A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 108 The Difficult-to-Touch Divine Artifact and New Clues

The woman in black robes, the man in white, and Ling'er stood before the transparent barrier, gazing at the lost artifact so close yet unattainable, their hearts filled with anxiety and helplessness. The artifact rested on the stone platform, its strange light like a hook, tugging at their hearts, but the invisible barrier was like an impenetrable fortress, forcefully blocking their hopes from the outside.

The woman in black robes frowned, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat. She pounded on the barrier with all her might, but only produced dull thuds, achieving nothing. She was filled with anger and anxiety, thinking of all the hardships she had endured to finally find the divine artifact, only to be blocked by this thing. Was all her effort going to be in vain? She gritted her teeth, her eyes fixed on the artifact, unwilling to give up, and secretly vowed to find a way to break through the barrier.

The man in white also wore a solemn expression. He slowly paced around the barrier, carefully observing every detail. The barrier appeared transparent, yet it exuded a mysterious power; spiritual energy approaching it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea—completely ineffective. He pondered the various mechanisms and formations he knew, trying to find clues to break free from his predicament, but his mind was a jumbled mess, and he couldn't come up with a solution for the time being. He couldn't help but feel inwardly frustrated; why was all the knowledge he had accumulated in his daily life insufficient at this crucial moment?

Ling'er stared intently at the barrier, her small hand gently resting on it, feeling the force of its obstruction. A stubborn glint appeared in her eyes. She thought to herself that this divine artifact was so crucial to solving all the mysteries; it couldn't possibly be something they couldn't obtain so easily. There must be some hidden mechanism or method yet to be discovered. She then took out the ancient scroll from her bosom and examined it carefully again by the dim light, hoping to find some clues within.

Just as they were racking their brains, Ling'er suddenly exclaimed, "Look, there seem to be words here!" The woman in black robes and the man in white robes quickly went over and looked in the direction Ling'er was pointing. They saw some tiny runes faintly appearing in a corner of the barrier. The runes shimmered with a faint light and were easy to miss if you didn't look carefully.

The man in white leaned closer, squinting as he carefully examined the runes. The more he looked, the more he felt that the runes seemed to be conveying some kind of information, though interpreting them was quite difficult. He softly read the words on the runes, pondering their meaning as he read. Gradually, his brows relaxed, and a look of realization appeared on his face.

“I think I understand now. It says that this barrier is formed from the power of the artifact itself. To break through it, you need to find three keys that correspond to it. These three keys are scattered in three hidden places in this mysterious land. Only by collecting all the keys can you remove the barrier and obtain the artifact.” The man in white said slowly, his tone showing both the joy of finding a clue and the worry about the difficult exploration to come.

The woman in black robes felt a mix of emotions. She had thought that finding the artifact would solve all the mysteries, but now these three keys had appeared. It seemed she would have to continue her journey through this dangerous place. But there was no other choice. She took a deep breath and said, "In that case, let's hurry up and find these three keys. Every moment of delay increases the danger."

Ling'er nodded obediently, carefully put the book away, and her gaze became firm, as if she was ready to face a new challenge.

They turned and headed back through the passage they had come from. Just as they stepped out of the circular space, the scene inside suddenly changed. The previously dark and silent walls of the passage began to flicker with light. These lights gradually converged, forming maps of light and shadow, faintly marking locations that seemed to be guiding them towards the key.

"This... could this place be giving us a hint?" the woman in black robes said in surprise. She was both surprised and relieved by this sudden change. After all, with a hint, it should be easier to find the key.

The man in white, however, was not so optimistic. Looking at the map of light and shadow, he vaguely felt that behind this seemingly benevolent hint might lie some other purpose. But he couldn't worry about that now; he could only act in the direction the map indicated.

They followed the passage, guided by the light and shadow map, and encountered no further dangers along the way. However, the passage seemed to have no end, and they had been walking for a long time without reaching their destination.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a fork in the road appeared ahead. The light from the map split into three paths at the fork, each pointing in a different direction. Each path looked deep and mysterious, making it difficult to choose.

"What should we do now? Which of these three paths should we take?" The woman in black robes frowned, looking at the fork in the road. The man in white also stopped, carefully observing the three paths, trying to find clues in the surrounding environment to determine the correct direction, but the three paths didn't seem to have any obvious differences.

Ling'er stood to the side, tilting her head in thought. She suddenly remembered that the book seemed to mention some ancient methods of determining direction, so she closed her eyes, concentrated her mind, and felt the subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy around her, trying to determine which path was the right one.

After a while, Ling'er opened her eyes, pointed to the middle path, and said, "I feel like this is the right path. Let's go this way." The woman in black robes and the man in white exchanged a glance. Although they were a little unsure, they chose to trust Ling'er and walked towards the middle path.

They walked cautiously along the path, the surroundings growing increasingly eerie. Water droplets seeped from the walls from time to time, dripping onto the ground with a "drip-drip" sound that was particularly clear in the silent passage, sending chills down their spines.

As they walked, a faint sobbing sound suddenly came from ahead. The sobbing was so mournful and sorrowful, as if it contained endless grief, which made people feel a chill in their hearts.

"Where is that crying coming from? It's so eerie!" The woman in black gripped her sword tightly, watching the scene ahead warily, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart. The man in white also looked tense, holding his jade flute horizontally in front of him, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

Ling'er hid behind the woman in black robes, her little hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, her eyes filled with fear, yet also curious about the source of the crying, and couldn't help but peek out.

What was emitting that mournful cry? And would the path they had chosen truly lead to the place where they found the key? What unknown dangers lurked within this eerie passage? Everything remained uncertain. Filled with tension and unease, they continued towards the direction from which the cry came, waiting to uncover the secrets hidden in the darkness…