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, the wound jagged, as if it had been violently torn from the body. The blood on the ground had already 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 it clearly—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, causing such a tragedy.

Jia Zhuangyuan squatted down and opened the blue pouch. A cold gleam burst forth, forcing the two to squint their eyes. Inside the pouch lay a gleaming steel spade. Its blade was long and slender, with a perfectly curved edge, as thin as foil, radiating a chilling coldness. Clearly, it was no ordinary weapon.

Jia Zhuangyuan picked up the steel spade and swung it around. The sharp blade sliced through the air with a whistling sound. Suddenly, he flipped his wrist and with a swish, plunged the spade into the ground beneath his feet. The previously hard ground was as soft as tofu under the spade, and the crescent-shaped blade effortlessly sank completely into the earth.

Liu Dashao couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Only then did he notice a strange pattern engraved on the handle of the steel spade.

With a tone of admiration, Jia Zhuangyuan pulled the spade out of the ground and said, “The Crescent Spade of the Desert Saint truly lives up to its reputation!”

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

However, Jia Zhuangyuan seemed to have no intention of answering Liu Dashao’s questions. He walked over to the remains of the tall, thin man and removed a jade ring from the corpse. “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 and said.

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

As they walked, whether from nervousness or not, Liu Dashao suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud, wincing in pain.

As Liu Dashao pushed himself up, he suddenly saw two fireballs the size of fists not far ahead. Behind the fireballs appeared to be a vague shadow, though it was impossible to tell exactly what it was.

Liu Dashao’s heart tightened. His sixth sense told him that this shadow was most likely the lurking man-eating beast 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 fear, “Run!”

Immediately, Liu Dashao and Jia Zhuangyuan dashed forward like two hopping rabbits, sprinting toward the climbing rope at full speed.

The moment they moved, the beast lurking in the darkness shot out like an arrow. A powerful gust of wind roared behind them—the beast was charging with terrifying speed and ferocity.

Unable to help himself, Liu Dashao glanced back. The sight nearly scared the soul out of his body. Good heavens! It was a giant lizard! Unlike ordinary lizards, this one had a bright white body covered with red bumps, resembling a delicious rice cake dotted with red beans. The lizard was over two meters long, moving with lightning speed, its powerful tail sending rocks flying in all directions.

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 weaker than a military flamethrower.

The jet of red flame struck Liu Dashao’s backside like a venomous snake. Liu Dashao felt a searing heat, like a steamed bun on a hot stove, and pain shot through him so intensely that he jumped three feet into the air. Ignoring the burn, he ran and shouted, “Damn it! It’s a fire lizard!”

The fire lizard was a unique creature, an amphibian with a cold body that not only resisted flames but could also spit fire to attack enemies. It had an extraordinary ability to regenerate, almost as if it were immortal. Such creatures were extremely rare, yet here they were, encountering one inside a volcano.

This enormous fire lizard’s flame was naturally more powerful than that of an ordinary one. Living in the volcano for so long had intensified its fiery breath to the point of melting rock. If Liu Dashao had been just a little slower, he would have already been roasted like a pig.

Reaching the base of the cliff, the two men had no time to install their climbing gear. They leaped up and grabbed the rope with their bare hands, climbing for dear life. As the crater above grew larger, their climbing speed increased.

At the crater’s edge, Fan Debiao and the others watched the two men’s perilous situation and their faces turned pale. They shouted loudly while raising their guns and fired several shots toward the two men’s pursuer, trying to stop the raging fire lizard.

The fire lizard, right behind them, was clearly at home on the cliff face. Its limbs scrambled against the rock as it climbed upward with incredible speed, like a gust of wind, as if the cliff were flat ground. Two of Fan Debiao’s bullets struck the fire lizard, but the beast was undeterred. Enraged by the injury, it suddenly spat out a jet of flame that ignited the climbing rope. The fire quickly climbed up the rope with crackling sounds.

With no choice, Liu Dashao and Jia Zhuangyuan had to let go of the rope and grabbed onto protruding rocks on the cliff face with their bare hands, clinging to the rock like geckos, their bodies pressed tightly against the cliff. The cold wind lashed at them like a whip, and they dared not relax for a moment. Falling from such a height would be no laughing matter.

Hiss!

The fire lizard suddenly opened its mouth and roared, lunging furiously 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, and he thought about letting go and jumping off the cliff. Dying from the fall would be better than being devoured by the fire lizard.

Swish!

Just as he was about to give up, a flash of cold light cut through the air. The steel spade came down with a fierce gust of wind and struck the fire lizard, slicing off its left front claw with a sharp “Crack!” The fire lizard screamed, rolled midair a few times, and tumbled 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, one hand clinging to the cliff, the other holding the steel spade, asked Liu Dashao.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Liu Dashao replied, “I’m fine! Let’s get out of here!”

“Wait!” Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly said.

Liu Dashao was surprised. “Wait… wait for what?”

Jia Zhuangyuan held the wolf-eye flashlight forward, its beam illuminating the opposite cliff face. “Look over there, Xiao Liu!”

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

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” Liu Dashao asked Jia Zhuangyuan.

“The caves!” Jia Zhuangyuan replied.

