I can return to the age of mysterious
Chapter 552 - 552 302 Relic Fifth Layer (4000) _2

Chapter 552: 302 Relic Fifth Layer (4000) _2 Chapter 552: 302 Relic Fifth Layer (4000) _2 A stone at the end of the exit was pushed by the tip of a shoe.

With a plop, it fell into the ever-flowing underground river, making no significant ripple with the water it displaced.

Casio looked to the left and right, it was a rock layer tunnel eroded by the underground river, with a diameter of more than ten meters.

The river rushed from left to right, flowing fervently.

“According to the map, this is a river that runs through the bottom three layers of the ruins. We can reach the fourth layer by following its flow,” commented Sheng Feinan after a glance at the map.

“No, skip the fourth layer and go directly to the fifth one,” replied Casio, his eyes flashing.

“Straight to the fifth layer? But, the map indicates that where the underground river meets the fifth layer is the most dangerous area.”

Sheng Feinan slightly furrowed his brows.

“I know. But behind us, there’s something even more dangerous catching up. Do you hear it?” Suddenly, Casio pressed his left ear against the cold cave wall, glancing at Sheng Feinan and Feng Liusi.

Feng Liusi also moved forward and pressed against the wall to gauge the situation.

“Chh-chh-chh…chh-chh-chh…”

Current noise? No, it’s friction. It’s beetles’ limbs scraping on the cave wall. Those holy beetles are up to us!

They are like a white river sweeping through Akaba Ruins!

As exterminators, they periodically get rid of any anomalies.

At the sight of their faces, it appears that the trio had delayed their progress for too long in the third layer, and eventually got caught up.

If they opt to proceed gradually into the fourth layer, they will face various exotic species and traps ahead and an even more insane insect tide behind!

Even though Casio’s team comprises of the strongest fighters, they might still succumb to repeating perils.

Therefore, it’s best they skip straight to the fifth layer.

With the entire fourth layer acting as a barrier, they needn’t worry about the terrifying bugs from the nest for a while, instead, they can wholly focus on the dangers of the fifth layer. Even though the area on the map indicating where the underground river enters the fifth layer is the most hazardous in the fifth layer, but the trio considers the holy beetle tide even more dangerous!

“Let’s not bother about it, go through it as quickly as possible,” advised Casio.

Post haste, the trio jumped at the exit position, bouncing to the cliff wall opposite. Their bodies climbed like spiders. Five fingers were easily inserted into the uneven rock seams, pulling upward.

This is nothing unusual; even some rock-climbing enthusiasts can do it. Hence it was naturally not a big deal for Casio and his team.

They wouldn’t want to go into the river unless it was necessary.

Not because they are scared of what may lurk in the darkness below, but because throwing a punch underwater would be restricted by the current, and there would be no foothold. This doesn’t make for a friendly situation for fighters.

Therefore, they chose to cross by jumping from side to side.

Whiz…whiz…whiz…

Above the underground river, there were three figures, like shadows, reflecting back and forth on the cave walls. They were quick, their legs spring-like, their ten fingers mimicking climbing picks. Even though they were making a difficult up and down action, their speed was faster than running.

Thus, three minutes passed.

Casio estimated they had descended a considerable distance.

Click, click, click!

The trio suddenly stopped, holding on to the cliff with one hand. They turned to look at an entrance on the opposite cliff, which was pitch black. That was the passage to the fourth layer, and their original planned entrance.

But now, they could only abandon it temporarily.

There are more than one passages to the next layer in Akaba ruins, the routes chosen by Casio and his team were suitable for their journey. However, they had experienced an abrupt change in circumstances which no longer suited their plan, thus it had to be altered.

“Keep going down.”

Casio took one last glance, then immediately led the way down the river tunnel. Feng Liusi and Sheng Feinan, followed suit.

After two minutes.

The trio stopped. The path ahead had narrowed down, its diameter had shrunk by half. As a result, the tunnel got fully submerged.

In simple terms, they needed to get into the water.

