Why is my anime art style so weird?

As the tremors intensified, huge boulders and cone-shaped stalactites fell from above from time to time.

As Erina ran, she used the cold air to create frost above everyone's heads, forming an ice shield to protect them.

Asagami Fujino also continuously used the power of distortion to twist large stones into fragments.

Xu Ming hadn't gone very far to begin with, but with everyone working together, they quickly escaped from the second basement level back to the first.

After a while.

"what?"

Xu Ming couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

The underground cave shook violently for a while, then the tremors stopped abruptly.

The pace of stabilization seems a bit too fast...

Xu Ming was filled with doubt. He waited for another ten minutes until the noise from the underground cave completely disappeared before leading everyone inside.

The air still seemed to be filled with lingering dust, and the surroundings were shrouded in a gray haze.

Xu Ming quickly covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve.

They soon arrived at the place where they had fought Kimimaro before.

"This is……!?"

Xu Ming was dumbfounded by the scene before him.

Countless white bones gathered together, blooming like flowers.

The white bones, some long and some short, formed the petals, resembling large, grayish-white cosmos flowers when viewed from above.

In the very center of the cosmos, thick white bones rise up from the ground like tree trunks, supporting the top of the cave like pillars.

This forest of bones stubbornly held up the collapsing underground cavern.

Through the gaps in the bones, Xu Ming could see that in the very center of the Bone Forest stood an exceptionally thick giant tree made of bones.

The tree's bark was as clear as jade, and one could vaguely see a slender figure inside.

Looking at that figure, Xu Ming fell silent...

Chapter 446 Abandoned Pawn

Without Kimimaro's obstruction, the group's movements became much smoother, and they soon found the laboratory located deep in the underground cave.

However, what they found before them was a laboratory that was already deserted and clearly abandoned.

A row of empty culture tanks, all the medicine inside had been drained.

The heavy equipment that couldn't be taken away showed signs of being disassembled, suggesting that important parts inside had likely been damaged or taken away long ago.

The cabinets containing the documents were found to be empty when opened; almost all the important documents had been taken away, while the less important ones were burned on the spot.

Next to the filing cabinet was an iron bucket filled with ashes.

Xu Ming brushed his fingers across the workbench and then brought them to his eyes.

Staring at his dusty fingertips, Xu Ming's eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

Judging from the traces, Orochimaru clearly planned and prepared to abandon this place.

Kimimaro and the others left behind were seen as expendable pawns by Orochimaru.

No wonder Mitarashi Anko and Yakushi Kabuto seemed a bit half-hearted when I encountered them before.

Xu Ming shook his head, feeling sorry for Kimimaro.

The laboratory that they had risked everything to protect turned out to be nothing more than discarded waste.

I really don't know what kind of magic Orochimaru has, Kimimaro is practically brainwashed by him.

However, Xu Ming did not forget his true purpose.

He quickly led everyone to thoroughly clean the laboratory, but they still couldn't find the two pieces of 'Water Essence'.

Xu Ming couldn't help but stroke his chin.

Kimimaro didn't have it either, so could the fragment be on those two guys?

It's incredibly ironic that something so important is absent from those who diligently guard the house, yet found in two lazy bums.

Xu Ming decisively ordered everyone to stop the search, and then began a thorough search of the entire underground cave for the whereabouts of Mitarashi Anko and Yakushi Kabuto.

Soon after, they found Mitarashi Anko deep inside the cave.

"You guys are really persistent!"

Upon seeing them appear, Mitarashi Anko angrily shouted and cursed, then muttered something resentfully.

"If it weren't for Orochimaru's curse on us..."

Xu Ming didn't waste any words and simply waved his hand.

The group immediately launched an attack on her.

Lightning and an invisible, twisting force enveloped Mitarashi Anko.

Mitarashi Azuki was about to burrow into the soil.

Xu Ming immediately took out his phone and snapped a picture of her.

Ah!

A scream rang out as the exorcising light forcibly pulled Mitarashi Anko from the ground.

"Damn it! You bastards!"

Mitarashi Anko screamed loudly and suddenly spat out a mouthful of venom at everyone.

Erina immediately summoned a burst of cold air and sprayed it onto the venom.

Bah!

Inside, a purple ice ball was thrown to the ground.

The venom was churning inside, and the ice inside began to melt rapidly.

The venom quickly melted the ice, corroding a deep hole in the ground beneath it.

Mitarashi Anko began to puff out her mouth like a toad, frantically spraying venom at everyone.

Erina and Asagami Fujino teamed up to fend off Mitarashi Anko's venomous attack.

Xu Ming picked up his phone again and took a picture of her.

Mitarashi Anko immediately covered her face, screaming as she backed away.

Haruyuki Arita seized the opportunity to rush towards Anko Mitarashi, wielding his eerie blue laser sword and leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds on her body.

"what!!"

Mitarashi Anko suddenly let out a strange roar that was hard to tell whether it was from pain or anger, and then a large amount of negative energy surged from her body.

Seeing this scene, Xu Ming felt somewhat numb.

These guys, as pawns created by Orochimaru, seem to be fake if they can't even perform a second transformation.

As the black mist dissipated, Mitarashi Anko transformed into a strange, large purple snake.

This large snake is about 20 to 30 meters long, and its entire body is translucent purple, as if it were carved from a huge piece of amethyst. Even in the dark, it still shimmers with a crystal light, and looks exceptionally beautiful.

However, this magnificence symbolizes death.

The ground that came into contact with the amethyst serpent was immediately corroded, making a hissing sound, and a foul, sour smell instantly filled the air.

This amethyst serpent is completely covered in venom!?

Never touch its body.

Xu Ming immediately became alert.

Before Mitarashi Anko, in her amethyst form, could launch an attack, Xu Ming pointed his phone at it.

The phone recharges every four minutes. It has to be said that after upgrading the energy storage level, the phone's continuous combat capability is greatly enhanced. If the energy storage level is upgraded to the top level, the phone will really become another regular tool in Xu Ming's hands after the crowbar.

While searching the lab just now, my phone's battery was fully charged again.

I used it twice before, and now I have two left.

Xu Ming used his charged attack again.

Point the camera at the amethyst serpent and press and hold the shutter button for one second.

Click!

The serpent, which was swaggering around, was instantly enveloped in a purple-gold light, letting out a series of mournful howls as it rolled around on the ground.

Without Xu Ming's prompting, Erina and the other two immediately began to beat the dog when it was down.

Erina summoned a series of large fireballs and hurled them at the amethyst serpent.

Bang bang!

Explosions rang out one after another, and flames illuminated the surroundings.

Not to be outdone, Asagami Fujino unleashed her twisting power, as if she had an invisible giant spoon, constantly scooping away the flesh from the amethyst serpent.

Haruyuki Arita spread his wings, raised his lightsaber, and like a 1.5-meter-tall corporal, circled around the amethyst serpent, repeatedly slashing.

In the darkness, it seemed as if a ghostly blue flower of death was blooming.

Finally, the amethyst serpent let out a mournful howl and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The amethyst shattered into pieces, revealing Mitarashi Anko encased inside.

Without the protection of its outer shell, Mitarashi Anko was immediately devoured.

After Mitarashi Anko turned to ashes, a ball of light blue emerged from her remains—a 'Water Essence'.

Xu Ming quickly went over and picked up the fragment.

Without a doubt, the last fragment is most likely with Kabuto Yakushi.

After picking up the fragments, Xu Ming immediately led the group to search the underground cave carefully.

However, Kabuto Yakushi was very cunning, and after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find it.