Chapter 99

Everyone jumped off the ship without a second thought. The ship was high, and the impact of the fall was significant. Many people groaned as they rolled on the ground. When they climbed up from the thick fog, they suddenly realized that the dense fog around them no longer contained the skeletal army that had been there before.

Stunned for a moment, everyone quickly became invigorated. Qin Mu's mind worked the fastest, and he instantly dashed into the thick fog, not heading back but rushing towards the rear of the ghost ship.

No one knew what had happened, but the skeletal army that had densely surrounded the ghost ship had vanished. This meant they had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Because the Life Stele inscription was likely located at the rear of the ghost ship.

As long as they circled around the ghost ship, they could obtain the Life Stele inscription.

Having just escaped the terrifying ghost ship, Qin Mu was the quickest to think of this.

However, Han Yushu, He Zhiwen, Zhao Zifang, and others were not much slower. To survive in such a perilous world and evolve to the fifth level of awakening, none of them were weak.

Everyone reacted instantly, shooting out like arrows.

Chu Nan's legs burst with golden power, and with a powerful kick, he swiftly surpassed everyone, catching up to Qin Mu.

"Boom—"

Suddenly, a terrifying roar echoed, and a massive black shadow burst through the thick fog, swiftly sweeping towards everyone.

Chu Nan let out a low whistle. His left hand, equipped with spider claws, was ready, releasing spider silk that stuck to the other side of the ghost ship. With a pull, he swung through the air.

The massive black shadow swept past beneath him.

Qin Mu reacted quickly, but still let out a groan, unable to completely avoid it. He was grazed, and instantly, blood splattered, and his left arm was severed. He rolled sideways.

"Roar—"

A terrifying roar, like that of a giant beast, made everyone who was rushing forward change their expressions, shouting in shock and retreating.

Chu Nan, hanging above, could see clearly. The black shadow that had burst through the thick fog was a giant skeletal monster made up of many skeletal creatures, resembling a centipede and a dragon. The sweeping tail that had just hit them was the skeletal tail of this centipede dragon.

With one strike, Qin Mu was sent flying, losing an arm and almost fainting from the pain. Behind him, Han Yushu, He Zhiwen, Wu De, and others were shocked, trying to dodge, but it was too late. The centipede dragon's skeletal claws pressed into the ground, leaping into the air like an eagle diving for a rabbit, and pinned down Han Yushu, who had been slower to escape.

"Help—"

Han Yushu's face turned pale, her mouth wide open, trying to call for help, but the centipede dragon's skeletal mouth bit down, its rows of sharp teeth, formed by sharp ribs, deeply piercing into her body.

Han Yushu couldn't even scream. Her beautiful eyes widened, her face contorted, her body convulsing, as if trying to say something. Her eyes lost their light, but a hint of longing for the world remained. Soon, everything faded.

Han Yushu was dead.

Among the fifteen fifth-level awakened beings who had descended into the underground fissure, Han Yushu was the only woman. To survive in such a perilous environment, she had paid more than most men. At the beginning of the earthquake, to survive and evolve, she had sold her body, relying on different men to help her hunt zombie mutants.

These men would severely wound the zombie mutants, leaving the final blow to her, allowing her to evolve from a weak woman to an awakened being.

After much effort and selling everything she could, she had accumulated enough to kill over ten zombie mutants, reaching the first level of awakening.

After that, she worked harder than most, constantly striving, and eventually reached the fifth level of awakening, standing out among the group. She even had ambitions to grow stronger, to one day establish a vast power base, control a large territory, and enslave those disgusting men, putting all men beneath her feet.

But in the end, she died.

Before her death, she found it ironic. If she had known this would be the result, why not have died at the beginning of the earthquake? Why go through the trouble of selling her body and dignity, even kneeling like a dog to please a man, enduring disgust, licking every part of his body, just so he would help her wound a zombie mutant, leaving the final blow to her?

At the moment Han Yushu was killed, Chu Nan, hanging in the air by spider silk, swung over, his right hand holding a dragon-shaped vertebrae, swinging it down.

