Chapter 14: The Snowy World
Olivia's face was very pale. The cost of fully exploding with power at the last moment, doubling his speed, was not low. Coupled with his severed legs... Olivia was in a very bad state right now.
"Why didn't you leave?" Olivia looked up at Linley.
Linley just stood there, not in a hurry to go. He could see that Olivia's strength had greatly diminished at this point, especially with his legs broken. It would be troublesome for Olivia to move while fighting an enemy. Although he could fly... simply flying without legs would reduce his agility by more than half.
"Thanks." Olivia was silent for a moment, then said two words. Afterward, he focused on healing his injuries.
Linley's heart was filled with pain at this moment. He turned his head to look back at the entrance to the fourth level: "Barker, if Barker really died, then his wife 'Lina' and his two children, Gates and the other three brothers will ask me..." Linley felt powerless.
In front of the divine beast 'Basilisk,' even preserving his own life was a matter of luck.
As for Barker, Linley had no way to save him.
"I can only hope that Barker is lucky and can be like me. Either enter the fourth level, or escape to the second level." Linley stayed where he was, partly to help Olivia, preventing any creatures from attacking him, and partly to wait...
To see if Barker could make it to the fourth level.
After a while...
"I'm fine now." Olivia stood up, glanced at Linley without saying anything more, and transformed into a blur as he flew directly into the high sky.
Linley stood there for nearly half an hour longer, and finally let out a sigh before flying up.
This snowy world was a vast expanse of white, with many tall trees standing proudly, the snow covering them in a layer of silver. After flying for a while, Linley spotted an acquaintance. It was Clay, whom he had sparred with on Martial God Mountain.
"Linley." Clay flew over with a smile. "I thought you were still down below..."
"You just entered the fourth level, and the person below you let out a scream. It woke the Basilisk." Linley shook his head. "I was just lucky, but my good brother Barker..."
Clay comforted him, "Don't be too sad. After I entered the fourth level, I saw Olivia with his broken legs. From him, I learned that the Basilisk had awakened. I thought you had all fallen to the Basilisk's bloody slaughter. It's already good that you survived. Your brother would be happy for you."
Linley nodded.
Then the two flew side by side. Clay reminded him, "Don't keep thinking about your brother's matters. The fourth level also has its dangers. If you get distracted, losing your life wouldn't be worth it."
Linley was jolted awake. He took a deep breath and shook his head: "I know."
"Farn told me that back then, they only retreated to the fifth level. The Necropolis of the Gods has eighteen levels in total. Among the first eleven, every five levels form a tier. The first four aren't too dangerous. The fifth level is actually the least dangerous among the first five." Clay said.
Clay had lived much longer than Linley and knew many things.
"Oh? The fifth level is the safest among the first five?" Linley was somewhat surprised inside.
"Mm, Farn told me that the Martial God said every five levels form a tier. From the first to the fifth, the danger is average. But from the sixth to the tenth, it's extremely dangerous. Even Farn and the others could die at any time." Clay warned.
Linley nodded. He would have to be extremely careful from now on.
"The sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth levels are all terrifying. Compared to these four, the tenth level is the least dangerous." Clay laughed.
Linley kept these words in mind. This was information Farn had learned from the Martial God.
The Martial God had definitely been to the first ten levels, so he naturally knew the situation there.
"Every five levels form a tier. The fifth level is the safest among the first five, and the tenth level is the safest among the next five." Linley suddenly had a feeling. "It seems like these safe levels are meant for people to rest and prepare."
Clearly, the danger suddenly jumped to a new height on the sixth level.
And the eleventh level, which contained the corpses of gods and divine sparks. Anyone who wasn't an idiot could understand... this eleventh level was probably a thousand times more dangerous than the ones before.
Flying over the snowy ground, Clay laughed, "It's only in the first five levels that we can rely on our own strength to fight various creatures. From the sixth level onward... it's a combination of intelligence, strength, luck, and everything else."
Linley nodded.
Back then, Desri, Farn, and the others were so scared they didn't dare enter the sixth level, hiding in the fifth level until the ten-year period ended.
"Whoosh!"
A snowdrift below suddenly burst open, and a creature shot out like a white lightning bolt, charging straight at Clay. A metallic sheen appeared on Clay's body, and with a roar, he punched directly at the incoming creature.
"Bang!"
Fist met furry paw.
Clay's entire body shook as he was knocked backward, while the white, furry monster was also sent crashing down onto the snow.
"What immense strength." Clay exclaimed in surprise.
Linley also looked down at the furry monster in astonishment. He had sparred with Clay before and knew how strong he was. "Clay's strength is ten times that of Hodson, and his defense is comparable to Barker. Yet he's evenly matched with this creature."
The monster lying on the snow suddenly stood upright like a human.
"A bear?" Linley said in surprise, looking at the creature below.
This bear-like magical beast had pure white fur, but the area around its eyes was a large patch of black, as if someone had punched it and given it black eyes. Looking at it, this furry magical beast was actually quite cute.
"I'm not a clumsy bear. I'm a Snowcat Bear." The furry monster retorted.
"Swish." Then the Snowcat Bear charged again, this time heading straight for Linley.
It was just a white blur, and in an instant, the Snowcat Bear was right in front of Linley. Its speed was astonishing, and Linley's heart skipped a beat.
"Smack!"
