Chapter 274: The Battle Between Man and Lizard

Thinking this, Liu Dashao lowered his voice and said, “It’s dangerous here. Let’s go up first!”

Jia Zhuangyuan replied, “Wait a moment. Look over there!” He raised a wolf-eye flashlight and pointed it behind Liu Dashao.

Among the scattered rubble, the two discovered a severed arm. It was thick and muscular, with a jagged wound, as if it had been torn violently from the body. The blood on the ground had dried and solidified. Judging from the splattered bloodstains, the scene must have been extremely bloody.

Beside the severed arm lay a blue pouch. Liu Dashao remembered this pouch—it belonged to one of the bald, muscular men sitting next to the tall, thin figure. Could this severed arm belong to one of those bald men? It seemed that these seven strange individuals had been attacked by some mysterious beast at the bottom of the volcano, resulting in this tragedy.

Jia Zhuangyuan squatted down, opened the blue pouch, and a cold gleam shot out. Both men instinctively squinted. Inside the pouch lay a gleaming steel spade. Its blade was long and slender, with a perfectly curved edge, thin as foil, radiating a chilling glow. It was clearly no ordinary weapon.

Jia Zhuangyuan lifted the steel spade and swung it around with a whoosh. The sharp blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Suddenly, he flipped his wrist and with a swish, drove the spade into the ground beneath his feet. The once-hard ground yielded like soft tofu before the spade, and the crescent-shaped blade sank effortlessly into the earth.

Liu Dashao couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. He noticed a strange pattern carved into the handle of the steel spade.

With a swish, Jia Zhuangyuan pulled the spade from the ground and said with admiration, “The Crescent Spade of the Desert Saints lives up to its reputation indeed!”

“Desert Saints?” Liu Dashao looked curiously at Jia Zhuangyuan. How did Jia know such a strange name? What did the Desert Saints represent?

But Jia Zhuangyuan didn’t seem to want to explain. He walked over to the remains of the tall, thin man and removed a jade ring from his finger. “This ring is quite valuable. Let’s consider it extra income from this trip to Tibet!”

Without hesitation, Jia Zhuangyuan stuffed the jade ring into his pocket.

“Let’s go! We need to leave here!” Jia Zhuangyuan turned to Liu Dashao.

Liu Dashao and Jia Zhuangyuan tiptoed toward the climbing rope. They dared not make any loud noises, fearing they might awaken the lurking beast in the shadows. Liu Dashao felt as if he were walking through the gates of hell, his entire body drenched in cold sweat. Jia Zhuangyuan, on the other hand, seemed much more relaxed, probably due to his many brushes with death in the past, which had forged his extraordinary courage.

As they walked, whether from extreme tension or not, Liu Dashao suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud, his face contorted in pain.

As he pushed himself up on his arms and lifted his head, he saw two fireballs the size of fists not far ahead. Behind the fireballs seemed to loom a blurry dark shadow, whose identity was unclear.

Liu Dashao’s heart tightened. His sixth sense told him that this shadow was likely the man-eating beast lurking at the bottom of the volcano. At this moment, he had no time to ponder why a living creature would exist inside an active volcano. He simply whispered in alarm, “Run!” Immediately, he and Jia Zhuangyuan darted forward like rabbits, dashing toward the climbing rope at full speed.

The moment they moved, the beast lurking in the darkness shot out with a swoosh. A powerful gust of wind roared behind them—the beast was charging fiercely.

At this thought, Liu Dashao lowered his voice and said, “This place is dangerous, let’s get out of here first!”

Jia Zhuangyuan replied, “Wait a moment, look over there!” As he spoke, he raised his flashlight and shone it behind Liu Dashao.

Amidst a pile of scattered rubble, the two discovered a severed arm. The arm was thick and muscular, with jagged wounds as if it had been torn from the body. The blood on the ground had already dried and solidified, and from the spray pattern of the blood, it was clear that the scene had been extremely gruesome.

Next to the severed arm lay a green pouch, which Liu Dashao recognized as belonging to one of the two bald, burly men who had been sitting next to the tall, thin man. Could this severed arm belong to one of those bald men? It seemed that the seven strange individuals had been attacked by some mysterious beast at the bottom of the volcano, leading to this tragic outcome.

