"Sixth Master, have you noticed the structure of this ancient tomb? It feels like we've seen it somewhere before?" Fang Ming suddenly asked as the three walked through the passageway.
"Seen it before?" Zheng Zhu Liu blinked, pondering their journey so far, and felt a vague sense of familiarity.
"At the supercomputer on the eighteenth floor," Qing Mian interjected. His memory was much better than Fang Ming's or Zheng Zhu Liu's. Hearing Fang Ming's remark, he immediately recalled it.
"No wonder..." Fang Ming realized. They had seen a blueprint in the supercomputer, which they initially mistook for the eighteenth floor's layout but later dismissed. Now, reflecting on it, that blueprint depicted the structure of the ancient tomb.
"Qing Mian, do you remember if the blueprint showed any shortcuts to the bottom of the tomb?" Fang Ming inquired.
"Let me think," Qing Mian closed his eyes, recalling the details.
After a moment, Qing Mian opened his eyes. "There is a shortcut, but I think it's rather dangerous."
"Dangerous? How so?" Zheng Zhu Liu asked curiously. For Qing Mian to mention danger after all they had encountered indicated the shortcut was indeed perilous.
"According to the blueprint, this ancient tomb has eighteen levels, and the Blood King is buried on the last level. To reach the eighteenth level directly, we must take a special passageway. It's a passage specifically for the Blood King, leading directly to any part of the eighteenth level."
"Is this passageway very dangerous?" Fang Ming asked.
Qing Mian nodded and continued, "The passageway is guarded by the Blood King's personal guards. Judging by the battlefield we just witnessed, there are at least tens of thousands of Fiends, and possibly even Terrors!"
Fang Ming and Zheng Zhu Liu gasped. This was indeed excessively dangerous. If they descended level by level, apart from the soldier puppets on the second level, they hadn't encountered any other dangerous areas. If they went through the direct passage, they might not come out. With Nannan still asleep, facing even one Terror, let alone a group of them, would be impossible for the three of them.
What should they do? Should they choose to meticulously descend level by level, or take the direct passage? The three looked at each other, undecided for a moment.
"Perhaps we should risk taking the direct passage?" Fang Ming suggested. "The path below will surely become more difficult. The closer we get to the Blood King's burial site, the higher the probability of encountering Terrors. Instead of that, let's just take a chance with the direct passage!"
"I have no objections," Qing Mian stated directly.
Zheng Zhu Liu hesitated for a moment, then agreed with Fang Ming. If they descended level by level and encountered a Terror on any floor, they would have to fight. It was better to gamble on the direct passage.
"Alright, I have no problem with it either!" Zheng Zhu Liu gritted his teeth, choosing to follow Fang Ming's suggestion.
"Then Qing Mian, lead the way. We'll head towards the direct passage now."
With Qing Mian in the lead, the three quickly exited the passageway and arrived at the seventh level.
"Is this... the Pool of Accumulated Resentment?" Fang Ming looked at the interconnected pools before him, each filled with condensed liquid resentment! The entire seventh level was filled with these pools!
The pools were uniformly shaped, approximately five meters by five meters square. A rough count revealed nearly a hundred of them, with channels connecting each pool to its neighbors, forming a massive network.
"Pool of Accumulated Resentment? Fang Ming, you recognize it?" Zheng Zhu Liu asked in surprise.
"Yes, I saw it in White Wood Village." It was the trump card of the ancient ghoul, that burial ground.
"Be careful of your surroundings. Places like this usually have powerful guardians," Fang Ming warned.
The three cautiously observed their surroundings, but after a long while, the entire seventh level remained eerily silent.
"Perhaps at the bottom of the pools?" Zheng Zhu Liu speculated, as on the mercury river level, all the Fiends had hidden at the riverbed.
Qing Mian's figure vanished upon hearing this. A few minutes later, he reappeared. "There's nothing at the bottom of the pools. There are no dangers here."
"No danger?" Fang Ming was surprised. How had this ancient tomb suddenly become so friendly?
Meanwhile, the Professor, hidden in an unknown dark corner, watched the scene. He had arranged all of this. Otherwise, with the strength of Fang Ming and his companions, they would have been captured at the ancient battlefield. He wanted Fang Ming to meet the Blood King quickly, and he had already removed most of the obstacles. The Pool of Accumulated Resentment was originally guarded by three Terrors, but the Professor had removed them, leaving only an empty seventh level for Fang Ming and his companions.
"However, I have discovered something interesting," Qing Mian said, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
"What is it?" Fang Ming asked curiously. What could make the usually stoic Qing Mian smile?
"The resentment in these pools can rapidly increase my strength. I think I'll absorb some here," Qing Mian explained. "Fang Ming, you could try it too. It might be beneficial for you."
"Really?" Fang Ming's face lit up. If that were the case, it would be wonderful. He was eager to increase his strength.
Qing Mian nodded and then stepped into a pool, submerging himself. Seeing this, Fang Ming quickly followed, entering another pool.
"Sixth Master, could you wait for us on the shore until we come out?"
"No problem, no problem," Zheng Zhu Liu waved his hand. The stronger the two became, the safer their future adventures would be. He hoped they would emerge from the pools as Terrors.
