Free Web NovelChapter 46: Chapter 45: The Mysterious Land: Earth Abyssal Esophagus
"Dog-headed Demons? What kind of monsters are these?" The group’s eyes widened at the terrifying scene. More and more dog-headed monsters swarmed out from every tunnel, like a tidal wave!
"Dog-headed Demons are monsters from the Earth Abyssal Esophagus!"
Qin Feng’s expression was grave as he spoke slowly. "Legend says it is the most foul, murky, and dark place in all of existence. It is where the world digests the reincarnation of all things, the deepest of depths. That is why it’s also called the Earth Abyssal Esophagus—a metaphor for the most putrid, corrupt, and chaotic place imaginable. Some also say it exists in the darkness beneath the earth itself! That place is boundless, endless! Countless mysterious and terrifying races live within, known collectively as the Underground Demon Fiends."
"These monsters before us are called Dog-headed Demons, a low-level race within the Underground Demon Clan. Of the Thirty-Third Floor of the Earth Abyss, they reside on the first floor—the one closest to the surface. They have the heads of dogs and the bodies of men, covered in scales and possessing sharp claws that can easily tear through flesh and blood. These Dog-headed Demons have an extremely high reproduction rate, making them the most numerous cannon fodder race in the Earth Abyss!"
’It’s so strange. Why would a Low-level Demon Monster like the Dog-headed Demon be in this abandoned mine? Don’t tell me there’s a fissure leading to the Abyss here?’
Qin Feng’s expression was grim as he mulled this over. ’I’ve only ever read about the existence of Underground Demon Fiends in ancient texts. The Thirty-Third Floor of the Underworld Abyss is an incredibly mysterious and terrifying place. Rumor has it that the Earth Abyssal Esophagus is filled with endless laws of digestion—a place even God-Demons can enter but never leave. The only things that ever get out are the residual dregs of whatever has been digested.’
’Unless... unless the Earth Abyssal Esophagus has undergone some change, causing a fissure from the Underworld Abyss to crack open!’
"Qin Feng, what do we do now?" Yu Yao’s face was pale as she looked at the dark, pressing mass of Dog-headed Demons staring at them with drooling, greedy, and ferocious eyes.
As far as the eye could see, the tunnel filled with a rustling, scraping sound as the number of Dog-headed Demons grew endlessly. Hundreds, no, thousands of emerald-green eyes gleamed in the dark. A thick, terrifying aura of death descended, so suffocating that it choked out any courage to resist. The sight of the Dog-headed Demons surging toward them like a tidal wave was enough to inspire utter despair!
"Hu... mans... Eat... eat... them!" the most burly, one-horned Dog-headed Demon growled, baring a disgusting mouth full of sharp fangs. It stammered, but it had actually managed to speak in the common tongue.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!!! Amidst a chorus of deep, cold snarls, scores of short figures charged, pouncing on the spot where the four stood.
The dog-headed monsters were incredibly fast. Their claws, in particular, were deadly—long, sharp, jet-black nails protruding from limbs covered in dark scales, glinting coldly in the darkness!
"We fight our way out!" Qin Feng shouted. The Ancient Sword in his hand flicked up, and he was the first to act, instantly slicing a pouncing, dark figure in two. Purple-black blood splattered as the two halves of the corpse fell to the ground.
Far from intimidating them, the bloody scene only ignited the innate ferocity and brutality of the Dog-headed Demons. With guttural roars, the savage monsters began to charge forward in a frenzy, like sharks that had smelled blood.
"Damn it! These Dog-headed Demons are incredibly fast and extremely bloodthirsty! Everyone, be careful!" Qin Feng bellowed. With a spin of the Ancient Sword in his hand, he unleashed a triple sword shadow, instantly cleaving three of the charging monsters in half at the waist.
His strikes were sharp and fluid. Qin Feng had never formally practiced Swordsmanship, yet his skill was clearly profound. With a sword in his hand, he seemed to transform into a machine of Slaughter.
SHLICK!
One sharp flash of the blade after another cut through the air, each arc like the cold, elegant light of a crescent moon in the darkness, radiating a sinister yet captivating deadliness.
With just himself and his sword, he somehow held back the tidal wave of dog-headed monsters flooding the narrow passage.
"What terrifying Swordsmanship!" Yu Yao sucked in a sharp breath, her expression turning grim. The stronger Qin Feng revealed himself to be, the more worried she became.
