C23 Dragon's Maze

Toads as large as houses stood in a circle, their lifeless, fish-like eyes fixated on Jiang Hao at the center.

Jiang Hao wasn't intimidated by these behemoths.

It was just that from his vantage point, he was at the mercy of a view that would surely be rejected by his father.

The shape, the size... it was truly an assault on the eyes!

"Wow!"

The thunderous croak of a frog sounded, signaling the commencement of battle.

Tongues, dripping with slime, shot towards Jiang Hao at breakneck speed.

Without a hint of emotion, Jiang Hao switched to his summoner role, calling forth an army of giant water rats, mutated badgers, and pythons.

The toads, ready to attack, spun around and fled in terror.

But Jiang Hao wasn't about to let them off the hook.

It was possible that the toads had devoured the villagers of Zrishire. Even if not for revenge, he couldn't stand by and let these creatures wreak havoc.

With a gentle tap of his black magic wand on the ground, a massive snake head emerged from the magical array and settled at Jiang Hao's feet.

He stepped onto the snake's head, and the serpent began to glide out of the array.

As the giant snake appeared, the toads, previously scattering in panic, suddenly froze, overwhelmed by an unseen force, leaving them defenseless against the creatures Jiang Hao had summoned.

Standing atop the snake's head, Jiang Hao surveyed Zrishire Village. Once he confirmed that not a single toad remained, he slowly withdrew his magic.

"Congratulations, host. You have slain forty giant toads. You are awarded 40,000 experience points and 40 liters of toad venom, which can paralyze a monster for one minute."

The system's voice echoed in Jiang Hao's mind.

He inspected the venom in his backpack and quirked an eyebrow.

Forty liters to paralyze a monster for just one minute? Was this some kind of joke?

"The inhabitants of Zrishire Village have been slain by the giant toads. Only the village chief has survived by fleeing into Dragon's Maze. Please proceed to Dragon's Maze to rescue the village chief and inform him that the toads have been eradicated."

The system then pinpointed the location of Dragon's Maze in Jiang Hao's mind.

Deep in the mountains not far from Zrishire Village, Jiang Hao pondered for a moment before deciding to heed the system's directive and head to Dragon's Maze. The task of rescuing the village chief clearly hinted at the presence of monsters in Dragon's Maze, which, to Jiang Hao, were essentially rewards in disguise. Having come this far, he was not about to leave empty-handed. With that, Jiang Hao embarked on his journey to Dragon's Maze.

Shortly after Jiang Hao departed from Zrishire Village, two shadowy figures stealthily made their way into the village. These individuals were none other than Zhou Yi and Lu Zhiyao. Zhou Yi had suspected Jiang Hao's intention to visit Zrishire Village ever since the latter had inquired about it with the village chief. Zhou Yi had remained silent, curious to see if Jiang Hao would invite them to join him. As it turned out, Jiang Hao, that cunning man, had no intention of bringing them along, fearing they might outshine him. He hadn't even bothered to inform them of his plans.

Zhou Yi had initially thought Jiang Hao's generosity with the villagers was a genuine attempt to bolster everyone's strength, but it became clear that Jiang Hao was aiming to hog all the glory for himself. Unwilling to let Jiang Hao monopolize the credit, Zhou Yi enlisted Zhiyao's help. Together, they used over a hundred speed talismans to keep up with Jiang Hao and prevent him from shaking them off.

"Has he left?" Zhiyao inquired, her brow furrowed as she noticed blood dripping from the surrounding houses.

"Yes," Zhou Yi replied, his expression grave as he surveyed the aftermath of the battle in Zrishire Village. He was taken aback by Jiang Hao's formidable strength. He hadn't witnessed the entire battle, but the sight of Jiang Hao standing atop the monster he had summoned was etched in his memory—a feat akin to a miracle.

Summoners were known to call forth monsters to aid them in battle, but they were typically restricted to summoning creatures of a lower level than themselves. To summon a more powerful monster was to risk being slain by the creature. Even with lower-level monsters, a summoner had to treat them with respect to avoid being turned upon. Yet, Jiang Hao had defied all logic by standing on the head of his summoned beast without being devoured. It was a scenario that defied all common sense.

"What do we do now? Should we keep following him?" Lu Zhiyao grimaced, unable to bear the scent of toad blood – it was both fishy and foul.

"Follow him, of course!" Zhou Yi declared, his expression dark.

He couldn't allow Jiang Hao to leave the Magic Building alive.

The Jiang Family was nearly crushed by the combined efforts of the Zhou and Lu Families, and then Jiang Hao appeared, throwing their plans into disarray.

Jiang Hao must not be spared!

Besides, his father had informed him that the village chief of Zrishire held the key to the next level.

If he could just get that key and advance to the next floor ahead of time, he'd see how Jiang Hao would manage to escape this level.

Then, trapped and unable to leave, who would continue to follow him?

"Fine."

Aware of the pact between the Zhou and Lu Families, Zhiyao nodded, albeit reluctantly.

They set off in pursuit of Jiang Hao.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hao had reached the entrance of Dragon's Maze, guided by the system's prompt.

He surveyed the maze, shrouded in mist, then the clear path he had come from. It was obvious to any discerning eye which area was safe and which held danger.

He also realized that today, he seemed to share a significant connection with the Yin Yang World.

First, the contrasting realms of desert and oasis, and now the interior and exterior of Dragon's Maze.

"Tsk tsk."

Jiang Hao chuckled to himself and stepped into the Dragon's Maze.

Inside, he realized just how thick the fog was; he could scoop it up in his hands.

Had he not been breathing air, with no fish or aquatic plants around, Jiang Hao might have thought he was submerged underwater.

After an indeterminate time walking, a sharp 'crack' sounded beneath his feet.

Muttering a couple of incantations, a strong yet gentle breeze dispersed the fog that had been swirling at his feet, revealing a greyish-white stone slab.

Jiang Hao furrowed his brow, then, without a trace of emotion, lifted his foot; beneath it lay many more greyish-white stones.

No, they could no longer be referred to as greyish-white stone pieces. They were human bones.

The wind-weathered bones had shattered completely under the force of his foot.

The fragments' edges stretched into the dense fog. Jiang Hao's brow furrowed as the wind picked up, momentarily clearing a section of the fog before it swiftly closed in again, as though eager to conceal something.

But Jiang Hao had already seen it.

With one more step, he would be ascending the 'mountain.'

A mountain composed of countless white bones.

Human bones, animal bones, and the bones of unidentified creatures were all heaped together, forming an insurmountable peak that was chilling to the bone.

Jiang Hao couldn't fathom what had transpired here, but the sheer quantity of bones suggested that whatever lay hidden within Dragon's Maze was immensely perilous.