C17 Monster

Upon hearing the alarm, Zhang Nan felt a shiver run through his body. He had a sinking feeling that the alarm was somehow connected to Murong Wan's disappearance.

A group of guards burst in shortly after and swiftly escorted Zhang Nan away.

Then, Zhang Nan suddenly heard a voice call out, "Zhang Nan, where are you?"

He recognized it as Murong Wan's voice. He looked around but saw no sign of her.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Zhang Nan wrenched himself free from the guards and dashed into the depths of the Bionic Forest.

The guards attempted to grab him, but in that instant, Zhang Nan vanished.

Everything went dark for Zhang Nan. When he opened his eyes again, he was surrounded by darkness, with the sound of Murong Wan's crying not far away.

"Murong Wan, is that you? Where are you?" Zhang Nan called out urgently.

At the sound of Zhang Nan's voice, Murong Wan's crying ceased.

"Zhang Nan, where are you? I'm so scared," Murong Wan sobbed.

Assured that it was indeed Murong Wan, Zhang Nan pulled several Moonshards from his ring. Bathed in their glow, he managed to locate Murong Wan.

Seeing Zhang Nan, Murong Wan breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What's going on?"

Zhang Nan was just as bewildered by the situation, especially since it was his first visit to the Bionic Forest and such an incident had never occurred before.

"Zhang Nan, are we trapped? We're not going to be stuck here forever, are we?" Murong Wan asked, her voice tinged with fear as she sat on the ground.

Shaking his head, Zhang Nan reassured her, "No, definitely not. The alarm was sounding throughout the entire Bionic Forest before I came in. I'm sure the dean is aware of what's happening and will come to our rescue."

While comforting Murong Wan, Zhang Nan continued to search for an exit. He couldn't afford to rely solely on Murong Le; if Murong Le couldn't find a solution, he and Murong Wan might never escape.

Meanwhile, outside, chaos had erupted.

The Bionic Forest was in disarray, and the dean's daughter was trapped inside.

"What's going on?"

Murong Le called out urgently.

A guard approached and reported, "Dean, there's been an incident in the Bionic Forest. For reasons unknown, the protective array has weakened, causing the Bionic Forest to begin fading. I sounded the alarm as soon as I noticed, and nearly everyone inside has evacuated, except for..."

The guard hesitated, casting a glance at the dean.

"Except for what?" the dean pressed, a sense of dread settling in. He was aware that Zhang Nan and Murong Wan had planned to visit the Bionic Forest today.

"Except for your daughter, Murong Le, and a friend of hers—they haven't emerged."

The guard finished, noticing the dean's complexion turn a ghastly pale.

"Your daughter was the first to vanish, and her friend disappeared while searching for her. I tried to rescue him, but he shrugged off my help and then he was gone," the guard explained softly.

Murong Le exhaled deeply and resolved, "No use dwelling on that now. We need to focus on rescuing them. Gather all the formation masters from our academy; I need to redraw the Bionic Forest."

Relieved, the guard nodded and hurried off.

Once alone, Murong Le gazed at the remnants of the Bionic Forest and murmured, "Hang on just a little longer. We'll have you out soon. Don't stray or tamper with the seals."

Meanwhile, within the Bionic Forest, Zhang Nan and Murong Wan were desperately seeking an exit.

Illuminated by the faint glow of a Moonshard, Murong Wan stumbled upon a cave.

"Zhang Nan, what's this? A cave here? But the Bionic Forest has vanished; there should be nothing left. Why is there still a cave?" she questioned, puzzled.

Zhang Nan joined her and peered into the cave, saying, "It's my first time here too, so I'm not sure what to expect. But since there's a cave, let's check it out. There might be a way out."

Murong Wan agreed with a nod.

Together, they ventured into the cave. Guided by the dim light of the Moonshard, they found themselves surrounded by chains.

Following the chains, they reached the end to discover a creature locked in place—a beast with the head of a dragon and the body of a snake.

Murong Wan asked curiously, "What is this? Why isn't it moving? Could this be a species of Fellbeast we've never encountered before?"

Zhang Nan shook his head and replied, "I'm not certain, but the fact that it's chained up suggests that this Fellbeast is incredibly dangerous. There's no way out from here, so we should leave quickly."

Murong Wan, driven by curiosity, touched the chains, and her eyes suddenly became vacant.

Due to the darkness, Zhang Nan failed to notice Murong Wan's abrupt change and continued towards the cave's entrance.

Walking on, Zhang Nan sensed that Murong Wan wasn't following. He hurriedly turned back to look for her.

He saw Murong Wan, with a Moonshard in hand, walking towards the Fellbeast.

"Murong Wan, what are you doing? Come back!" Zhang Nan yelled.

But Murong Wan seemed not to hear Zhang Nan, continuing her approach to the Fellbeast.

Zhang Nan, alarmed, dashed towards Murong Wan.

However, halfway there, he was stopped by some invisible force and couldn't advance any further.

Illuminated by the faint glow of the Moonshard, Zhang Nan saw Murong Wan slowly place her hand on the Fellbeast's head.

A sense of dread washed over Zhang Nan, and he screamed, "Murong Wan, come back!"

Murong Wan remained unresponsive, standing motionless.

Then, the creature opened its eyes.

Zhang Nan saw one eye was red and the other blue, both fixed greedily on Murong Wan.

"Murong Wan, run!"

As he shouted, Zhang Nan drew the Skycleaver and swung it in front of him.

*Crash!*

The sound of shattering glass echoed.

Zhang Nan realized the barrier had vanished.

"Murong Wan, come back!" he called out, rushing toward her again.

But Murong Wan remained still.

As Zhang Nan reached her side, the monster acted.

Opening its maw, the monster hurled a massive fireball at Zhang Nan.

He swiftly dodged and, brandishing the Skycleaver, cried out, "Voidripper!"

The golden sword energy struck the fellbeast, leaving only a shallow white mark on its hide.

Enraged, the creature roared and swiped at Zhang Nan with its colossal claws.

Zhang Nan wielded the Skycleaver to parry the fellbeast's attack.

A tremendous force surged through the Skycleaver, and Zhang Nan was hurled through the air.

Struggling to his feet, Zhang Nan coughed up blood.

"Release Murong Wan!"

Undeterred, Zhang Nan charged at the fellbeast again, his Skycleaver relentlessly hacking at the creature's claws.