"Drip, drip..."
The scene on the third level surprised Fang Ming. The entire level was enveloped by a winding river of mercury. To cross it, one either needed a boat or the ability to fly.
"Sixth Master, why is there so much mercury on this level?"
"Let me measure the density of the mercury river."
Zheng Zhu Liu crouched down and inserted a small tube into the mercury river. After a moment, he withdrew it.
Zheng Zhu Liu shook the small tube a few times, then observed its contents.
Fang Ming didn't understand what he was doing and didn't disturb him.
"Let me try."
Fang Ming stepped forward, released the pressure on his body, and transformed into his Shazhong form. He first dipped his fingertip into the mercury to gauge its toxicity. The scales on his fingertip turned somewhat black!
Seeing this, Fang Ming felt a sense of gravity. The mercury could actually harm him. The idea of forcing his way across had to be abandoned.
Then, Fang Ming went to the wall behind them, grabbed a stone, and threw it forcefully into the mercury river.
"Plop!" Water splashed.
After waiting for a moment, there was no movement in the mercury river.
Fang Ming was cautious and threw a few more stones in. Still, nothing happened in the mercury river.
"It seems there are no tomb guardians," Zheng Zhu Liu said, guessing from Fang Ming's repeated probes without any reaction.
"No, I think something is wrong." Qing Mian, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, negating Zheng Zhu Liu's guess.
"What is it?" Fang Ming asked.
Qing Mian wouldn't speak without at least a ninety percent certainty. Since he said this, it meant he had discovered something amiss.
"Wait for me a moment." Qing Mian left an afterimage in place and entered the mirror world to investigate.
Fang Ming suddenly realized he had forgotten Qing Mian's ability could be used this way. Once a mirror image appeared, if Qing Mian entered it, he could see the mapping of the mirror image onto reality at the moment of its creation.
This was a good method for reconnaissance and ambushes.
About ten minutes later, Qing Mian reappeared beside Fang Ming, his expression somber.
"Did you find something?" Fang Ming asked, guessing from Qing Mian's expression.
Qing Mian nodded.
"There are a large number of Shazhong at the bottom of the mercury river. These Shazhong are likely experimental subjects cultivated by the Professor, but their abilities were not outstanding, so they were placed here. However, at the very bottom of the mercury river, a Fiend-level entity is sleeping."
Fiend... Fang Ming gasped. Fortunately, he hadn't woken that thing up by throwing stones earlier, or it would have been game over.
There were too many Fiends in this Blood Royal's tomb! An ordinary tomb robber would have perished no matter how many came.
"How can we leave here and get to the fourth level?" Fang Ming gnawed on his fingernails, feeling frustrated. They were only on the third level and had already encountered a large number of Fiends. Who knew how many more levels there would be, and how many more Fiends they would encounter?
"How about... we try climbing over from above?" Zheng Zhu Liu carefully pointed upwards. When he had crossed areas like this mercury river before, he would choose to climb from above using grappling hooks.
Above?
Fang Ming looked up. It was a bare stone ceiling, but with his strength, climbing directly was not impossible.
"We can try it!" Fang Ming affirmed Zheng Zhu Liu's suggestion. "There's no time to lose, let's go!"
At this point, crossing the mercury river directly was impossible. Climbing from the stone ceiling was worth a try.
"The big guy at the bottom of the river has found us," Fang Ming took a deep breath. "Be careful!"
At that moment, in the center of the mercury river, a pair of lantern-sized eyes emerged from the water, staring at Fang Ming and Qing Mian moving on the stone ceiling. It was obvious that this entity was not to be trifled with.
"Boom!" The monster suddenly surged, leaping out of the mercury river. Fang Ming was prepared for this.
"Qing Mian, take Sixth Master and go quickly, I'll cover your retreat!" With that, he threw Zheng Zhu Liu to Qing Mian.
"Ah!" Zheng Zhu Liu screamed in fright. Qing Mian drew his long saber and swung it upwards. Zheng Zhu Liu's clothes were pierced by the blade, and he was carried away by the saber's immense momentum, finally being pinned to the stone ceiling by the blade.
Qing Mian accelerated, using the stone ceiling to push off and move, reaching Zheng Zhu Liu. He grabbed his waist and fled towards the end.
Meanwhile, Fang Ming was already clashing with the colossal monster in the mercury river. This was also a Python Fiend! However, unlike the half-Fiend he encountered on the eighteenth floor, this was a true Fiend!
