Weird Survival: I can devour thousands of talents

Chapter 237 236: Don’t order!
Ling Xiao's consciousness slowly regained consciousness amidst the chaos. His body seemed to float in endless darkness, with only the whistling wind and his own heartbeat in his ears.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw dim light and the air was filled with the smell of dampness and decay.

"Where is this?" he whispered to himself, his voice echoing in the empty space. He slowly sat up and found himself lying in a narrow stone passage.

The walls of the passage were covered in moss and cracks, and occasionally one could see strange runes, resembling some ancient writing. Above their heads, a dimly lit magic lamp emitted a faint glow, illuminating a small area around them.

Ling Xiao struggled to stand up. He was a little weak, but still conscious. He looked around and found himself in a huge maze.

At the end of the passage was a half-open stone door, intricately carved with patterns that looked like some kind of ancient seal. "Why am I here?"

He tried to recall everything that happened, but his memory was like a torn scroll, with only fragments left. He remembered that he was originally an ordinary explorer who had been searching for the legendary "Cave Labyrinth", which was said to hide endless treasures and ancient secrets.

However, during one of his expeditions, he accidentally triggered a mechanism and subsequently lost consciousness.

"Have I really come here?" Ling Xiao's heart was full of doubts and uneasiness.

He took a deep breath and walked towards the stone door. It was not locked, so he pushed it gently and it creaked open.

A cold wind blew in from behind the door, making him shiver. Behind the door was a huge circular square, surrounded by more passages, like the center of a maze.

In the center of the square stood a stone altar, covered in mysterious runes. It looked like some kind of ancient sacrificial site. "It seems I must keep moving forward."

Ling Xiao whispered, tightening his grip on the dagger in his hand, which was the only weapon he could rely on. At this moment, a low roar came from the other end of the passage.

Ling Xiao spun around, only to see a massive figure slowly approaching from the darkness. It was a monster about two meters tall, its body covered in thick scales. Its eyes were like two flaming fireballs, flashing with a fierce light. In its hand, it held a massive battle axe, its blade still stained with dried blood.

"Who are you?" The monster's voice was low and hoarse, as if it came from hell. "I'm Ling Xiao, an explorer who accidentally stumbled into this place," Ling Xiao replied, his voice trembling.

"This is my territory. Outsiders must die!" The monster rushed towards Ling Xiao, brandishing its battle axe. Ling Xiao's heart tightened. He knew he had to fight, or die here. He quickly dodged the monster's attack, wielding the dagger in his hand, and stabbed the monster's leg.

The monster roared in pain, but it didn't stop. Instead, it swung its axe even more fiercely. Ling Xiao could only dodge and look for opportunities to counterattack.

After a fierce battle, Ling Xiao finally found the monster's weakness. He took advantage of the moment when the monster swung its battle axe, leaped up, and stabbed the monster's throat with his dagger.

The monster let out a shrill cry, then slowly collapsed, motionless. "Hoo—" Ling Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He walked over to the monster's corpse and noticed some strange symbols on it.

He observed carefully for a while, and suddenly found that one of the symbols seemed to be flashing a faint light. He reached out and touched it, and the symbol immediately lit up, and then a beam of light shot into his body.

"What is this?" Ling Xiao felt a warm power flowing through his body, as if something was injected into his body.

He tried to mobilize this power and found that he could sense some of the surrounding aura. He closed his eyes, concentrated his mind, and soon found a treasure chest hidden in the passage. "It seems that this is some kind of reward mechanism."

Ling Xiao thought to himself, and quickly walked to the treasure chest and carefully opened it. Inside the treasure chest was a simple-looking short sword, engraved with the same symbols as the monster.

He picked up the dagger and felt a powerful force coming from it, as if the sword had some mysterious connection with him. "This sword should help me survive better in this place."

Ling Xiao sheathed his dagger at his waist and continued walking deeper into the passage. He had no idea how vast this maze of underground caves was, nor did he know if he could find the exit. But he knew that only by constantly exploring and fighting could he find hope for survival.

Ling Xiao continued along the passage, the dagger in his hand gleaming faintly in the dim light. He walked cautiously, taking every step with extreme caution. The passage seemed endless, but Ling Xiao did not give up. He knew that only by moving forward could he find a way out.

"I hope this isn't a dead end," Ling Xiao muttered. Suddenly, he stopped. A low growl filled with anger and hunger emanated from the passage ahead.

Ling Xiao's heart sank, knowing another battle was imminent. He gripped his dagger tightly and slowly walked forward. The passage ended in a vast cavern, filled with a sickening, rancid stench. Ling Xiao frowned, but bravely entered. In the center of the cavern, a massive figure crouched on the ground, its eyes gleaming blood-red, like two burning flames.

It was a giant spider, its body two meters wide, and its eight legs covered in sharp barbs, making it look incredibly ferocious. "Damn it, what the hell is this monster?"

Ling Xiao cursed inwardly, but he knew now was not the time to complain. The spider seemed to sense his presence and slowly raised its head, its blood-red eyes fixed on him.

It let out a low roar and lunged forward. Ling Xiao reacted quickly, swinging his dagger and stabbing at the spider's head. The dagger was incredibly sharp, easily piercing the spider's shell, but the spider didn't seem to care. Its eight legs swung violently, knocking Ling Xiao away.

"Bang!" Ling Xiao slammed heavily against the stone wall, the pain nearly knocking his breath away. He struggled to his feet, only to find the spider slowly advancing toward him, each step weighing heavily. "I can't give up!" Ling Xiao gritted his teeth and swung his dagger once more. He exploited the spider's slow movements, dodging its attacks while simultaneously looking for opportunities to strike back. Every time the dagger pierced the spider's body, a stream of blood flowed, but the spider fought tenaciously.

