C5 Chapter 5

“Which one should I start eating first?” the voice said, smacking its lips as drool poured down like a waterfall.

“How about you start with me?” a cold voice answered out of nowhere.

The room shuddered again, like it had just sucked in a sharp breath. “No way. How could you still be awake?”

“Sorry—I’ve got no idea,” Shi Dian said as his eyes snapped open, his razor-sharp gaze fixed on the blank wall across from him.

“Who the hell are you?” Under that stare, the voice couldn’t help but tremble.

“You’re not worth knowing,” Shi Dian said, arrogant to the bone.

“You little—” The voice sounded furious. “Fine. Then I’ll start with you!”

The moment the words left its mouth, the empty wall suddenly bulged outward. The lump swelled fast, then five snake heads burst out and shot toward Shi Dian’s limbs like arrows.

Shi Dian didn’t move. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “Hmph.”

A flash of golden light—before the snake heads could bite him, all five dissolved into bloody sludge. Shi Dian broke free and rose into the air, the sun-shaped mark on his forehead blazing with dazzling light.

He dropped back to the floor and realized it was covered in writhing chunks of flesh, reeking of a stomach-turning stench. He frowned, then walked over to Chen Rui and Chen Xin. Both were still unconscious, like they’d been hit with some kind of spell. If it weren’t for his unusual constitution, he probably wouldn’t have woken up either.

Shi Dian lifted his hand. The strip-like restraints binding Chen Rui and Chen Xin instantly melted into bloody sludge. But before he could help them up, a cold laugh cut through the air.

A streak of black light flashed. In an instant, the three of them were back downstairs outside the dorm—but the area was still blanketed in thick, swirling black fog.

“Hmph. Cheap tricks,” Ten Halls said with open disdain.

“You punk—don’t get so full of yourself! Do you even know who I am?” The voice was clearly enraged, and the black fog around them whipped into a gale that tore toward Ten Halls.

But Ten Halls didn’t budge. He just stared ahead, ice-cold.

“Once upon a time, humans called me the ‘Seeker.’ Priests and mages alike would take one look at me and run for their lives. My name is Punishment’s Calamity!” The moment it finished speaking, ripples shuddered through the air, and the black fog began gathering in one direction.

Slowly, a massive shadow took shape in front of Ten Halls—nearly as tall as the dorm building. The silhouette sharpened, revealing its true form.

“The Nine-Serpent Spider Emperor.” For some reason, the name surfaced in Ten Halls’ mind the instant he saw it.

And it fit. Nine snake heads writhed and snapped atop a gigantic spider body, horrifying to look at. But what really caught Ten Halls’ attention was the tail behind the spider’s body—a long, thin tail tipped with a flame.

“I’ve heard of a kind of monster that lures prey in with a ghostly flame on its tail,” Ten Halls said calmly, showing not a trace of fear. “But you’re obviously not that.”

Punishment’s Calamity froze for a beat. It hadn’t expected anyone to stay this composed after seeing its real face. The unfamiliar sting of frustration rose in its chest. It drew in a breath and answered, “That’s right—because I ate it and absorbed its power.”

“I can absorb other beings’ strength,” Punishment’s Calamity said with a grin. “But trash like that? It’s only good for filling my stomach.”

Its body swayed. Then, on its abdomen, several girls’ faces surfaced—each one with her eyes tightly shut.

“Hmph!” Ten Hall glanced at the girls and said nothing, but he was already working out a plan. They were still alive. If he wanted to get them out, he’d probably have to take this thing down first.

“And now I’m going to absorb you. That should boost my power a whole lot, hahaha!” All nine snake heads burst into wild laughter, looking downright grotesque.

“If you’ve got the guts, then come try it!” Ten Hall shot back without a hint of fear.

But the Spider Emperor didn’t charge. Instead, it sank beneath the ground. Ten Hall stared at the spot where it vanished, alarm bells ringing in his head.

Sure enough, in less than five seconds, the ground around him started shaking violently. His balance gave out, and he had no choice but to drop to one knee. Then ten dark shapes exploded up through the dirt, boxing him in.

“Heh-heh-heh. These aren’t those blood vines from earlier. You’re not breaking these so easily,” Xing Jie’s laughter rang out again.

Snake heads? No—spider legs. Ten Hall’s eyes snapped around as he finally made out what the shadows were. Was this thing lying underground with its belly facing up?

No time to think. Several of the shadows struck at him at once. He barely dodged a few, but one spider leg still slammed into him.

Ten Hall grunted and went flying. He fought his way back up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“Hahahaha! Keep running your mouth! Weren’t you so tough?” Xing Jie’s crazed laughter made even the earth seem to tremble.

“Heh. Is that what makes you happy?” To his surprise, Ten Hall just let out a cold laugh.

“What?” Xing Jie didn’t react right away, and his laughter cut off.

“What do you think your strongest power is?” Ten Hall slowly straightened, a confident smile spreading across his face.

“I can split into countless copies and swallow you in an instant,” Xing Jie said smugly.

“Is that so? Then how about we make a bet—I can wipe out your countless clones in the blink of an eye,” Ten Halls said, fixing it with a taunting stare.

“In the blink of an eye? Hahaha—you’ve gotta be kidding. Do you even know what ‘countless’ means? It means I can swallow an entire city within a few hours!” Xing Jie laughed at Ten Halls’ words.

“Yeah, I know. So—do you dare to bet?” Ten Halls said, not sounding like he was joking in the slightest.

“Fine. I’ll grant your wish and let you see the most terrifying power there is,” Xing Jie said, his tone turning icy.