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

Jia Zhuangyuan said, “Look closely. Don’t the caves look like they form a pattern?”

Hearing Jia Zhuangyuan’s words, Liu Dashao suddenly realized that the caves indeed seemed to form some kind of pattern. However, it required careful observation to notice. At first glance, they appeared as chaotic holes. This peculiar visual effect was somewhat like the 3D patterns people often see.

The entire pattern was very strange. From a distance, it looked like a large circle, but within that circle were six smaller circles overlapping and intersecting each other. It looked as if the circles formed by the caves were rotating, which was quite magical. However, as soon as one blinked, the pattern disappeared, replaced once again by the dark caves, like a row of black eyes coldly staring at them.

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

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

“Yeah!” Liu Dashao nodded.

Jia Zhuangyuan let out a long breath. “That’s it then. These caves must form the legendary ‘Sixfold Reincarnation Array’! My goodness! I never thought 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 unusual tone in Jia Zhuangyuan’s voice and quickly asked, “Is this Sixfold Reincarnation Array… really scary?”

Jia Zhuangyuan inhaled sharply. “It’s not just scary—it’s extremely dangerous! Among all these caves, only one leads to survival. That cave is the eye of the Sixfold Reincarnation Array. All the other caves lead to death!”

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

Jia Zhuangyuan replied, “Survival means staying alive! Only by finding the cave that represents the eye of the Sixfold Reincarnation Array can we live!”

“What are you two waiting for? Hurry up and climb!” Fan Debiao shouted loudly from the crater above.

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

Liu Dashao nodded and took the crescent spade.

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

Jia Zhuangyuan kept his eyes fixed on the cliff across from them, unmoving, like a monk in deep meditation. Liu Dashao knew he was searching for the eye of the Sixfold Reincarnation Array.

Liu Dashao clung tightly to the cliff face, highly alert, watching the base of the cliff below, his palms soaked with cold sweat.

Minute by minute passed. Suddenly, Fan Debiao and the others cried out in alarm. Two fireballs appeared on the cliff face below Liu Dashao. The fireballs clung to the cliff and rapidly climbed upward.

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

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

Jia Zhuangyuan seemed completely unaware of the approaching danger, not even glancing down at the fire lizard. But Liu Dashao knew he must have sensed the fire lizard’s approach. His mental fortitude was truly exceptional.

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

Unexpectedly, the fire lizard reacted with incredible speed. It quickly turned its head, and the spade struck the cliff instead, sending sparks flying. Missing his target, the fire lizard quickly closed the distance. A strong, foul stench filled the air. Liu Dashao panicked, trying to stop the fire lizard, but suddenly realized that the spade was too sharp. In this critical moment, the blade had become lodged in the cliff, and he couldn’t pull it out quickly.

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

“Get back! Get back!” In desperation, Liu Dashao kicked the fire lizard’s head with all his might. Obviously, such an attack did nothing to harm the creature.

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 enormous mouth opening wide.

At this critical moment, Liu Dashao used both hands to cling to the cliff and desperately shifted his body sideways by half a meter. He heard a loud crack as the fire lizard bit down hard on a protruding rock, shattering it into pieces. Dust and debris flew into his face. Liu Dashao swallowed hard. If he had been just a split second slower, he would have been bitten into a bloody mess.

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

Instinctively, Liu Dashao continued moving sideways, but in his panic, he accidentally stepped into empty space. He felt his body’s center of gravity shift violently, and he tumbled off the cliff.

“Master Liu!”

Liu Dashao heard Fan Debiao and the others shouting in alarm, followed by deafening gunshots. His vision suddenly darkened, like a broken kite, spiraling downward.

“Ahh!” Liu Dashao helplessly closed his eyes. The wind whipped his face, and he no longer felt any pain. Unless he could suddenly grow a pair of wings, he was certainly doomed. Falling from such a height would crush him into a pulp or at least leave him broken beyond repair. He thought to himself—Liu Dashao, not even thirty years old, without a wife, was about to say goodbye to the world. Truly, the heavens were unjust!

Just as he prepared to meet his fate, suddenly, a tight grip seized his back, as if someone had grabbed his collar, abruptly 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 was no Spiderman. Even with his exceptional speed and agility, he couldn’t possibly reach out and catch Liu Dashao midair. The force of Liu Dashao’s fall from such a height would be enormous.

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

Liu Dashao was drenched in cold sweat from head to toe. The wind blew, and his entire body felt icy cold, 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 his end. It seemed his luck was still strong. Surviving such a fall must mean his ancestors were smiling upon him.

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 heavy burden in his chest and leaned heavily against the cliff, panting heavily.

Suddenly, a dark shadow tumbled past him, followed by a loud “thud.” Liu Dashao didn’t need to look to know—the fire lizard had been shot down by Fan Debiao and the others again.

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

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

“Wait, I’ll come down and save you!” Fan Debiao said.

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

As soon as his feet touched solid ground, Liu Dashao’s legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to stand for a long time. His nerves had been stretched taut with tension moments ago, and now that the danger had passed, his entire body felt drained, like a pile of mush.

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

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

“Caves?” Fan Debiao looked at the two men in confusion.