After I stepped into the portal, I was instantly enveloped by the gloomy and eerie forest in front of me.
Tall and twisted trees stood densely, their branches and leaves intertwined, almost completely blocking the sky and making it as dim as night here.
The air was filled with a nauseating putrid smell. There was a thick layer of fallen leaves and dead branches on the ground, and every step I took would make a dull "creaking" sound, as if telling the ancientness and mystery of this forest.
I was extremely nervous and carefully inched forward.
From time to time, all kinds of strange sounds came to my ears. There was the crisp sound of branches breaking, the rustling sound of fallen leaves being blown up by the wind, and what seemed to be the heavy breathing of some kind of creature. It was as if countless pairs of eyes were peering at my every move in the darkness.
My heart rate accelerated rapidly, and my breathing became rapid. Every step was filled with fear and vigilance.
As I walked, I came to the edge of a cliff. The cliff was bottomless, and thick fog filled the area below. The fog seemed to be alive, constantly churning and surging, which was really intimidating.
Just as I frowned, thinking about how to get around it, a sudden and violent gust of wind came out of nowhere.
The wind howled like a ferocious beast roaring, blowing me so unsteady that I almost couldn't stand.
I desperately tried to steady myself, grabbing tightly onto the trunk of a nearby tree with both hands.
However, the wind was mixed with countless sharp leaves that flew towards me like blades.
The edges of those leaves were as sharp as knives, making a shrill sound as they cut through the air.
I quickly covered my face with my arms, but my arms were still scratched by the leaves. Streaks of wounds appeared instantly, and blood flowed freely. The pain made me couldn't help but gasp.
After the gust of wind finally stopped, I was about to continue moving forward when I heard the weak call of the Senior from below the cliff: "Girl, save me!" The voice seemed to come from a distant abyss, full of endless pain and despair.
My heart tightened instantly, as if being tightly grasped by an invisible big hand.
Looking at the bottomless cliff, my heart was filled with worry and fear.
The unknown abyss seemed like a huge mouth, ready to swallow me at any time.
But thinking about the possible danger the Senior might be in down there, I didn't care about anything else and started frantically looking for a way down.
At the edge of the cliff, I anxiously looked around, and finally my eyes landed on some vines hanging from the cliff wall.
Those vines varied in thickness. Some looked extremely fragile, while others were relatively thick. I gritted my teeth and decided to take a risk.
I carefully approached the vines and gently pulled one that looked relatively sturdy.
The vine swayed slightly under my pull, seemingly able to bear my weight.
I took a deep breath, tightly grasped the vine with both hands, and carefully extended my feet towards the cliff wall, looking for a place to step on.
However, the vine was not as firm as I thought. During my descent, small vines kept breaking from time to time.
Each break was accompanied by a scream from me, and my heart also rose to my throat.
I felt like a kite fluttering in the strong wind, on the verge of falling at any moment.
After I had slid down a certain distance, suddenly, the main vine I was holding onto made a "creaking" sound.
My heart sank sharply. Before I could react, the vine completely broke. I fell rapidly, and all I could hear in my ears was the whistling wind and my own panicked screams.
Despair instantly occupied my heart. I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for the fatal impact.
Fortunately, at the moment when I was about to hit the ground, I found a protruding rock platform. I tried my best to adjust my body posture and finally landed on the platform.
I lay on the platform, gasping for breath. My clothes were soaked with sweat, and the places on my arms scratched by the vines were still oozing blood. But I didn't have time to rest and continued to look for a way down.
Finally, I found a relatively safe slope. Along the slope, I carefully made my way to the bottom of the cliff.
After landing, I found myself in an unfamiliar valley bottom. Strange fog filled the surrounding area. The fog was as thick as milk, and one could only see a few meters ahead.
Vaguely, some huge strange rocks could be seen. They were of various shapes. Some were like ferocious monsters, and some were like fallen giants, looming in the fog, adding an even more terrifying atmosphere.
