Chapter 20: Crocdad

Chapter 20: The Crocodile Ancestor

A spine-chilling roar erupted from the direction of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, as if an ancient primordial beast had torn open the earth, breaking free from its seal. Its roar shook mountains and rivers, rattled the stars and moon, and sent a tremor through their very souls.

But then, it became completely quiet again. The terrifying roar subsided, leaving only the rumbling sound of the sandstorm outside the five-colored altar.

“What was that?”“Are there other creatures on Mars?”“Legend says the Buddha suppressed many demons and monsters. Perhaps the sealed place is near the Great Thunder Sound Temple.”

After just a few whispered discussions, everyone felt a surge of fear. As modern city dwellers, they had never believed such legends. Having experienced a series of incredible events that day, and now connecting them with even more terrifying legends, an overwhelming wave of dread rose in everyone’s hearts.

If their suspicions proved true, their situation would be extremely precarious. The Great Thunder Sound Temple had already been reduced to dust; there were no longer Buddhas or deities there. If they had to face those mythological demons alone, their fate would be unimaginable.

“Today, our minds are constantly being assaulted; it’s hard to bear…”“The demons and monsters from ancient myths might appear before us, alive!”

At the thought of all the possibilities that might unfold, a chill ran through everyone’s hearts, and their bodies turned cold.

Endless possibilities, unknown destinies, filled them with fear and apprehension!

At that moment, a cold corpse lay before them. Blood stained the ground, and a faint metallic smell lingered in the air, reminding everyone that the current situation was grim. Something unknown had appeared again, snatching away a vibrant life right before their eyes.

A strange sound emanated from the corpse’s head, instantly making many of those present tense.

It sounded like eating and chewing, which was incredibly disturbing. After all, it was a human head. The unknown creature seemed to be feeding inside it, causing many of those present to feel their hair stand on end.

The sound of bones being ground echoed, as if sharp teeth were cutting through a skull. The atmosphere immediately became tense and oppressive.

No one spoke. The five-colored altar suddenly fell silent. Many dared not even breathe, in a silence so profound it was terrifying. An eerie aura permeated the air.

This was an ordeal. The sounds of feeding and skull-crushing, combined, were like a hellish symphony of terror, tormenting their minds.

Many girls covered their mouths, wanting to cry but daring not make a sound. This scene pushed them to the brink of collapse.

Of course, not everyone was terrified. Those holding the divine artifacts felt a certain degree of confidence. Pang Bo had always been bold. Feeling suppressed at the moment, he dragged the bronze plaque from the Great Thunder Sound Temple and prepared to step forward to smash open the head.

Ye Fan stopped him, saying, “Don’t act rashly.”

Just then, a spurt of blood and a stream of white fluid erupted from the bloodied hole in the forehead of the corpse lying in the pool of blood. Many felt a wave of nausea; it was brain matter flowing out.

Then, a cone-shaped black head, small, sharp, and covered in scales, emerged from the bloodied hole in the skull.

“What is that thing?” Everyone instinctively stepped back. Even Ye Fan and Pang Bo retreated a few steps.

It was a strange, crocodile-like creature that had crawled out of the bloodied hole in the corpse. Its body was not only smeared with blood but also white brain matter, a sight that made one’s scalp tingle.

It was no more than ten centimeters long and as thick as a finger. It resembled a snake but wasn't one; it was shaped like a crocodile but had no legs. Its underside was bare, and its entire body was covered in dark, chilling black scales, like an evil creature from the underworld.

Blood and brain matter clung to its black scales, a shocking sight that made many feel extremely uneasy, a bone-chilling fear rising within them.

After crawling out of the bloodied hole, this unknown creature clung to the corpse’s head. Its pair of tiny eyes emitted an extremely cold glint as it silently stared at everyone, like a highly intelligent life form, not a low-level one.

Seven classmates, four years of shared studies, several vibrant lives, were gone forever, devoured by such an incredibly hideous creature.

