Meanwhile, Zhao Ya noticed that the air here was fresh, and from time to time, a damp breeze blew through, indicating that there must be a connection to the outside.
Before long, they arrived at a spacious stone hall, but the smell here was far from pleasant, as the air was filled with a pungent and foul odor.
Looking down, the ground was covered with whitish-gray droppings.
"This is...," Nie Jingnian was about to speak.
Zhao Ya raised a finger to signal him to be silent, then pointed upwards.
Nie Jingnian looked up, only to see that the stone dome above their heads was densely packed with bats.
In the light, the eyes of these bats glowed red, and when clustered together, it was as if a red carpet had been laid over the stone wall.
The sight made Nie Jingnian’s scalp tingle.
These bats obviously had undergone transformation as well, and though each one was small, their numbers were overwhelming.
Nie Jingnian gathered his spirits and slowly followed Zhao Ya further in.
Unconsciously, Nie Jingnian had already begun to see Zhao Ya as the leader, following every move on his cue.
This stone hall was extremely long, and the two of them walked for three to four minutes without leaving the area.
Just then, a sudden stench blew towards them, extinguishing the torches in Zhao Ya’s and Nie Jingnian’s hands with a puff.
Simultaneously, the stone hall was enveloped in an eerie red glow, and the bats seemed to become very agitated, flying around chaotically after detaching from the stone wall.
This sudden change caused Zhao Ya and Nie Jingnian to turn pale, but fortunately, both were seasoned martial artists and quickly calmed themselves.
Seeing a raised mound nearby, Zhao Ya crouched and dashed toward it to conceal their presence.
Nie Jingnian followed and whispered in disbelief, "What the hell is that?"
Zhao Ya looked up, feeling a chill run down his spine.
There was a gigantic bat, as large as an ox, flying into the stone hall and hanging upside down on the stone wall.
The smaller bats flew around it, occasionally emitting harsh, raspy cries; the whole scene was extremely bizarre.
What shocked Zhao Ya the most was the oppressive aura this gigantic bat exuded.
It was a pressure that stifled his breath.
Even Lu Dingtai didn’t possess such an aura.
Fifth Realm!
This was at least an Exotic Beast with the strength of the Fifth Realm.
Zhao Ya took a sharp breath, nearly blurting out a curse.
Nie Jingnian naturally also realized how formidable this bat was, his face equally grim.
He had thought that once they found the cave, capturing the Exotic Insect would be easy, but he never expected to encounter such a gigantic bat.
At this moment, he had no other thoughts but to escape from here as quickly as possible.
However, Zhao Ya didn’t move.
He observed carefully and found that while the smaller bats were flying around the big bat, they occasionally flew close to it, feeding off something on its body, even fighting over it.
By then, Zhao Ya had gradually adapted to the dim environment of the stone hall and, using his Eye Power to the fullest, finally saw what the smaller bats were contesting over.
There were insect eggs the size of quail eggs attached to the body of the gigantic bat.
Finally, Zhao Ya understood.
From the droppings on the ground, it could be seen that the gigantic bat and the smaller bats had not been residing in the stone hall for long.
They were very likely attracted by the Exotic Insects in this cave.
After all, the Exotic Insect eggs were not only useful to martial artists but also a rare delicacy for these Exotic Beasts.
This explained why a Fifth Realm Exotic Beast had appeared near the Commandery.
But the question was, how did they get here?
These mountains were just outlying spurs of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, thousands of miles away from the heartland.
How did they arrive?
A large question mark rose in Zhao Ya’s mind, but this was not the time to dwell on it.
Retreat was impossible now; he could only bury his questions in his heart for the time being and signaled to Nie Jingnian to continue moving forward.
Nie Jingnian hesitated briefly but followed Zhao Ya, who was bent low, heading deeper into the stone hall.
On the way, neither dared to light their torches, proceeding with extreme caution.
Finally, after advancing for another five to six minutes, a pathway leading downward appeared ahead, and the faint sound of flowing water could be heard.
With spirits lifted, the two quickened their pace.
Just as they were about to enter the passage, a gust of stench suddenly attacked from behind.
Zhao Ya knew something was wrong, and hastened his steps, leaping forward.
Nie Jingnian did the same.
They exerted their full efforts, rushing toward the tunnel like arrows leaving the bowstring.
However, the stench was incredibly fast; while still in mid-air, Zhao Ya felt a huge force striking his back.
Zhao Ya arched forward abruptly, his Lightweight Body Technique running wildly, striving to dissipate the incoming force.
Even so, he somersaulted several times in the air before stumbling to the ground.
Then Zhao Ya felt a burning sensation on his back, and his breath was slightly labored.
Only then did Zhao Ya see what had struck him.
It was merely a piece of rubble.
The gigantic bat hadn’t even moved; merely flapping its wing to toss a piece of rubble carried such power.
If Zhao Ya hadn’t been wearing protective armor, this would have severely injured him.
But fortunately, they were temporarily out of danger.