Finally, during a fierce exchange, Ling Xiao found his chance. He thrust his dagger into the spider's abdomen and then twisted it violently. The spider let out a shrill scream and began to twitch.

Finally, it collapsed to the ground, motionless. "Huh..." Ling Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground. He felt exhausted, but his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

He walked over to the spider's body and found a glowing symbol on its abdomen. He reached out and touched it, and the symbol immediately lit up, and then a beam of light shot into his body.

"It's this kind of power again." Ling Xiao felt that his body became stronger, as if all the fatigue just now had been swept away.

He continued to explore the cave and soon found a hidden corner. There was a stone platform in the corner, and on it lay an ancient scroll. Ling Xiao carefully picked up the scroll and unfolded it. It was densely covered with strange words and patterns.

"What is this?" Ling Xiao frowned, but he soon discovered that the text on the scroll seemed to have some connection with the symbols he had seen before. He studied it carefully for a while and suddenly found that there was a pattern on the scroll that was very similar to the dagger in his hand.

An idea struck him, and he placed the dagger on the scroll. The dagger immediately emitted a burst of light, and then the words on the scroll began to flicker. "Could this be some kind of hint?
Ling Xiao thought to himself. He observed carefully for a moment and found an arrow on the scroll pointing to the other side of the cave. Delighted, he immediately headed in the direction of the arrow.

Ling Xiao walked through the cave and came to a huge stone door. The door was covered with intricate runes, looking ancient and mysterious. He observed it carefully for a while and found that the runes on the door were very similar to the words on the scroll.

"It seems this door is where the scroll points," Ling Xiao thought to himself. He placed his dagger on the stone door, and it immediately glowed. Then, the runes on the stone door began to flicker. A low rumble was heard, and the stone door slowly opened.

"Huh..." Ling Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He walked in carefully and found himself in a huge ruin.

The ruins were filled with an ancient atmosphere. The surrounding stone walls were engraved with various patterns and characters, as if telling a story of ancient history. In the center was a huge altar, upon which rested a crystal ball emitting a faint glow. "What is this?" Ling Xiao walked forward and reached out to touch the crystal ball.

The crystal ball immediately emitted a burst of light, and then pictures appeared before his eyes.

The light emitted by the crystal ball became brighter and brighter, and Ling Xiao was deeply attracted by the scene before him.

In the image, an ancient race is performing a grand ceremony. Their skin is a strange blue, and their eyes sparkle with wisdom. Surrounded by a giant crystal ball, they chant ancient spells and draw intricate symbols in the air.

As the ritual progressed, a dazzling light emanated from the crystal ball, a light that seemed to hold boundless power. Ling Xiao felt a mysterious energy surge from the crystal ball, slowly flowing into his body. His body trembled slightly, as if resonating with some ancient power.

The image gradually blurred, and the light of the crystal ball gradually dimmed. Ling Xiao felt his consciousness being pulled back to reality. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself still standing in front of the altar. "What kind of power is this?"

Ling Xiao muttered to himself, his heart filled with doubt and awe. He reached out and grasped the crystal ball, feeling a warm and powerful energy flowing through him. This energy was different from the power he had previously gained; it was purer, as if it could purify all evil.

"It seems this crystal ball is more than just a decoration." Ling Xiao removed the crystal ball from the altar and carefully placed it in his backpack. He looked around and found some strange patterns and words carved into the walls of the ruins. These patterns seemed to point out some direction, while the words seemed like some ancient clue.

Ling Xiao observed carefully for a moment and discovered that one of the patterns was very similar to the dagger in his hand. "Could this be the clue to the next area?" Ling Xiao's mind moved, and he decided to follow the guidance of these patterns and continue forward.

He passed through the ruins and arrived at a massive stone gate. Carved into the gate were the same symbols as those on the altar, resembling some kind of seal. Ling Xiao placed the crystal ball in front of the gate, and it immediately glowed, illuminating the symbols on the gate.

With a low rumble, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a staircase leading down. Ling Xiao took a deep breath, gripped his dagger, and walked down the stairs.

At the end of the stairs was a vast underground cavern, filled with a damp atmosphere. In the center of the cavern lay a vast lake, its water a strange blue, as if imbued with some kind of magical energy. The lake was surrounded by rocks, on which grew strange plants that emitted a faint fluorescent glow.

"Where is this place?" Ling Xiao muttered to himself, his heart filled with alarm. He cautiously advanced along the rocks at the lake's edge when suddenly, a low roar echoed from the lake. Ling Xiao abruptly stopped in his tracks as the surface of the lake began to ripple violently, and then a massive figure slowly rose from the water.

It was a gigantic aquatic creature, over ten meters long and covered in hard scales. Its eyes were like two giant gemstones, gleaming with a faint blue light. Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth, seemingly capable of shredding anything. "Who are you? Why are you trespassing in my territory?"

The creature's voice was deep and majestic, as if it came from the lake. "I am Ling Xiao, an explorer. I just want to find a way out."

Ling Xiao replied, his voice trembling. "This is my territory. Any trespasser must submit to my test." A hint of sneer clung to the creature's voice. "If you can defeat me, I will take you away."

Ling Xiao's heart tightened, knowing this was a life-or-death battle. He gripped his dagger tightly and slowly walked toward the lake. A creature leaped from the water, its massive body arcing through the air as it lunged toward Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao reacted quickly, swinging his dagger and stabbing at the creature's head. The dagger drew a streak of light in the air, but the creature was faster, lashing out with its tail, knocking Ling Xiao away.

(End of this chapter)