Chapter 1157: Chapter 472: The Second Basement Level Chapter 1157: Chapter 472: The Second Basement Level Wang Tao and his group arrived at the location mentioned by Blacky.

This place resembled a subway entrance, shrouded in darkness so thick that even Wang Tao couldn’t make out what was inside.

“Such a deep tunnel, such dense black fog…”

Wang Tao tried, but he found that he couldn’t control the black fog below from where he stood.

Blacky had mentioned a sense of danger, but Wang Tao hadn’t felt it.

Thus, Wang Tao looked toward Lightning, who chirped softly a few times at Wang Tao, indicating there indeed was danger below.

“It seems my Perception Ability is not as sharp as an animal’s…”

After pondering for a moment, Wang Tao turned to the people behind him and said,
“I’ll go down alone and take a look, you all continue exploring this level.”

The rift area was vast, and they had only explored a small portion of it; many areas remained unexplored. But Wang Tao wanted to go down and see for himself, so he decided to split up from the group.

“…”

The others exchanged glances, all somewhat uneasy. After all, what lay below was unknown, and they worried about how things might turn out… However, if they were to follow Wang Tao, they might become a burden, given that Wang Tao was already at Level 5 and far surpassed them in strength…

“Okay, but be careful! We won’t slow you down…”

That was all Ding Yuqin could advise.

“Don’t worry, if there really is some irresistible danger, I will naturally leave.”

Wang Tao smiled, then added,
“Let Blacky stay with you, it can scout ahead. Lightning will come with me; keep all the carcasses from your hunt for Lightning…”

“Alright!”

Ding Yuqin nodded.

“What about me?”

Jiang Shixue volunteered.

“You stick with the main group too, they need your Night Vision.”

“Okay.”

After giving some brief instructions, Wang Tao immediately proceeded downward with Lightning.

He and Ding Yuqin had Perception Rings, so even if the radio communication failed, they could still communicate through the rings. If anything happened to either party, they could support each other quickly.

The reason he took Lightning was that consuming the carcasses of Lords would enhance Lightning’s strength. On their way, Lightning had consumed quite a few carcasses, and there was a high chance of encountering Mutated Plants below, which shouldn’t be squandered.

As Wang Tao gradually descended, the black fog below thickened, becoming so dense that Wang Tao was no longer able to easily disperse it like he could previously.

However, thanks to his “Dark Attribute” and “Night Vision,” Wang Tao’s vision could still penetrate the black fog, and although his visibility wasn’t as extensive as on the first level, it was sufficient.

Shortly after, Wang Tao finally reached the second underground level.

He vaguely began to sense some dangerous aura, and Lightning’s fur bristled.

Seeing this, Wang Tao figured that Lightning most likely sensed the aura of a Level 5 Lord.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Wang Tao patted Lightning’s head and communicated briefly with it using his spiritual power. Lightning conveyed a few messages–“Level 5, scent.”

It turned out just as Wang Tao had conjectured; Lightning had indeed detected a Level 5 Lord. It was at Level 4, Lord, so it’s understandable that it was afraid of a Level 5 Lord.

Wang Tao didn’t rush to leave; instead, he first tried to communicate with Ding Yuqin and the others via radio. As expected, the radio was out of service. Fortunately, the Perception Rings were within range, and after finding out that Ding Yuqin and the others were all right through the rings, he proceeded further into the depths of the black fog.

The second underground level was also primarily composed of massive rocks, though not the same type as those in the Stone Forest, these rocks were much harder than ordinary ones.

Besides that, the place was barren; there wasn’t a single Mutated Plant in sight.

This left Wang Tao rather speechless; he had assumed the second level would be filled with Mutated Plants just like the first level…

However, very soon, Lightning nudged Wang Tao’s hand with its head, indicating something was ahead.

Wang Tao cautiously moved forward and a moment later, his eyes lit up. He finally saw a Mutated Plant through his spiritual perception, and it was a Level 5 one.

[HP: 300000/300000]
[Mana: 300000/300000]
[Level: Level 5, Lord]
[Awakening: Thorns Web]
[Thorns Web: Control thorns to capture prey]
It was a huge, strikingly beautiful flower, quietly nestled within a flat rift in the rocks, surrounded by numerous dark green thorns that shielded it like a spider’s web.

The reason he described it as strikingly beautiful was that, from entering the cave to now, all the Mutated Plants he had seen were either black or dark green, including the previously slain Mutated Trumpet Flower which was also dark green. But this huge flower was blood red, clearly out of place among the other Mutated Plants.

Unlike the Trumpet Flower, the perception of this Mutated Red Flower seemed rather weak; when Wang Tao and Lightning approached the thorns, it still didn’t detect Wang Tao’s arrival. If it were the Trumpet Flower, it would have attacked Wang Tao already.

“I guess this thing is similar to a spider, and these thorns on the ground are like its web; stepping into the thorn range would definitely alert it…”

Wang Tao decided not to confront it head-on. Now that he possessed a ranged Attack Ability, he was set on using his advantages.

Thus, Wang Tao asked Lightning to stay back, then a red glow emanated from his eyes, and two High-Temperature Rays shot forth instantly.

Zzzt–
The rays moved incredibly fast. The Mutated Red Flower seemed to sense something but couldn’t dodge in time and was hit instantly.

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