"Boom!" Fang Ming fell straight down, colliding with the Python Fiend using his momentum. Fang Ming was sent flying, but fortunately, this entity's strength wasn't that great, far from the strength of the Soldier-puppet Fiend. Using the backward momentum, Fang Ming returned to the stone ceiling, his gaze fixed on the Python Fiend.
The Python Fiend was stunned by this collision, shaking its head. Its eyes began to turn scarlet.
"Damn insect!" the Python Fiend roared. "Roar—!"
With its roar, the entire mercury river began to boil, and python-shaped Shazhong, large and small, emerged from the river, all roaring at Fang Ming.
"Hmm? This is..." As more and more Shazhong appeared, Fang Ming's gaze inadvertently swept across the entire mercury river, and he suddenly realized that the shape of the mercury river seemed somewhat like a rune?
However, the Python Fiend had no intention of letting Fang Ming ponder these things and opened its monstrous maw, biting towards Fang Ming.
Seeing this, Fang Ming quickly let go and fell to dodge. The Python Fiend missed instantly, and Fang Ming landed in the mercury river, facing the Shazhong head-on and engaging them in a desperate struggle.
"Ha!" Fang Ming grabbed two python Shazhong, as thick as an adult's arm, with both hands and slammed them together. The heads of the two Shazhong exploded like two watermelons.
But more python Shazhong lunged forward. Fang Ming continuously used the bodies of the python Shazhong to leap, dodging their attacks while constantly moving, heading towards the end of the third level.
"Trying to escape?" The Python Fiend also noticed Fang Ming's intention and sneered. Its physical attack ability was indeed not strong; ordinary half-Fiends could probably contend with it, but this meant it had other abilities commensurate with a Fiend!
"Where can an ant escape!" the Python Fiend roared. The entire mercury river surged, and as the Python Fiend's body rapidly coalesced, a thousand-meter-long mercury python appeared in an instant, its massive maw rushing towards Fang Ming with the momentum of devouring the heavens and earth.
Fang Ming gasped. Was this Fiend's ability so terrifying in its domain? What could contend with this mercury python?
Its massive maw encompassed hundreds of meters around. There was no escape!
Fang Ming exerted all his strength but couldn't escape. He was swallowed by the mercury python in one gulp.
The surrounding mercury squeezed in rapidly. Fang Ming's scales quickly turned black, and a suffocating sensation overwhelmed him. Fang Ming struggled desperately, but it was useless. There was mercury everywhere, and even when he breathed, he swallowed large amounts of it.
His scales could withstand it for a while, but his internal organs did not possess such powerful capabilities.
Soon, Fang Ming's struggling weakened, and he finally sank into the mercury...
The Python Fiend stopped its ability. The mercury python dissolved back into the mercury river. Fang Ming's body had sunk to the very bottom of the mercury river, surrounded by a group of Shazhong, waiting for an opportunity to take a bite.
"Tian Qiong, activate the rune." The Professor's figure suddenly appeared beside Fang Ming. Standing at the bottom of the mercury river, he gazed at his perfect creation.
"Yes, Professor." The Python Fiend bowed respectfully.
Soon, the entire mercury river began to boil. The Shazhong began to scream, and in a short time, they were dissolved by the mercury river. Even the Python Fiend named Tian Qiong began to dissolve, its flesh and blood merging into the mercury river.
In just a few minutes, all the Shazhong and Fiends in the mercury river disappeared, melted into pure resentment by the massive rune forming the mercury river.
Streams of pure resentment, along with a large amount of mercury, entered Fang Ming's body through his seven orifices. Fang Ming's body began a monumental transformation.
The scales, which had turned black from mercury corrosion, once again emitted a cold silver light, and the scales became more elongated and sharp. His tail became more slender and powerful, almost comparable to twice his height!
Fang Ming's physique also continued to grow, from his original five meters quickly reaching nearly ten meters. The tips of the horns on his forehead emitted dazzling energy ripples, and the muscles within his body became more explosive.
"Not enough! Damn it!" The Professor showed no satisfaction. Only he knew that Fang Ming's evolution had not yet reached its final stage. The resentment and energy provided by the mercury river were still limited.
"It seems we'll have to wait until they meet the master for Fang Ming to undergo his final transformation," the Professor said helplessly. It seemed that the resistance planned for later stages had to be reduced, and Fang Ming had to meet the Blood Royal quickly.