Chapter 50

Yuan Ming had no time to think much and could only swim with all his might, striving to reach the next place where they could breathe before Chen Wan's breath ran out.

Chen Wan also swam with her arms, helping to move forward quickly.

She had taken this risky trial to advance and become an inner disciple, and naturally did not want to die here.

Time passed bit by bit, and the breath she had left in her lungs was almost gone. The initial feeling of suffocation in her chest had turned into a pain as if it were about to explode.

She was reaching her limit and could not hold on any longer.

Just as Chen Wan's body began to spasm uncontrollably, she found that Yuan Ming was quickly taking her up, and in a moment, they burst out of the water.

"Ah..."

The moment Chen Wan surfaced, she expelled all the stale air from her chest, followed by a sharp pain in her lungs, which made her let out a soft cry.

But then, she began to breathe in the fresh air greedily and rapidly.

After finally recovering somewhat, she looked around and saw that they were still in the cave. Not far above their heads was a dark, black ceiling.

"How far is it to the cavity you mentioned?" Chen Wan asked, taking a deep breath.

Yuan Ming's gaze was solemn as he replied, "We have arrived."

"Already arrived?" Chen Wan was struck as if by lightning.

"The underground river's water has risen too much, and this area will also be completely submerged," Yuan Ming sighed.

In the darkness, his gaze fell on Chen Wan. Her clothes clung tightly to her slender body, and her hair, wet from the river, stuck to her pale cheeks, making her look disheveled but no less beautiful, evoking a sense of pity.

But at this moment, Yuan Ming had no time for pity. He was thinking about whether to leave her behind, as it concerned his own life.

After all, if he were alone, he could swim faster and hold his breath longer, perhaps long enough to find the exit of the underground river.

At this moment, Chen Wan suddenly raised her hand high, and a ball of fire appeared in her palm, which then shot out and flew toward the cave ceiling.

Yuan Ming was about to scold her when he saw the fireball rise higher and higher, eventually disappearing into the ceiling.

In the next instant, his eyes widened, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"There's a vertical cave in the ceiling," Chen Wan called out, her voice full of surprise.

The fireball, which had risen about seven or eight zhang, seemed to hit something and burned intensely for a moment before extinguishing.

"Is it a dead end?" Both Yuan Ming and Chen Wan felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

"I'll go up and check," Yuan Ming said.

With that, he suddenly squeezed his legs together, and a stream of water was forced out from between his legs, propelling his body upward and out of the water, colliding with the ceiling above.

As he entered the vertical cave, Yuan Ming used his hands to brace himself on the walls, stabilizing his position.

Then, using his hands and feet, he climbed up and soon reached the end of the vertical cave, where the residual heat from the fireball still lingered.

"How is it?" Chen Wan asked anxiously from below.

After a long silence in the darkness, Yuan Ming's muffled voice finally came, "There's a sloping cave leading somewhere."

"Pull me up first; the water level is rising quickly, and the current is getting stronger," Chen Wan said urgently.

The water level had risen significantly, and she was now only about three feet away from the ceiling.

After a moment, a hand reached out from the vertical cave above and pulled her into the cave.

Yuan Ming moved cautiously ahead, turning into the sloping cave and continuing forward. Chen Wan followed silently behind, her heart filled with myriad emotions.

She never thought she would go through this with a fur-covered beast slave she had only just met.

After crawling in the dark and narrow cave for a long time, Yuan Ming suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Chen Wan's heart tightened, and she quickly asked.

She was afraid of getting a dead-end answer.

"There seems to be a sound ahead," Yuan Ming said in a low voice.

"A sound... Does that mean we're almost out?" Chen Wan's heart leaped with joy, but she soon noticed that Yuan Ming's body was tense, realizing something was wrong.

Is it another danger?

"What... What's wrong?" Chen Wan also lowered her voice.

"The sound doesn't seem to be made by humans; something is off. I'll go ahead and check; don't follow too quickly," Yuan Ming said, taking off the toad fur and putting on the white ape fur again.

Without using the fur-covered technique, he crouched low and continued to crawl forward.

After a while, a faint light finally appeared in the darkness ahead, and they reached the cave entrance.

Yuan Ming didn't rush out. After carefully observing, he found that this exit was on the wall of another underground cave, with a hanging stalactite covering the entrance, making his position quite hidden.

Yuan Ming quietly poked his head out, bypassing the hanging stalactite, and looked further ahead.

At this sight, his eyes widened instantly.

In a corner of the cave, a patch of daylight shone through a hole in the ceiling, illuminating a relatively bright area.

In that area, a large group of creatures stood, covered in white fur, with emaciated arms and black claws, resembling humans but not quite.

"Renxiao!" The word instantly popped into Yuan Ming's mind.

After counting silently, he found there were as many as seventeen of them.

However, what puzzled him was that these Renxiao were all gathered together, standing with their hands hanging down, their bodies swaying slightly, like a group of drunk men, looking very strange.

He knew little about these creatures and dared not act rashly, so he retreated and called Chen Wan over.

The two of them squeezed at the cave entrance, looking out.

When Chen Wan saw this, her face clearly showed shock, followed by confusion.

"This can't be... This can't be..." she murmured softly.

"What can't be?" Yuan Ming immediately asked.

"From their appearance, these are definitely Renxiao, but... but Renxiao have no intelligence, no sense of pain, and only know how to fight and devour, even among their own kind. They can't possibly gather together peacefully," Chen Wan couldn't figure it out.

"How are we going to get out if they're all gathered here?" Yuan Ming was worried about this.

At this moment, Chen Wan's expression changed again, as if she had thought of something terrifying, and her mouth opened slightly.

"What's wrong?" Yuan Ming frowned.

"The only reason Renxiao can gather without fighting is... one," Chen Wan said in a trembling voice.

Yuan Ming's gaze sharpened, and he guessed the answer: "They are being controlled?"

"It's the king. A Renxiao king has been born among the gathered Renxiao, and only the Renxiao king can control these creatures," Chen Wan said.

"Renxiao king..." Yuan Ming mused.

"Oh no, oh no, I need to report back to the sect quickly," Chen Wan said anxiously, about to rush out of the cave.

Yuan Ming quickly stopped her, whispering, "If you want to die, I won't stop you, but don't drag me down with you. Rushing out like this is just asking to be eaten by those monsters."

"You don't understand. If a Renxiao king is born, this trial will be in trouble, and many people might die," Chen Wan said, her face pale and struggling.

"Explain clearly, what's going on?" Yuan Ming grabbed her shoulders and demanded.

The registered disciple of Biro Cave, clearly inexperienced in facing danger, was showing signs of panic, which Yuan Ming found contemptible.

"This trial is an entrance exam for registered disciples, the content being to investigate and kill Renxiao. Those who perform well might be chosen by the elders to become inner disciples," Chen Wan explained,