Life Game In Other World
Chapter 1205: "Chaos" Stronghold (Requesting Monthly Votes for Big - )

Chapter 1205: Chapter 1205: "Chaos" Stronghold (Requesting Monthly Votes for Big Chapter)

The pungent stench of blood permeated the crowded air, with vivid red liquid blanketing the dim corridor.

One headless corpse after another lay sprawled in pools of blood, their white wolf heads, drenched with gore, resembling uncontrollable balls rolling haphazardly through the hallway.

The short-haired girl navigated cautiously across the blood-soaked floor, stepping past the scattered wolf heads as she hurried deeper into the corridor.

Dim red light spilled over the concentrated pools of blood.

Every lamp she passed, every camera, every potential source of illumination had been stained crimson by the blood’s overwhelming presence.

A strange glow blanketed every corner of this shadowy space.

Bang—Bang—

The sound of bodies collapsing trickled from ahead.

Scarlet arcs of sword light slashed across the air like fleeting lines streaking through the sky.

The figure ahead was swiftly disposing of the wolf-headed men.

Xiya lowered her gaze to a wolf head by her feet.

After a brief moment of hesitation, she crouched down and picked up the wolf head.

The wolf head’s eyes were still open, its yellow pupils glaring ahead.

The instant her gaze met those pupils, Xiya was startled. Yet, she did not immediately discard the wolf head. Instead, she reached out, feeling along the contours of its shape.

The surface of the wolf head was obscured by thick, blood-soaked fur. By pressing her fingers against these strands, she could vaguely trace the structure of its skull.

Having lived in the wilderness for so many years, Xiya was no stranger to wolf skulls, having felt and scrutinized many of them before.

The shape of this skull was indeed reminiscent of a wolf’s, yet upon closer examination, it differed. The back of its head was broader, and its crown more rounded.

Touching it felt as though some smooth entity had extended its fangs to transform into a "wolf head."

The thought sent a shiver down Xiya’s spine. She tossed the wolf head back to the ground.

The head rolled along the blood-soaked floor before coming to rest atop a nearby headless corpse.

After a moment of indecision, Xiya crouched again, peering intently at the severed neck of the corpse.

The dried blood and flesh were devoid of moisture, and even the once-thick veins had long since shriveled.

Under the dim red light, Xiya examined the base of the throat meticulously.

Then, she noticed something—a faint vertical scar stitched across the skin of the corpse’s neck.

The scar only revealed half of itself; the blade’s edge seemed to precisely strike this mark, splitting it dead center.

This horizontal slice exposed the mystery hidden "beneath the skin," revealing a trace that burrowed into the neck and extended toward the jugular vein.

It was as though something had previously inserted itself here, directly penetrating the jugular vein to drain every last drop of blood.

Xiya scrutinized the corpses closely.

Despite being fully drained of blood and left with dried veins, their bodies remained unnervingly intact.

Their skin and fingers retained a robust, rounded form, though the vascular patterns were entirely absent.

It was as though the entity that siphoned their blood had then "inflated" them like balloons.

A faint chill seemed to ripple through the air in the corridor.

Suddenly, Xiya felt a cool, itchy sensation on the nape of her neck.

Alarmed, the girl stood up instantly. The hunter’s instincts within her screamed that she was being observed—by something impossible to resist.

She glanced toward the deeper end of the corridor and, without hesitation, sprinted along the path paved with headless corpses toward the facility’s farthest recess.

As her urgent footfalls faded into the distance, one of the headless corpses on the floor quietly twitched a finger.

From the ragged scar on the back of its neck, faint yellow light began to spill, spreading outward. The corpse trembled, seemingly trying to rise again.

Accompanied by soft rustling noises, the multitude of corpses crowding the corridor began to quake rapidly.

And right at that moment, the glow emanating from the first quivering corpse’s neck faded away swiftly.

The light pooled around the severed scars, like water rushing out of a broken dam, dissipating in an instant.

In the narrow corridor, each corpse bore such scar damage, and every scar was cleanly severed.

Ultimately, as the luminance fully extinguished, the trembling corpses gradually quieted.

The densely packed corridor returned to eerie silence.

Cold, still air brushed against the blood-spattered wolf heads’ fur.

Xiya sprinted feverishly down the corridor.

The headless bodies thickened—so abundant now that she had to tread upon them to progress further.

The stench of blood grew increasingly overwhelming.

The corridor extended far beyond her expectations, its length seeming to pierce the mountain’s innermost depths.

Squeak—Squeak—

The blood-stained hanging lights swayed, their flickering glow reflecting shadows in the dimness. Somewhere behind her in the darkness, an ominous presence seemed to trail her steps, quickly closing in.

Xiya didn’t dare look back—instead, she kept her head down, pressing onward.

She clung to a rule taught to her since childhood: In the wilderness, if you feel an empty space pursuing you from behind, never turn around.

Her pace quickened, pouring every ounce of strength into her run.

Gradually, the swaying "squeaks" of the lights faded, as though left far behind.

Xiya didn’t stop; she regulated her breathing and pushed herself to accelerate even further.

The smell of blood scraped past her cheeks. She tore through the dimming light without glancing back, racing toward the corridor’s depths.

This passage seemed deceptively short, yet also unending.

The lights ahead dimmed, and the floor’s corpses piled into small hills.

Blood soaked into the ground, the walls, and the air, coalescing into a nearly tangible river of crimson.

For a brief moment, Xiya thought she had entered the illusion realm of a powerful transcendent being.

She felt as though she was walking toward death.

The nape of her neck tingled with icy brushes—something seemed to creep closer.

