Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Emerald Giant Lizard

The underground nest underwent a dramatic transformation; from the second level onward, even the terrain was utterly changed. Stone walls divided the once spacious chambers into smaller sections, and the monsters lurking within were no longer the same. On the second floor, gold-eating ants—previously found on the third level—and venomous spiders—originally from the fourth—now appeared.

They were dazzlingly colored, intimidating to behold, and their size had grown considerably. Worse yet, their savage temperament, hungry for flesh, made them far more frightening.

Ye Ran did not venture further. He turned back to the first level, but even there, the giant lizards had mutated. In their eyes, Ye Ran was now nothing more than prey.

The stench of blood and rot surged toward him. Two giant lizards, each as tall as a grown man, launched themselves from the stone walls, their short legs propelling them in a blur. The sheer size and ferocity of these beasts was overwhelming. Their attacks lacked finesse, but they made up for it with brute strength and speed, simple and direct.

As a foul wind crashed upon him, Ye Ran instinctively bent low, rolled between the two lizards, and sprinted toward the exit.

A hissing sound echoed quickly behind him. Swarms of lizards leaped from the walls, pouring forth from three tunnels, converging from all directions. Bloodthirsty eyes glimmered with primal desire.

A powerful, wild aura—so intense it seemed to vibrate with bloodlust—came from the left tunnel. Ye Ran’s heart clenched with alarm. Under the weight of that presence, his legs felt leaden, his steps slow and heavy.

Fortunately, the lizard horde also stopped, glancing back at the left tunnel before dispersing.

Ye Ran, too, looked back.

A gigantic green beast emerged from the tunnel. Its head was shaped like any other lizard, only at least three times larger. Its massive body, even with limbs pressed low to the ground, was double Ye Ran’s height.

Its body was covered in scales; eyes like bronze bells shone with a faint red glow.

A single glance at this monstrous green lizard sent chills down his spine.

Ye Ran gasped, involuntarily stepping back.

Muscles twitched on the green giant’s face. It bared its mouth in a low chuckle.

Yes, it was laughing.

Its voice was deep and resonant.

From that laughter, its jaws abruptly snapped open, and a foul, crimson tongue lashed out—barbed, smeared with bone fragments and bits of meat. The sight of that tongue was horrifying. Ye Ran instinctively rolled to the ground; the reeking tongue swept over him, missing by a hair. Stone walls ahead erupted with a thunderous crash, and a burning pain seared his back—he knew the barbs had sliced him.

An overwhelming aura followed, imbued with hatred and malice toward humanity.

Agony shot through him, but Ye Ran dared not pause. He rolled swiftly, escaping through the nest’s entrance. Another thunderous crash rang out behind him, the blood-red tongue smashing onto the ground, making the earth tremble.

“Such creative escapes—you truly are the instructor. Well? Did you manage to find anything?”

As Ye Ran tumbled out, Tiger Ben teased him.

Noticing Ye Ran’s pale face and bleeding back, Tiger Ben laughed, “Have some tea. When Old Eight crawled out of there, he was even worse off—nearly wet himself.”

A few burly men burst into laughter, tending to his wound as they joked.

Ye Ran smiled, took a sip of tea, and said, “It’s changed quite a bit inside. Those giant monsters are stronger, more violent, more bloodthirsty—and the four-layer nest has merged. I didn’t take risks. Looked around the second level and left.”

Tiger Ben nodded, “Did you catch up with the three you were chasing? Do you know them?”

Ye Ran nodded, then shook his head. “I mistook them for someone else.”

He decided to keep the matter of the demon girl and the rabbit siblings to himself.

The burly man with the tiger tattoo laughed, “Brother, did you really mistake them, or do you just want to get to know that girl?”

The group roared with laughter, sharing knowing looks.

“I bet that’s it. Honestly, the girl in the middle—those long legs, that figure...tsk tsk, if I could play with her, losing ten years of life would be worth it, hahaha...”

“Come off it! Look at you—she’d drain you dry, believe me.”

“Young men, always so vigorous.”

Ye Ran ignored their banter, used their fire and knives to treat his wound, then rested briefly before heading home. He heated the blade until it was red-hot and cut open his own flesh to treat the injury—Tiger Ben himself was unnerved by the sight, and the tough men of the Tiger Guild admired him all the more.

On the way back, Ye Ran felt uneasy. The situation in the underground nest was growing ever more complicated.

Ancient weapons. The people from the temple.

Experts from the three great academies were eager for action, and renowned masters in Torrent City had formed a hidden current, spreading throughout the nest and the city.

Now, even the demon race and the God Hunter tribe were involved. How events might unfold from here, no one could predict.

Moreover, the nest seemed increasingly entwined with him—mysterious purple-robed women, the enigmatic attitude of the green giant lizard...

Lost in thought, he soon found himself on Brick Street.

He was about to unlock the door when a butterfly fluttered out from the crack. The door suddenly opened, and Freya, radiant with joy, rushed out like the wind to catch the butterfly.

“Careful, don’t trip,” Ye Ran gently stopped her.

Seeing him, Freya’s eyes sparkled with delight. She hugged his leg, then pointed excitedly at the butterfly.

“It’s Freya’s drawing, Freya’s drawing,” she wrote with her pencil on her sketchpad.

Ye Ran smiled, “I know. This must be your own ability.”

Freya blinked her big eyes at him, writing, “A-Ran, do you believe me?”

Ye Ran caught the butterfly in the air; it fluttered briefly in his hand before turning into a paper butterfly.

He led Freya inside. “I’ve believed you from the start. You’re a second-generation god—of course you’ll have your own powers. But you can’t use them fully yet. Don’t worry, you’re still young. One day, you’ll be as mighty as Athena or Thor.”

Freya was overjoyed, her pride nearly making her nose grow longer. She scribbled, “When Freya is that powerful, I’ll build a temple just for A-Ran, and make him Freya’s only chosen one.”

Ye Ran couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’ll be waiting for your dream to come true.”

“A-Ran, tomorrow Freya will take you for a ride,” Freya wrote.

“A ride?” Ye Ran was puzzled.

Freya nodded vigorously, pointing at the little tricycle in the corner.

“Uh...maybe not,” Ye Ran thought to himself—he couldn’t bear such embarrassment...