The moment Fang Ming submerged in the Pool of Accumulated Resentment, he felt the surrounding water begin to surge wildly. The liquefied resentment rapidly integrated into Fang Ming's body, but strangely, he didn't feel any change in his strength.
"Strange, why can't I feel this resentment?" Fang Ming mused, closing his eyes to concentrate. After a moment, a smile appeared on his lips. The resentment was indeed flowing into his body, but it was all intercepted by the fiend tattoos Nannan had formed. This made Fang Ming feel both amused and exasperated at the little girl. However, he didn't mind. Nannan's strength was equivalent to his own. If these resentments could awaken Nannan, it would be even better. Absorbing too much resentment now wouldn't directly turn him into a Terror. Just as one could be overfed, one could also be overwhelmed by too much resentment. Nannan's absorption speed was incredibly fast. The Pool of Accumulated Resentment where Fang Ming was located was soon depleted, but fortunately, the pools were connected, and resentment liquid from other pools quickly flowed into this one.
The entire formation of Pools of Accumulated Resentment began to churn with Nannan's frantic absorption. Zheng Zhu Liu watched from the shore, dumbfounded. Although he had no concept of the amount of resentment in these pools, the sudden commotion was truly extraordinary.
Qing Mian, in another pool, had no choice but to leap out and join Zheng Zhu Liu, watching the changes in the Pools of Accumulated Resentment.
"Why did you come out?" Zheng Zhu Liu asked.
"Fang Ming is absorbing a large amount of resentment from the Pools of Accumulated Resentment. If I stay here any longer, the resentment in my body will be assimilated by the Pools and then absorbed by Fang Ming," Qing Mian said helplessly. As a Fiend, the resentment composing his body was certainly not as pure as that in the Pools. Without external interference, he could absorb some resentment liquid, but with Fang Ming's current absorption rate, if he didn't leave, he would likely be absorbed by Fang Ming himself.
"What's going on? How can Fang Ming absorb so much resentment?" Qing Mian couldn't understand. Fang Ming's strength was very similar to his own, and in terms of cultivation realm, Fang Ming was even lower than him.
Zheng Zhu Liu's mind worked quickly, and he soon guessed the reason. "Could it be Nannan?"
Qing Mian suddenly realized. Indeed, he had never even heard of Nannan's true strength. He could only vaguely sense that she was much stronger than ordinary Terrors. Something that could cause such a significant commotion was likely Nannan.
With their suspicion confirmed, the two fell silent, quietly observing the changes in the Pools of Accumulated Resentment. At the bottom of the pools, Fang Ming had become a mere bystander, watching the resentment pour into the fiend tattoos and be consumed by Nannan. An aura, like a slumbering beast, began to awaken within the fiend tattoos, making even Fang Ming feel a sense of dread. Nether Fiend, what realm was that? Recalling the terrifying power of Chang Sheng's punch that shattered three thousand miles, he wondered if Nannan could reach that level now.
The absorption continued. The liquid in the hundred Pools of Accumulated Resentment gradually dried up, revealing bare stone walls. Fang Ming's figure slowly emerged, the water in the Pools no longer able to submerge him. After a full half-day, all the liquid in the Pools of Accumulated Resentment was drained, leaving only a few drops of residual resentment trickling from the cracks. Fang Ming sat at the bottom of the pool, silent. In his heart, he was communicating with Nannan. That's right, Nannan had awakened! This greatly energized Fang Ming. With Nannan awakened, they now had a significant advantage against the Fiends and Terrors in the direct passageway!
Fang Ming opened his eyes and looked up. The pool was nearly ten meters deep, but this was no obstacle for him. "Hoo!" He pushed off with his legs, leaping out and landing steadily on the shore.
Zheng Zhu Liu and Qing Mian rushed over, asking about Fang Ming's condition.
"How are you, Fang Ming?" Zheng Zhu Liu asked with concern.
"I didn't absorb the pool water. It was all Nannan absorbing it just now," Fang Ming explained. "So, my body is fine."
"And Nannan?" Qing Mian asked. He wanted to witness Nannan's power again.
"Nannan, she's out," Fang Ming called out. The fiend tattoos on his chest detached from his body and transformed into a human figure – Nannan. However, Nannan had returned to her previous petite, loli-like appearance, not the cool goddess image Fang Ming had envisioned.
"Why did you change back?" Zheng Zhu Liu asked curiously.
Nannan glanced at him and replied cutely, "My second form consumes too much of my resentment. I haven't mastered changing into that form very well yet. If I maintain that state, I'll gradually lose my mind."
"What is your current strength?" Qing Mian asked. "And your second form?" He was incredibly curious and wanted to know what Nannan's previous state was like.
"As for me right now..." Nannan sensed the power within her. "My inherent strength is slightly stronger than an ordinary Terror. With the right conditions, I can contend with some top-tier Terrors."
"As for my second form, I'm not sure either. I only know it's very powerful."
"Her second form is a Nether Fiend, stronger than a Terror. It's a transcendent existence, truly immortal and indestructible," Fang Ming interjected, explaining.