Chapter 37: Tao Tie
Last Song by Yamai
The area in front is very big, its width is over 100 meters. The space of this area is completely empty, only in the middle silently rested a massive green coloured beast.
Its resting body covered half of this area’s ground! The size of its body is who knows how many times that of the Greedy Giant Toad’s. Just its gigantic body made Ling Chen have a feeling of suffocation.
This is a massive beast with an incredibly strange and terrifying appearance, right now it is clearly in deep sleep. Its head is enormous, its features so savage that just glancing at it is enough to make people scared. Its mouth is especially big, even though it’s sleeping its mouth is wide open, revealing a line of frightening, saw like teeth. The bridge of its nose bulges out greatly, on top of its head is actually a single, curved horn. At the two sides of its head there is a meat fin, its shape like an ear. What’s bizarre is that there are surprisingly no eyes on its face… The entire face is just an angular nose and a massive mouth that seems to be able to swallow a mountain, along with a pair of ear-like meat fins, nothing else. The appearance of its body and tail are similar to a normal ox, but are a lot bigger. Two massive paws extend out from the two sides of its body… the appearance is a bit similar to the hands of humans. (TL: images)
The indescribably enormous aura came from this massive behemoth. The sense of danger it gives him is more than 1000 times greater than the Greedy Giant Toad.
Drops of cold sweat instantly soaked Ling Chen’s clothes, he stood there staring at the terrifying behemoth, not daring to advance, even not daring to move backwards to hide his body. Instead he stood there completely still, holding in his breath. He understood what this incredibly dangerous sense of danger meant… Just like an ant, facing a towering mountain of which the tip cannot be seen. If the behemoth in front wakes up, it can obliterate him in an instant not even leaving an ash, there isn’t even a slight chance of struggle.
The stronger the creature, the more acute its senses are. The beast has clearly slept underneath this abyss for too long, its alertness also falling to the lowest, because of that he was not discovered when he first entered before. This kind of beast, with every movement of his body there is a higher chance of being discovered.
… But, his path of retreat has been cut off. Besides death there is no other way to leave, no matter what, he can only choose to move forward.
But, fighting with this behemoth, is complete suicide!
Ling Chen shifted his gaze, scanning every corner not covered by the behemoths body. After standing there as if frozen for half a minute, he used the slowest movements to call out the “Dark Cloak of Concealment” and then lightly put it on his body.
“Ding… You have used special item “Dark Cloak of Concealment”, now stealthed, cannot attack while stealthed, taking off the “Dark Cloak of Concealment” will release the stealth condition.”
The Dark Cloak of Concealment’s stealth effect can completely hide from the senses of any being Faerie level and below, it also has a certain chance of escaping from the discoverment of Heaven End and Mysterious God level beings… but without even needing to think it’s easy to know how low this probability is.
But, right now he can only give it a gamble. Hope the awareness of this behemoth has greatly dropped over the years of its slumber… Hope even more that the path forward has not been blocked!
Under the effect of the Dark Cloak of Concealment, Ling Chen’s body completely disappeared from sight, even he could only see a hazy shadow of himself.
Under the effect of the Dark Cloak of Concealment, Ling Chen stepped forward, balancing his body, slowly walking forward almost completely silently.
1 step, 2 steps… 10 steps… 20 steps…
The slumbering behemoth was completely quiet, Ling Chen’s mind also slightly relaxed a bit. Before today, there should have been no outside beings entering this place for a very long time, this behemoth should have also lost its alertness already, sleeping extremely peacefully. Or else, with its strength, even stealthed he would have been discovered at the first moment.
At 10 meters from the beast, Ling Chen finally couldn’t resist, using a “Scan Skill” on the behemoth.
[Tao Tie]: Type: Ancient Mythical Beast, Grade: Mysterious God, Level: ????, other information cannot be detected.
Ling Chen’s eyes immediately widened to its limit.
Mysterious… Mysterious God!?
Besides Saint Destroyer beings that only exist in legend, Mysterious God, is already the pinnacle strength of the Mystic Moon world. Regardless if it’s human or beast, if they have Mysterious God level strength, then they have the qualifications to overlook the entire world. Towards players, there is a possibility of defeating a Faerie BOSS, Heaven End BOSS… at late game, with enough people and strength, there is also a possibility of winning. But Mysterious God BOSS will always be impossible to defeat. No matter how high the level, how exaggerated the number of people, it is unbeatable. Even with 100 thousand, 1 million players, it is all the same as going to suicide. Because Mysterious God is a mythical level BOSS, it can only be looked up at, cannot be beat. How can a myth, be broken by players that are at the bottom of the strength hierarchy.
And beasts with Mysterious God level strength even on Forgotten continent are very few, all of them incredibly renowned, feared by humans, worshipped by all beasts.