Jia Zhuangyuan crouched down and opened the green pouch. A cold light burst forth, causing both men to squint. Inside the pouch lay a steel shovel, its blade long and perfectly curved, as thin as tin foil, and gleaming with a cold, metallic light. It was clearly no ordinary tool.

Jia Zhuangyuan picked up the steel shovel and swung it around, the sharp blade slicing through the air with a whistling sound. Suddenly, he flipped his wrist and thrust the shovel into the ground. The hard earth gave way as if it were soft tofu, and the crescent-shaped blade sank effortlessly into the ground.

Liu Dashao gasped in amazement, noticing a strange pattern engraved on the handle of the shovel.

Jia Zhuangyuan pulled the shovel out of the ground and said with admiration, “The Crescent Shovel of the Desert Saint is truly worthy of its reputation!”

“The Desert Saint?” Liu Dashao looked at Jia Zhuangyuan curiously. How did he know such an odd title? What did the Desert Saint represent?

However, Jia Zhuangyuan didn’t seem inclined to clear up Liu Dashao’s confusion. He stood up and walked over to the remains of the tall, thin man, removing a jade ring from his finger. “This ring is quite valuable. Let’s consider it an extra bonus for this trip to Tibet!”

With that, Jia Zhuangyuan unceremoniously pocketed the jade ring.

“Let’s go! We need to get out of here!” Jia Zhuangyuan turned to Liu Dashao and said.

The two men crept quietly toward the climbing rope, careful not to make too much noise, fearing they might alert the lurking beast. Liu Dashao felt as if he were walking through the gates of hell, his body drenched in cold sweat. Jia Zhuangyuan, on the other hand, seemed much calmer, likely due to his many past brushes with death, which had forged his extraordinary courage.

As they walked, perhaps due to extreme tension, Liu Dashao suddenly tripped and fell to the ground with a thud, wincing in pain.

As he pushed himself up, he saw two fireballs, each the size of a fist, appear not far ahead. Behind the fireballs stood a vague, shadowy figure, impossible to make out clearly.

Liu Dashao’s heart tightened. His sixth sense told him that the shadowy figure was most likely the man-eating beast lurking at the bottom of the volcano. He had no time to ponder why a living creature would exist inside an active volcano. He let out a low cry, “Run!” and, along with Jia Zhuangyuan, they bolted like frightened rabbits, sprinting toward the climbing rope.

As soon as they moved, the beast lurking in the darkness sprang out with a whoosh, the sound of its approach like a fierce wind.

Liu Dashao couldn’t help but glance back, and what he saw terrified him to the core. It was a massive lizard! This lizard was unlike any he had ever seen—its body was a bright white, covered in red bumps, resembling a delicious red bean cake from a distance. The lizard was over two meters long, moving with the speed of the wind, its powerful tail scattering rocks in all directions.

The distance between the lizard and the two men closed rapidly. Suddenly, it opened its mouth and spewed a stream of crimson flame, much like a flamethrower, though slightly less powerful.

The crimson flame shot out like a venomous snake, licking at Liu Dashao’s backside. He felt a searing heat, as if he had been branded, and he leapt into the air in pain. Ignoring the burn, he continued to run, shouting, “Damn it, it’s a fire lizard!”

The fire lizard was a peculiar creature, an amphibian with a cold body that not only was immune to fire but could also spew flames to attack its enemies. Its regenerative abilities were extraordinary, making it nearly invincible. Such creatures were extremely rare, and it was unexpected to encounter one inside a volcano.

A fire lizard of this size naturally had a much more powerful flame than ordinary lizards, and since it lived inside the volcano, the heat of its flames was intense enough to melt rock. If Liu Dashao had been even a second slower, he would have been roasted alive.

He and Jia Zhuangyuan reached the base of the cliff, but there was no time to set up the ascender. They leapt up, grabbing the climbing rope with their bare hands, and scrambled upward with all their might. As the mouth of the volcano grew larger above them, their climbing speed increased.

