Chapter One Hundred Forty-Four: The Pharaoh King

"Alright, since you put it that way, let's go find my treasure first, and then yours," Guardian said.

I smiled and said, "Fine by me!"

"Guardian, have you found your treasure location yet?" Phantasm Moon asked.

"Of course, I've already located the treasure." With that, she commanded the Battleship Dragonbeast to move forward.

"What? Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Xiao Ai said with glowing eyes.

***

After a long while, we arrived in front of a giant gate. The gate was gleaming with golden light, but its shape was that of a face—a face strikingly similar to an Egyptian Pharaoh's. If not for the vertical line running down the center, it would have been easy to mistake it for a greatly magnified mask.

"This is the place, but this gate is very strange. No matter what I try, I can't open it," Guardian said.

"It's probably sealed," Dragon Xin said.

"Then how are we supposed to break the seal?" Wind Xiao Yue asked.

"Let me handle this. Meaningless charg—" Before Ye Shuang could even execute his skill, Guardian whipped him right on the backside.

"Ow!" Ye Shuang jumped in pain and sat down hard on the ground. Teammate-on-teammate attacks didn't drain HP, but the pain was still very real.

"Don't attack!" Guardian shouted.

"What are you doing, you stinky brat?!" Ye Shuang rubbed his rear, glaring at Guardian in temper.

Guardian explained, "This gate has a trap attached to it. Any attack it receives will be reflected back at twice the damage."

Ye Shuang retorted, "If you knew that, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Guardian replied, "I hadn't finished yet; you lot interrupted me."

Xiao Ai suggested, "There must be some kind of incantation or something."

Xiao Xi offhandedly remarked, "An incantation? What, do we have to say 'Open Sesame' or something?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door actually swung open!

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Guardian wore an expression of utter disbelief. Considering all the various methods she had tried without success, only to have Xiao Xi's casual remark solve the problem, how could she not be depressed?

Guardian recalled the Battleship Dragonbeast while I had my Sonic Werewolf stay by my side. The few of us walked into a passage made of yellow rocks, but we soon reached a wooden door.

"Have we reached the end?" Phantasm Moon asked.

"No, isn't this a huge gate?" I said.

***

"What on earth is going on?" Wind Xiao Yue walked forward in bewilderment. The moment she took another step forward, she trod on a tile ahead of her, and the tile sank down. An awkward and unpleasant expression appeared on her face, and we all instantly knew what that meant.

The very second Wind Xiao Yue stepped on that tile, the door in front of us rose up, and following that, we saw a massive boulder rolling toward us from behind the door!

"Run, everyone!" Without thinking, we all spun around and sprinted wildly.

"Bro, bro, think of something!" Ye Shuang shouted anxiously.

"We're going to get flattened!" Xiao Ai screamed.

"Damn it, there's only one path here, there's nowhere to hide!" Guardian said.

"Look at the fine mess Xiao Yue got us into."

"I didn't do it on purpose!"

Just then, the path in front of us suddenly collapsed, and a white dragon head poked out from below!

"Crystal Dragon!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. That's right, the head belonged to that very same Crystal Dragon from earlier. Who would have thought it would chase us all the way here?

Phantasm Moon shouted, "Dig a hole in the wall!"

"Got it, Steel Drill Beast!" Xiao Ai called out to the Steel Drill Beast. Understanding its master's intent, the Steel Drill Beast instantly plunged its head straight into the wall, blasting open a breach. We leaped inside immediately, and right after, the giant boulder rolled right into the tunnel the Crystal Dragon had dug. I imagine it must have crashed right into it by now.

However, we soon realized we had fallen into a strange place. This was a platform, and all around it were waterfalls with no ceiling in sight. It looked as though these waterfalls were pouring down directly from the heavens.

"Incredible, there's actually a place like this," Dragon Xin exclaimed.

Xiao Xi ran to the edge of the platform, looked down, and said, "It's so high, I can't even see the bottom."

Seeing this, Guardian walked up to the edge of the platform and took out a compact metal box, from which she retrieved four small transparent bottles filled with a crystalline blue liquid.

"What is she doing?" Ye Shuang asked.

I said, "You'll see in a moment."

After uncapping them, Guardian sprinkled the water downward right from the edge of the platform. A minute later, the most incredible thing happened: four beams of blue light projected outward in front of where Guardian stood. The beams were wide and flat, converging to form a sphere of light, which then split into two more beams shooting straight toward the opposite waterfall, seamlessly forming a series of virtual bridges.