Linley's metallic-sheened dragon tail lashed out fiercely, striking the Snowcat Bear's body. The tail's attack was sudden and extremely fast. The Snowcat Bear had no time to react.
"Bang." The Snowcat Bear's entire body crashed into the snow, and its chest, covered in white fluffy fur, was now stained with blood. The Snowcat Bear glanced at Linley, then at Clay, and with a sudden lunge, it burrowed into the snow and disappeared.
It fled!
Linley and Clay couldn't help but smile.
"This Snowcat Bear is really interesting. After just a simple exchange, it immediately gave up and ran away." Linley was still surprised by the Snowcat Bear's strength. Its power was no less than that of an Earth Bear, but its speed far surpassed it.
No wonder it was called a Snowcat Bear. The extra 'cat' made all the difference.
"Haha... if I had to fight this Snowcat Bear one-on-one, it would be really troublesome. This Snowcat Bear seems even faster than me." Clay said with a wry smile. "Linley, I have a feeling that I'll at most rest on the fifth level. I'm afraid I won't be able to venture into the sixth."
"Alright, let's find the passage first." Linley and Clay continued flying, searching for the passage.
...
The Snowcat Bears on the fourth level were very strange. Except for a very few that would attack newcomers, most of them didn't bother at all, instead curling up into a ball and sleeping peacefully. Linley and Clay were worried at first, but later they relaxed a bit.
"Both of you, listen up." Suddenly, an aged voice rang out.
Linley and Clay, who were flying in midair, were startled and immediately looked toward the source of the sound.
Below them was a Snowcat Bear only one meter tall, looking at Linley and Clay with indifference. Although Snowcat Bears were generally much smaller than Earth Bears, they usually stood two to three meters tall when upright. But this Snowcat Bear was only one meter tall.
"This Snowcat Bear is very dangerous." Linley immediately went on high alert. Although this Snowcat Bear was small, it gave Linley a sense of crisis, almost comparable to meeting the Martial God and the others.
The Snowcat Bear's aged voice rang out again: "I am the chieftain of the Snowcat Bear clan."
Linley and Clay exchanged a glance. This Snowcat Bear was a chieftain?
"Remember, on this fourth level, as long as my children don't attack you first, you are not to attack them. If you kill even one, don't blame me for being ruthless." The Snowcat Bear chieftain flipped its paw, and a bamboo flute appeared in its hand.
Yes, a bamboo flute.
"Playing a flute?" Linley had never seen anyone use a flute to hurt people before.
But both Linley and Clay felt that this old fellow before them was too great a threat, and they didn't dare say much. Clay immediately said, "Don't worry. Earlier, a Snowcat Bear attacked us, and we didn't go too hard on it. As long as your people don't attack us, we absolutely won't attack your children."
"The passage to the fourth level is over there. That tallest giant tree. The passage is inside the tree." The Snowcat Bear chieftain pointed into the distance.
Linley and Clay immediately flew away.
Seeing Linley and Clay leave, the Snowcat Bear chieftain let out a sigh. The Snowcat Bear clan had been exiled to this fourth level of the Necropolis of the Gods, as if imprisoned in a cage. As the chieftain of the Snowcat Bear clan, he had no way to change it.
With his strength, killing enough outsiders to exchange for a lower-level divine spark wasn't difficult. But he didn't want to. Only with him here could he intimidate strong ones like Linley.
"If I become a god and leave, these children won't be far from death." The Snowcat Bear chieftain sighed.
He was also at the peak of the Saint-level, just one step away from reaching the God-level. But the Snowcat Bear chieftain's strength surpassed the five ultimate Saint-level experts. Because the profundity he comprehended was different from others. Just like Linley... the 'Pulse of the Earth' he comprehended was far more powerful in attack than what others had comprehended.
What this Snowcat Bear had comprehended was an extremely rare profundity within the wind element laws.
The fifth level, the world of fire.
As soon as Linley and Clay entered the fifth level, they felt a wave of heat hit them. The center of the entire fifth level was a volcano, and the rest was a vast expanse of barren rock, bare and desolate... allowing one to see very far into the distance.
But the temperature of the rock on the ground was very high.
"Boss!" A black shadow flew over from the distance at extreme speed.
"Bebe." Linley could clearly sense that it was Bebe flying toward him. Bebe leaped directly into Linley's arms, his eyes still misty: "Boss, I arrived at the fifth level early and have been waiting for you. Desri and the others said you encountered the Basilisk on the third level. I was so worried about you, Boss."
Linley couldn't help but recall everything that had happened on the third level, still shuddering at the memory.
"Fortunately, I'm fine. That's great." Bebe beamed with joy.
The levels Bebe had gone through were much easier than Linley's. He hadn't encountered the Basilisk, and the other undead or creatures posed no threat to Bebe at all.
"Hey, Boss, where's Barker? Didn't he come with you?" Bebe asked in confusion.
Linley's expression froze, turning somewhat grim, with a hint of pain in his eyes.
Bebe was clever. Seeing Linley's expression, he guessed something: "Boss, did Barker... die on the third level?" Linley let out a sigh: "Yes, on the third level. When we were there, the Basilisk woke up. We had no way to resist. I was lucky and escaped to the fourth level using the Violet Blood Soft Sword. As for Barker..."
Linley's voice grew low, and he couldn't continue.