Chapter 77

With a "whoosh," a faint sound of wind disturbance echoed through the space. The power and speed of this kick were simply terrifying.

Xiao Yu, in fear, clung tightly to the blind A Yan, curling up in the corner of the crack. A Yan's face was filled with fear and confusion, as he could not see and did not understand what was happening.

Chu Nan's golden leg kicked out, and Can Er let out a low roar. Its body, slightly larger than a South China tiger, was more agile than a cheetah. It dodged the attack with a diagonal leap and counterattacked, viciously biting Chu Nan. Its claws extended, aiming to strike Chu Nan.

The force of the claw strike was even more terrifying than a bear's paw, capable of tearing through pine bark.

Without hesitation, Chu Nan activated the "Spider Silk Release" with his spider claws. With a series of hisses, translucent spider silk shot out. Both their speed and strength reached a terrifying level. The spider silk hit Can Er, who suddenly twisted its body and kicked with its hind legs. Chu Nan lifted his foot and kicked hard.

With a "bang," Can Er's body was sent flying sideways. Almost simultaneously, Can Er's mouth clamped down on Chu Nan's right leg.

Although Can Er's teeth were like saw blades, they could not penetrate Chu Nan's golden right leg. However, the biting force was so terrifying that Chu Nan felt intense pain.

With a roar of anger, Chu Nan kicked Can Er's belly with his other foot.

Can Er, however, refused to let go of Chu Nan's right leg. It swung its claws and struck Chu Nan's back and chest.

Instantly, Chu Nan's back and chest were covered in blood. Can Er then kicked with its hind legs, and its body, like a small calf, slammed into Chu Nan with tremendous force.

Chu Nan's back was right by the crack. The impact sent both of them hurtling out of the crack. Can Er, still biting down on Chu Nan's leg, caused them to fall together.

"Damn—"

Chu Nan roared in anger, swinging his spider claws. Can Er extended its claws and pressed them down, pinning the spider claws. Its tail shot up, and with a "slap," it struck Chu Nan like a tiger's tail, now a weapon.

Even a casual strike from the tail had the force of hundreds of pounds, leaving a terrifying red mark on Chu Nan's face. With a heavy blow from his left hand, Chu Nan struck Can Er's head.

Can Er's head buzzed from the blow. They were entangled, rolling into a ball, and began a close-quarters fight. Even Chu Nan became like a beast, fighting purely on instinct.

The crack in the earth seemed bottomless. Chu Nan and Can Er, entangled, rolled down. Soon, with a loud "bang," they both collided with a protruding boulder.

The boulder could not withstand the force, and the earth and rocks loosened, causing the boulder to roll down. Chu Nan and Can Er, still locked in combat, were finally separated by the impact.

Can Er's mouth, which had been clamped on Chu Nan's golden right leg, was now full of blood. Chu Nan's chest and back were also covered in blood, and his golden right leg had several fang marks, with pale golden blood flowing out.

Although the golden right leg was said to be impervious to blades, it had its limits. Can Er's biting force was too strong, and a few of its teeth had penetrated. However, the injuries were not severe. If it had been a normal human, Can Er's bite would have shattered both skin and bone, not just leaving a few small blood holes.

The massive impact shattered the boulder below. Although they were separated, they continued to roll down. At this moment, Chu Nan realized the danger of their situation and quickly grabbed the spider claws, embedding them deeply into the rock. With his other hand, he clawed into the earth, trying to stop their descent.

In a short time, they had slid down at least several hundred meters. The cold air from below grew increasingly intense.

Chu Nan finally stopped sliding but shivered involuntarily. The cold air from the bottom of the crack was bone-chilling.

The crack was not a straight, ninety-degree drop. At the bottom, it gradually sloped.

Chu Nan steadied himself and noticed that Can Er, about ten meters away, had its claws firmly embedded in the rock, staring at him with cold, eerie eyes.

Their eyes met, and Chu Nan pulled out his spider claws from the rock. Can Er's eyes narrowed, and its body tensed, ready to pounce. Suddenly, from the sloping crack, a "rustling" sound was heard.

