NCCnovel Chapter 77 Fear and Choice Beneath the Frozen Lake
Chapter 77 Fear and Choice Beneath the Frozen Lake
Above the frozen lake, the eerie red light grew even more intense, like the eyes of demons staring down at the crowd from the abyss at the bottom of the lake. The ice surface shook violently, with large chunks of ice breaking off and falling into the lake, making chilling cracking sounds, as if the frozen lake was howling in pain, venting the prelude to the unknown terror that was about to be unleashed.
Huanmo suppressed his unease, his eyes fixed on the red light, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He thought, "We just dealt with that giant beast, and now this happens again? What kind of monster lurks beneath this icy lake? Are we really going to perish here today?" But he knew he couldn't show weakness now. As the leader of the group, he had to remain calm. So, he took a deep breath and shouted to his companions, "Don't be afraid, everyone! Since we've come this far, no matter how difficult it is, we'll face it together!"
Upon hearing this, the companions, though still pale-faced, nodded and gripped their weapons tightly. The woman in black tightened her grip on her black longsword, a resolute glint in her stubborn eyes. She silently vowed, "Whatever it is, if it dares to appear, I will fight it to the death and never let it harm my companions in the slightest."
As the red light grew increasingly intense, the rumbling from beneath the frozen lake grew louder, as if a thousand horses were galloping towards them. Suddenly, a colossal figure slowly emerged from the red light, bursting through the ice and sending countless ice shards and water splashing up. It was a monster resembling a dragon but covered in sharp bone spikes. Its body was tens of meters long, and with each twist, the red light on its body flickered, radiating a suffocatingly evil aura.
As soon as the monster appeared, it opened its gaping maw and spewed a torrent of scorching flames at the group. Everyone scattered in panic. Huanmo used his spiritual power to create a shield in front of him, but the intense heat of the flames still caused a sharp pain in his arm, and cracks appeared in the shield. He was shocked; this monster was far more powerful than the previous behemoths.
"Be careful, everyone! Don't attack rashly. Find its weakness!" Huanmo shouted a warning to his companions while dodging the monster's attacks. The group scrambled to avoid the monster's attacks, observing the enormous creature. The man in white frowned, gripping his jade flute tightly, trying to find a flaw in the monster's movements; the man in green and Qingwan leaned on each other, their eyes wary, searching for the right moment to strike.
Seizing an opening, the woman in black leaped into the air and thrust her weapon towards the monster's eye, hoping to temporarily incapacitate it. However, the monster seemed to sense her intention, violently whipping its head, sending its hard bone spikes hurtling towards her. Unable to dodge in time, the woman was grazed by the spikes, blood splattering, and she was thrown back by the force of the blow.
"No!" Seeing this, Huanmo was frantic and rushed over to catch the woman in black. Looking at her injured arm, Huanmo's eyes were filled with heartache and self-blame. He blamed himself for not being able to protect her, and at the same time felt extremely resentful of the monster's power.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me, deal with it first." The woman in black said through gritted teeth, her eyes still fixed firmly on the monster.
Just as everyone was locked in a fierce battle, the woman in the light blue dress suddenly exclaimed, "Look at its abdomen! The red light there is relatively weak; perhaps that's its weak point." Hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, but the monster's abdomen was an extremely tricky spot, and attacking it was no easy task.
Seeing the monster rampaging, Huanmo made a decision. He turned to his companions and said, "I'll distract it. You guys attack its belly when you have a chance." His companions tried to dissuade him, but Huanmo was determined. He flashed and rushed towards the other side of the monster, launching spiritual attacks as he ran, successfully drawing the monster's attention.
The monster roared and abandoned the others, chasing after Huanmo. Huanmo dodged with all his might, sustaining multiple injuries and expending a great deal of spiritual energy, but he had only one thought in his mind: to create an opportunity for his companions to attack.
Finally, seizing their opportunity, the woman in black, despite her pain, leaped into the air once more. The sound waves from the white-clad man's jade flute transformed into propulsion, propelling her even faster towards the monster's belly. The man in green and Qingwan also unleashed a combined attack, providing flank support and amplifying the attack's power.
With a soft "thud," the black-robed woman's longsword successfully pierced the weak spot in the red light on the monster's abdomen. The monster let out a deafening scream, its body twisting wildly, flames shooting out haphazardly, churning the entire frozen lake into chaos. Everyone hurriedly dodged again, but just then, the monster's body suddenly began to swell, and the red light became even more dazzling, as if it were about to self-destruct.
Huanmo was shocked and shouted, "Oh no! It's going to self-destruct! Everyone, get out of here!" Without thinking, everyone ran desperately towards the edge of the frozen lake. However, the monster's self-destruction was extremely powerful; a strong shockwave swept towards them, and they felt a searing heat on their backs, as if the Grim Reaper's scythe was already hanging over their heads.
At this critical moment, a strange light barrier suddenly appeared at the edge of the frozen lake. The barrier emitted a soft glow, like a life-saving shield. Without thinking, everyone rushed into the light barrier. With a loud "boom," the impact of the monster's self-destruction slammed into the light barrier. The barrier shook violently, but ultimately withstood the terrifying force.
Everyone collapsed inside the light screen, speechless for a long time, overwhelmed by the feeling of surviving such a close call. Before they could even recover, strange runes began to appear within the light screen, shimmering with a mysterious light, seemingly conveying some kind of message. Huanmo struggled to his feet, staring at the runes, his mind filled with doubt. He murmured, "What's going on with this light screen? What do these runes represent? Have we just escaped one danger only to fall into another?"
Their companions also gathered around, staring at the constantly flashing runes, their faces filled with tension and trepidation. They didn't know whether this new situation was a blessing or a curse, and could only wait quietly. The gears of fate had once again pushed them in an unknown direction, and what choice should they make?