Chapter 1350: Breaking the Cocoon

Chapter 1351: Breaking the CocoonAuthor: Sanjiu YinyuWord Count: 1279

Perhaps because the lights were on, or because Sun Bumian was suppressing the malevolent energy in the palace, Jian Changsheng had a surprisingly good night's sleep.

He sat up lazily from the bed, yawned, and turned to look at the adjacent bed, only to find it empty. Jiang Xiaohua, who should have been lying there, had disappeared.

"...Where is he?"

Jian Changsheng turned suspiciously to the other side and saw Sun Bumian still sitting cross-legged on the bed, his eyes bloodshot and his face etched with exhaustion.

"Square, why do you look so terrible? Did you not sleep all night?" Jian Changsheng asked, frowning.

"...No, I slept for a while. I just wasn't used to it," Sun Bumian replied, waving his hand.

"Oh... where's Plum Blossom?"

"He went to sleep underground. If you go out and dig around now, you might still be able to unearth him."

Jian Changsheng was speechless.

Jian Changsheng stretched. "Alright, I'll go for a stroll."

Staying in this palace for too long was quite boring, and Jian Changsheng wasn't keen on having a "poisonous insect breakfast." So he simply got up, intending to walk around in the Ghost Mocking Abyss. After all, they were now Chen Ling's guests, and the calamities within the Abyss wouldn't dare to attack them.

Last time they came, these calamities caused him considerable trouble. This time, he intended to properly assert his authority.

"You go ahead. I need to use the restroom first," Sun Bumian said, yawning.

After Jian Changsheng left, Sun Bumian got up to put on his shoes.

But as soon as he stood on the ground, his feet faltered, and he nearly tumbled headfirst.

Fortunately, Sun Bumian was quick on his feet and grabbed the edge of the bed. He frowned, rubbing his throbbing temples, and murmured to himself:

"What exactly happened to this 'Heart' fellow? How could his ominous energy become so terrifying... it's already approaching a true world-ending calamity."

"My rank is still insufficient... I need to find a way to raise it quickly, otherwise..."

Sun Bumian leaned against the bed, taking a while to recover before slowly shuffling outside.

"Plum Blossom!"

"Little Plum Blossom!"

Jian Changsheng walked across the soil of the Ghost Mocking Abyss, calling out leisurely as if he were an old man out for a stroll.

Along the way, the sleeping poisonous insects were woken by Jian Changsheng's voice. They looked up from their holes with bewildered expressions. Upon realizing it was the King's guest, they suppressed their resentment, retreated into their respective holes, and continued sleeping.

Seeing that no one in the entire Ghost Mocking Abyss dared to provoke him, Jian Changsheng's back straightened further. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a patch of distinctly fresh soil on the ground nearby, and his eyes lit up slightly.

"Plum Blossom, time to wake up!"

Jian Changsheng walked to the fresh soil and stomped on it forcefully, but there was no response from below.

Jiang Xiaohua was always a very deep sleeper and had no concept of time. If no one woke him up, he could easily sleep in the soil for a week.

Seeing this, Jian Changsheng immediately dug away the soil and reached down, intending to pull him out:

"Stop sleeping, Plum Blossom! The four of us can just make a mahjong table."

However, the next second, a startled venomous snake suddenly poked its head out from underground and bit fiercely at Jian Changsheng's outstretched hand!

"Ouch!"

Jian Changsheng hadn't expected it to be a venomous snake instead of Jiang Xiaohua. Although he retracted his hand extremely quickly, the fangs still left a shallow red line.

Less than ten seconds after Jian Changsheng's exclamation, a red-robed figure shimmered out from the palace.

"What happened?"

Chen Ling saw the blood mark on Jian Changsheng's hand, frowned, and his sharp gaze immediately fixed on the snake underground.

The venomous snake seemed to finally realize what was happening, fearfully prostrating itself on the ground, its entire body trembling. At the same time, its abdomen gently pulsed, as if something was about to emerge.

"Huh? No, it's nothing... just a small cut. I was trying to dig up Plum Blossom, but I didn't realize it was here. I accidentally disturbed it," Jian Changsheng said, waving his hands repeatedly.

Chen Ling learned the reason for the incident, then glanced at the snake's belly and sighed lightly:

"Your luck isn't great. This venomous snake is in labor, which is when its aggressiveness is highest... You happened to dig into its spot, so it reacted defensively."

Fortunately for Jian Changsheng, this small cut was hardly an injury, and coupled with his natural resistance to toxins, it should heal on its own soon.

Jian Changsheng gave the snake an awkward smile, as if apologizing to it.

Meanwhile, about a dozen meters from Jian Changsheng, the soil slightly heaved, and a white-haired head emerged from beneath, looking bewildered.

"Heart, Spade?"

"Hmm? You actually woke up on your own? I was planning to come wake you."

"Oh... the soil here is cool, so it wasn't very comfortable to sleep in. That's why I woke up early," Jiang Xiaohua explained. As he spoke, he climbed out of the ground.

"Where's Square?"

"He should still be in the restroom."

Chen Ling nodded slightly, said nothing more, and walked directly towards a certain spot in the Ghost Mocking Abyss.

Jian Changsheng asked, puzzled:

"Where are you going?"

"By my reckoning, it's about time... I'm going to pick someone up."

"Pick someone up? Besides us, who else is in this Ghost Mocking Abyss?"

Jian Changsheng and Jiang Xiaohua, having nothing else to do, immediately followed behind Chen Ling.

As Chen Ling advanced, centipedes suddenly crawled out from the surrounding cliffs and soil, seemingly sensing something, and swarmed towards the same direction.

Jian Changsheng's confusion grew deeper as he witnessed this strange sight.

It wasn't until Chen Ling stopped that Jian Changsheng saw a massive, black, cocoon-like object standing alone in an open space not far away. Beneath it lay the already decayed carcass of a gigantic centipede, looking utterly grotesque.

Thump—thump—thump...

Dull thudding sounds continuously echoed from within the gigantic cocoon. At the same time, the cocoon itself trembled slightly, as if something was about to burst forth!

"What a terrifying aura!" Jian Changsheng keenly sensed the oppressive power of calamity emanating from within the cocoon, and his expression changed slightly.

That pressure was no less intense than that of the eighth-tier toad they had fought upon their arrival!

Just how many powerful calamities were there in the Ghost Mocking Abyss?

Besides themselves, nearly all the centipedes in the entire Ghost Mocking Abyss had gathered here. They surrounded the area, as if awaiting something.

Chen Ling's gaze was fixed on the trembling gigantic cocoon. As the frequency of the dull thudding sounds accelerated, the cocoon's shaking became more violent. The moment a thunderous roar erupted through the abyss, the gigantic cocoon exploded from its center!

Boom—!!

A black and red centipede, hundreds of meters tall, broke out of the cocoon!