A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 97 Exploring the Passage and Unknown Dangers

The woman in black robes, the man in white, and Ling'er stood at the entrance of the passage, which emitted a soft light. They hesitated for a moment, but finally stepped inside. As soon as they entered the passage, the sinister laughter behind them gradually faded away, replaced by a quiet stillness, so quiet that they could hear each other's slightly rapid breathing.

The walls of the passage were made of a jade that radiated a warm luster and felt incredibly smooth to the touch. The light shone through the jade, illuminating the entire passage brightly yet without being glaring, giving people a unique sense of tranquility, as if temporarily isolating them from the dangers and conflicts outside. Ling'er curiously reached out and touched the wall, whispering, "Sister, this wall is so beautiful! It doesn't feel so scary anymore."

The woman in black robes did not dare to let her guard down. She replied softly, "Ling'er, it's best to be careful. We don't know where this passage leads, and we don't know if those mysterious people will catch up with us." The man in white robes walked in front, his eyes always on the movements ahead, his hand tightly gripping the jade flute, ready to deal with any possible emergencies.

They walked slowly along the passage, and after an unknown amount of time, they gradually heard the sound of flowing water ahead. The sound was crisp and melodious, like a beautiful piece of music, which invigorated their spirits. As they drew closer, the air became increasingly humid, and wisps of moisture wafted towards them, carrying a refreshing scent that made them feel exceptionally comfortable.

Huanmo stood before the building's main gate, racking his brains for a way to open the tightly shut door. He tried gathering his spiritual energy in his hands and pushing hard against the door, but it remained unmoved. The runes on the door flickered faintly a few times under the stimulation of his spiritual energy before returning to normal. Huanmo felt anxious, thinking that Ling'er and the others might also be in danger, while he was blocked by this door. He was extremely worried, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"There must be a way to open it. I can't just stay trapped like this!" Huanmo encouraged himself. He began to carefully examine the runes on the door, trying to find clues to open it.

Inside the passage, the woman in black robes and her companions finally reached the source of the flowing water. Before them lay an underground river, its water crystal clear, revealing the colorful stones at the bottom that shimmered mesmerizingly under the rushing water. A small stone bridge spanned the river, its surface showing signs of age and wear, yet it still stood sturdily across the underground water, connecting the two ends of the passage.

"Looks like we'll have to cross this bridge," the man in white said, stepping onto the stone bridge first. The woman in black, holding Ling'er's hand, followed cautiously behind. Just as they reached the middle of the bridge, suddenly, the river churned violently. The once calm underground river seemed enraged, surging with huge splashes of water. Then, several enormous water snakes emerged from the river. Their bodies were covered in dark blue-green scales, their eyes gleaming with a cold light, and they swam rapidly towards the group on the bridge, their long tongues flicking.

The woman in black robes' expression changed, and she shouted, "Everyone, be careful!" With that, she drew her sword and held it in front of her, preparing to meet the enemy. The man in white also stopped, and once again played his jade flute. The music transformed into beams of spiritual energy, shooting towards the water snakes. The water snakes were extremely agile, twisting their bodies to avoid the beams of energy, and then suddenly pounced towards them.

Ling'er screamed in fright, clinging tightly to the black-robed woman's leg, her body trembling uncontrollably. The black-robed woman comforted Ling'er while brandishing her sword to fight the water snake. Each swing of her sword cut a gash in the snake's body, but the snake seemed oblivious to the pain, its attacks growing increasingly ferocious.

Seeing the situation was dire, the man in white pondered a solution. Suddenly, he noticed some strange patterns carved on the stone bridge railings, patterns that resembled simplified diagrams of some kind of formation. A thought struck him; perhaps this formation could deal with the water snakes. He quickly began to study the patterns carefully, attempting to activate the formation by channeling his spiritual power according to their depiction.

After careful observation, Huanmo finally discovered the pattern in the runes on the door. It turned out that the runes needed to be infused with spiritual power in a specific order to trigger the mechanism and open the door. Huanmo took a deep breath and, following the sequence he had figured out, carefully infused the runes with spiritual power. As the last rune was illuminated, a muffled creaking sound was heard, and the door slowly opened.

Huanmo was overjoyed and rushed into the room. Inside was a dimly lit space filled with a faint mist, within which some blurry outlines were vaguely visible. Huanmo gripped her sword warily and slowly walked forward, thinking, "Are Ling'er and the others in here? I hope they're all safe and sound."

On the stone bridge, the man in white finally grasped the secret of the array on the pattern. He channeled his spiritual energy along a specific trajectory and released it into the river below. Instantly, a pale blue light appeared around the stone bridge, forming a huge light screen. The water snakes that touched the light screen seemed to be greatly injured and retreated back into the river, and the dark river gradually returned to calm.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and hurried across the stone bridge, continuing along the passage. They hadn't gone far when a light appeared ahead, growing stronger and stronger, as if the exit was just around the corner. But just as they were about to reach the light, a sudden gust of wind swept through the passage, carrying sharp sand and gravel that stung their faces and made it almost impossible for them to open their eyes.

"What's going on now? We just dealt with the water snakes, and now this gale is blowing!" the woman in black robes shouted, her heart filled with helplessness and anxiety. They could only shield their faces with their arms, struggling to move towards the light, but the gale seemed to be deliberately hindering them, growing stronger and stronger. Could they break through the wind's obstruction and successfully reach the light? And what would Huanmo encounter in that misty space? Everything was still unknown; danger remained a constant shadow, waiting for them to explore…