“The entrance to the fifth layer is about seventy meters below, which should be a cliff submerged by the river’s flow, stay focused,” Casio reminded shortly before diving into the water.

But Sheng Feinan and Feng Liusi stood frozen.

A dozen seconds later, Casio surfaced from the bottom of the water.

“The river water is temporarily free of poison, come on down.”

Plunk, plunk two sounds.

The three of them followed the flow, carried by the rapidly rolling river into the tunnel. After a while, Casio occasionally reached out to grab the cave wall, slowing down his movement.

Half a minute later.

Casio and the others found the underwater entrance.

The sound of splashing water!

Above them, a dark current surged as if a huge object had accelerated down into a barrel-sized shadow collision.

In the water, Casio gave Feng Liusi and the others a push, signaling them to leave first. He grabbed the edge of the hole with one hand and clenched his other hand into a fist, striking the river bottom with tremendous force.

The speed was both violent and fast, directly creating a cavity two or three meters long. With one heavy punch, he smashed the sturdy scales on the shadow’s head.

Green blood spread throughout the water as the shadow writhed in pain. Its tail lashed wildly against the cave wall, making loud banging noises.

Casio didn’t bother to follow up with a second punch after the first one landed.

He turned and swam directly toward the fifth layer entrance.

The water, after all, restricted some of his strength. If he had been in the air, one punch would have been enough to break the opponent.

Following the passage up through the entrance, Casio swam for several meters and saw the silhouettes of two people waiting around the corner. The trio nodded at each other in the water and swam upward.

“Whoosh…”

A room-sized pond’s surface suddenly bubbled up. Then three figures broke through the water surface and landed on the ground.

Their clothes were wet, dripping with water. Just as Casio and the others were about to harness their power to dry themselves off, their faces changed abruptly.

The burning sensation of heat, the painful feeling of being pricked with needles. Their entire bodies, every bit of skin, felt a similar sensation.

Casio saw that flames had erupted and spread from Feng Liusi’s chest toward his face.

Instantly, he guessed the reason.

The underground river was not poison-free, but in contact with the air in the fifth layer’s relic, it triggered a special venom flame.

It burned every corner of the skin.

Meaning there was no shortcut like the underground river from the third to the fifth layer. Taking shortcuts required a price.

“My eyes are on fire now…”

Beside him, Feng Liusi calmly said. He silently kept his eyes open, a faint black flame quietly burning on the surface of his pupils.

Was it painful for his eyes to be burned? Of course, it was painful.

But for the three of them, it was not unbearable. It was just a physical punishment. There had been some ascetics in the Secret Martial Art school who enjoyed suffering.

Feng Liusi and the others hadn’t reached that level, but as fighters. They were anything but ordinary with the perseverance and resilience they’ve developed throughout their journey, and they could continue to fight even when severely injured.

Of course, with Casio there, fighting while injured wasn’t necessary.

The three quickly sat cross-legged, each operating the Vibration Energy within their bodies to repair damage. The nourishing liquid and burning flame confronted each other in a tug-of-war that lasted for two minutes.

In the end, the flame from the venom gradually died down.

The Vibration Energy swept over them, repairing the damage.

Another minute or two passed, and Casio and the others opened their eyes.

The pupils that had been burned blind were miraculously restored to their original state. They even became clearer because of the regeneration. The pain in the body and skin disappeared, leaving a feeling of freshness and clarity.

Sheng Feinan stopped the actions he had been doing. This was the second time he had lost his composure. Once when a fish entered his body, and now with the fire. Among the three, Sheng Feinan was undoubtedly the most unlucky.

After a brief rest, Casio and the others recalibrated their maps. Having confirmed their exact location, they saw a passage in front of them.

Leaving the passage would put them face to face with the most dangerous area on the fifth level.

The location of South Dipper’s secret transmission was near this area. It was the only good news the group had encountered so far.

Clip-clop, clip-clop…

The sound of three footsteps left the cave where the pond was located.