Hidden genius: Black belly snake

Chapter 167: The light within the darkness Part1

As the bright midday sun danced in the effervescent sky, hundreds of thick black strings shot out of the dark smoky barrier and landed on the enormous mountain range.

With the black mist now touching the mountain's outer surface, the corrosive death aura of the mist started eating away the rock-solid wall.

And within a few seconds, the black mist blobs finished their job and dissipated back into the outer barrier leaving behind hundreds of small cave openings in the previously impenetrable mountain.

That too these were not really some sort of shallow cave structure or a small hole in the wall, rather the inside of this cave opening looked extremely deep and complex.

Even from the outside one could see several tunnels connecting the small cave opening and leading deeper and deeper into the mountain's center region.

Thick spiny stalactites, a mixture of both ice and black rock, hung on the ceiling of the cave, well extending into the interior tunnels.

It was a truly marvelous sight to behold and gasps echoed in all directions.

After the mist cleared completely, the teams assembled outside each of the cave openings quickly mobilized and entered the mountain's interior.

Everyone was excited and brimming with energy at the sight of the complex maze waiting to be rummaged by them.

If the labyrinth was any simpler then Xander would have undoubtedly dashed in with the fastest speed and claim the treasure if any for himself.

So the lower level cultivators couldn't help but silently pray for this thing to be as difficult as possible so that they could somehow try their luck and at least reap some benefits.

The entrance, the outer cave opening through which everyone walked in was absolutely empty.

Only a cold current echoed in the cave, occasionally mixing in with the warmth of the outside air.

But more importantly, a suffocating deathly aura hung in the air sending chills down everyone's spine.

Just like others, Tang Yue and her motley group as well had stepped inside by now and were curiously looking around.

Tang Xi particularly was in high spirits, with the death aura not affecting her in the least. A smug smile hung on her lips.

Heh. Of course, the Prince would fall for my beauty! Who wouldn't? 

She was very happy and satisfied with the way Xavier had ogled at her and hence, confidently carried herself into the labyrinth entrance.

The other elves who had come along with them had a more serious attitude, as they slowly started exploring the interior of the cave.

Even though they were all set up by Marvin and Dranuk to finish Tang Yue off, they still intended to explore the Labyrinth while they were at it.

After all, a royal elven prince was currently standing next to their target, and there was nothing else they could do at the moment.

Speaking of the devil's brother, unlike the others, Xavier didn't bother exploring the exterior cave opening.

In one look, he instantly knew that nothing was present here.

So he proceeded to directly walk towards one of the tunnels and Tang Yue shrewdly followed behind him.

But the elf suddenly stopped and asked, without turning back. "Are you sure about this, Princess?"

With every step they took, the aura of death and decay became stronger and stronger, spreading gloom and fear within the hearts of everyone present.

The insides of these endless dark tunnels were clearly dangerous and not for the light-hearted and the weaklings.

But it was still not enough to make anyone give up.

"Yes." Tang Yue nodded and continued following him.

Seeing that these two were already heading into one of the six tunnels, Tang Xi and the others also quickened their steps and followed the duo into the same tunnel.

Tang Xi was being very careful not to overdo her act. 

Most men tend to like coy and bashful women who relied on them slightly. 

But if they relied on them too much, then the same act would backfire, and the men would think of them as a burden rather than something precious that needed their strength and protection.

Tang Xi was well versed in this art and so she maintained the perfect distance. 

On the outside, she seemed to be treating everything seriously and acted as if she was cool, composed, and independent, having only herself to rely on.

But on the inside, she made sure that she was never out of Xavier's sight and the elf was always standing within her reach.

She was so infuriating that Tang Yue wanted to bash the hateful woman on the cave's cold hard wall, but she had more important things to worry about currently.

So she ended up ignoring her beloved shameless sister and continued closely following behind Xavier.

None of them had any idea about the potential traps that could lie in wait for them as they headed deeper and deeper into the cave tunnel.

Every step they took could trigger some sort of hidden dangerous trap. So everyone was being extremely careful and cautious.

Not long after the group entered the tunnel, a faint screeching sound echoed in the distance, mixed in the sound of their footsteps.

Xavier suddenly halted and so did Tang Yue and the rest of the team.

"Your highness, I think I heard something." Tang Xi hesitantly spoke out.

Xavier immediately turned around and looked at her with a stern expression. He signaled her to shut up.

The very next second, a small group of wasps casually wandered into the tunnel. 

These wasps pretty much minded their own business, humming and buzzing as usual.

But something was terribly off about them. 

Their bodies were bigger or rather more swollen than the ordinary forest wasps and a foul odor spread from their location.

And also, it looked like dark green puss was oozing out of the numerous flesh wounds on their bodies, dripping every now and then on the cave's rough ground.

Clearly, these wasps were already dead but someone powerful was using dark element magic to manipulate their lifeless bodies, transforming them into undead beasts!