At the moment, Ling Chen is at the Novice Village area.
And it is exactly this Novice Village… that actually exists a Mysterious God beast!!
The Mysterious God beast’s name is… Tao Tie!!
Ling Chen of course wouldn’t not know Tao Tie this name. In Chinese legend, it was formed from Demon God Chi You’s decapitated head, having the most greedy nature and incredibly terrifying strength. Legend says that its massive mouth can swallow the sky and devour the ground, there is not a single thing in the world it cannot engulf. In previous virtual reality games, Tao Tie this name also regularly existed, and always appears as an unbeatable final BOSS. (TL: Chi You, a very bad man in Chinese legend that tried to take over the world.)
And 《Mystic Moon》’s Tao Tie, unexpectedly appeared in the Novice Village area!!
These kinds of final bosses are all a one time thing, which means that after killed it will permanently die. Unless it is revived, it will not respawn after a certain period of time like a regular BOSS. This Tao Tie is the only one in the Mystic Moon world… It did not appear in the most secret, most frightening, final area that players basically cannot enter, instead it appeared here.
Exactly what is happening!? His heart was filled with disbelief and puzzlement, but right now was not the time for him to be thinking of these things. No matter in which virtual game world the Tao Tie’s identity is that of an evil beast, if Ling Chen wakes it up, his only option is death. He tightly sealed his lips, suppressing his heartbeat and breathing that had become a bit erratic, maintaining his previous actions and step by step walking forward.
30 steps… 50 steps… 100 steps…
A passageway the same size as the one he came here through appeared before his eyes… and there is no stone door blocking it!
This towards Ling Chen was certainly a pleasant surprise. He did not rush in his thrill, instead slowly advancing while maintaining his light and slow movements, and then finally stepping into that passage.
I safely passed just like that?
Stepping into a corner of the passage, making himself completely disappear from the Tao Tie’s range of vision, only then did Ling Chen slowly let out a breath. But that feeling of palpitation would not disappear in a short period of time. Right now he was still shocked about why the Novice Village would actually appear this kind of final BOSS, this simply goes against common sense and common knowledge. Even if you told people about it, there probably wouldn’t be anyone who would believe you. Looking forward, Ling Chen felt incredibly lucky. He knows, he was once again blessed by fortune. The 6th area was not locked, this passage was not blocked by a stone door like the previous ones, or else, even if he can carefully avoid the sleeping Tao Tie’s detection, it would be completely pointless.
“Ding… You are about to enter the 7th area of the Forgotten Cave in front.”
“Ding… The 7th area is the end of the Forgotten Cave, it may be harbouring unknown danger, please advance in caution.”
The next area is the end?
Ling Chen did not release the stealth condition. continuing to use his lightest footsteps to advance, only after walking in the passageway for 100 meters did he take off the cloak… At this moment, the Dark Cloak of Concealment’s 300 seconds time of effect only remained the last 100 seconds. He then quickened his footsteps, rapidly moving forward.
Underneath Wolf’s Cliff at the most eastern point of Novice Village No. 49554, at the bottom of an abyss, a bizarre cave, demonified life forms, an ancient mythical beast guardian… He wanted to know more and more eagerly, exactly what the end of this Forgotten Cave is hiding.
Could it be, this is a final, ultimate hidden quest hidden in Novice Village 49554?
This passageway is a bit longer than the one before, only after walking for 5 minutes did Ling Chen see a change in the light in front… He knows, he is about to reach the end… the end of the passage, and the end of the Forgotten Cave.
Softening his footsteps, Ling Chen took a deep breath, and then activated the recording ability on the communication device on his wrist. Holding his breath, he carefully, step by step walked forward. The 6th area is guarded by an ancient mythical beast, even an idiot should know that something that can be guarded by an ancient mythical beast is definitely not ordinary. Maybe, this is a mysterious ancient ruin and inside harbours countless artifacts and treasures — Of course, this is what Ling Chen wants to see the most. Or maybe, inside lives a powerful hermit, although this kind of possibility is very small, because if there really was a person inside they should have already discovered him when he entered. (TL: Not sure if it’s enter the cave or the passage)
Gradually moving forward, the light became more and more obvious, but from beginning to end Ling Chen did not feel any sense of danger. His tightened heart strings also became more and more relaxed. Continuing to move forward, the light became increasingly stronger, slowly becoming brighter than any other light he’d seen here. Ling Chen slightly paused… At the end of the space, is it filled with light? Or is it, that this passage leads outside?
Right until he stepped out of the passage, a sense of danger still did not arrive. This meant that there are no living beings here. Walking out of the passage, Ling Chen stood there, looking at the space in front filled with blinding light…