From the rumbling sounds of the rolling stone, they could tell that it should have been rolling for a rather long period of time. Soon after, the sound of a second rolling rose rose from the tunnel again! For a period of time, the six looked at each other at a loss. They were frozen in place and did not know what they should do.
They sent the person with the fastest speed to scout ahead.
However, wherever he passed, he only saw walls that were as smooth as jade, a tunnel that inclined upward, and no place to hide. In less than half a minute, he was forced to run back by a huge rolling stone.
His act of running back and forth wasted more than ten minutes, and the frequency of the rolling stones finally slowed down.
"Looks like we'll be falling behind Mu Clan this time." Phantasmal Shadow could not help but lament.
Even though they had gained quite a lot of loot from the beast puppets in the front hall, she could vaguely guess that the most important quest should still be inside. What they gained just then were only stepping stones to success.
"They slowed down! Move inside!"
Phantasmal Shadow's party seized the chance and hurried inside. They soon found the spot where All-powerful Medicinal Stone and the others previously were, but the harsh terrain still made them feel dejected. They rushed too far before they started allocating people to avoid the rolling stones, and Phantasmal Shadow was forced to turn back and avoid the first pit, which was incredibly dangerous.
"The frequency of rolling stones is increasing. Everyone, be careful. Move forward in order, don't mess it up!"
Phantasmal Shadow waited for the rolling stone to pass before she quickly got out. She had the people space themselves before they continued pushing forward.
She also finally understood why they had missed the shallow pits on the floors and walls while they were still outside. Happy and the others had probably used them to slowly push forward.
*****
Once Happy's party passed the rolling stone trap, they entered a cave with stalactites and pools of water inside. The rolling stones behind them were still rolling down nonstop, but they were traveling further away from them, and they were temporarily safe.
However, the traps in Sky Demon Secret Cave could kill without sound. They had already experienced that, which was why they were as wary as ever. They did not dare to lower their guard even the slightest bit.
They stopped for a while and gradually got used to the dark environment in the heart of the mountain. Then, with All-powerful Medicinal Stone and Happy still taking the lead, they moved forward.
"There doesn't seem to be any traps here anymore, but we should be inside Sky Demon Secret Cave now. Everyone, be on guard—"
Before All-powerful Medicinal Stone could finish speaking, he heard wind blowing above his head. A shining sword was already very close to his skull when he reacted to it, but Happy was just in time to flick it away.
"Damn it!"
"Snakes!"
It was only then that the party realized what was it that Happy had flicked away. It was a snake that was entirely black and blended perfectly with its environment and the stalactites. Its tongue was a sharp longsword, and when it hissed, the blade shone brilliantly.
"It's a mechanical snake."
"Huh? Why isn't it moving?" Wind Chimes cut at it with a sound blade, but only metallic sounds came from it.
All-powerful Medicinal Stone quickly stopped Wind Chimes and Momo from madly destroying the small snake. He moved near the culprit of the incident and scooped it up without any fear.
"Honey Mouth Sword Stomach Snake. It's a rather high-class mechanic puppet, but it's different from the normal ones. They're unique assassination puppets. Their ability to stay hidden is astonishing, and their offensive power is shocking, but once they're exposed, it's very hard for them to continue functioning. That's why they only have the power to attack once or twice."
He stopped talking for a moment, then continued in a tone that said that he felt very lucky at that moment. "It might only be able to attack once or twice, but it can easily kill a Moksha Realm elite, and its attacks cannot be defended against by using normal methods. I'm lucky that Happy noticed it in time and blocked it for me, or else, I would have already turned into a corpse."
"It's that strong?"
Little North felt chills go down his spine. He looked around and felt incredibly wary.
Wind Chimes and Momo instantly felt their hair rise.
"Why did you take it?"
"Happy managed to cripple it with a finger strike, so its core shouldn't be damaged. I'm going to see if I can make it work. This puppet is rather rare, and it can have amazing effects during night."
All-powerful Medicinal Stone carefully put away that Honey Mouth Sword Stomach Snake into his Universe Bag.
"Everyone, be careful, there might be more of these Honey Mouth Sword Stomach Snakes in the area."
After Happy said that, Little North suddenly summoned his three precious zombie puppets. They walked forward in an imposing manner while holding torches, and just as expected, sword glares appeared repeatedly. Honey Mouth Sword Stomach Snakes pounced on the zombie puppets like moths to a flame.
But unfortunately for them, the zombies were not afraid of normal attacks. They only needed to protect their heads, and they were going to be fine. Soon, All-powerful Medicinal Stone happily rushed after them and collected more than ten Honey Mouth Sword Stomach Snakes. He was so happy he could not stop grinning.
The six then fearfully passed through the heart of the mountain, but did not run into any more danger.
"Why are there only kids here?"
The six hid in the dark while examining more than ten children who were as beautiful as statues gathered together in the square-shaped cave.
Behind the children was an old monk who looked like a maitreya. He had a hilariously bloated stomach while he slept in a corner and was dressed in the robes of an evil cult disciple.
"What's going on?"
"Why are there so many kids around?"