"Dragon Legacy Flash" was activated.

A shimmering light flashed, like a crescent moon slicing down.

A sharp sound rang out, and the shimmering light cut a three-meter-long gash into the centipede dragon's back, severing many bones.

The centipede dragon let out a terrifying roar, its massive body thrashing.

With a "bang," Chu Nan, swinging over, couldn't dodge. He hadn't expected the centipede dragon to be so terrifying. Despite being hit by the Dragon Legacy Flash, which severed over a dozen bones on its back, it was still unaffected. Its skeletal tail struck, and Chu Nan, unable to dodge, let out a groan and was sent flying.

"Boom," Chu Nan collided heavily with the side of the ghost ship, then bounced back and fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Just that one hit severely injured his internal organs.

The centipede dragon roared, charging into the crowd, wreaking havoc. One by one, people couldn't withstand the attacks, screaming in pain, spitting out blood, and some were even crushed into meat paste by the centipede dragon.

From all directions, the terrifying rustling and the sound of chains pulling echoed again.

The skeletons that had disappeared hadn't left but had only retreated temporarily. Now, they were surrounding them again.

The dozens of survivors, their faces ashen, were all in despair.

Zhao Zifang suddenly waved his hands, and tendons extended, wrapping around He Zhiwen.

He Zhiwen was stunned, not understanding what was happening. Zhao Zifang growled, his eyes slightly red with a savage look: "Sorry—" He pulled, and the tendons, like sharp knives, cut into He Zhiwen's throat, severing his head.

Both were fifth-level awakened beings. Zhao Zifang's sudden attack on He Zhiwen stunned everyone, and some even thought Zhao Zifang had gone mad.

Chu Nan, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, watched Zhao Zifang roar, his body radiating terrifying primal energy. Suddenly, he understood. Zhao Zifang must have been at the peak of the fifth level of awakening. In this desperate situation, he had finally taken a desperate risk, killing He Zhiwen unawares, and thus breaking through.

To survive, killing a companion in this moment was no longer a big deal.

Zhao Zifang roared, more tendons extending from his body, his strength increasing, and his exhausted body recovering.

At the same time, from all directions, various terrifying skeletal monsters surged out, some with bayonets, some with chains, and even some combined skeletal monsters.

The centipede dragon, made up of many skeletal creatures, was invincible.

Qin Mu, who had lost his left arm, saw everything and finally couldn't help but feel despair, letting out a deafening scream.

He knew they were all doomed.

Zhao Zifang, by killing He Zhiwen, had broken through to the sixth level of awakening, but it only allowed him to survive a bit longer. In the end, he would still die.

Zhao Zifang, now a sixth-level awakened being, suddenly roared, his tendons extending, but he didn't attack the skeletal monsters surging from all directions. Instead, he lunged at Wu De.

"Zhao Zifang—" Wu De roared, both shocked and angry, retreating.

Zhao Zifang was completely mad. He understood that even breaking through to the sixth level of awakening, he was at most on par with Chu Nan and still couldn't survive. Therefore, he needed to kill more people to absorb more primal energy and break through to a stronger level.

Wu De, wielding hand blades, retreated, and suddenly, Zhao Zifang twisted his body, abandoning Wu De and lunging at the heavily injured Chu Nan.

Chu Nan, also a sixth-level awakened being, was his true target. If he killed Chu Nan, then Qin Mu, Wu De, and others, he might break through again. Even if there was only a slim chance, he wouldn't give up.

As for circling around the ghost ship to obtain the Life Stele inscription, it was now impossible.

The terrifying centipede dragon, capable of easily wounding or killing a sixth-level awakened being, was blocking the way, clearly preventing them from reaching the Life Stele inscription.

However, almost the moment Zhao Zifang lunged at the injured Chu Nan, Chu Nan struggled to his feet, his left hand's spider claws releasing spider silk.

With a series of hisses, the spider silk stuck to the side of the ghost ship above, and he leaped over, grabbing the dead body of Han Yushu, and soared into the air.