Chapter 214 The heretic in the paradise!
The light suddenly receded, and the bluish-white crystal covering the ceiling fell into dead silence.
In the darkness, countless mad beetles, clad in hard shells, swarmed like a tide.
Arthur's figure darted through the wind, not pausing for a moment.
Slashes of light intersected, and durandal, accompanied by the wind pressure, unceremoniously carved a bloody path before him.
Piercing wails echoed through the floor, which was covered in colorful giant mushrooms, causing the surrounding frantic monsters to tremble and flee into the branching tree hollows.
Arthur stepped on the viscous sap oozing from the tree bark cracks, surveying the towering plant maze with a deep frown.
A large cluster of dark poisonous mushrooms blocked his path; beneath their pitch-black caps, countless eye-like organs simultaneously opened, wriggling repulsively!
The mushroom caps suddenly swelled, spewing out a cloud of spores as potent as those from poisonous demon maggots!
The next moment, a chain of explosions roared!
Facing this purple poisonous mist, which was instantly fatal to ordinary adventurers, Arthur's crimson cursed power surged out, and his dragon head reared, spitting out explosive hot breath!
The turbid current of flames transformed into a raging torrent, instantly engulfing the dark poisonous mushrooms, burning away even the pervasive poisonous spores, scorching a charred hollow in front of him!
Arthur brushed past the remaining purple spore dust, officially stepping into the tranquil flower garden where green grass and white flowers intertwined.
"Fu wu?"
The faint glow emitted by the intertwining moss and quartz made this endless flower garden dreamlike, even causing Fou to let out a curious whimper.
Facing this pure land, Arthur's eyes showed not joy, but rather surprise and solemnity.
"If Fels hadn't provided the map, who would have thought that such a paradise could be hidden deep within the Dungeon, teeming with monsters?"
"And—the Evils?"
Arthur murmured softly, recalling Uranus's warning before he departed.
They were special monsters with high intelligence, not dominated by the urge to kill and destroy.
They were Miracles born within the Dungeon.
If he hadn't personally encountered Mary the mermaid, Arthur would have dismissed this statement as a fantasy.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already acutely sensed a prying gaze hidden in the shadows.
That will was cautious, fearing to alarm this overly powerful intruder.
"Is Fels's name not enough? Then—what about this?"
Arthur took out a milky white seashell from his storage pouch and held it high towards the depths of the empty flower garden.
The treetops swayed, and feathers glowing with sandy golden light drifted down from the sky, guiding him forward.
Arthur followed the direction of the golden feathers, rushing to a cluster of magnificent dark green quartz pillars.
With a soft sound like shattering glass, a hidden tree hollow suddenly appeared.
He put away the seashell, slid down the sloping tree hollow into the clear, blue spring, and then followed the siphon-like horizontal tunnel at the bottom of the water, finally reaching his destination.
The view suddenly opened up; inside a large rock cavern resembling a stalactite cave, countless wary yet curious gazes instantly focused on him.
In the darkness, they held their breath, with only faint rustling sounds echoing in the empty cavern.
Arthur raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
A simulated moon ascended, its light instantly dispelling the darkness and illuminating everything within the rock cavern.
Hundreds of monsters of various races immediately turned pale with fright.
The leading Lizardman even gripped his scimitar tightly, his bloodshot vertical pupils fixed on Arthur!
"Gaa gaa, ao!!!"
Facing this tense situation, Arthur's gaze calmly swept over the monster group.
Lizardmen, Harpies, Gargoyles, Griffins, Poisonous Spiders, Snake People…
It almost included all known monster races from all floors.
"It seems the situation on the surface is more serious than expected. Fels is so busy she couldn't even send you a message with an eye crystal."
Hearing the familiar name again, the leading Lizardman scratched his head with a long claw in confusion, then cast an inquiring look at the Harpy with shiny golden feathers beside him, who nodded solemnly.
Only then did the Lizardman put away his scimitar, raising a claw to rub his throat, his voice gradually changing from an inarticulate roar to a human-accented cough.
"Uh…cough! You, have you seen Fels and Mary?"
Arthur nodded slightly, not at all surprised by the monster speaking human language. He again displayed the seashell and spoke directly.
"Orario is facing destruction, and you Evils will not be spared. To make a long story short, I need your strength."
Upon hearing this, Reed the Lizardman slapped his thigh with a claw, then turned and shouted to the monsters behind him, who had already dropped their hostility.
"He is an adventurer recognized by Fels and Mary! We should welcome him!"
The noisy monsters immediately cleared a path, signaling Arthur to follow them inside.
Deep within the stalactite cave, filled with a deep green light source, Arthur laid out Orario's crisis, awaiting the Evils' reply.
Reed crumpled his lizard face, habitually raising a claw to rub the hard keratin on his head.
"This is troublesome…I'm not good at thinking about such complex matters…"
Lei the Harpy folded her golden wings, gracefully descending from the top of a rock pillar, summarizing for him.
"In other words, Orario is about to be destroyed, and we will also be affected, right?"
"Exactly right," Arthur said with a heavy tone, "The current situation leaves no time for you to slowly adapt."
"You have lived here for many years and are far more familiar with every blade of grass and tree in the Dungeon than any adventurer."
"I need you all to find all the passages between the artificial labyrinth and the Dungeon."
Reed blinked his bright yellow beast eyes and asked, puzzled.
"Just finding passages? Didn't you say the key lies with those six Filth Spirits?"
Meeting everyone's gaze, Arthur shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of helpless honesty.
"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, with your current strength, I'm afraid it would be difficult to directly confront any single Filth Spirit. The subjugation task can be left to me."
"Don't underestimate the Evils, my friend!"
Reed glanced at the ancient, decrepit tree dragon Guliu in the corner, then patted his chest confidently.
"Although Guliu and I are only LV5, our new companion, Asterius, is far stronger than me!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow: "Does she, like Mary, need to stay in a specific environment?"
"No, no, no!"
Reed quickly shook his head: "That guy is a battle maniac; she went off to train herself! But with the time to send a message and for her to return, it will definitely be in time!"
"Is that so…"
Arthur lowered his head and pondered for a moment, quickly reconstructing his battle plan in his mind.
After incorporating this unexpected powerful combat force, he looked up and ordered in a deep voice.
"Reed, immediately gather the elites among the Evils and follow me to infiltrate the artificial labyrinth, eliminate the Spirits, and rescue the hostages."
Reed stood up abruptly, his sharp claws striking the armor on his chest, making a clanging sound!
"Leave it to us! Hmm…"
He suddenly froze, asking in confusion.
"You said…rescue hostages? What hostages?"
Arthur turned and rushed out, leaving only a reply carried on the wind.
"I'll explain on the way, let's go now!"