The group waiting at the volcano’s rim, including Fan Debiao, watched the two men’s perilous situation with pale faces. They shouted loudly and fired several shots toward the men’s pursuer, trying to stop the frenzied fire lizard.

The fire lizard followed closely behind, climbing the cliff with ease, its limbs gripping the rock as it ascended swiftly, as if walking on flat ground. Two of Fan Debiao’s bullets hit the lizard, but they didn’t deter the creature. Enraged, the lizard spewed a stream of flame, igniting the climbing rope. The fire raced up the rope with a crackling sound.

With no other choice, Liu Dashao and Jia Zhuangyuan let go of the rope and clung to the protruding rocks on the cliff face, their bodies pressed tightly against the rock like geckos. The fierce wind whipped at them as they hung in mid-air, not daring to relax for a moment. Falling from such a height would be no joke.

Sssss!

The fire lizard suddenly opened its mouth and roared, lunging at Liu Dashao.

In that instant, Liu Dashao’s mind flashed with the horrific image of the tall, thin man’s gruesome death. In that moment, he felt utterly hopeless, ready to let go and plunge to his death, thinking it would be better to die from the fall than to be torn apart by the lizard.

Swish!

Just as he was about to embrace death, a cold light flashed before his eyes. The steel shovel, with a sharp whistle, sliced through the air and struck the fire lizard, severing its left front leg. The lizard let out a roar, tumbling through the air before crashing down the cliff.

In that split second, Liu Dashao had narrowly escaped death, his body drenched in cold sweat.

“Are you okay?” Jia Zhuangyuan asked, one hand gripping the cliff and the other holding the steel shovel.

Liu Dashao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “I’m fine! Let’s get out of here!”

“Wait!” Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly said.

Liu Dashao asked in surprise, “Wait… for what?”

Jia Zhuangyuan raised his flashlight, its beam shining directly onto the opposite cliff face. “Young Liu, look over there!”

Liu Dashao didn’t know what Jia Zhuangyuan had discovered, but he turned to look. On the opposite cliff face, halfway up, there were several dark caves, but nothing else.

“What do you want me to see?” Liu Dashao asked.

“The caves!” Jia Zhuangyuan said.

“The caves? What’s so strange about them?” Liu Dashao asked, puzzled.

Jia Zhuangyuan replied, “Look closely. Don’t the arrangement of the caves resemble a pattern?”

Hearing this, Liu Dashao suddenly noticed that the caves did indeed seem to form a pattern. But it was only visible upon closer inspection; at a glance, they appeared to be randomly scattered. The effect was similar to the three-dimensional images people often see.

The pattern was bizarre, resembling a large circle from a distance, but within it, six smaller circles intersected and overlapped, giving the illusion that the caves were rotating. However, with a blink of the eye, the pattern disappeared, leaving only the dark caves, like black eyes staring coldly at them.

“What… what kind of pattern is this?” Liu Dashao asked in astonishment, believing Jia Zhuangyuan would know.

Jia Zhuangyuan said, “Do you see a large circle with six smaller circles inside, and those smaller circles seem to be rotating on their own?”

“Yes!” Liu Dashao nodded.

Jia Zhuangyuan let out a long sigh and said, “Then it’s confirmed. The pattern formed by these caves must be the legendary ‘Six Realms Reincarnation Array’! My goodness! I never thought we’d encounter this mysterious and eerie Six Realms Reincarnation Array here. I don’t know if it’s our luck or misfortune! Sigh!”

Hearing the gravity in Jia Zhuangyuan’s tone, Liu Dashao quickly asked, “Is this Six Realms Reincarnation Array… very dangerous?”

Jia Zhuangyuan took a deep breath and said, “Not just dangerous, but extremely dangerous! Among all these caves, only one leads to survival. That cave is the eye of the Six Realms Reincarnation Array. The rest lead to certain death!”

“What do you mean by ‘survival’?” Liu Dashao asked curiously.

Jia Zhuangyuan explained, “Survival means finding the cave that symbolizes the eye of the array. Only then can we live!”

“What are you two waiting for? Get up here!” Fan Debiao shouted from the volcano’s rim.

