Chapter 23
Zixu was momentarily dazed as he found himself in this unfamiliar location. His sharp gaze quickly landed on the man before him—a pale-skinned figure with snake-like golden eyes, exuding a chilling aura. The eerie atmosphere of the dark cave seemed to meld seamlessly with his presence, as if he were the most harmonious part of this unsettling scene.
For a brief moment, the air between them was thick with awkward silence.
While the man studied him with a puzzled expression, Zixu swiftly scanned his surroundings.
The terrain was unmistakably a karst landscape, characteristic of cave formations. He appeared to be near the cave's entrance, surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites, their jagged forms casting ominous shadows against the dim glow.
Water dripped rhythmically from the stalactites, the echoing droplets amplifying the eerie silence. But what sent a shiver down Zixu's spine was the countless serpentine figures slithering across the damp cave floor and twisting around the stalagmites. Their scales scraped against the stone, producing a sinister rustling sound, accompanied by the occasional hiss of flickering tongues.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Then, the man, who had been silently observing him, finally moved.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he spoke in a low, raspy tone, his voice calm yet laced with an undeniable chill.
"It seems there's nothing wrong with my summoning technique," he murmured. "Then, where did you come from? There are only a few ways to reach Ryūchi Cave (Dragon Earth Cave). In the past, some fool used that method to summon himself to Myōboku Mountain (Mount Myōboku). You must have used the Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Reverse Summoning Technique)..."
His tone was detached, methodical—like a researcher analyzing his subject.
Zixu stiffened slightly. The accuracy of the man's deduction left him with a sense of unease. In just a few sentences, he had perfectly identified how he had arrived here.