Chapter 93

This blow pierced his heart and lungs, and he let out a piercing scream, still trying to struggle. The large mouth opened and closed, and before he knew it, he was completely swallowed.

The second victim was Chu Nan, who was running the fastest.

Chu Nan's reaction speed far exceeded that of the fifth-level Awakened who had just been swallowed. The moment the ground split open to reveal a huge mouth, he reacted, thrusting his weapon downward to pierce the mouth, causing it to bleed. He then leaped into the air, attempting to escape.

However, he did not expect a blood-red tongue to shoot out from the mouth like an arrow, wrapping around his waist and dragging him down. With an overwhelming force, Chu Nan was pulled into the huge mouth.

At this point, the others finally reacted, shouting and fleeing in all directions. Those who were slower to react were instantly bitten and swallowed by the huge mouth on the ground.

It turned out that there was a large pit on the ground, and an unknown monster had been lurking in it. This monster, like a chameleon, had skin that blended with the surrounding environment, making it impossible to detect. Everyone thought it was just part of the ground.

The monster was round and worm-like, with no distinguishable head or tail. Its body was covered with terrifying giant mouths, each filled with fangs and a blood-red tongue.

When the mouths were closed, they left only a thin slit, easily overlooked. Only when they opened did the terrifying fangs become visible, ready to devour any prey that came close.

The monster moved very slowly, so it would find a crack in the ground and lie in wait, blending with the surface. It would wait for prey to pass over it before suddenly opening its mouth to devour them.

Chu Nan was caught by the blood-red tongue from one of the mouths and dragged into the open mouth.

As the mouth closed, the two rows of fangs snapped at Chu Nan, ready to tear him apart, just as they had the fifth-level Awakened.

However, Chu Nan's agility and reaction speed far exceeded those of the fifth-level Awakened. He flipped his left hand and slashed downward, severing the blood-red tongue. Then, he used his Golden Legs to brace himself.

The fangs, though powerful, could only create small blood holes on his Golden Legs, which were nearly invulnerable.

For Chu Nan, even the small blood holes on his Golden Legs were a testament to the monster's incredible bite force. Any other fifth-level Awakened would have been unable to withstand it.

The mouth tried to open and bite again, but Chu Nan would not give it another chance. He swung his spinal bone, activating the "Dragon Legacy Flash."

The blade cut through the monster's body, creating a three-meter-long wound. Blood gushed out, and the monster's body convulsed violently, but without limbs, it could only move slowly.

Chu Nan stomped on the monster's body, creating a large blood hole, and then leaped to the side.

The others realized the monster's slow movement and knew that as long as they avoided it, it could not harm them.

Yang Zheng used his fat mist ability, combined with a lighter, to release a flame.

The flames engulfed the monster, which struggled, rolled, and writhed, but its fatal weakness was exposed. Lying in the flames, it could only be burned alive, unable to escape.

Seeing the unknown monster burn to death, the others breathed a sigh of relief and continued toward the Life Stele, which was now within reach.

However, they suddenly stopped, their faces showing strange expressions.

"Sss..."

"Sss..."

The final stretch to the Life Stele, hidden in the deepest fog, was within reach. But in front of them, a dense mass of black shadows flickered, and the rustling sound grew louder.

The skeletal army, hidden in the fog, finally appeared at the end of the fog.

One after another, the skeletons emerged, their numbers almost impossible to count. They filled the entire space, blocking the path to the Life Stele.

"Damn it, let's join forces and charge in!" He Zhiwen suddenly shouted.

"Right, no matter how many skeletal monsters there are, they can't stop us!" Zhao Xi also shouted, his right hand trembling, his eyes glowing with a fierce light as he stared at the dense mass of skeletons approaching them.

Suddenly, Fang Xiaobo let out a low whistle, grabbed a mud ball, and threw it at the approaching skeletal monsters.

The mud ball exploded in the midst of the skeletal army.

With a loud bang, dirt splattered everywhere, and a skeleton was thrown off balance, its bones scattering.

Seeing this, the others' eyes lit up, and they roared in unison, charging forward led by the twelve of them.

Including Chu Nan, there were fifteen people who had reached the fifth-level Awakened or higher. Three had died in the fight, leaving twelve.

They were: Chu Nan with the Golden Gene, Qin Mu with blood control, Wang Zhi with the Eagle Eye Gene, Zhao Xi with the Wolf Gene, Han Yushu with the Poison Bee Gene, Fang Xiaobo with mud control, Yang Zheng with fat gene awakening, He Zhiwen with the Elephant Gene, Cheng Lu with the ability to turn hair into steel needles, Wu De with hand blade evolution, Zhao Zifang with tendon gene evolution, and Xue Tao with gravity gene awakening.

The twelve of them charged the fastest, followed closely by the strongest of the fourth-level Awakened, who, though not as agile, were only a step away from the fifth-level Awakened.

The moment they made contact, a series of terrifying sounds erupted. Chu Nan, wielding spider claws and a dragon-shaped spinal bone, charged into the skeletal monsters like a dual swordsman.

Swords and spears swung at him, but they shattered upon impact. His right hand's dragon-shaped spinal bone swept horizontally, and three skeletal monsters were cut in half at the waist.

Chu Nan then kicked out with his Golden Legs, which exploded with power, sending a skeletal monster flying and colliding with others, causing their bones to scatter.

Qin Mu's vulture claws targeted the heads and necks of the skeletal monsters. The vulture claws would automatically open and close, twisting the necks of the skeletal monsters, causing their heads to fall and roll away. Without heads, the skeletal monsters lost their strength and soon disintegrated.

Qin Mu's blood control ability had little effect on the skeletal monsters, so he relied mainly on his vulture claws.

Similarly, Han Yushu's bee venom, Wang Zhi's eagle eyes, and Cheng Lu's hair needles had little effect on the skeletal monsters, so they relied on their weapons and superior physical strength to fight.

Yang Zheng's fat mist and flames had little effect on the skeletal monsters. The temperature of the flames, though high, was not enough to cause fatal damage. Eventually, Yang Zheng stopped using the flames and joined the melee with a weapon.

Zhao Xi's wolf gene was highly effective against the skeletal monsters. His right arm, transformed into a wolf claw, had incredible destructive power. If it caught a skeletal monster's neck, it would easily break it, just like Qin Mu's vulture claws.

Fang Xiaobo controlled the mud, creating mud balls for long-range attacks. He did not approach the skeletal monsters but threw the mud balls from a distance. Each mud ball caused a powerful explosion, scattering the skeletal monsters.

He Zhiwen's elephant legs were also incredibly powerful, similar to Chu Nan's Golden Legs. A single kick sent skeletal monsters flying, their bones scattering.

The remaining three, Wu De, Zhao Zifang, and Xue Tao, had abilities that were highly effective against the skeletal monsters.

Wu De, one of the twelve, was a 32-year-old Northeastern man, a bachelor, with a straightforward and righteous personality. Before the earthquake in Jiangtian City, he was the owner of a small moving company with four employees, including himself.

He had grand plans for his future, such as expanding his company, buying a house in the city, marrying a beautiful and virtuous wife, and settling down in Jiangtian City.

However, the earthquake changed everything. Now, he was just one of the group, always at risk of death. His awakened gene power allowed his right hand to mutate.

His right hand's five fingers fused into a bizarre and terrifying hand blade.

This hand blade, made of flesh and blood, was far more formidable than steel.

The hand blade could easily cut through reinforced concrete.

Neither the skeletal monsters nor their spears could withstand a single strike from Wu De's hand blade.