Chapter Sixty-Four: The Enemy Revealed

As if he knew the place intimately, he led Vivian and the others to a rockery, and after searching around for a while, a mechanism sounded. With a series of clicks and clatters, the rockery was moved aside by the hidden device, revealing a passage beneath.

“So it’s the almost forgotten art of mechanical traps. No wonder we couldn’t find the entrance!” In this world, where magic civilization is highly developed, humans have grown accustomed to using magical arrays as sources of power. As a result, the ancient craft of mechanical engineering has gradually faded from use. At first, Zhou Tian and his companions had been seeking the entrance to the secret passage by sensing magical energy, never expecting the other side would employ mechanical tricks instead. Their efforts had been in vain because they did not anticipate this method.

“I’ll go first. Follow me.” Zhou Tian paid no heed to Vivian’s discussion. With a leap, he plunged into the passage, leaving only those words behind as he charged ahead.

“Wait!” Vivian hurriedly raised her hand to stop him when she saw Zhou Tian enter the passage, but he was too quick. Only after his figure had vanished did she exhale and mutter, “Since it’s a mechanical device, the inside can’t be entirely safe. Rushing in like this is too reckless!” She sighed, exchanged glances with the others, and resignedly followed him in.

Of course, Zhou Tian hadn’t entered the passage recklessly. When he had brought Vivian and the others over, he had left a snake in the underground chamber to act as his agent. Once the mechanism’s entrance was opened, Zhou Tian learned through the snake that the people inside had discovered someone was breaking in. Their reaction was unknown, but to prevent the demon from escaping, Zhou Tian could only hasten his pace toward the chamber.

With his snakes clearing the way, Zhou Tian raced through the underground passage at top speed. Despite his urgency, when he reached the hidden chamber, it was already empty.

He stood frozen for a moment, but did not give up. Quickly contacting the snake he had stationed inside, Zhou Tian easily learned the retreat route the enemy had taken.

“No time to lose.” Zhou Tian, eager to give chase, didn’t bother searching for another hidden switch. He fixed his gaze on the direction, and kicked out forcefully.

Although Zhou Tian had always relied on the Snake Basin in battle, it did not mean he lacked combat abilities beyond that artifact. On the contrary, after gaining some experience and undergoing a change in character, Zhou Tian had leveled up to over thirty by ‘monster hunting.’ Though his abilities still wouldn’t impress the continent’s top experts, in hand-to-hand combat, his beastly physique granted him the right to be a formidable opponent.

With a powerful kick, Zhou Tian knocked down the concealed stone door before him, and without pausing to assess what lay beyond, he rushed in.

The result—

Reality proved that, regardless of Zhou Tian’s strength, in terms of experience, he was a complete novice compared to Vivian and her group.

If it had been the others, even knowing the enemy’s route, they wouldn’t have acted as rashly as Zhou Tian. Perhaps not making elaborate preparations, but at the very least, they would have ensured their own safety during the pursuit.

Lacking experience, Zhou Tian’s carelessness cost him dearly.

The Lord of Fat Pig City was no benevolent figure. Just to buy time and increase the chances his side could strike Zhou Tian with magic, he was willing to sacrifice his own soldiers as cannon fodder. Faced with Zhou Tian’s sudden pursuit, the city lord had made preparations to further his own escape.

As he withdrew from the chamber, he left a few death warriors behind the stone door. The instant Zhou Tian broke through, they launched a suicidal attack using secret arts.

Barely escaping, Zhou Tian swallowed hard, recalling the close call with lingering fear.

The city lord’s death warriors had used some unknown secret technique. When Zhou Tian entered the passage, they erupted with speed rivaling that of the White Tiger King, despite their low cultivation. Had Zhou Tian not instinctively summoned a python to shield him, their desperate assault could easily have ended his life.

“Damn it!” Realizing the danger, Zhou Tian was enraged. When pushed to the edge, people typically respond in two ways: either paralyzed by fear, or driven to a frenzy. Zhou Tian, without doubt, belonged to the latter. After being frightened by the death warriors, his immediate reaction was a bloodthirsty retaliation.

Under his command, hundreds of venomous snakes swarmed the death warriors, and amid their wretched screams, devoured them.

“Captain, are you all right?” Though Vivian and her companions hadn’t witnessed the incident directly, upon arriving, they sensed something was amiss with Zhou Tian. He appeared unharmed, but Vivian courteously inquired after him.

“I’m fine.” Zhou Tian would never admit his embarrassment. He had nearly been killed, but he feigned ease, leaning against the stone wall and said lightly, “Those guys just left. I’ll go after them now, you—”

“Boom!” Before he could finish, the stone wall he leaned on suddenly exploded. Caught off guard, Zhou Tian nearly fell victim to the trap.

Yes, nearly. Though the attack was unexpected and Zhou Tian hadn’t anticipated such an ambush, under normal circumstances he would have been hit. But, having just survived one dangerous episode, his nerves were taut. The moment the stone wall shifted, he reacted instantly.

Transforming, summoning snakes, hiding—

Zhou Tian accomplished these actions in a flash. After the explosion, which seemed powerful enough to leave Vivian and her group in disarray, he emerged unscathed.

But since no one had seen his moves, both the hidden enemies and Vivian’s group believed Zhou Tian had been killed in the ambush.

“Captain!” Vivian cried out in alarm toward Zhou Tian’s last position, her gaze fiercely fixed on the passage.

Perhaps emboldened by the apparent defeat of their powerful enemy, the demon who had previously confronted Zhou Tian and his companions emerged from the shadows.

“It’s you!” Seeing a familiar foe, Vivian, consumed by both old and new hatred, nearly lost control and rushed at him.

But a glare cannot kill. The demon ignored Vivian’s fury, putting on a showy pose and declared, “One down.”

“Not so fast!” As soon as the demon finished his words, Zhou Tian, restored to his human form, suddenly appeared behind him, retorting calmly and startling the demon.

Seeing Zhou Tian alive, the demon immediately struck behind himself with his palm—

“Since you’ve come out on your own, there’s no need to leave.” Ignoring the demon’s action, Zhou Tian pointed at him, reciting a mysterious incantation that no one could decipher.

As the spell concluded, an unremarkable rope at Zhou Tian’s waist flew toward the demon...