Guardian stepped onto it first. What amazed everyone most was that her feet could actually walk upon those beams of light. She turned back to us and said, "Hurry up and cross, or I'm leaving you behind."

At that moment, I saw the Sonic Werewolf turn its head to look back and start howling frantically, as if warning us about something.

"Big bro, what's wrong with your Sonic Werewolf?" Dragon Xin asked.

"We've found you, you wretched humans!" A voice rang out, and that Crystal Dragon flew out from the waterfall behind us.

"Run!" I roared and immediately sprinted onto the light bridge. Damn it, that dragon really was a persistent ghost. This was the first time I had ever encountered such a clinging monster.

The Crystal Dragon flew at incredible speed, catching up to us in no time at all. However, it seemed to be flying way too fast; unable to brake in time, it plowed headfirst straight into the waterfall ahead.

Then we heard a muffled "Bang!" Dust filled the air, and shattered rocks flew everywhere. The Crystal Dragon seemed to have knocked itself senseless, lost its balance in mid-air, and plummeted straight down into the abyss beneath the waterfall. We watched it fall all the way down without even hearing the sound of it hitting water, until it vanished entirely from our field of vision.

***

"What on earth happened to that guy?" Dragon Xin asked.

"Flying without watching the road," I chuckled. It was the first time I'd ever seen such a stupid monster—or rather, the first time I'd ever seen such a stupid dragon.

Guardian remarked, "Well, thanks to its efforts, the road ahead is blocked."

"As expected, in times like this, you still have to rely on me. When we get the treasure later, I want an extra share," Xiao Ai said, puffing out her modest chest.

Following that, her Steel Drill Beast started drilling into the wall, clearing a path straight ahead. We broke through the rock wall and arrived in a lavishly decorated room. The ground gleamed with golden light, feeling as though it were paved entirely with solid gold bricks.

"Greetings, visitors!" an aged voice echoed.

"Who... who's speaking?" I looked around in all directions.

Then the aged voice sounded again: "I am the king of this place, and this is my kingdom."

"A king?!"

"Indeed. I know you have come for the kingdom's treasure. If you desire the treasure, battle me and win; if you do, I shall bestow it upon you. You must fight! You must fight!"

Then, the air before us began to ripple, and a golden coffin twenty meters tall materialized out of the void. The aged voice of the king resounded once more: "My name has faded with the passage of time. You may call me the Pharaoh. Will your acquisition of this treasure bring light or darkness to this world?"

"What? Light or darkness? I don't understand a single word you're saying," Ye Shuang said.

"Quiet!" Wind Xiao Yue snapped at Ye Shuang.

"Fine, nag!" Ye Shuang muttered, slightly annoyed.

At that moment, Guardian stepped forward and said, "Light."

"Then prove it!" The aged voice grew booming and majestic. The golden coffin flew open, and a twenty-meter-tall golden giant stepped out from within.

"Prove it!" the golden giant bellowed.

Guardian shouted, "Step back, this is my fight!"

"Got it," we said, taking a few steps back.

Then, Guardian summoned the Mechanical Tyrannosaurus. "Go! Mechanical Tyrannosaurus!" she yelled, lashing her laser whip against the ground.

The Mechanical Tyrannosaurus roared and charged forward, swinging its mechanical claws with all its might. Although the strike swept across the opponent's body and tore a deep gash, no damage numbers popped up, and the wound healed itself at a blinding speed.

Roaring, the Mechanical Tyrannosaurus swung its claws repeatedly, but the result remained the same. Stepping back a short distance, the Mechanical Tyrannosaurus opened the hatch on its chest and fired its signature skill, "Ultimate Destruction Cannon!" This should have dealt astonishing damage, and though two gaping holes were blasted into the opponent's body, still no damage numbers appeared.

"Damn it!" Guardian grew furious.

At this moment, the golden giant began to move. It clenched one fist and thrust it straight forward, a fireball materializing before its fist. The fireball launched forward and slammed into the Mechanical Tyrannosaurus, instantly sending it flying and crashing heavily to the ground. Still, no damage numbers registered on it either.

Phantasm Moon shouted at the top of her lungs, "Guardian, stop! Make the Mechanical Tyrannosaurus cease its attacks!"