The boss of a foreign organization called the police, claiming that he was defrauded by me

Without their obstruction, these black insects moved as if they were in an empty field, crawling towards the place stained with blood.

They gnawed at the rocks, making a crunching sound like large wild beasts chewing bones, which sent chills down one's spine and gave one goosebumps all over.

After they had devoured the outermost layer of blood, they stopped moving and began to scatter in all directions.

Seeing this, Yang Xia wanted to smear the blood on it again, but Meng Yin immediately stopped him and used his own blood instead.

"Let me do this kind of thing that is bad for your health. Your Majesty must take care of your health and must not do this kind of thing again."

Mengyin felt that he was really unqualified as a subordinate, as he could not accurately understand the king's intentions and always did some foolish things.

Fortunately, the king was magnanimous and did not hold it against him; otherwise, even ten lives wouldn't have been enough to pay for it.

Although he may not have much else, his martial arts skills and passionate heart are enough for him to dedicate himself to the country.

With everyone's continuous efforts, the insects gradually gnawed a hole in the huge rock, and hope was rekindled in everyone's hearts.

Yuan Feng said excitedly, "At this rate, it won't be long before we can get in from here and find the real entrance."

Meng Yin nodded in agreement: "That's right. As long as we can get in from here, even if we bleed a little, I think it's worth it."

Seeing that the blood on the pit was almost completely consumed, Mengyin picked up the knife again, intending to be ruthless to himself and bleed more.

Seeing this, Yuan Feng stepped forward and said, "I think this rock is very thick. Even if you drain all your blood, you might not be able to break through it. It's better for everyone to take turns and contribute a little, rather than for you to try to do it all by yourself."

After spending these past few days together, everyone had gotten to know each other's temperaments pretty well. Although Yuan Feng didn't speak like a subordinate, every word he said was full of concern.

Mengyin understood that Yuanfeng's words made sense, since everyone's blood volume is limited.

If there is a lot of blood loss, the mildest case may be dizziness and nausea, and the internal strength will not be able to improve; the most severe case may even lead to death.

Yuan Feng cut his finger and offered his blood. Watching the insects gnawing at the stone, he said with some doubt, "You know, these insects gnaw the stone off and eat a lot of it, so why don't their bodies get any bigger?"

This is indeed strange.

Yang Xia pointed to the broken stones and dust on the ground and said, "Their bite force is amazing. Those broken stones have long since turned into powder. I guess they only eat stones when they have no other choice. Now there is blood on the stones, so they must only eat blood."

Of course, this is just his guess.

He wasn't sure what had really happened.

However, right now these insects are focused on the blood, and they're helping them gnaw a big hole in the rock so they can crawl inside.

But once these insects lose their attraction to fresh blood, they become uncontrollable. At that point, I really don't know how to lure them out.

Yang Xia asked, "Do you have any way to control these insects before the hole is drilled through?"

His question stumped everyone.

Everyone was so caught up in the joy of the impending problem that they didn't even consider where the insects would go once the hole was drilled through.

If these insects were to target their flesh and blood, they would be severely injured, if not killed.

However, since they came in, they have had limited tools and no way to obtain resources from the outside. To deal with these insects, they can only rely on themselves.

These insects have hard armor, and even with the swords in their hands, it would take two or three strikes before cracks would appear on their bodies.

Having lived in this place for so long, they have become incredibly strange. Dealing with one or two would be manageable, but dealing with such a large number would probably be quite difficult.

While everyone was still pondering, Yang Xia noticed that the insects had already chiseled open the stone, allowing a faint light to shine through.

The insects didn't attack them; instead, they were attracted by something inside and crawled in quickly and aggressively.

After all the insects disappeared, the hole carved into the rock was about one meter in diameter, big enough for everyone to crawl through.

Mengyin stepped forward first: "Let me go in and see what kind of strange thing is inside that can attract insects like this."

The insects had initially shown great interest in their blood, but now they were drawn inside by what was inside.

He seemed to have sensed danger, but having come this far, they had no way out.

He couldn't let the king continue to take risks, so he planned to rush in first. If there was any danger ahead, he could detect it immediately and prevent the people behind him from taking risks with him.

He was quite large, and it took him a lot of effort to squeeze into this space, which was only one meter in diameter.

When he saw the scene inside, he was completely stunned. He had thought that the most beautiful scenery he had ever seen was the magnificent grandeur of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but compared to the scenery here, he felt that the Great Zhou Dynasty was not glorious enough.

This place is like a huge palace, with everything resplendent in gold.

Before him stood several golden pillars, radiating a dazzling light. Instead of piles of gold and silver treasures, they were surrounded by various types of armor and weapons. Around the pillars stood eight stone-carved human figures, guarding the area.

These stone statues hold spears tightly in their hands, wear golden helmets, and even their armor is entirely golden.

The entire scene exuded an aura of extreme luxury. Just as he was lost in thought, he heard a rustling sound behind him. He immediately assumed a defensive stance and turned around to see his companions and Yang Xia had arrived.

Yang Xia was stunned by the sight before him. He wondered if he could take anything with him. However, he was genuinely tempted by the luxurious scene.

For the Great Zhou Dynasty to achieve such prosperity, it naturally needed financial support, and this place seemed to meet that requirement.

But Yang Xia recalled his previous adventures and felt it wasn't worth the risk here. After all, with system points, he could exchange them for troops; there was no need to put himself in danger for these valuables.

In the very center of this scene, there is an extremely luxurious table, laden with all sorts of dishes.

