Eternal Thief

Albeit the pit was pitch black, Ace could see what was inside. 

"A skeleton." Lan was already standing on the opposite side of the pit. Since Ace was already standing there unharmed, this gave courage to others. 

This pit was five-meter-deep, and it was a grave because inside was an old skeleton and its cloth was also seemed to decay completely. There wasn't any storage ring or any other thing that can be identified.

Ace didn't mind these old men standing too close to him now, they won't dare to act against him anymore especially after seeing this grave and deteriorating skeleton inside. 

He was carefully scanning the pit and skeleton inside because the dark void's sudden reaction happened right after the pit was opened. 

'There must be something that can lead us to the real core of this forest.' Ace mulled while spreading his heavenly sense deeper inside the pit. 

However, at this moment, an unimaginable scene played in front of everyone's terrified eyes. 

An emerald liquid started to surface from the pit bottom, and it covered the skeleton like it has a mind of its own. The liquid slowly filled the pit until it was completely level with the ground. 

Ace and others were already distanced away from the pit and silently observing the strange phenomena. 

"Just what in the world…" Before Black Reaper could complete his sentence, his word instantly stuck between his throat as his eyes stuck wide open.

Everyone has the same reaction because they saw a large hand arising from the pit and the ground also shook violently. 

It wasn't the end though, the human size hand grew, and before anyone could react it was already five meters large. 

The group was cracking as if something massive wanted to come out. 

"Everyone, scatter!" Alvin's desperately roared, but he didn't need to, since any with a brain could tell something was wrong with this grave, and it wasn't a good idea to stay close to it. 

Ace was already fifty meters away from the pit and everyone heeled him because if they separate from Ace they would be lost and dead since they can't travel without Ace. 

Ace didn't mind them because all his attention was on the being that was emerging from the ground like lava. 

The two-meter pit slowly become larger and larger until a forty-meter crater, but the crater wasn't the prime focus of the group at this moment because they were all looking at the huge thirty-meter humanoid giant that has emerged from it! 

'A golem?!' Ace was astonished because this thirty-meter giant was exactly like golems, but it didn't have eye sockets, and it was completely made out of emerald liquid.

At this moment the enormous golem released a powerful pressure and everyone's heart sank when they felt this breathtaking pressure. 

"It's almost releasing Qi river core realm cultivation pressure despite being a peak Qi river realm monster!" Old man Black gloomily remarked. 

"Just what is that thing? Is it made out of that skeleton?" Damien King's face was pale with horror. 

"Heh, at least now we know how those monsters in the inner circle came in being." Ridge smile wryly. 

No one thought those strange monsters were made out of human remains, and this sent chills in their bodies. This forest was just too damn dangerous and ghastly.

"We don't have time for this." Ace's voice instantly forewarn everyone, "I think that monster is looking at us?" 

Everyone looked at the empty face of that giant monster which was rippling with emerald liquid, and it was strangely in their direction. 

Ace suddenly felt goosebumps, "From underground!" He yelled as he used his lightning steps to escape the place. He didn't have time for others. 

Those with martial sense also felt something wrong, but they were still slower than Ace heavenly sense. But they react in time because of his warning and used their unique escaping method to scatter!   

The very next moment thereafter, hundreds of emerald spikes pop up where everyone was just standing. However, this wasn't the end of it, the spikes started to fall from above like rain. 

"Kill that thing fast!" Ace cried in alarm because he could feel the spike rain wasn't over and the whole cloudy mist started to react because of something and spike were forming all over the place. 

It was impossible to escape because it seemed the entire mysterious circle was being controlled by something and the rain of spikes will start at any moment. 

'Just great!' Ace's expression was ugly when he saw no one heed his warning, and they were all busy escaping from the danger that was in front of their eyes, no one seemed to sense the real hidden danger. 

Ace quickly turned around while clenching his swords tightly, he knew this golem was the one that controlled this mist or something completely different that was controlling the golem to do its bidding. 

But he has to quickly get rid of this golem or there won't be any place to hide from those forming spikes. 

He already found the weakness of this golem, it was the pit they found the skeleton! 

Although the pit has turned into a crater, for Ace it wasn't impossible to find it because the strange Qi was coming from the exact spot, and it was probably its weakness. 

The golem seemed to sense Ace coming towards its weak spot, and a large ripple passed through its face. 

Ace instantly felt impending danger from below and above, his stealth didn't seem to work on this golem as well. Just like when he first encountered a golem. 

'If this attack landed on me, it would be impossible to escape without grave injuries.' Ace's face sank, but he didn't have any choice because if he didn't stop that large-scale skill it won't be just grave injuries he would receive. 

"Sky shield!" Old man Black's hoarse voice rang in the area. It seemed he had come back after hearing Ace's warning cry. 

Ace suddenly felt a huge Qi ripple above him and a silver-green shield appeared. 'Is that a skill?' 

He didn't have time to mull over it because even if he was safe from above, he wasn't safe from below. There was still a twenty-meter distance from the weak spot and him.   

Ace quickly used Camouflage Steps and left afterimages behind.

Thereafter, many spikes began to emerge, but they only penetrate Ace's afterimages, real Ace was nowhere to be found. 

This action seemed to enrage the golem as he formed an enormous punch and swing it close to its weak spot. 

"No, you don't, Sky shield!" Old man Black roared again and used his skill to block the huge punch quickly. 

'Thousand Shadow Mirage!' Ace quickly used the second skill of his cultivation art, Dual Sword Mirage! 

Thousands of sword shadows appeared and the torrent of black slashes landed on the large foot of the golem which was covering the pit at this moment. 

The emerald liquid instantly cut apart, and a skeleton appeared, it was the same skeleton they found. Hundreds of sword slashes instantly tore apart the skeleton. 

There was a very fine thread that was connected with the skeleton skull, and it was also cropped, and the fine-thread instantly escape in-ground the moment it was cut from the skeleton. 

Ace didn't see this since his focus was on the giant and the thread was too thin.   

In Ace's eyes, the moment he destroyed the skeleton, the huge golem instantly turned into a liquid with nothing to support it. Ace quickly escapes the crater. The liquid splashed onto the group; it filled the crater, forming a small pound. 

Ace still bathed in the emerald liquid in the end, it was like water with no odor, but he didn't let it touch his skin with the Qi barrier around him. He sighed in relief because the forming of spikes had stopped the moment he killed the golem.

====

[Host killed a Complete Qi River Stage Puppet-Golem] 

[Reward: 1,500,000 EXP]

---

[EXP: 61.5 Million/100 Million]

{Elemental Orb:0/1}

====

'A puppet golem?' Ace was astonished, 'Something was controlling this golem?' 

He didn't have time to think about it because old man Black was coming in his way. He had to admit without old man Black, Sky Shield, he might not be able to intercept the Puppet Golem, much less kill it. 

"Thank you." He nodded at old man Black. 

"Heh, I just save my old skin, no need to thank me." Old Man, Black, chuckles with a hint of lingering fear in his voice. 

Old man Black, was an assassin and his danger sense was quite powerful, that's why when he sensed the life-threatening danger looming over him no matter how much distance he creates between him and that monster he knew without killing the monster it was impossible to escape. 

That's why he came back and help Ace who was closest to the Golem, and he even witnessed something astonishing like Dual Sword Mirage Art second form!