Ignoring Fan Debiao, Jia Zhuangyuan handed the crescent shovel to Liu Dashao and said, “Keep watch. If that fire lizard dares to climb up again, use this shovel to deal with it!”

Liu Dashao nodded and took the shovel.

“Hurry up! What are you doing down there?” Fan Debiao and the others called out anxiously, their voices echoing through the volcano.

Jia Zhuangyuan stared intently at the opposite cliff face, unmoving, like a monk in deep meditation. Liu Dashao knew he was searching for the eye of the Six Realms Reincarnation Array.

Liu Dashao clung to the cliff face, his palms sweating as he kept a vigilant watch below.

Time passed slowly. Suddenly, Fan Debiao and the others let out a cry of alarm. Two fireballs appeared on the cliff face below Liu Dashao, rapidly ascending.

Liu Dashao’s heart sank. “The fire lizard is back!”

Sure enough, the massive lizard reappeared in his line of sight. To Liu Dashao’s astonishment, the lizard’s left front leg, which had just been severed, had already regenerated, as if it had never been injured. Its ability to regenerate so quickly was truly astounding.

Jia Zhuangyuan seemed completely unaware of the danger, not even glancing down at the lizard. But Liu Dashao knew he must be aware of it. His composure was truly remarkable.

The terrifying lizard was getting closer. Liu Dashao gripped the crescent shovel, raised his arm, and aimed for the lizard’s head, swinging down with all his might.

But the lizard reacted swiftly, dodging the blow. The shovel struck the cliff face, sending sparks flying. Missing its target, the lizard closed the distance in an instant. A foul stench filled the air, and Liu Dashao panicked, trying to stop the lizard’s advance. But he suddenly realized that the shovel was too sharp—its blade had embedded itself into the cliff face and couldn’t be pulled out quickly.

Liu Dashao’s sweat poured down his face. He saw the lizard open its terrifying maw, revealing cold, gleaming fangs.

“Get away! Get away!” In desperation, Liu Dashao kicked at the lizard’s head. But his attack had no effect.

The lizard suddenly raised its claw and tore Liu Dashao’s pant leg to shreds. Then, gripping the cliff with its front claws, it lunged upward, its jaws wide open.

At the last moment, Liu Dashao shifted his body sideways by half a meter, clinging to the cliff. With a crunch, the lizard’s jaws snapped shut on a protruding rock, sending dust and debris flying into Liu Dashao’s face. He swallowed hard. If he had been even a fraction slower, he would have been torn to pieces.

“Roar!” The lizard let out a low growl and turned its head, lunging at Liu Dashao again.

Liu Dashao instinctively moved to the side, but in his panic, he missed his footing. He felt his center of gravity shift, and he tumbled down the cliff.

“Dashao!”

Liu Dashao heard Fan Debiao and the others shout, followed by the deafening sound of gunfire. His vision went dark, and he felt like a kite with its string cut, plummeting downward.

“Ah!” Liu Dashao closed his eyes helplessly. The wind whipped past his face, and he could no longer feel the pain. Unless he sprouted wings, he was doomed. Falling from such a height would either crush him into a pulp or scatter his limbs beyond recognition. He was not yet thirty, unmarried, and now he was about to bid farewell to the world. It was truly unfair!

Just as he was preparing to meet his end, something suddenly grabbed the back of his collar, halting his descent. He was now only about ten meters above the jagged ground.

Liu Dashao first thought Jia Zhuangyuan had saved him, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Jia Zhuangyuan was no Spider-Man; even with his agility, he couldn’t have reached out and caught him mid-fall. The force of his descent was too great.

Liu Dashao soon realized that a protruding rock on the cliff face had saved him. His backpack had caught on the rock, stopping his fall. He hung there like a flag, swaying back and forth, unable to regain his composure.

Liu Dashao’s body was soaked in cold sweat, and the wind made him feel as cold as dried jerky. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves and relax. He had come within a hair’s breadth of death. It seemed his luck was still strong; surviving such a fall must mean his ancestors were watching over him.

At this thought, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but laugh. Of course, it wasn’t a laugh of joy but a reflex of relief after narrowly escaping death. When he finally stopped laughing, he exhaled deeply, clinging to the cliff face and gasping for air.

