Su Luo blurted out, "It's Da Hei, He's up ahead!"
Li Tianjue immediately said, "Don't rush, Luo Luo. You stay here, I'll go ahead and take a look." He vaguely felt that the malevolent intent was emanating from the An Kun, which was why it was so powerful. They had found its hiding place and had to eliminate it.
But how could Su Luo let Li Tianjue go alone?
"Let's go together." Her voice was soft yet firm, and she took the lead.
"..."
Li Tianjue was helpless. He didn't want her to take risks. The An Kun was too powerful, not to mention those mutated beings, but the main problem was the illusion. Once caught, they could fall into a state of eternal damnation.
Su Luo, however, was already disappearing from Li Tianjue's sight without a word, forcing him to chase after her.
The passage was dark and long. Even with Li Tianjue illuminating it with fire, the darkness seemed impossible to dispel. The ground was covered in messy tracks, suggesting a horrific event had occurred here not long ago. The air became even more foul and unbearable, and the two proceeded with greater caution.
The sounds became clearer: roars, struggles, and a hint of mournful crying.
"It really is Da Hei!" Su Luo's spirits lifted.
Then she felt strange. She could hear crying now. Was it real?
Li Tianjue flicked his finger, sending a ball of flame ahead as he led the way. His spiritual energy shield emitted a bright light as he advanced, a sign that it was rapidly depleting.
Su Luo looked around but found no black mist. What was going on?
Suddenly, a brilliant light filled her vision.
It was as if the entire world had brightened. The deep, foul-smelling prison was gone, replaced by a grand hall.
The hall was spotless. The dome was adorned with beautiful and intricate patterns, and precious, shining gemstones sparkled like colorful stars. In the spacious hall, delicate and precious spiritual flowers and herbs bloomed on both sides. In the center, a clear pool rippled, with a fountain spraying like pearls, in fine mist.
A large portion of the malevolent intent had vanished, replaced by a pure and cold aura that washed over them.
Su Luo hadn't expected to see such a scene. Her eyes widened as she gazed towards the depths of the hall. Then, her hand was grasped.
"How can this be? Who is she?"
Li Tianjue was also staring at the deepest part of the hall. He saw a stunningly beautiful woman in a white dress, bound by chains, her limbs tied and confined to the wall.
Her skin was as white as snow, her lips as red as flame, and her long, dark, silky hair was disheveled, falling over her shoulders and reaching the floor. A chain with thorns was wrapped around her slender waist, piercing her abdomen and dripping blood, preventing her from moving rashly.
And they heard the roars and struggles; it was indeed the Dragon Hound attacking a giant, terrifying monster.
Not far from the woman in white, a colossal black beast, occupying a third of the palace, lay like a giant ball of dough, constantly contracting and expanding, its body covered in long, flexible tentacles.
The moment Su Luo looked, her mind was struck as if by a heavy blow, her head throbbing, almost causing her to faint.
At the tip of each tentacle, five scarlet petals opened, revealing an interior full of sharp spines. A soft, tongue-like tendril flickered in and out, madly attacking the Dragon Hound.
The Dragon Hound leaped and pounced like lightning, its growls carrying a warning. Though already covered in wounds, it continued to attack, biting at the beast's tentacles.
"Da Hei, come back quickly!" Su Luo shouted, enduring the pain in her head.
But the Dragon Hound seemed not to hear, continuing its assault on the beast. Suddenly, a tentacle shot out, coiling around the Dragon Hound's massive body, tightening its grip. The sharp, blade-like tip opened, and the scarlet, spear-like tongue struck.
*Chii!*
The Dragon Hound couldn't dodge in time and was directly impaled, letting out a roar of agony that shook the entire hall.
The tentacle tightened, crushing the Dragon Hound, and burrowed deep into its body. The tentacle that had pierced its body emerged from the other end, its blood-soaked tip opening again, aimed at the Dragon Hound's head.
Su Luo's eyes burned with fury. Just as she was about to act, the woman in white cried out, "Save me, help me..."
Li Tianjue said sternly, "Luo Luo, you go save her. I'll deal with the An Kun!"
He was now certain that this colossal beast was the An Kun.
With that, Li Tianjue flashed forward, drawing his divine weapon, the Zhu Zhao Sword. A surge of black flame erupted, its heat far exceeding that of ordinary flames. The moment it appeared, the air warped from the terrifying heat, as if trying to burn a hole through it.
Su Luo hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Li Tianjue had even drawn his divine weapon, she then rushed towards the woman in white.
"Please save me!"
The woman in white's gentle voice was like a breeze to Su Luo's ears.
She looked so pitifully fragile, like a delicate little flower that would break with a gentle touch. Her body was spread-eagled, bound by thick iron chains, and her fair wrists and ankles were already bleeding, evoking pity.
Su Luo did not approach immediately. She stopped about ten feet away from the woman in white and asked, "Who are you?"
"Miss, save me! I, I am... it's so uncomfortable..."
The woman in white looked at her anxiously, then glanced at the terrifying An Kun beside her. She seemed to have no strength left, her words unclear and blurred.
Su Luo frowned and took another step forward, asking again, "Who exactly are you?"
She strongly suspected the woman's identity. How could such an ethereal, noble, pure, and beautiful woman, like a celestial fairy, be here? Even she felt a pang of pity. If her vigilance hadn't constantly reminded her, she would have already rushed forward to help the woman in white break free from the chains.
"I, I am..." the woman in white repeated, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of an explosion.
The An Kun, being attacked by Li Tianjue, seemed to have noticed the commotion. A massive tentacle covered in sharp spines extended, its five petal-like mouths opening menacingly. It was about to swallow the woman whole.
She turned pale with fright and screamed, "Save me!"
Su Luo activated her Divine Eye Mirror, her gaze sharpening. She flashed forward, and her Verdant Jade Small Sword carved a green arc in the air, lightning-fast, slashing towards the tentacle.
Suddenly, the small sword veered, piercing the woman in white's heart.
Her eyes widened, and she looked at Su Luo in disbelief, never expecting her to kill her.
Su Luo's face turned cold. With a wave of her finger, she mercilessly guided the Verdant Jade Small Sword to stab back and forth into the woman in white, drawing waves of blood that stained her white dress...
"Hiss hiss!"
Suddenly, with a loud explosion, a powerful shockwave struck, shaking the entire hall.
Su Luo's vision cleared. The woman in white was gone.
The pure and immaculate hall had become dark and dim, transforming into a vast, deep pit. Towering walls rose on either side, extending dozens of feet high. They were replaced by a potent malevolent intent, as if it intended to swallow them.
Li Tianjue's spiritual energy surged, and he quickly rushed to Su Luo's side to protect her. The giant beast, resembling a doughy octopus, expanded continuously, waving its thick tentacles menacingly, completely engulfing them from above.
"It really is an illusion!"
Su Luo looked at the colossal beast before her. Her Divine Eye Mirror displayed its name—An Kun.