Wind Chimes and Momo looked over the children who were in front of them. Their faces were so exquisite that they felt like pinching their pink cheeks, and their limbs were very tiny.
Puzzled by that, the girls mumbled to each other.
However, they did not notice that while they were fearlessly sizing up the children from the shadows, the children had risen up slightly. Some of them seized the chance to cheekily adjust their posture. They looked as if they were about to doze off while sitting.
"Those kids are no simple characters." Silver Wolf guessed the children's identity after one glance their way. "Their real age shouldn't be what it seems. By the looks of it, they are at the peak of Moksha Realm."
"No way." The girls could not believe him.
Happy also spoke up. "This is Sky Demon Secret Cave, the secret training place and main camp of Sky Demon Sect to increase their strength. These kids are definitely no simple characters. Let's not talk anymore. We already exposed ourselves. We'll know once we go up."
Once he finished speaking, he charged toward the seemingly harmless children without bothering to hide himself.
"Ah!"
A piercing young voice broke the silence in the cave. The children were all shocked awake and seemed to have been scared witless. They widened their eyes and clenched their fists as they stared at Happy with a dumbfounded expression.
Happy frowned. 'These damn NPCs. They're really not easy to deal with. Such good actors… If I didn't have memories from my previous life, I might really not be able to clench my teeth and attack them.'
The children seemed to have noticed Happy's killing intent, and when he showed up in front of them, their childish and pure expressions disappeared, replaced by savage and fierce faces. Shining whip swords were drawn from their waists, and with a flick of the wrist, they were straightened. There were as many swords as trees in a forest when they attacked Happy.
"Liars!" Wind Chimes sho
uted in anger. Then, sound blades came at them like waves from every direction. Her murderous presence was unprecedentedly strong!
The children of the evil cult had offended a terrifying woman.
Chapter 607 - The Strange Maitreya Monk
Wherever the sound of the zither went, no one survived!
Before the dozen children's attacks landed on Happy, they were cut to bloody pieces by the surging notes that were like hidden weapons that came charging over like an avalanche. Their ferocious and brutal expressions instantly vanished, replaced by alarm and fear.
But at that moment, they could no longer stop Wind Chime's rampage. The zither sounds echoed in the heart of the mountain, and the ringing and murderous notes were accompanied by sound blades that could sweep away everything. They killed the evil cult children mercilessly.
When the last child took his last breath with a pale face, Silver Wolf was covered in cold sweat. Little North's mouth twitched, and All-powerful Medicinal Stone quietly wiped his Treasure Hunting Mouse...
Even Momo found that she had been sorely mistaken. She had always treated Wind Chimes as a little sister, since she did not expect that this seemingly weak girl would be a witch when she flew into a rage.
"Let's look at what loot we have."
Happy understood that under Six-fingered Demonic Zither's effect, Wind Chimes had grown to understand her abilities even more, and her control grew as well. She became even more familiar with it, and when she executed Six-fingered Demonic Zither at certain times, she would be like Lu Mingyue and occasionally show the domineering side which belonged solely to Dongfang Bubai.
Life and Death martial art manuals were much more valuable compared to Moksha Realm martial art manuals, yet the thirteen children dropped ten of them. The astonishing drop rate made the eyeballs of Little North, whose task was to pick up loot, to almost bulge out of their sockets. "We're rich."
The dozen normal evil cult children alone had compensated all the money they had used for their trip to Sky Demon Sect.
But Silver Wolf did not pay too much attention to it. His gaze was trained on the dozing maitreya monk not too far away. Wind Chimes' zither notes had not managed to shock him awake earlier.
"That old monk is a little strange."
"There seems to be a door behind him. Will Sky Demon Secret Cave be inside?!"
"It might be."
The six approached the monk cautiously.
To their surprise, the maitreya monk opened his eyes when they were less than thirty-two feet from him. His purplish green eyes shone brilliantly, and his body levitated out of the blue. Without another word, he delivered two palm strikes.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two balls of flames with an aggressive presence locked down on Happy because he was at the front. They had the powerful presence of those in Inaction Realm.
"Child's play."
Happy reflexively pushed forward with his hands. Two palm strikes delivered through the air dispelled most of the maitreya monk's flame palms. The remaining power was negated by the Throw Spirit Sphere that was executed by his side.
Momo calmly pulled her arm back and stared at the maitreya monk indifferently.
The maitreya monk snorted coldly. "It has been a long while since anyone came to Sky Demon Sect. You're pretty good to be able to get here. But I will not let you enter the place inside as you please. Sky Demon Secret Cave is the supreme holy ground of Sky Demon Sect. All those who trespass must die!"
"You talk a lot."
Happy pushed three of his fingers together and sent two finger-generated gusts quietly.
At the same time, Momo curled her middle finger and also quickly sent over a finger-generated wind.
Wind Chimes held her zither with one hand, plucked the strings with the other, and a visible sound blade accompanied by a ringing sound that tore through the air appeared in front of the maitreya monk in an incredibly fierce manner.
A purplish-green body fortification cover quickly appeared around the maitreya monk.