Suddenly, a dark shadow rolled past him and landed with a dull thud. Liu Dashao didn’t need to look to know that the fire lizard had been shot down by Fan Debiao and the others.

Hearing Liu Dashao’s laughter, Fan Debiao and the others cheered, “Dashao, you’re still alive?”

Liu Dashao gasped and shouted, “I’m tough! I’m not dying anytime soon!”

“Hold on, I’m coming down to get you!” Fan Debiao said.

Soon, Fan Debiao lowered another climbing rope and descended with a descender. When Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao finally climbed out of the volcano, they found that Jia Zhuangyuan had already climbed up by hand.

As soon as he touched the ground, Liu Dashao’s legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to stand. His nerves had been stretched to the limit, and now that he had relaxed, he felt completely drained, like a puddle of mud.

Fan Debiao asked, “What were you two doing on the cliff face? You knew that monster was down there, why didn’t you climb up faster?”

Liu Dashao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “We found some strangely arranged caves on the opposite cliff face!”

“Caves?” Fan Debiao looked at them in confusion.

The distance between the lizard and the two rapidly closed. Suddenly, it opened its mouth, and a jet of crimson flame burst forth like a flamethrower—though slightly less powerful than a real one.

The crimson flame struck like a venomous snake, burning Liu Dashao’s buttocks with a sizzling sound. Liu Dashao felt a sudden searing heat, like a steamed bun on a hot stove, and pain shot through him, making him jump three feet into the air. Ignoring the burn, he ran and shouted, “Damn it! This is a fire lizard!”

The fire lizard was a unique creature. It was an amphibian with a cold body that was immune to flames and could even spit fire to attack enemies. It also had an incredible regeneration ability, making it seem nearly immortal. Such creatures were extremely rare, yet they had encountered one inside a volcano.

This enormous fire lizard’s flame was naturally more powerful than that of an ordinary lizard. Combined with its long-term residence inside the volcano, its flames were hot enough to melt rock. If Liu Dashao had run just a little slower, he might have already been roasted like a pig.

As the two reached the base of the cliff, they no longer had time to install their ascenders. They leapt up and grabbed the climbing rope with their bare hands, climbing for dear life. As the volcanic crater above grew larger, their climbing speed increased.

Van Der Biao and the others waiting at the crater rim witnessed their peril and immediately turned pale. They shouted loudly while raising their guns and fired several rounds toward the fire lizard behind them, trying to stop the beast.

The fire lizard followed closely behind. Climbing the cliff was clearly its specialty—it used its limbs to scale the rock face, climbing swiftly like the wind, as if walking on flat ground. Two bullets from Van Der Biao hit the fire lizard, but they failed to drive it back. Enraged by the wounds, the lizard suddenly spewed a jet of flame, igniting the climbing rope. The fire quickly climbed the rope from the bottom upward with crackling sounds.

With no choice, Liu Dashao and Jia Zhuangyuan had to let go of the rope and clung to protruding rocks on the cliff face, clinging like geckos. The cold wind lashed at them like whips as they dangled high in the air. They dared not relax even slightly—falling from such a height would be no laughing matter.

Hiss!

The fire lizard suddenly opened its mouth and roared, lunging fiercely toward Liu Dashao.

At that moment, Liu Dashao’s mind flashed back to the tall thin man’s gruesome death. In an instant, despair overwhelmed him. He thought about letting go and jumping from the cliff—better to die from a fall than be devoured by the fire lizard.

Swish!

Just as he was about to give up, a cold gleam flashed before his eyes. The steel spade sliced through the air with a fierce wind, striking the fire lizard with a thud and severing its left front claw. The fire lizard let out a shriek, flipped midair several times, and rolled down the cliff face.

In that split second, Liu Dashao had narrowly escaped death, his entire body soaked in cold sweat.

“Are you okay?” Jia Zhuangyuan asked, clinging to the cliff with one hand while holding the steel spade in the other.

Liu Dashao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied, “I’m fine! Let’s leave this place first!”

“Wait!” Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly said.

Liu Dashao looked surprised. “Wait… for what?”

