On the third floor of the Necropolis of the Gods, all the Saints were moving with the utmost of caution, not daring to make a single sound for fear of startling awake this slumbering, terrifying creature…the Ba-Serpent. In the entire third floor, the only sound was the soft, quiet snores of the slumbering Ba-Serpent.
“Whoosh. Hiss. Whoosh. Hiss.”
With each breath the Ba-Serpent took, scattered pieces of ice nearby were drawn into its mouth. Whenever it exhaled, black gas came flowing out.
“Fortunately, there are no other creatures on this third floor aside from the Ba-Serpent.” Linley cast a glance at the distant Ba-Serpent.
The ten-kilometer long scale-covered body of the Ba-Serpent, wrapped around that massive iceberg, had a massive head that was the height of a building with six or seven floors. From its closed eyelids came flashes of metallic, steel-like light. The feeling those dim flashes of light gave off alone made many Saints feel terror in their hearts.
After searching for a long time.
“Where is the passageway to the fourth floor?” Linley was growing somewhat impatient.
Not just Linley. The other experts on the third floor were growing frantic as well. If they were forced to stay on the first or second floor for ten days or a month, they wouldn’t be too afraid, but this was the third floor. Even a few hours were difficult to bear.
If anyone made any loud sounds, this Ba-Serpent would definitely wake up.
Even if it didn’t wake up from noise, the Ba-Serpent might wake up on its own. If they just so happened to be here while the Ba-Serpent was awake, then the Saints wouldn’t even have the chance to cry before dying.
“There are more and more people arriving on the third floor now. There’s over thirty, I wager.” Linley turned back and glanced. Those experts that had been on the first or second floor were all all making their way to the third floor now. Nobody in the third floor had found the fourth floor entrance yet.
Naturally, the population in the third floor was continuing to increase.
“Whoosh.”
Although the Ba-Serpent’s breathing wasn’t very loud, it still struck at each person’s heart like a hammer.
“Desri, Tulily, and Fain came in first, but I haven’t seen them yet.” Linley carefully moved past a flow of black gas, which brushed against a nearby iceberg. The iceberg immediately transformed into powder.
The black gas which the Ba-Serpent exhaled was not to be touched.
“Desri and the others are experienced. Most likely, they have already found the entrance and have gone to the fourth floor already.” Linley understood that while he had been searching for the gateway in the first floor, Desri and Fain probably had already begun moving up into the higher floors.
There was nothing for it. They had the benefit of experience.
A person drew near. It was Eddins. Linley looked questioningly at Eddins.
Eddins used a finger to point towards another direction, then a second direction, indicating that several of them would search in the first direction, while Linley and Barker were to search in the other direction.
Linley nodded.
Eddins smiled, and then flew in the first direction with the other two Saints. Linley and Barker exchanged a glance, knowing what the other was thinking. They flew in the second direction. What mattered right now was finding that gateway!
Time passed, one minute at a time, one second at a time.
The experts in the third floor became more and more in number. From what Linley understood, by now, there were around forty of them. After all, there were only sixty or so human Saints, while the magical beasts numbered nearly twenty. Desri and Fain had already entered the fourth floor.
But if they continued to waste time like this, then the number of people here would naturally grow larger and larger.
“Eddins.” Linley looked to the distant Eddins.
Eddins and the other two shook their heads. Clearly, they hadn’t found the gateway. Linley also shook his head. Him and Barker had yet to find it either.
Quite a few of the Saints who knew each other were exchanging messages through meaningful looks. Clearly, none of them had found the gateway. As time went on…Linley, Eddins, and the others grew more and more nervous. But this large group of people still couldn’t find the gateway.
“Impossible.” Linley frowned. “This third floor is rather large, but with so many experts flying around searching for it, it’s impossible that we can’t find it.”
“The only possible explanation is…”
Linley looked towards the Ba-Serpent. “The passageway is next to the Ba-Serpent’s body!”
Ever since arriving at the third floor, every single Saint, upon seeing the Ba-Serpent, immediately moved away from it in terror. None of them dared to go near it. First, the Ba-Serpent was too terrifying. And second…the Ba-Serpent was surrounded by a large amount of black gas.
The power of that black gas was simply too great. Even those extremely tough icebergs crumbled into dust upon touching it.
Nobody dared to go near the Ba-Serpent!
“But precisely because no one dares to go near it, that’s why there’s a chance the gateway is there.” Linley nudged the nearby Barker, who looked questioningly at Linley.
Linley pointed towards the Ba-Serpent, then gave Barker a meaningful look before flying directly towards the Ba-Serpent. Barker didn’t hesitate either, immediately following behind Linley. Soon, the two arrived close to the Ba-Serpent’s body.
Many Saints saw Linley and Barker do this, and they frantically tried to signal them with their eyes, telling them to stay farther away.
It wasn’t because these Saints felt worried about them. It was because they feared that Linley and Barker would awaken the Ba-Serpent, and cause the deaths of all the Saints present!
“Now that we are fairly close to the Ba-Serpent, let’s begin flying alongside its body and try our best to search for the gateway.” Linley pulled Barker, not letting him go any closer to the Ba-Serpent, and then the two of them began to fly around the Ba-Serpent’s massive body, trying to search for that opening.
They started from the safest area, near the tail of the serpent.
Saints were very intelligent. Seeing Linley and Barker do this, many Saints suddenly understood. They, too, now guessed…that perhaps the opening was next to the Ba-Serpent’s body. Immediately, many other Saints drew near and began to carefully search as well.