When the life-and-death crisis erupted intensely, Xu Qing didn't hesitate to put on the mask and crawled into the ground covered by flesh and blood, not moving at all.
His face tensed up and all traces of him were covered.
At the next instant, rumbling sounds echoed out as four terrifying energy fluctuations spread out, as though they were instinctively searching.
However, after Xu Qing put on the mask, as long as he didn't move, he could maintain a highly concealed state. Hence, in the perception of the four statues that only had instincts left, Xu Qing didn't exist.
He and the captain had tested it before and discovered that if he moved while wearing the mask, it would be fine if he was far away. If he was close, the four statues could still vaguely sense him.
This point was different from the statues they had seen in the few palaces they had been to before. This also showed how special this black square palace was.
"I hope the captain can succeed."
While Xu Qing was muttering inwardly, the captain was speeding crazily. Taking advantage of the statues being attracted away, he headed straight for the black palace.
This time, the captain didn't attempt to open the door. Instead, after he got close, he headed straight for the roofs that were filled with countless small holes. After he arrived, he didn't hesitate at all. His eyes were filled with madness as his body suddenly shook.
His body directly disintegrated bizarrely, transforming into thousands of finger-sized meat strips that entered through the ventilation holes.
These small ventilation holes clearly couldn't be so simple. They contained a terrifying restriction power and instantly erupted, causing a large number of meat strips to collapse.
The remaining ones squirmed at the front and transformed into the captain's face. They were like human-faced worms that kept biting, trying to break through the restrictions.
However, the restrictions here were too strong. Very soon, more than 90% of the captain's meat strips collapsed. When there were less than 30 left, every worm spat out an incomplete token that was filled with an ancient aura.
They were the Ancient Dao Seal Decrees.
They emitted a faint yellow light, causing the structure of the 30-odd human-faced worms to change and reveal the luster of crystals. Although more than half of them still collapsed, four of them successfully entered.
After they landed through the small holes in the roof, they saw the inside scene.
In the entire palace, there was only one item placed in the center.
The surroundings were empty.
This item was a severed arm.
It was a thousand feet long.
The severed position appears to have undergone excessive tissue growth, forming a large tumor-like mass with numerous tentacles protruding from it, swaying in the surroundings.
As for the five fingers of the arm, they were in an extended state, and within the palm, there was a gaping mouth with numerous sharp spikes crisscrossing inside, partially hidden from view.
"What the hell is this!"
In the hall, the captain's exclamation rang out from the mouths of the four crystal worms. After that, the four crystal worms quickly fused together and transformed into a small crystal person.
It was the captain's figure.
However, his face wasn't that of the captain but a human skin mask that revealed malevolence and greed.
He immediately chanted and used the heavenly dog immortal art.
At the next instant, a huge dog appeared in the hall. With endless greed, it swallowed the severed arm.
After that, the crystal figure separated again, transforming into four worms that headed straight for the small holes above and crawled out madly. However, 30 breaths of time had passed by now.
The four statues that had failed to find Xu Qing had already rushed back.
Under their pressure, the restrictions of the black palace seemed to be slightly enhanced.
As the captain struggled to squeeze through the narrow passage, he ultimately got stuck within the restrictive barrier. He was trapped, unable to move up or down. With the eruption of the barrier, a force of destruction enveloped him, and he became increasingly anxious.
Just as this happened, a sudden wave of energy, indicating the absorption of anomalous substances, emanated from a distance. The four statues shook violently and quickly turned back. Amidst the resounding echoes, the captain took the opportunity to make a sudden charge forward.
Finally, all four crystal worms emerged and merged into a small figure, swiftly dashing forward to escape.
After about fifteen minutes, everything returned to normal. The four statues returned and stood in the corners motionlessly.
At the agreed meeting place with the captain, Xu Qing was crouched there, looking disheveled and spitting out blood, still trembling from the shock.
Previously, when he saw that the captain hadn't returned, he knew that something had gone wrong. Hence, he attracted the statues again. Although he hid in time, the statues went crazy and bombarded the surroundings.
Although Xu Qing was hidden, he was still affected.
Xu Qing suddenly turned his head and caught sight of a rapidly approaching crystal figure, recognizing the face of the captain on it.
Before Xu Qing could ask, the captain's body swayed and he grew rapidly. Very soon, he transformed back into his original self. However, his face was pale and he was extremely weak. He lay on the ground and panted. However, his eyes were filled with excitement.
"Fortunately, I have the decree. Otherwise, I would be finished this time. However… it was worth it!"
Seeing that the captain was fine, Xu Qing heaved a sigh of relief.
"What was inside?"
"I don't know what it is either, but I feel that it's a huge treasure." The captain panted heavily and took out the human skin mask with a smug expression. After putting it on his face, he transformed into the heavenly dog and spat out.
As the heavenly dog's throat continued to squirm, a large amount of saliva splattered down. A thousand-foot-long severed arm was directly spat out and fell to the ground.
Before Xu Qing could take a closer look, the large mouth in the palm of the severed arm suddenly opened and swallowed the captain who was closest to it.
