" had already reached the edge of the Soul Locking Net.