Jia Zhuangyuan leveled the wolf-eye flashlight, its beam shining across to the opposite cliff face. “Xiaozi Liu, look over there!”

Liu Dashao didn’t know what Jia had discovered but turned his head anyway. On the cliff face across from them were several dark caves, nothing else.

“What am I supposed to see?” Liu Dashao asked.

“Those caves!” Jia Zhuangyuan replied.

“Caves? What’s so strange about them?” Liu Dashao asked, puzzled.

Jia Zhuangyuan said, “Look closely. Don’t the caves resemble a pattern?”

As Jia mentioned it, Liu Dashao suddenly noticed that the arrangement of the caves did indeed resemble some kind of pattern. But it was only visible upon close inspection. If one only glanced casually, they would only see a chaotic cluster of caves. The strange visual effect was somewhat like a 3D image.

The entire pattern was very peculiar. From a distance, it looked like a large circle, but within this circle were six smaller overlapping circles. The pattern seemed to rotate, creating a magical illusion. However, as soon as one blinked, the pattern vanished, replaced once again by the dark caves, like a row of black eyes staring coldly at them.

“What… what kind of pattern is this?” Liu Dashao asked in astonishment. He believed Jia Zhuangyuan would know.

Jia Zhuangyuan said, “Did you see a big circle with six smaller circles inside it, and those smaller circles seemed to be rotating on their own?”

“Yeah!” Liu Dashao nodded.

Jia Zhuangyuan took a long breath and said, “Then I was right. These caves must form the legendary ‘Sixfold Reincarnation Array’! My goodness! I never imagined we’d encounter this mysterious and eerie Sixfold Reincarnation Array here. I wonder if it’s our fortune or misfortune? Sigh!”

Liu Dashao noticed the strange tone in Jia Zhuangyuan’s voice and quickly asked, “Is this Sixfold Reincarnation Array… really terrifying?”

Jia Zhuangyuan inhaled sharply and said, “Not just terrifying—it’s extremely terrifying! Among all these caves, only one leads to survival—the cave that is the array’s eye. The rest all lead to death!”

“What do you mean by survival?” Liu Dashao asked curiously.

Jia Zhuangyuan explained, “Survival means staying alive! Only by finding the cave that is the eye of the Sixfold Reincarnation Array can we survive!”

“What are you two still doing? Hurry up and climb!” Van Der Biao shouted loudly from the crater above.

Jia Zhuangyuan ignored Van Der Biao and handed the crescent spade to Liu Dashao. “Keep watch. If that fire lizard dares to climb up again, use this spade to fight it!”

Liu Dashao nodded and took the crescent spade.

“Hurry up! What are you doing?” Van Der Biao and the others shouted anxiously, their voices echoing inside the volcano.

Jia Zhuangyuan stared intently at the cliff across from them, motionless, like a monk in deep meditation. Liu Dashao knew he was searching for the eye of the Sixfold Reincarnation Array.

Liu Dashao pressed himself against the cliff, highly alert, watching below with cold sweat in his palms.

Time passed minute by minute. Suddenly, Van Der Biao and the others cried out in alarm. Two fireballs appeared on the cliff wall below Liu Dashao, swiftly climbing upward along the rock face.

Liu Dashao’s heart sank. “The fire lizard is back!”

Sure enough, the enormous fire lizard reappeared in his field of vision. To Liu Dashao’s astonishment, the lizard’s left front claw, which had just been severed, had already regrown from the stump, as if it had never been injured. Its ability to regenerate so quickly was truly astonishing.

Jia Zhuangyuan seemed completely unaware of the approaching danger, not even glancing downward. But Liu Dashao knew he must be aware of the fire lizard’s return. His composure was truly exceptional.

The terrifying fire lizard drew closer. Liu Dashao gripped the crescent spade tightly, raised his arm, aimed at the lizard’s head, and swung downward with all his might.

But the fire lizard reacted swiftly. It tilted its head, and the spade struck the cliff instead, sending sparks flying. Missing its target, the fire lizard quickly closed the distance. A strong, foul stench filled Liu Dashao’s nose. Panicking, he tried to stop the lizard’s advance but suddenly realized the spade was too sharp—it had become lodged in the cliff wall, and he couldn’t pull it out quickly enough.