The trio's attacks were all blocked. The body fortification swayed slightly, but the maitreya monk was completely unharmed. He calmly sent another two palm-generated gusts of wind.
"This old monk is pretty good."
Momo was slightly surprised. After all, the power of Throw Spirit Sphere was not to be underestimated. It delivered amazing damage to body fortifications. Hence, she did not expect that even when they attacked together, their attacks end up being fruitless.
Happy had a solemn expression on his face, but he did not forget to joke.
"Of course. Our Lord Jin [1] has said that it is to our best interests that we do not provoke old monks, children, beggars, and Taoists."
"Who is Lord Jin?"
Silver Wolf looked at Happy with an incredibly serious gaze.
The maitreya monk seemed to have trained up quite the extraordinary body fortification. Most of their attacks were negated and vanished like salt in water. That included Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm as well as the other ultimate techniques. They seemed utterly powerless before the maitreya monk.
"Let me." Silver Wolf took a step forward. "This old monk's body fortification seems very strange and far above ours. I'll have to get close to him and deplete his qi using Red Flame Palm before we can break it."
"Alright!" Happy nodded. "Be careful. I'll hold the fort for you together with Momo."
In the end, something strange appeared…
Silver Wolf said nothing and retreated with care. His qi realm had fallen to the borders of Life and Death Realm, and he could only smile bitterly in resignation.
"This old monk uses the same unique palm technique as I do, but it's much stronger than mine. The area of effect is also very large. He nearly evaporated my qi. If one guard of Sky Demon Secret Cave is already so strong, it'll be even worse when we go in."
Silence fell among the group, and fear rose in their hearts.
"If we can't even deal with him, then we'll have come here in vain." When Happy saw that the group could do nothing against the monk, he whispered some orders. "Wind Chimes, help me disturb the old monk. I'll try again."
Happy would naturally not give up.
In his previous life, there were countless players who spent a lot of time and effort to deal with the maitreya monk who guarded Sky Demon Secret Cave but failed multiple times.
Happy could have led them around, but he wished that his party would understand the maitreya monk's strength and get a good grip of how powerful he was instead of going inside through tricks. If they did not understand the true danger, then when they entered Sky Demon Secret Cave, they would be affected by Sky Demon Illusion and definitely die.
"Careful!"
Silver Wolf and the other five already treated the monk as a powerful enemy of a caliber they had never met before, and they quickly told Happy to be careful.
The maitreya monk continued to push his flaming palms forward, and when Happy drew close to him, purplish-green true qi burned around him to swiftly evaporate his qi.
Happy chose that moment to sit down and circulate Nine Yang Divine Skill to fight against the purplish-green flames roasting him. During that time, with Momo and Wind Chimes protecting him, his qi remained at the peak of its condition.
Dazzling ribbons of red qi began to form in the air. They quickly gathered around Happy, and their number just kept increasing until they gradually formed a huge red cocoon of light!
When the maitreya monk's attacks landed on it, most of his damage was sent bouncing away, and he simply could not break through Nine Yang Divine Skill's true qi protection.
This strange scene made the maitreya monk's expression change.
He quickly noticed that the young man in front of him had a strange true qi protecting him. Even when he was under the effects of the purplish-green true qi, the speed at which his qi evaporated was very slow.
On top of that, the young man's qi cultivation technique generated qi at an alarming speed.
But if the maitreya monk wanted to maintain his purplish-green true qi, he would need a lot of qi to do so. He could not stay in that situation for long, and he frowned before retracting the purplish-green flames around him to switch to attacking Happy with palm-generated wind.
Happy smiled faintly and quickly opened his eyes.
'Made it!'
He pushed his hands against the ground and shot horizontally toward the maitreya monk who was charging toward him.
Chapter 608 - Extreme Flames
When the maitreya monk saw that the purplish-green flames could not stop the invader's footsteps, he suddenly s.u.c.k.e.d in a breath. His stomach bloated, and his body swelled up while he levitated. He became much bigger, just like how a ball would when someone blew air into it.
When Happy arrived in front of the maitreya monk, the maitreya monk became the same size as a round table!
It was the first time Silver Wolf and the others saw such a strange sight and ran into such a strange opponent in Inaction Realm. The maitreya monk s.u.c.k.e.d in air until his body became stable. He then shut his mouth and sealed his other orifices.
It was at that moment that everyone sensed a great danger that had been lurking around all the time.
"Careful!"
Before their voices even faded away, the maitreya monk suddenly spoke.
"A! Mi! Ta! Bha!"
Each syllable was enunciated clearly, and the dharani sounded as if it weighed tonnes.
Happy sensed a pressure that others could not sense. At the moment the maitreya monk said those four syllables, the pressure came at him from every direction, along with a feeling of suffocation that he could not describe. The air around him seemed to have been isolated from him, and his body froze for an instant. Then, he had to withstand the impact from the name of Buddha at full force.
Once the maitreya monk spoke, his body finally began to shrink rapidly. But his mouth remained as puffed out as that of a clam. It was so round that it looked as if there were a lot of things stuffed inside.
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