Caught off guard, Can Er's body stiffened, and like Chu Nan, it instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.

Both Chu Nan and Can Er, with their exceptional vision, could see through the darkness. With the "rustling" sound, soil and rocks began to fall. Soon, a black shadow emerged from the soil, revealing a large hole.

The black shadow was long and slender, covered in scales, with short, thick limbs, a flat and long tail, a slightly raised back, and a conical head with five toes. It had terrifying claws and resembled a pangolin, but much larger than a normal one.

The pangolin-like creature emerged from the soil, and both Chu Nan and Can Er fell silent, staring at it from a distance.

The creature moved through the darkness with a "rustling" sound, its nose twitching as if sniffing something. Suddenly, it locked onto Chu Nan and Can Er and charged at them.

It moved quickly, especially its front claws, which were extremely sharp and could easily cut through soil. With a few swift movements, it covered several dozen meters, aiming for Can Er, who was closer.

Can Er's fur stood on end, and it growled. Suddenly, it pounced on the pangolin-like creature.

Chu Nan was certain that this creature was a mutated pangolin, much larger and with enhanced speed, strength, and particularly powerful front claws.

It had detected Chu Nan and Can Er and was about to attack, but it had encountered another mutated creature, Can Er.

Can Er and the pangolin were instantly entangled. The mutated pangolin tried to grab Can Er with its claws, but Can Er's massive mouth clamped down on its throat and tore it apart. Blood gushed from the pangolin's throat, and its head was almost completely severed.

After Can Er threw it aside, the mutated pangolin was lifeless.

Chu Nan took a deep breath. Despite its injuries, Can Er was still ferocious.

Leaving the dead pangolin behind, Can Er turned to face Chu Nan again.

Chu Nan slowly slid down, the nearly vertical slope gradually becoming more level. The space at the bottom of the crack grew wider, and finally, Chu Nan stood firm, holding his spider claws and slightly crouching.

Can Er, about twenty meters away, faced him, seemingly more aggressive after killing the mutated pangolin. Its fur stood on end, and its tail was raised, ready to attack at any moment.

Chu Nan was not afraid. He was about to engage in a life-or-death battle with Can Er. This fight would end with either his death or Can Er's.

However, Chu Nan soon frowned. From the darkness at the bottom of the crack, another "rustling" sound was heard, and this time, it was not a single sound but a dense, continuous noise, like several animals moving.

"Could it be..." Chu Nan thought, but then several black shadows emerged from the crack, each resembling a giant pangolin, similar to the one Can Er had killed.

One after another, five mutated pangolins appeared. They noticed the dead pangolin on the ground and suddenly opened their mouths, revealing small teeth. They let out a "squeaking" sound, seemingly enraged, and charged at Can Er as a group.

Five mutated pangolins attacked Can Er.

Forced to turn around, Can Er had nowhere to run at the bottom of the crack. It did not think of fleeing but instead faced the attack head-on.

Chu Nan stood up straight. It seemed there was a nest of mutated pangolins at the bottom of the crack. Can Er had killed one, and now trouble was brewing. Perhaps he wouldn't need to fight Can Er after all.

Can Er pounced into the group of five mutated pangolins, swinging its claws. One pangolin let out a muffled cry, spewing blood as it was thrown back. Can Er leaped into the air and slammed it to the ground, biting down with its massive mouth and killing it with a single bite.

Everything happened in a flash. Another pangolin was killed by Can Er, and the remaining four pounced at the same time.

Chu Nan had just stood up and was about to gloat when he realized something was wrong. The "rustling" sound came from all directions, and soil and rocks were falling.

Soon, more black holes appeared in the soil, and more mutated pangolins emerged.

One, two, three... five...

The bottom of the crack was not just a nest of pangolins; it was a terrifying den of mutated pangolins. Chu Nan and Can Er, in their fight, had disturbed the hidden pangolins.

More and more pangolins emerged from the soil, and in a blink, over ten surrounded Chu Nan.

Realizing the danger, Chu Nan ignored Can Er, who had just killed another pangolin, and leaped to escape.