Liu Dashao’s cold sweat poured out. He saw the fire lizard open its terrifying mouth, revealing gleaming, sharp fangs.

“Back off! Back off!” In desperation, Liu Dashao kicked the lizard hard in the head with his foot. But clearly, his attack had no effect.

The fire lizard suddenly raised its claw and tore Liu Dashao’s pant leg into shreds. Then, using its front claws to grip the cliff, it propelled itself upward, its gaping maw opening wide.

At this critical moment, Liu Dashao clung to the cliff with both hands and desperately shifted his body sideways by half a meter. With a loud crunch, the fire lizard bit down on a protruding rock, sending dust and debris flying into Liu Dashao’s face. Liu Dashao swallowed hard—had he been just a split second slower, he would now be a bloody mess.

“Roar!” The fire lizard growled lowly and turned its head again, lunging at Liu Dashao.

Instinctively, Liu Dashao continued to move sideways quickly, but in his panic, he accidentally stepped into empty space. He felt his body lose balance and began tumbling down from the cliff.

“Master Liu!”

Liu Dashao heard Van Der Biao and the others shouting desperately in his ears, followed by deafening gunshots. His vision suddenly darkened, like a broken kite spiraling downward.

“Ahh!” Liu Dashao helplessly closed his eyes. The wind whipped against his face, and he no longer felt pain. Unless he could sprout wings right now, he was doomed. Falling from such a height, he would either be smashed into pulp or broken into pieces impossible to reassemble. Thinking about it, Liu Dashao was still in his twenties, hadn’t even found a wife yet, and now he was saying goodbye to the world. Truly, heaven had no eyes!

Just as he prepared for death, suddenly his back was yanked tightly, as if someone had grabbed his collar, instantly halting his fall. At this moment, Liu Dashao was only about ten meters above the uneven ground.

Liu Dashao first thought Jia Zhuangyuan had saved him, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Jia Zhuangyuan wasn’t Spider-Man. Even with his speed and agility, he couldn’t reach out from midair and catch Liu Dashao. The force of Liu Dashao’s fall from such a height would be enormous.

Liu Dashao quickly realized he had been saved by a protruding rock on the cliff wall. His backpack had caught on the rock, halting his fall. He hung in midair like a flag, swinging back and forth, unable to recover for a while.

Liu Dashao was soaked in cold sweat from head to toe. The wind blew, chilling his body like dried meat left out to cure. He took a long breath, trying to calm himself and relax his nerves. Just moments ago, he had nearly met King Yama. It seemed his luck was still strong—he survived even this, probably because his ancestors had brought him good fortune.

Thinking this, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Of course, it wasn’t a laugh of joy but a reflexive release of tension after surviving a near-death experience. As Liu Dashao laughed until he was out of breath, he finally exhaled the thick tension in his chest and leaned against the cliff, gasping for breath.

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell past him, followed by a loud thud. Liu Dashao didn’t need to look to know that the fire lizard had been shot down again by Van Der Biao and the others.

Hearing Liu Dashao’s laughter, Van Der Biao and the others joyfully shouted, “Master Liu, are you still alive?”

Gasping for breath, Liu Dashao shouted back, “I’ve got a tough life! I won’t die so easily!”

“Wait, I’ll come down to save you!” Van Der Biao said.

Soon after, Van Der Biao threw down another climbing rope and slid down using a descender. When Liu Dashao and Van Der Biao finally climbed out of the crater, they discovered that Jia Zhuangyuan had already climbed up the cliff by himself at some unknown time.

As soon as he touched the ground, Liu Dashao’s legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground, unable to stand for a long while. His nerves had been tightly wound during the ordeal, and now that the tension had eased, his entire body felt drained, like a pile of soft mud.

Van Der Biao asked, “What were you two doing on the cliff? You knew that monster was below, so why didn’t you climb up quickly?”

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Liu Dashao replied, “We discovered some strangely arranged caves on the opposite cliff wall!”

“Caves?” Van Der Biao looked at the two men in confusion.