Weird Survival: I can devour thousands of talents

Chapter 224 223: Don’t order!
Night falls.

The thick dark clouds were like rice paper splashed with ink, covering the entire sky and even hiding the stars.

In the forest, ancient trees stood tall, their lush branches and leaves almost blocking out all the moonlight, leaving only mottled shadows swaying on the ground, as if countless invisible hands were dancing in the darkness.

Occasionally, the night wind blows through the treetops, making a whimpering sound, as if telling an ancient secret.

Ling Xiao stood in front of the door of the cabin in the woods, his heart beating like a rapid drum in his chest.

This cabin is hidden deep in the forest. It looks dilapidated and its wooden door is full of traces of time, as if it will collapse in the wind at any time.

But Ling Xiao knew that this cottage was not as simple as it seemed.

His mentor had told him that there was an ancient secret hidden here, and the purpose of his journey was to uncover this secret. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner tension.

His fingers gently touched the dagger at his waist, his only weapon. A blue gem inlaid on the hilt glowed faintly in the darkness, as if giving him courage. Ling Xiao slowly pushed open the door to the hut. The hinges creaked sharply, as if warning him of the danger he was about to enter.

The room was pitch black, and the air was filled with a smell of dampness and decay that made people frown.

Ling Xiao groped along the wall, trying to find a light source. His finger touched a raised switch, and with a flick of the trigger, a dim light instantly came on, illuminating the entire room.

The room was not big and was filled with all kinds of junk. It looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

A tattered wooden table was placed in the center of the room, with some strange symbols and patterns scattered on it, which seemed to be some kind of ancient magic circle.

Ling Xiao's eyes swept across the room, and suddenly, his heartbeat accelerated - in the corner of the room, a pair of eyes were staring at him closely.

Those were a pair of eyes emitting a faint green light, like two burning will-o'-the-wisp fires, flickering strangely in the darkness.

Ling Xiao's breathing suddenly became rapid. He gripped the dagger tightly and subconsciously took a step back. But those eyes did not move, just staring at him quietly, as if waiting for something.

"Who's there?" Ling Xiao's voice echoed in the room, trembling slightly.

He tried to appear calm, but the fear in his heart surged like a tide. Those eyes didn't seem to harbor any malice, but the feeling of being stared at made him extremely uneasy.

Just as he was about to speak again, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. An invisible pressure surged from all directions, surrounding him tightly.

Ling Xiao felt that his breathing was becoming increasingly difficult, as if an invisible hand was strangling his throat.

His vision began to blur and there was a low buzzing sound in his ears, as if someone was whispering in his ears, but he couldn't hear the specific words.

"No..." Ling Xiao struggled, trying to get rid of this oppressive feeling.

His fingers tightly gripped the dagger and thrust forward, as if trying to break through the invisible restraints. Just as the tip of the sword was about to touch those eyes, the lights in the room suddenly went out, and the whole world fell into darkness.

In the darkness, Ling Xiao couldn't see anything and could only rely on his senses to determine the position of the eyes. He could feel the eyes moving in the darkness, as if circling around him.

His heartbeat was as rapid as a drum, each beat a reminder that danger was just around the corner. "Come out!" Ling Xiao shouted, his dagger slashing an arc of light in the darkness, emitting a crisp sound.

The moment he swung his sword, he felt a powerful force coming from the tip of the sword, as if it had struck something solid. Then, a deep roar echoed in the darkness, filled with anger and pain.

"Who... are you?" Ling Xiao's voice was particularly weak in the darkness. He could feel that the power was gradually weakening, but the danger was not completely over.

His fingers tightly gripped the dagger, his body maintaining a fighting stance, ready to deal with the next attack at any time.At this moment, the lights in the room came on again.

Ling Xiao rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. When he could see everything around him again, his breath froze. In the corner of the room stood a figure.

It was a tall figure, shrouded in a black cloak, revealing only a pair of dark green eyes. Those eyes were staring at him intently, flashing with complex emotions, including anger and surprise.

"Who are you?" Ling Xiao's voice sounded again, but this time with a hint of firmness.

He gripped his dagger tightly and looked at the figure before him warily. He knew that this figure was the owner of those eyes just now, and he had to find out the other person's origins.

"Who am I?" The figure let out a deep laugh, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Do you really want to know who I am?"

"Of course." Ling Xiao answered without flinching, "What are you doing here?" The figure slowly raised his hand and lifted the hood of his cloak.

A pale yet handsome face was revealed, a trace of fatigue on it, but its eyes were exceptionally sharp. His gaze swept over Ling Xiao, as if examining something.

"I'll wait for you here." The figure's voice was low and powerful. "I knew you would come." "Wait for me?" Ling Xiao frowned. "Why?"

"Because you are the only one who can unlock this secret." The figure's gaze fell on the wooden table in the center of the room, on the strange magic circle. "This secret can only be unlocked by you."

"What secret?" Ling Xiao's gaze fell on the magic circle, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart. He could sense that the magic circle contained a powerful force, and this power seemed to be closely related to the purpose of his trip.

The figure didn't answer, but slowly walked over to the wooden table and reached out to touch the magic circle. His fingers gently slid across the symbols, as if feeling some ancient magic.

Ling Xiao gripped his dagger tightly, watching his every move warily, ready to respond to any danger. "This secret concerns the fate of the entire world."

The figure's voice was low and mysterious, "And you are the only key that can unlock it." "Me?" Ling Xiao's voice was filled with a hint of doubt, "Why me?"

"Because you are Ling Xiao." The figure's gaze fell on him again, with a hint of deep meaning in his eyes, "You are the chosen one."

