Ning Yu's figure disappeared into the darkness, with only the beam of his flashlight flickering faintly deep within the cave. Mu Xue took a deep breath and gestured to her teammates behind her, signaling them to follow.
The cave was more damp than expected, and the air was filled with a strange smell of earth and mold. Using the dim light, the team members cautiously made their way forward, afraid of accidentally triggering some dangerous mechanism.
"Watch your step!" a team member walking in the middle of the group whispered a reminder.
Looking down, everyone saw that the ground was covered with pebbles and unknown plant roots, threatening to trip them if they weren't careful. Ning Yu slowed down, carefully shining the beam of his flashlight on the ground to make sure each step was steady.
"call--"
A cold wind suddenly blew in from the depths of the cave, carrying a pungent odor, like the smell of some kind of rotting animal. The team members covered their mouths and noses, their faces turning pale.
"What's wrong?" Mu Xue asked in a low voice, her tone tinged with worry.
Ning Yu didn't speak, but just stared warily ahead, the beam of his flashlight constantly scanning the surrounding environment, trying to find the source of the wind.
Just then, as if he had noticed something, he suddenly stopped in his tracks...
"What's wrong?" Mu Xue asked hurriedly when she saw Ning Yu stop. The other team members also stopped and looked around nervously.
Ning Yu didn't answer immediately. He crouched down and shone the beam of his flashlight on the ground. Several rows of enormous footprints were clearly visible on the muddy ground. These footprints were strangely shaped, resembling the claw marks of some large animal, but much larger than any known creature.
"What kind of creature left this?" a team member couldn't help but ask, his voice trembling slightly.
Ning Yu shook his head, his brows furrowed. "Never seen one before. Judging by the size, it's probably quite large..."
He stood up, his expression becoming even more serious. "Everyone, be on your guard. This cave is probably not simple."
The team members gripped their weapons tightly, cautiously observing their surroundings, and continued advancing into the cave.
After walking for several hundred meters, the cave gradually opened up. The cave walls were no longer bare rocks, but covered with moss and crystals that emitted a faint glow.
"Wow, so beautiful!" Mu Xue was attracted by the sparkling crystals and couldn't help but reach out to touch them.
"Wait!" Ning Yu grabbed her quickly. "Be careful, there might be danger."
Mu Xue was somewhat dismissive: "These are just some glowing stones, what danger could they possibly pose..."
However, before she could finish speaking, a sharp, piercing cry suddenly came from the depths of the cave, like a warning from some creature.
"squeak--"
The sound echoed through the empty cave, sending chills down one's spine.
"Oh no!" Ning Yu's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surged into his mind. "Come back quickly!" He grabbed Mu Xue and tried to pull her away from the cave wall.
Just then, dark shadows suddenly appeared at the top of the cave, accompanied by piercing screams, and swooped down on them in a massive wave...
"Defend quickly!" Ning Yu shouted, shielding Mu Xue behind him while rapidly gathering his supernatural power to prepare for the impending attack.
"Xue, step back!" Ning Yu pushed Mu Xue behind him and simultaneously released a wind wall to try to block the attack from the dark figure.
However, the shadowy figure was incredibly fast, managing to pass right through the wind wall and pounce on the nearest team member.
"Ah!" The team member screamed as his arm was viciously grabbed by the dark figure, and blood gushed out immediately.
By the dim light, the group finally saw the true form of the shadowy figures. They were a group of small, bat-like creatures, only the size of a fist, but with ferocious faces, sharp teeth and claws, and pairs of blood-red eyes that gleamed with a chilling light in the darkness.
"It's a bloodthirsty bat!" someone exclaimed. "Everyone be careful, they like to suck human blood!"
Before he finished speaking, even more bloodthirsty bats surged out from the depths of the cave, like a black tide, sweeping over Ning Yu and the others.
The team members drew their weapons or unleashed their special abilities, engaging in fierce combat with the bloodthirsty bats.
However, there were simply too many of these bloodthirsty bats, and they were incredibly fast and their attacks were fierce, leaving the group struggling to defend themselves for a time.
"This can't go on!" Ning Yu said anxiously, wielding his Tang sword while observing the battle.
Suddenly, he noticed a detail: when he shone a powerful flashlight on the bloodthirsty bats, they would make uneasy hissing noises and quickly avoid the light.
"Are they afraid of light?" Ning Yu's heart stirred, and a thought flashed through his mind.
He immediately focused his mental energy, pushing his supernatural power to its limit, and a dazzling light condensed between his hands.
The light grew stronger and stronger, instantly illuminating the entire cave and making Ning Yu's face look like a god descending to earth.
Under the intense light, the normally ferocious bloodthirsty bats seemed to have encountered their nemesis, letting out piercing screams and scattering in all directions, not daring to approach.
"Everyone, follow me!" Ning Yu shouted, raising his light and leading his team deeper into the cave.
The cave was silent, save for the buzzing sound of the light emanating from Ning Yu's hand and the heavy footsteps of the group.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a huge stone gate suddenly appeared ahead. The gate was tightly closed and carved with strange patterns, resembling some kind of ancient script.
"Could this be... the lair of these bloodthirsty bats?" Mu Xue looked at the stone gate in front of her and said in a low voice, her tone tinged with unease.
Ning Yu didn't speak. He walked to the stone gate and reached out to touch the patterns, but suddenly felt a powerful force coming from the stone gate, which made him retreat repeatedly.
Just then, the ground suddenly trembled violently, and the patterns on the stone gate emitted an eerie light...
"Not good! Retreat quickly!" Ning Yu's expression changed drastically as he realized something was amiss. He was about to warn the others when he suddenly felt a violent tremor behind him, as if some enormous creature was awakening from the depths of the cave...
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