I shouted the Senior's name while groping forward. The voice sounded so weak and helpless in the fog. The ground under my feet was wet and muddy, and every step would leave deep footprints.
Suddenly, the ground under my feet began to tremble. At first, it was just a slight vibration, and then it became more and more intense. Then a huge monster emerged from the ground.
This monster was extremely large, like a small hill. Its skin was rough and hard, covered with raised bumps and hideous patterns.
Its sharp claws scratched the ground, leaving deep marks. Its sharp teeth were like sharp daggers, glinting with a cold light. Its eyes were like burning fireballs, shining with a fierce light.
It opened its huge mouth and spat out a pungent hot air, then pounced on me. It was so fast that I hardly had time to react. I quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding its attack. The monster's claws swiped past my body, bringing up a gust of wind.
The monster was even more angry after missing its first attack. It turned around and pounced on me again. I rolled on the ground to avoid it. The muddy water on the ground splashed all over me, making me look extremely disheveled.
During the fight with the monster, I noticed that its left side seemed to be a bit slow in movement. Every time it attacked, the movement on the left side would be half a beat slower. I secretly guessed in my heart that this might be its weakness.
Taking advantage of its inattention, I quickly ran to its left side, picked up a stone, and threw it at its eye with all my might. The stone hit the monster's eye precisely, and it let out a painful roar.
The monster, in pain, attacked me even more frantically. It waved its huge claws and attacked me again and again. I dodged left and right under its attacks, looking for a chance to fight back.
I took the opportunity to climb onto a tall rock to temporarily avoid its attacks.
The monster kept ramming into the rock below, trying to knock me off. Every ram made the rock tremble slightly, as if it was about to collapse at any moment.
Just when I felt exhausted, the monster suddenly stopped attacking and turned to run in one direction.
I looked in the direction it ran and saw that the Senior was trapped in a huge cage, and the monster was charging towards the cage.
"Senior!" I was extremely anxious and ran towards the cage regardless of everything.
My feet ran on the muddy ground, splashing up patches of muddy water. There was only one thought in my mind, which was to reach the Senior's side before the monster did.
Just as the monster was about to reach the cage, I finally arrived. I picked up a thick branch from the ground and rushed towards the monster without hesitation.
The monster was enraged by me. It turned around, opened its huge bloody mouth, and pounced on me again. I dodged to the side and stabbed the branch in my hand fiercely at its abdomen. However, the monster reacted extremely quickly and swatted the branch away with one paw.
I quickly rolled to one side to avoid its subsequent attack. The monster chased after me closely. While dodging, I kept looking for its weakness.
At this time, the monster leaped high, attempting to knock me down. I seized the opportunity. At the moment it was falling, I slid under it and gave its left leg a hard kick.
The monster staggered when it landed, and the weakness on its left side became even more obvious. I took the opportunity to pick up a sharp stone and threw it at its left eye again.
The monster roared in pain and waved its claws wildly. I nimbly dodged while looking for a new opportunity to attack.
I circled around to the back of the monster, jumped up, and hugged its neck, trying my best to strangle it. The monster struggled desperately, trying to shake me off.
In the fierce fight, I was almost exhausted, but the belief in my heart made me persevere. Finally, I found a weak spot on the monster's back and punched it desperately.
The monster's movements gradually became sluggish, while I became more and more courageous in the face of setbacks. Finally, I found an opportunity and stabbed the branch fiercely into the monster's throat.
The monster let out a desperate roar, struggled on the ground a few times, and then stopped moving.
However, just when I was gradually gaining the upper hand, the monster suddenly let out a roar, and a black mist emanated from its whole body. The mist instantly spread and blocked my sight.
When the mist cleared, both the monster and the Senior had disappeared.
"Senior! Where are you?" I shouted desperately. My voice echoed in the valley, but only my own echo answered me.
I didn't know where the Senior had been taken, nor did I know which direction to go next. This mysterious and dangerous valley bottom was full of unknowns, and I felt unprecedented helplessness and fear.
But I knew that no matter how difficult it was, I couldn't give up the hope of finding the Senior...