"Just this Swordsmanship alone... none of the young masters of our Qin Family generation can compare!" Qin Gang’s eyes lit up as he watched, and he nodded again and again, a sense of relief washing over him.
Qin Shou’s eyes were wide with amazement. "These dog-headed monsters aren’t weak in the slightest. Each one is stronger than a Martial Artist of the Third Heaven, and much faster too. If it were me, I could handle four or five at most. Any more, and I’d be dead for sure!"
Hearing this, Qin Gang fell silent for a moment before adding, "With my strength, I could probably handle seven or eight of them. If I had to face any more than that, I’d have to flee. Otherwise, it’d be certain death!"
Yu Yao remained silent, but she was making her own calculations. ’I cultivate the Broken Gold Inner Breath, so I’m a little stronger than those two. But not by much. I could take on about ten of them, at most!’
Yu Yao glanced at Qin Feng, who was single-handedly holding off the entire tunnel with his overwhelming Divine Power. ’The guy’s an absolute freak!’ she thought.
’There are so many Dog-headed Demons... just the sight of them makes my skin crawl. And yet Qin Feng is single-handedly suppressing them, forcing them back again and again!’
In truth, the mine tunnel wasn’t particularly wide, only allowing a dozen or so Dog-headed Demons to advance abreast. This meant Qin Feng wasn’t having too difficult a time.
However, that was beginning to change. Dog-headed Demons, with their sharp claws, were a terrifying race skilled at digging. With their tough Scale Armor and sharp talons, they weren’t as easy to kill as Yu Yao and the others had first thought.
If it weren’t for the exceptional sharpness of the Ancient Sword he had taken, Qin Feng might not have found it so easy. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Qin Feng’s arm trembled with power. With one mighty swing, he cleaved through several more of the fearless Dog-headed Demons, his Longsword ripping through their Scale Armor-covered bodies.
SCRATCH! SCRATCH! A rustling, scraping sound reached his ears. Qin Feng glanced over and saw that some of the Dog-headed Demons were now digging at the ground. They weren’t intelligent creatures, but faced with the congestion in the tunnel, they had instinctively begun to excavate, widening the Space.
’No, I can’t let this continue,’ Qin Feng thought. ’There are too many of them, and these damn things are fearless. If they widen the tunnel, even more will swarm in at once. It’ll be much harder to deal with them then!’
Qin Feng scanned the area and, this time, he noticed something. Behind the horde of Dog-headed Demons, the one with the single horn was brandishing a weapon and letting out strange, low growls.
It looked like it was giving commands!
Qin Feng casually cut down a few more demons that tried to charge him, his eyes locking onto the powerfully built one. ’Ordinary Dog-headed Demons aren’t intelligent. They only have instincts for survival and destruction; there’s no sense of order among them.’
’But this one... it’s faster and stronger than the others, and it possesses a near-human intelligence that the rest lack. It’s the one commanding them!’
Qin Feng instantly locked onto his target! His body flickered, vanishing from his position. He took a single step, weaving through the dense pack of Dog-headed Demons like a wisp of wind. In the next instant, his figure appeared in mid-air before the leader, and he brought his sword slashing down. The blade hummed with a mournful tremor, the Cyan Gold metal streaking through the air with a piercing, cold light.
The majestic Dog-headed Demon leader was quite intelligent. It sensed the intense killing intent rushing toward it. A disturbingly human-like sneer flashed in its emerald-green, bestial eyes, quickly replaced by a look of savagery, malice, and triumph. It opened its gaping maw, fangs bared, and spat a glob of foul, black liquid straight at Qin Feng.
’This beast’s timing is perfect!’ Qin Feng thought, inwardly surprised. ’It waited to strike right when I’m in mid-air, my momentum spent and unable to muster a new burst of power!’
’What a cunning beast! It’s like a scheming, calculating human!’
CRACK!
At the critical moment, a series of sharp cracks echoed from Qin Feng’s frame. While still in mid-air, his body contorted in an unbelievable, serpentine twist. The glob of foul, black liquid flew past, barely grazing his clothes.
Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao, Spiritual Snake Demon Subduing Fist Technique!
SIZZLE! The disgusting, foul-smelling liquid struck the cave wall with a hiss! It instantly melted a large pit into the solid rock!
’What a powerfully corrosive liquid!’ Qin Feng’s pupils contracted. Seizing the opening, his body spun like a whirlwind in mid-air, closing the distance to the Dog-headed Demon leader in an instant. With a sweeping flash of his Longsword, he drew the blade across its waist, slicing it clean in two!
