A blinding light tore through the darkness deep within the cave, illuminating a rugged, winding passage. Ning Yu, clutching the orb of light, walked with a grave expression, each step cautious and deliberate. His teammates followed closely behind, not daring to relax for a moment; each felt their heart pounding violently in their chest.

"boom!"

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, and rubble rained down from the cave ceiling. Ning Yu stopped in his tracks and abruptly turned to look at the darkness behind him; the light seemed to have disturbed some terrifying being.

"roar--!"

A deafening roar came from the darkness, accompanied by a chilling sound of bones grinding together, as if an ancient behemoth was awakening.

In the dim light, the team saw a colossal creature slowly emerge from the darkness. It resembled a giant python, but was several times larger, its massive body almost completely filling the passage. Its entire body was covered in hard, black scales that gleamed with a metallic sheen. Even more terrifying were the sharp bone spikes covering its body, radiating a chilling, eerie light, making it appear like a demon crawling out of hell.

The behemoth slowly opened its eyes, two eerie green flames burning in their sockets, staring intently at Ning Yu and the others. Its mouth split open, revealing two rows of sharp fangs, from which a foul-smelling liquid dripped, corroding small pits into the ground.

"What kind of monster is this..." someone in the group couldn't help but exclaim, their voice trembling with uncontrollable fear.

Mu Xue gripped her weapon tightly, her palms already sweating, but she forced herself to remain calm and whispered to Ning Yu, "Be careful, this thing is not easy to deal with."

Ning Yu remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on the colossal beast before him, his mind racing as he calculated his next move. He knew this was a life-or-death battle; a single misstep could mean certain death. He took a deep breath, unleashing his power to its fullest potential. The orb of light in his hand shone brightly, instantly illuminating the entire passage as if it were daytime.

"roar!"

The giant beast seemed to be enraged by the bright light. It roared to the sky, opened its blood-red maw, and pounced on Ning Yu and the others!

"Get out of the way!" Ning Yu shouted, slamming the ball of light in his hand hard against the giant beast.

The ball of light struck the behemoth's head with pinpoint accuracy, unleashing a blinding flash of light and a deafening explosion... The moment the ball struck the behemoth's head, it erupted with dazzling light, like a miniature sun exploding in the cave. A tremendous roar echoed through the narrow passage, jarring everyone's eardrums. Smoke and dust filled the air, obscuring everyone's vision.

"Was it successful?"

The team members clung to a sliver of hope, hoping Ning Yu's attack would be effective. However, when the dust settled, the scene before them plunged them into an icy abyss.

The behemoth still stood proudly, but a charred mark appeared on its originally smooth black scales. However, compared to its massive body, this mark seemed insignificant, as if it had been casually smeared with a charcoal pencil.

Ning Yu's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart was filled with shock. He knew the power of his attack just now; it could easily shatter even the hardest rock, but this monster was completely unharmed. Its defense had far exceeded his expectations.

The behemoth seemed utterly enraged, unleashing a deafening roar. A stench swept over the area like a raging storm, making everyone want to vomit. It opened its blood-red maw, its sharp fangs gleaming coldly in the light, sending chills down one's spine.

"Watch out!" Ning Yu shouted.

The next moment, a stream of black, viscous liquid, carrying a pungent stench, spewed from the giant beast's mouth, shooting towards the crowd like lightning. Wherever the liquid passed, it corroded the rocky ground, creating numerous pits and emitting white smoke, demonstrating its potent corrosiveness.

The team members panicked and scrambled to get out of the way. However, the passage was narrow and the space was limited. One person couldn't dodge in time and was splashed with black slime on his arm.

"ah--"

The man let out a shrill scream, and his arm was corroded at a visible speed until only bare white bones remained.

"Old Zhao!"

Damn it!

The team members were filled with grief and indignation, but they were powerless to do anything about it.

Mu Xue was frantic. She wanted to rush over to help the team member, but Ning Yu grabbed her arm. Ning Yu knew that rushing over now would only put more people in danger... "Xue, calm down!" Ning Yu growled. The force in his arm made him understand Mu Xue's feelings at that moment, but he also knew that rash action would only lead to greater casualties.

Mu Xue's eyes reddened, but she could only watch helplessly as her teammate collapsed in agony and was swallowed whole by the giant python. Grief, despair, and fear intertwined, almost overwhelming her.

The giant python didn't stop there after its success. Its massive body swept across again, like a bulldozer, churning up all the rubble and dirt in the passage. Ning Yu and his team tried their best to resist, but they still seemed small and powerless in the face of this overwhelming force.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Amidst the continuous crashes, the team's formation was broken up, and many team members were knocked off their feet, their pre-existing injuries aggravated, and painful groans echoed in the tunnel.

Ning Yu was thrown over by the immense force, slamming heavily against the rock wall, a metallic taste rising in his throat. He struggled to his feet, the scene before him filling him with anxiety.

One by one, the team members fell to the ground, some groaning in pain, others already unconscious. Blood stained the ground, turning the already dimly lit passage into a living hell.

The culprit, the enormous python, was looking down at them from its high position, its cold, vertical pupils flashing with cruelty and mockery, as if laughing at their overestimation of their abilities.

"Captain..." a team member asked weakly, his voice strained by the excruciating pain, "...can we...survive?"

Ning Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "We definitely can! We will survive and get out of this hellish place together!"

He knew that now was not the time to despair, and he could not give up hope.

“But…it’s too powerful, we’re no match for it at all…” another team member said in despair.

Ning Yu looked around at his wounded teammates and the powerful enemy before him, a sense of powerlessness welling up inside him. He understood that brute force alone was simply not enough for them to defeat this monster.

We must find its weakness!

However, this giant python is covered in hard scales all over its body, making it incredibly defensive. So where exactly is its fatal weakness?

Time ticked by, the flame of hope gradually died out, and new suspense weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a boulder.

While organizing his team to defend against the giant python's attacks, Ning Yu carefully observed the creature's movement patterns, trying to find a weakness. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, fixed on the python's abdomen—he noticed that before each attack, the python's abdomen would briefly contract…