Its eyes were incredibly malicious. It coldly swept its gaze over everyone like a vengeful spirit, not as if observing equals, but rather appraising its food.

“You damn three-inch runt, you’re not even as long as a rat, yet you killed seven of my classmates! I’ll smash you to death!” Pang Bo lifted the bronze plaque of the Great Thunder Sound Temple and swung it forcefully, aiming directly for the cold-blooded unknown creature.

Roars echoed, and light shot into the sky. The bronze plaque radiated myriad beams of light. Bolts of lightning surged forward, crisscrossing and weaving into a vast net.

“Whoosh.” However, this unknown creature was incredibly swift. It seemed to know the danger, transforming into a streak of dark light and shooting up, dodging the dazzling radiance.

Ye Fan advanced, holding the ancient bronze lamp. He blew hard on the wick, and a blazing divine flame instantly spurted out, surging forward.

That gruesome creature, no thicker than a finger and ten centimeters long, let out a shrill shriek. The volume was astonishing; it sounded like a malevolent ghost wailing, making eardrums throb and sending chills down spines.

It was hard to imagine how such a tiny, scaled body could produce such a massive and terrifying sound.

The flame from Ye Fan’s lamp shot out three meters, but it didn’t truly engulf the unknown creature. It merely grazed its tail, causing scales to fall off and half of its charred tail to break off.

It stared maliciously at Ye Fan, displaying expressions like a human, looking incredibly ferocious. It opened its mouth, revealing stark white, gleaming fangs, and continuously hissed at Ye Fan.

“What in the world is this demonic thing?” Many students behind them were terrified. Even though they possessed divine artifacts, they dared not step forward.

“You three-inch runt, your eyes are so malicious. I’m going to smash you to pieces!” Pang Bo, fearless and fierce, swung the Great Thunder Sound Temple’s bronze plaque and charged forward, declaring, “You killed seven of my classmates, and now you’ve only lost a rotten tail. Go to hell!”

Pang Bo’s entire body was enveloped in the dazzling light emitted by the bronze plaque. He was as imposing as an enraged god of war. The bronze plaque vibrated, Buddhist chants reverberated through the sky, and a rumbling sound arose.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan cornered the terrifying creature, which now only had half a body, from the other side. The flame from the divine lamp surged out like an enraged dragon, its scorching heat making the air feel as if it were burning.

At this point, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and others from behind also rushed over. They simultaneously raised their acquired divine artifacts and began striking at the gruesome, crocodile-like creature.

Although surrounded and pursued, this creature was too fast. It moved like a black streak of lightning, constantly darting across the five-colored altar, making it difficult for anyone to touch it.

Piercing shrieks emanated from it. This gruesome and terrifying creature, being chased and struck by everyone, seemed filled with extreme malice and fury. Its cries were incessant, like vengeful spirits wailing from the netherworld.

The sound of something piercing the light barrier was heard. Several ugly, crocodile-like creatures outside the five-colored altar successfully pierced the light shield and squeezed in. All were no more than ten centimeters long, identical to the first one. Their gazes were as chilling as those of malevolent ghosts, seemingly holding an irreconcilable grudge, staring at everyone with intense hatred.

“Why are there so many?”“What exactly are these creatures? Is Mars their lair?”

Everyone felt a sense of powerlessness. They were not deities and didn't know how to fully utilize the artifacts in their hands. They could only rely on the light emitted autonomously by the Buddhist artifacts to ward off the lethal attacks. With so many gruesome creatures appearing now, it was impossible to eliminate them all.

At that moment, a "rustling" sound emerged. Outside the light shield, hundreds of densely packed, crocodile-like beasts appeared.

Behind Ye Fan and the others, those who had not taken action and were less courageous began to tremble. If so many fierce creatures charged in at once, even with the divine artifacts, they might not be able to defend themselves!

“Pang Bo, stop chasing! Let’s stick together,” Ye Fan shouted to Pang Bo.

