CHAPTER 263: CHAPTER 263: TRAPPED IN QUICKSAND, MYSTERIOUS MURALS

Johnnie stared at the pure white horse, then it hit him. A pale violet horn on its brow flickered with tiny sparks of lightning.

A unicorn—the stuff of legend.

He also had a quest. To unlock his third class, he had to find a unicorn to trigger it.

Neigh!

A sharp cry rang out. The unicorn spotted Johnnie’s group, sensed danger, stepped onto thin air, and bolted into the distance.

"After it!" Johnnie wasn’t letting this thing go. He kicked Benz awake and sprinted after the unicorn.

"My lord, what’s going on?" Benz rubbed his eyes, then saw the winged unicorn walking on air and yelped, "A white horse with wings!"

Before Johnnie could speak, Benz took off running and shouted, "Let me! I’m gonna ride the white horse!"

Crack!

Lightning flashed from the unicorn’s horn and shot at Benz.

Boom!

Sand and gravel burst up. Benz slammed into the ground, scorched all over, but not in mortal danger.

This unicorn was stage 9, a legendary Monster—about on par with Johnnie.

Buzz!

The Intent of the Sword hummed. Johnnie moved at once and unleashed the Myriad Sword Technique.

A thousand sword-lights flared, closing in on the unicorn.

It glanced back at Johnnie with open disdain. Its huge wings spread, gave a light flap, and its speed jumped. In a heartbeat it left them far behind.

They couldn’t fly. All they could do was sprint across the desert. The soft sand dragged at their feet, slowing them, and the unicorn pulled farther and farther away.

"Master, it can fly. Is it because of the wings?" Nalorin Sylvia guessed.

"Let’s try." Johnnie focused, forming his Demon Wing. He had wings too.

Boom!

The moment his feet left the ground, a crushing pressure slammed him back down.

So it wasn’t the wings.

Frowning, Johnnie summoned Maiev.

His Demon Wing was something he formed later, not innate. Maiev’s wings were natural—maybe the sand wouldn’t bind her.

"Maiev, try to fly," Johnnie said quickly.

Maiev nodded and spread her wings. The same heavy force pressed down. She couldn’t lift off.

"Master, no. There’s some special force here holding us down. I can’t break it," she said, brow furrowed.

So only the unicorn could fly here.

"Keep after it!" Johnnie gritted his teeth. They kept running through the desert.

Whoo—

The wind howled. Sand filled the sky. Soon the unicorn slipped from sight.

"Damn it, it got away," Johnnie said helplessly. The blowing sand blocked their view and slowed them down. There was no way to catch it.

"Master, it’s still there!" Nalorin Sylvia pointed at a white glow on the horizon.

Sure enough, under the dark night, a pure white light shone bright.

It seemed to be waiting here on purpose, trying to lure Johnnie and the others in.

When they got close, it spread its wings again and took off, quickly widening the gap, always staying outside the range of the Myriad Sword Technique.

"My lord, this thing is toying with us!" Benz’s eyes bulged with anger, but he could do nothing.

Johnnie noticed it too, but he didn’t want to give up and kept chasing.

The unicorn held a steady distance, close but not close enough, never letting their attacks reach it.

Johnnie was angry, but there was nothing he could do.

"Wait—Master, danger under our feet!" Maiev warned.

Rustle...

Suddenly the ground began to shift and sink.

Quicksand!

Johnnie instinctively tried to Fly with the Controlled Sword, but that crushing force came back and slammed him to the ground.

This is bad!

They had no way to fight it. In an instant, the quicksand swallowed them up.

But The Map of Heaven and Earth could still be used.

Johnnie was about to pull everyone into The Map of Heaven and Earth when the ground under them vanished and they dropped fast.

There was a space under the quicksand!

They still couldn’t fly, but the fall wasn’t very far.

Thud, thud...

They hit the ground. Darkness all around.

Snap!

Johnnie snapped his fingers. A small flame rose at his fingertip, lighting the area.

They were in a deep corridor. The style was old and simple. It had been buried under the sand for who knew how long, yet it hadn’t been worn away.

"What is this place?" Maiev asked. Her thin wings fluttered, but she still couldn’t fly.

