Then they saw the enraged Flying Demon Drake digging the hole above them wider and wider.
The rocks on the mountain crumbled beneath its claws like blocks of tofu.
Soon, it tore off the entire mountaintop.
The mountain's belly was hollow, and a deep pit appeared.
The Flying Demon Drake stretched its head down to peer at them, then suddenly opened its massive jaws and lunged in a perfect predatory pose.
The Radiant Celestial Parasol grew even larger, so big that the drake couldn't get its jaws around it.
The two of them watched nervously, tense from head to toe.
But unexpectedly, halfway through its dive, an invisible force suddenly shredded the beast to pieces.
A torrent of blood and minced flesh splattered onto the Radiant Celestial Parasol.
And there were also colorful pearls among the mess.
Thud! A huge golden Soul Core dropped to the ground, rolling right to their feet.
The two of them were too stunned to react for a long moment.
After a while, Grace finally asked in a daze, "High Saint, did you kill it?"
Grandpa Gene the High Saint shook his head. "How could I possibly kill such a huge Flying Demon Drake?"
"Then... how did it die?"
Grandpa Gene looked around and said, "A spell array. A terrifying ancient killing array."
Grace followed his gaze and finally noticed—the walls all around them weren't just dirt.
They were stone walls, built by hand.
She could see spell stones embedded in the walls.
And in the air above, killing arrays crisscrossed.
They must have triggered the killing array when they fell down just now!
The unlucky Infernal Drake tried to pounce again, only to be sliced into chunks.
Grace once tried to cut up an Infernal Drake in the Eastern Wilderness Forest.
That one was just a newborn Infernal Drake, and even then, she couldn't cut through it.
Back then, Cutie Pie helped her get the Infernal Drake Pearl out.
But this Flying Demon Drake is the strongest among all the drake types.
It can breathe fire, unleash ice attacks, and its combat power is insane. Judging by its head, who knows how many years it's been cultivating.
Just how terrifying is that killing array, to blast it into dust?
"Mommy, Benny told me he really wants that Soul Core. Can you pick it up for him?" Ray said from inside the space.
Grace glanced at Grandpa Gene the High Saint and said, "High Saint, the Flying Demon Drake's Soul Core and those pearls are treasures. Do you want them? If not, I'll take them!"
Grandpa Gene the High Saint said, "You can have them all."
So Grace put away the Radiant Celestial Parasol, picked up the big Soul Core, and stored it in her space.
Benny, thrilled like he'd found a treasure, hugged it with all four wings and dashed off.
She also gathered up all the scattered colorful magical pearls.
These are top-tier materials for forging magical artifacts.
Once they'd picked everything up, the two of them stared worriedly at the sky.
With such a deadly killing array above, how could they ever get out?
Not only could they not escape, but it would be hard for anyone to come rescue them too.
One wrong move and they'd end up just like the Flying Demon Drake.
"High Saint, there's no way we can get out from above. Why don't we look for another exit down here?" Grace suggested.
"Alright." Grandpa Gene the High Saint took out a luminous Night Pearl for light, and together they began searching the area.
Sure enough, they spotted a stone door.
The stone door could be pushed open, and behind it lay a pitch-black passage that looked absolutely terrifying.
With nowhere else to go, the two of them had no choice but to enter.
Ray popped out too, coiling around Grace's shoulder, eyes alert as he scanned their surroundings.
Luckily, there were no hidden traps in the passage, and after a long walk, they reached a stone chamber.