With so many gruesome beasts appearing now, they were endless. Defense was the best strategy at the moment. They just needed to wait for the five-colored altar to gather enough energy to open the ancient starry road.

“Aooooooh…” Suddenly, a massive, soul-shaking roar came again from the direction of the Great Thunder Sound Temple!

With this terrifying shriek, the sandstorm outside seemed to instantly halt, for there was no other sound in heaven and earth, only the surging, reverberating beast roar.

The earth continuously trembled. The five-colored altar shook, and the storm outside was completely suppressed.

“The Great Thunder Sound Temple… it’s the beasts’ nest!” someone stammered.

Everyone looked outside the light shield. More and more terrifying creatures were gathering, coming from the direction of the Great Thunder Sound Temple. The ground was covered in dark scales, densely packed, tens of thousands of them.

“Boom!” Suddenly, everyone felt the ground shake violently. Then, a supremely tragic aura suddenly surged from a thousand meters away, reaching up to the sky and down to the underworld, reverberating throughout heaven and earth!

Even though a sandstorm separated them, everyone could still see two terrifying, lantern-like eyes appear at the ruins of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, piercing through the dark space.

It was like a volcanic eruption there, with rocks flying through the air. Many house-sized boulders crashed heavily near the five-colored altar with earth-shattering force.

“The foundation of the Great Thunder Sound Temple… it’s shattered! Something terrifying from underground has emerged!”

If this were true, even if they held several sacred artifacts left by deities, they likely wouldn’t be of any use.

“I… I think I know what these crocodile-like beasts are…” a female student said, her voice trembling.

The Tibetan region holds Buddhism in the highest reverence, with almost everyone practicing the faith. This female student had once visited Tibet, touring important Buddhist sites like Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Temple, and had heard some legends from an elderly Tibetan local.

According to legend, beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple, the Buddha’s abode, was not a pure or benevolent land, but rather a place where many formidable demons were suppressed. The first layer held the Crocodile Ancestor, an ancient divine crocodile of immense power, which was ultimately subdued by the Buddha.

“Are you saying that many formidable demons are suppressed beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple, a Buddhist holy site?”“That elderly Tibetan who believed in Buddhism certainly said so.”

Upon hearing all of this, everyone felt a chill run through their bodies. If this were true, then the Crocodile Ancestor must be emerging from the Great Thunder Sound Temple, and these hideous beasts were its descendants.

Ye Fan frowned and said, “I once read some records in an ancient miscellany…”

That miscellany recorded a type of limbless “crocodile” with a body as hard as Vajra, capable of flying and burrowing through the earth. It could easily pierce through flesh and blood, and was called a divine crocodile.

Zhou Yi nodded and said, “I’ve also seen similar ancient texts…”

According to Buddhist tradition, it is recorded that the Ancestor of the Divine Crocodiles was suppressed by the Buddha, and since then, its descendants have not reappeared in the world.

Everyone felt a sense of unreality. Some legends they had only heard as stories in the past, they were now about to witness firsthand, leaving them both shocked and terrified.

“That elderly Tibetan said the Crocodile Ancestor was suppressed on the first level beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple. Does that mean there’s a second level, a third…?” a female student asked, trembling.

No one answered. If the Crocodile Ancestor truly emerged now, it would be enough to annihilate them all.

A rustling sound was heard. Tens of thousands of small crocodiles appeared outside the five-colored altar, pushing hard to get inside.

“Boom!” Suddenly, the five-colored altar shook. Five ancient runes of different colors appeared in the sky, shining like stars. The Taiji Bagua diagram was about to emerge; this was a sign that the ancient starry road was opening.

However, at the same time, a terrifying tremor came from the ruins of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, over a thousand meters away. The lantern-like blood-red eyes rose several meters. Clearly, it was breaking free from the shackles of the underground palace, surging out from beneath the surface.

Escape from here, escape from Mars! This was everyone’s thought. Many were praying for the ancient starry road to open quickly, for even eternal drifting in a desolate universe would be more reassuring than remaining here.