She rallied every shred of energy to hasten her stride.

After an indeterminate length of running, a faint brightness emerged ahead.

She sprinted toward the glow, though her strength drained rapidly. Her exhaustion mounted, slowing her pace.

Finally, reaching the light’s edge, she found her body weighed down, unable to take even one more step forward.

A faint chill brushed her back, and within the still darkness behind her, an invisible "straw" seemed to creep closer to the flesh of her neck.

Just then, a hand extended from the glow and grasped her wrist, pulling her forward lightly.

She felt herself propelled forward as effortlessly as a feather in the wind, crossing the barrier she had previously found insurmountable. She stumbled into the glowing enclosure.

In that instant, the light dissipated her suffocating heaviness and strain.

She suddenly felt her body grow light.

Turning around, she looked back.

The entity hovering near the nape of her neck moments ago was nowhere to be found.

All she saw was an ordinary-looking corridor, dotted with headless corpses—but not nearly as many as she had "perceived."

This "endlessly stretched" hallway now appeared to span a mere two or three hundred meters.

"What did you encounter coming over?"

The wide hand that had grabbed her wrist released, and a gentle voice sounded beside her ear.

Xiya turned back to glance at the man, meeting his calm gaze.

The fatigue and wariness in her heart eased slightly. She recounted her experience to him swiftly, including her observations of the wolf-headed creatures.

He Ao listened quietly to her account.

Regarding the wolf-headed creatures’ "origins," He Ao had already formed a hypothesis.

His decision to slice open the creatures’ necks stemmed from discovering their energy convergence point located in the cervical region.

But the pursuit and seemingly "endless" corridor Xiya described—or the forces skimming close to her neck—hadn’t affected him.

He had fought his way through swiftly, and he hadn’t sensed anything unusual about the hallway nor encountered the monsters Xiya had.

He looked back at the dark corridor, pondering silently. "I see. Stay within my sight from now on."

"Okay."

Xiya nodded obediently, the lingering dread still casting a shadow over her.

This had been far beyond her capabilities.

She retracted her gaze and surveyed her surroundings.

They had entered a spacious hall. Circular in shape, it measured roughly seventy or eighty meters in diameter. The ceiling overhead, a massive metal dome, reached about twenty meters high. Bright lanterns embedded in the roof illuminated the chamber.

Underneath the lights, the area was sparsely furnished.

To their right upon entering were several crimson chains, once inscribed with runes but now shattered, lying beside two mutilated corpses.

Apart from the chains and corpses, the hall was dominated by one other thing.

Centered on the circular platform, suspended above a wide expanse about five meters across, shimmered a transparent, dodecahedral crystal roughly the size of a fist.

The crystal floated in air, slowly rotating.

The ceiling lanterns illuminated it, scattering luminous, rippling light.

Xiya stared in awe.

Then she realized something and looked upward at the ceiling lamps.

The lights were normal! No blood stained them!

She gazed at the high ceiling, estimating—it might be too elevated for the wolf-headed monsters to reach.

Still, the floor lacked any wolf-headed corpses.

Confused, her eyes darted toward He Ao, whispering, "Mr. Suote, what is this place?"

"Seems like some kind of storage chamber."

He Ao’s gaze flicked subtly toward the corridor before settling on the suspended crystal. Slowly, he took several steps forward.

Xiya hurried to keep up, fixating on the floating crystal with curiosity. "This enormous space holds only this crystal?"

"Not just that."

He Ao shook his head, stopping about ten meters from the circular platform.

As he arrived, intricate crimson runes instantly emerged across the ground before him, spreading rapidly outward to fill the platform’s boundaries.

A semi-transparent, red-glowing hemispherical barrier materialized above the runes, enveloping the platform and the crystal within.

As the barrier formed, the interlinked patterns inside began expanding rapidly, swiftly diffusing across the hall floor.

A chilling suction radiated from the ground.

Nearby, the severed chains sparkled faintly, while the shredded corpses dissolved rapidly, disintegrating into blood-like snow and merging into the floor.

Staring in shock at the scene, Xiya felt the distorted pull emanating from the spreading crimson runes—both on her life force and soul.

This space resembled an enormous sacrificial array, and she stood on it as the "offering."

Turning to He Ao, she saw him focused intently on the barrier, deep in thought.

After a brief pause, she refrained from interrupting him, instead drawing her dagger and cautiously poking the barrier.

The sharp blade pressed against the barrier, which yielded like soft membrane. It pierced with ease but halted roughly twenty centimeters deep—unable to penetrate further.

She withdrew, and the barrier reverted to its original state.

At that moment, He Ao extended his hand, pressing it gently against the barrier.

The barrier rippled inward like pliant material. His hand sank deeply until his entire arm was enveloped, stopping at the same limit.

Retracting his hand, he observed the barrier softly returning to its original shape, his curiosity piqued.

He lowered his gaze to study the intricate network of runes sprawling beneath the barrier.

The formations inside and outside of the barrier appeared interconnected.

Outside lay the sacrificial array, draining life force from any creature near the barrier.

Inside was the primary formation, which absorbed the drained life force to sustain the "soft" barrier, deterring external intrusion.

Structurally, the formations were remarkably organized.

He Ao crouched, focusing on the patterns etched into the ground.

Most of the runes were unfamiliar to him—new sigil designs.

Still, basic formation principles remained recognizable.

In theory, he could study the formations to identify key failure points for dismantling them.

However, this would likely consume substantial time, and the very process of research would sap significant life force.

From his belt, He Ao withdrew his ruby-embedded staff.

He had a quicker solution.