Chapter 575: Three's Company

"Boss, look, what's that dark thing ahead?"

Long Kun, standing nearby, was the first to spot the dark cave at the end of the path along the riverbank. Everyone else looked over, their faces filled with surprise.

"Wow, Brother Long Kun, you saw it even though it was so well hidden!" Shi Lingyun exclaimed in admiration, playfully teasing him.

"Honestly, I didn't see it; a very unique aura inside was pulling me in."

Everyone was startled, and even Xu Yang, the team leader, couldn't help but give Long Kun a serious look.

"Could it be that some aura left by Karls has awakened the perceptive instincts of a creature inside that cave?"

Xu Yang's judgment wasn't unfounded. After all, Long Kun was the only one who had previously had close contact with Karls. It was normal to preemptively sense the auras of the powerful individuals they might encounter in this place, as they would be no weaker than Karls.

Coincidentally, just as Xu Yang finished speaking, a shard of ice burst from the ground beneath Long Kun's feet without warning, propelling him into the air. He was then immediately sucked into the cave by an incredibly powerful suction force.

"Boss, save me!"

Xu Yang's reflexes were lightning-fast. He summoned his Asura Divine Sword almost simultaneously and moved to intercept, but he was forced to stop halfway into the dark cave.

It turned out that the space around the dark cave was filled with various hidden defensive mechanisms. These mechanisms forcefully imposed a widespread confinement and suppression on Xu Yang. Although this power was insufficient to trap Xu Yang for long or even harm him in the slightest, it was perfectly capable of preventing him from saving Long Kun in the short term.

"Outsiders, assess your strength carefully. Once you step into this cave before you, it will be difficult to escape. Of course, unless you can eliminate all life forms within, you'd best return to where you came from."

The husky voice echoed continuously in their ears. Simultaneously, a powerful mental energy quickly coalesced into a vast net, like an expansive spiderweb, materializing menacingly above Xu Yang and the others.

"Hmph, mere child's play!" Without hesitation, Shi Lingyun raised her Crystal Skull Scepter. A brilliant purple light also shot skyward. The materialized mental energy, reinforced by her power, instantly shattered the coalescing mental net, completely astonishing those around her.

"What a powerful burst of mental energy! Sister Lingyun, with the power of this scepter, your combat strength has increased significantly."

Shi Lingyun smiled faintly. "Sister, that big guy over there is all yours."

Just as Shi Lingyun had succeeded, she detected several terrifying energy waves descending one after another above the dark cave. Each wave, upon landing, rapidly expanded in a very short time, like special shapeshifting monsters. In an instant, they transformed into colossal beings, pressing down on Xu Yang and his two companions.

"Are these... the legendary Gigants?" Ling Yao suddenly spoke, revealing knowledge that even Xu Yang wasn't familiar with.

"Gigants? Are they also a type of life form?" Shi Lingyun asked.

"No, they are ordinary humans. So-called Gigants use special cultivation techniques to transform their life force into localized limb enhancements, integrating them into their bodies to achieve direct improvements in both offense and defense. This was a unique cultivation method from ancient times, rarely practiced now. I never imagined..."

Xu Yang sneered, "No matter what they are, we'll deal with them as they come! We'll just charge into that cave, find out what's going on, and then worry about anything else."

Often, especially when in a dilemma, the simplest solution can resolve the most complex problems. At this moment, Xu Yang was clearly adopting this mindset to confront the current situation.

Boom!

Who could withstand the might of his sword?

The sword's edge, once unsheathed, was incredibly sharp. It utterly shattered the several-dozen-meter-high ice wall in front of them, completely blocking the path of the colossal light figures rapidly forming from the direction of the black hole.

Terrifying sound waves reverberated outwards. The large figures continued to draw closer, rapidly approaching. After successfully breaching the ice wall that blocked their path, they revealed their distinct silhouettes.

Indeed, as Ling Yao had said, these Gigants had specific body parts greatly enhanced!

For instance, the large figure in black armor before them had arms like two colossal pillars. The wind generated when he swung them was more formidable than that of an ordinary divine weapon!

Boom!

A muffled roar suddenly erupted, and a vast expanse of ice shards whistled furiously towards Xu Yang and his two companions.

"Hmph, playing with ice in front of me? You probably don't have the qualifications!"

Before Xu Yang and the others could react, Ling Yao's power erupted. A mighty freezing force surged out, instantly sealing all the ice shards in front of them!

"What?! There's a master of such powerful ice-attribute energy here? Third Brother, you take over; I can't hold out much longer!"

Sure enough, another Gigant, shrouded entirely in a light blue elemental aura, emerged from behind the first. This one's characteristic was an extremely robust physical body, as if covered in a dozen layers of thick ice armor, perfectly combining defense with its imposing silhouette.

Xu Yang flicked his palm, and the Asura Divine Sword whistled forth. Its sharp edge struck the surface of the incredibly thick torso directly, only to be forcefully repelled...

"Damn, what incredible defense!"

Even the formidable Xu Yang couldn't help but curse, which showed how astonishing this creature's defensive capabilities were.

"Hehehe, scared now? Too late, I'm afraid! Your arrival has already alerted the king of our Gigant lineage. It seems you're destined to die!"

Xu Yang shrugged helplessly. "You're tough, all right, but we have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead!"

With that, Xu Yang quickly shot a glance at Shi Lingyun behind him. The young woman understood instantly. With a flick of her palm, the Saintly Celestial Sound artifact shone brightly, unleashing countless roaring sound waves that mercilessly bombarded the giant's head!

"No matter how big you are, the weakness of your mental defense is ultimately unavoidable. What's more, even among gods, few can withstand the attack of Lingyun's Saintly Celestial Sound!"

The Gigant instinctively tried to retreat, but Xu Yang had already anticipated this possibility and immediately gave an order to Ling Yao behind him.

"Heavenly Sword Sealing Array!"

In an instant, countless sword glows rained down from the sky, preemptively sealing all possible escape routes for the giant, trapping him like a turtle in a jar.