"Are we stuck here?" Nalorin Sylvia sounded worried.

They were under the desert, inside quicksand. Without flight, getting out seemed impossible.

Johnnie didn’t worry about that. His eyes were drawn to the murals on both sides of the hall.

The murals were rough, just simple carved lines. You could barely make out the shapes: a Celestial Dragon, a kylin, giants, and some beasts he couldn’t name.

"Master, that looks like Skye!" Maiev pointed at one mural in surprise.

It showed a simple human figure. You couldn’t see the face, but the huge axe and shield in his hands looked a lot like Skye’s Gan and Skybreaker.

"Looks like Lord Skye, alright." Benz ran up, hefted his big axe, and struck a showy pose. "My lord, do I look as badass as Lord Skye?"

Johnnie was speechless. The two women rolled their eyes and snickered.

"Hey, what’s with those faces?" Benz snapped, feeling insulted.

"If you can get your head cut off

"Master." Maiev seemed to think of something. "Do you think this place is tied to your quest to find Lord Skye’s head?"

Huh?

Everyone’s eyes lit up. Johnnie had taken a quest to find Skye’s head, and the location was the land of confusion.

The mural even showed Skye with his head.

But Johnnie shook his head. "Probably not here. These murals clearly aren’t just about Skye."

He studied the carvings and could barely make out a few races. Dragons, phoenixes, and kylin—those were Demon Clan. That giant looked like the Kwafoo line of the Witch Clan.

There were also humans—he guessed they were ancient humans.

These murals recorded a great war: the two main Lich races and the ancient humans against an unknown race.

Even if this wasn’t where Skye’s head was buried, it had to be linked to the Lich from Earth’s legends.

"Keep looking." The flicker of the flame made the long corridor feel even deeper.

They moved on.

The scenes on the murals seemed to shift, like they were coming to life.

They showed a massive war. The details were rough, but you could feel how brutal it was—world-shaking and earth-splitting.

The Lich joined forces to fight a bunch of strange Demonic Creatures. One had eight crab-like legs, a fanged face, and huge wings on its back. Another looked like a giant snake, but with many long legs like a centipede, each leg thin and sharp like a blade...

"Have you ever seen these monsters?" Johnnie asked, frowning.

In his past life, Earth had been invaded. He had never met these Demonic Creatures, but he felt the disaster on Earth might be tied to them.

Maiev and Nalorin Sylvia shook their heads, confused. Even as crude carvings, the creatures felt powerful—likely beyond Domain. They had never seen or even heard of Demonic Creatures this terrifying.

Benz, though, was staring at one mural, face heavy, a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

"My lord, I’ve seen one kind of Demonic Creature there—the golden tocsin." He pointed at a humanoid figure and spoke in a low voice.

Johnnie and the two women stepped closer.

This Demonic Creature looked almost human. It wore a long robe and a triangular helmet that hid its face. It held a long staff topped with a sun-like disk. It felt holy and noble, yet full of contempt for all life.

"Is it strong?" Johnnie asked, puzzled.

Benz nodded. His mood sank. "Very strong. So strong I can’t even understand it. Their power is special. They devour planets to grow stronger. Wherever they go, they leave ruin. My world was invaded by them and turned into a dead star. We had to abandon our home and run to other star regions, living between cracks. That’s when The Mechanical Race caught me..."

His eyes reddened as he spoke.

Johnnie frowned. The golden tocsin wasn’t one person but a race. Each one was insanely strong.

They had a common name: Interstellar Raiders. They live by plundering star systems.

Did they invade the Universe Continent too?

In his past life, Johnnie was sure the races that invaded Earth when the game merged didn’t include monsters like these.

He looked to Nalorin Sylvia for answers, but she was just as confused.

"Master, maybe we can ask Skye," Maiev said.

The figure on the mural just now was clearly The Demon God Skye.

Johnnie nodded and was about to enter The Map of Heaven and Earth when a strange wave of power swept by.

Buzz!

Ripples spread through the long, narrow corridor. A huge worm-like Demonic Creature appeared. Its whole body was crimson, bloated, and it gave off an eerie aura.

It was one of the Demonic Creatures from the murals!