From a distance, the dishes seemed to still faintly emit steam. Above the dishes was a throne, empty except for a suit of golden armor.

No one knows who the throne belongs to, nor does anyone understand why these dishes have been preserved for so long. It's strangely long.

Yang Xia thought he was seeing things, after all, how could these dishes have been stored for so long, especially since they were still steaming hot.

Yuan Feng said from the side, "Look, these dishes are really steaming hot."

He thought he was hallucinating; perhaps he was too tired beforehand, which was why he mistook the spoiled vegetables for delicacies.

However, everyone nodded, admitting that they had indeed seen these delicious dishes. Some were even tempted to go forward and try them.

Yang Xia couldn't understand where they got their courage, but seeing the madness and desire in their eyes, he seemed to understand that these dishes had a fatal attraction for them.

However, a pale blue river blocked them from entering, while the dishes were located right in the middle.

Suddenly, Yang Xia had a flash of inspiration and thought of the insects that had disappeared earlier. Perhaps those insects had drowned in the river while trying to eat this food.

Once the idea took hold, it couldn't be ignored. He quickly said to everyone, "We are just passing through here. Don't even think about taking things that don't belong to you, or you'll bring disaster upon yourself."

This is no joke; if they are even slightly careless, they might not be able to get out of this place.

But the people behind him seemed not to hear him at all, rushing forward with no eyes left but the delicious food.

Perhaps they were thirsty and hungry before they came, but they shouldn't have ended up like this just for a little food.

Yang Xia didn't know what the problem was, so he could only do his best to calm them down. He made a shallow cut on each person's arm, but the pain instantly brought them to their senses.

This included Old Hei, whose previously unfocused pupils gradually regained their brightness. He saw that one of his feet was almost in the water and quickly pulled it back in fright.

He didn't know what had just happened; he only remembered that his mind was blank, the food smelled enticing, and a blonde beauty was sitting next to it.

The blonde, blue-eyed beauties greeted them warmly and invited them to come and enjoy a delicious meal. He walked over as if possessed, feeling as if his body was no longer under his control.

His eyes were only on the beautiful women and the food, so he followed them step by step, completely unaware of the river beneath his feet.

Seeing that they had all regained consciousness, Yang Xia began to talk about the insects that had disappeared earlier: "Those insects were most afraid of water, but they still couldn't resist the temptation of food and all of them drowned in this water. Their corpses are still floating at the bottom of the water."

Just now, in order to control Lao Hei, he took a few steps forward and happened to see the insects at the bottom of the water.

The river wasn't wide, but the water was crystal clear; you could see right to the bottom. Yet, it was precisely this clear river that drowned an astonishing number of insects.

Old Hei was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He was most afraid of insects and water, and the combination of the two gave him goosebumps all over his body.

Meng Yin patted his dazed head, not quite sure what had happened, but seeing blood flowing from his arm, he asked, "Who attacked me?"

Yang Xia said helplessly, "It was me. You were all in a trance just now. If we don't use this method, you might not be able to wake up for a while."

If you step into this river, it's uncertain whether you'll survive, so it was unavoidable that I injured them.

Upon hearing that it was King Yang Xia who had injured him, Meng Yin immediately lost his temper and said with a smile, "Thanks to Your Majesty's timely intervention, otherwise we would have been misled and rushed in, and the situation would have been beyond repair."

There's never a bad thing when it comes to flattering someone.

And what he said was absolutely true; just now, all of them were bewitched by the food, only the king remained sober.

If it weren't for the King's help, they would all probably have perished here.

Looking at the river in front of him, Yang Xia said, "These rivers are not so simple. Those insects are so afraid of water, yet they are trapped inside and cannot get out. We need to think of a way to get across from here."

At this moment, someone in the line stepped forward. This person was tall, nearly two meters tall.

He glanced at the river, completely ignoring the clear water.

He felt that the king was making a mountain out of a molehill. The insects were trapped in the water because they were tempted by the delicious food, but the living people could just walk across the water.

Take him for example, the water only goes up to his thighs at most. His brothers are all tall, so walking over is a piece of cake for them.

Your Majesty is of noble status. We can find a strong and capable person to carry you on their back. This way, Your Majesty can be carried across without getting wet in the water. It's a win-win situation.

Thinking this way, he cleverly walked into the water.

Yang Xia realized something was wrong, but it was too late to stop him. All she could do was shout from behind, "Come back right now..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man scrambled up, clutching his legs in agony and screaming in agony. The veins on his neck were bulging, a clear indication of the extreme pain he was in.

He regretted his foolish decision, which had put him in a desperate situation.

Yang Xia rushed over to check his injuries and saw that his remaining pants were completely corroded, and his legs were full of pits and bumps.

He rolled on the ground, leaving a dark patch of blood in his wake. He was in so much pain that his face turned deathly pale, and he couldn't speak. His eyes were filled with regret.

Seeing that his injuries were serious, Yang Xia quickly asked the people next to him to stop the bleeding and bandage him, but the situation did not improve. Before long, the man lay on the ground motionless.

Yuan Feng went forward to examine his wound and found that it had become extensively rotten, much more serious than they had imagined.

The tall man's departure served as a wake-up call for them; the river was more than just clear water.

Yang Xia looked at the black beetles at the bottom of the clear water and fell into deep thought.

Human flesh and blood, once they come into contact with this river water, will be immediately corroded to the bone, but those black beetles stay in the water as if time has simply stood still, without showing any signs of discomfort.

Yang Xia wasn't sure if his guess was right, so he instructed the people beside him, "Go and get me a few stones." (End of Chapter)