"The chosen one?" Ling Xiao felt a little uneasy. He could sense that this secret was far more complicated than he had imagined.

He didn't know why he was chosen, nor did he know what this secret held.

"Yes." The figure nodded. "You have the power to unlock this secret, and I am only here to guide you."

"Guide me?" Ling Xiao's voice was filled with a hint of caution. "Who are you?" The figure didn't answer, but slowly turned around and put his hood back on, hiding his face in the darkness. He moved slowly across the room, as if contemplating something.

"You don't need to know who I am." The figure's voice was low and mysterious. "You only need to know that I'm here to help you." "Help me?" Ling Xiao's voice was tinged with doubt. "Why do you want to help me?" "Because I also need to solve this secret." The figure's voice was filled with helplessness. "This secret concerns the fate of all of us."

"Everyone's fate?" Ling Xiao felt a surge of shock. He could sense that the importance of this secret far exceeded his imagination. He didn't know why he was involved in this dispute, nor did he know if he could shoulder such a responsibility.

"Yes." The figure nodded. "This world is facing an unprecedented crisis. Unlocking this secret is our only hope."

"crisis?"

Ling Xiao's voice was filled with uneasiness, "What kind of crisis?"

The figure didn't answer, but slowly walked to the other side of the room and reached out to touch a wall. His fingers slid lightly across the wall, as if searching for something.

Suddenly, his finger stopped at a raised area and he pressed it lightly. The wall made a slight sound and slowly moved away, revealing a hidden passage.

"Follow me." The voice of the figure was deep and powerful.
"The secret is hidden at the end of this passage."

A trace of nervousness welled up in Ling Xiao's heart, but he knew that he had no way out.

He gripped the dagger tightly, followed the figure, and slowly walked into the secret passage. The passage was pitch black, and the air was filled with a damp smell, which made people frown.

Ling Xiao could sense that this passage was fraught with danger, but he had to keep moving forward. The figure leading the way was particularly mysterious in the darkness.

His steps were light and steady, as if he knew the passage well.

Ling Xiao followed closely behind him, looking around vigilantly, ready to deal with any danger that might arise. The passage was not long and soon reached the end.

At the end, there was a stone door, covered with strange symbols and patterns. The figure walked to the door and reached out to touch the symbols, his fingers sliding lightly over them, as if unlocking some ancient seal.

"The secret is hidden behind this door." The figure's voice was low and mysterious. "Are you ready?"

"Ready."

There was a hint of determination in Ling Xiao's voice. He knew that he had no way out.

He gripped the dagger tightly and looked at the stone door vigilantly, ready to deal with any possible danger at any time.

The figure nodded and pressed lightly on the stone door with both hands.

The moment Ling Xiao stepped into the stone gate, an ancient and mysterious atmosphere hit him in the face.

He swept his eyes across the basement, seeing all sorts of ancient magical instruments and books placed around, and a faint smell of dust in the air.

In the center of the basement, there was a huge stone platform, engraved with complex runes and emitting a faint glow. Ling Xiao stared at the stone platform, feeling a sense of unease.

He knew that this stone platform might be the key to the hidden secret. However, just as he was about to approach the stone platform, a slight sound came from behind.

He turned around suddenly and saw a black shadow flash past in the corner.

"Who's there?" Ling Xiao's voice echoed in the basement with a hint of vigilance.

His hand tightly gripped the dagger at his waist, and the blue gem on the hilt gleamed faintly in the dim light.

There was no answer, only silence.

There was a suffocating feeling of oppression in the basement, as if something was watching him in the darkness.

Ling Xiao slowly turned around and searched every corner of the basement, trying to find any trace of the black shadow.

Suddenly, a shrill scream sounded in the basement. The sound cut through the silent air like a sharp blade, causing Ling Xiao's eardrums to sting.

He subconsciously covered his ears, but his eyes were fixed on the direction where the sound came from.

A blurry figure rushed out from the darkness and headed straight for Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao reacted extremely quickly, drawing his dagger and pointing the tip at the figure.

In the dim light, he finally saw the true face of the monster.

It was a tall figure, its body covered in black scales, its eyes like two burning red charcoal, flashing with a fierce light. Its limbs were strong and powerful, and its claws were as sharp as knives, as if it could tear apart anything that stood in its way.

"Monster!" There was a hint of horror in Ling Xiao's voice, but he quickly calmed down.

He knew that now was not the time to be afraid, he had to fight. The monster let out a low roar and crouched slightly, as if ready to attack at any time.

Ling Xiao gripped his dagger tightly, maintaining a fighting stance, and vigilantly watched the monster's every move. He knew that this monster was no pushover, and if he wasn't careful, he could lose his life.

Suddenly, the monster moved. It was extremely fast, like a black lightning, and it rushed in front of Ling Xiao in an instant.

Ling Xiao subconsciously swung his sword to block, and the tip of the sword collided with the monster's claws, making a crisp metal collision sound.

The powerful impact caused Ling Xiao's body to jolt backwards, but he managed to stabilize himself and was not knocked down by the monster's attack. The monster roared angrily and pounced on Ling Xiao again.

This time, its attack was even more ferocious, its claws leaving black afterimages in the air. Ling Xiao didn't dare to be careless, he nimbly dodged the monster's attacks while looking for opportunities to counterattack.

His short sword slashed blue rays through the air, each strike precisely targeting the monster's vital points. However, the monster's defense was exceptionally strong, and Ling Xiao's attacks didn't seem to have much effect on it.

The monster's claws left several shallow wounds on Ling Xiao's body. Blood flowed down the wounds, staining his clothes red. Ling Xiao felt a burst of pain, but he did not retreat. Instead, he became more determined to fight.

(End of this chapter)