nashuaworldcup Chapter 87 Dark Depths and Unknown Crisis
Chapter 87 Dark Depths and Unknown Crisis
The group cautiously advanced along the faintly lit path, each step tinged with trepidation. The endless darkness surrounding them was like a vast black curtain, enveloping them tightly, as if threatening to devour all hope and courage. Huanmo walked at the forefront, his sword gleaming faintly with spiritual energy—the only light that offered them a sliver of security at that moment.
His heart was filled with worry. He was wary of the dangers that might appear at any moment, while pondering the content displayed on the light screen and the meaning of the mysterious symbol. "What exactly is going on? What kind of terrifying power does that seven-colored box hold that it can be involved with the wars of the world? And now we've been sucked into this strange space. What awaits us ahead—is it the key to solving the mystery, or an even more deadly trap?" Huanmo frowned, his eyes fixed on the slightly shimmering road ahead, not daring to relax for a moment.
The woman in black robes followed closely behind Huanmo, glancing back every now and then. A chill ran down her spine, as if something might emerge from the darkness at any moment. "If I had known this forbidden area was so dangerous, I shouldn't have come here so rashly. But now there's no other way. I can only hope to find out the truth as soon as possible and leave this hellish place." She gripped her sword tightly, her palms sweating.
The man in white walked along, tapping his palm lightly with his jade flute, trying to glean clues from the various signs that had appeared after the light screen appeared. He squinted and said softly, "This space exudes an ancient and mysterious aura, probably as old as the box itself. What we've seen is perhaps just the tip of the iceberg. We must be even more careful from now on." Ling'er clutched her ribbon tightly, her big eyes filled with fear, yet she stubbornly refused to fall behind. She muttered softly, "Ling'er isn't afraid. Ling'er wants to find the truth with everyone."
As they continued forward, the strange sound grew clearer, seemingly right next to them, making their eardrums ache. Suddenly, the faintly lit path ahead widened abruptly, revealing a massive circular stone platform. Surrounding the platform were stone pillars emitting a ghostly blue light, their surfaces inscribed with ancient, obscure runes that flickered intermittently, as if possessing a life of their own.
Huanmo and the others slowly approached the stone platform. In the center of the platform sat a transparent crystal ball, within which light and shadow seemed to flow, as if unfolding an ancient story. Curious, Huanmo leaned closer to get a better look. Suddenly, the light and shadow within the crystal ball erupted, transforming into images that floated around them. One image showed an old man in a magnificent robe, holding a seven-colored box, his face filled with fanaticism and greed, muttering incantations. Then, the surrounding scene instantly descended into chaos: war broke out, people were displaced, and the old man stood high above, emitting bursts of maniacal laughter.
"It seems this seven-colored box was used by people like this, causing such a great calamity in the world," the woman in black said through gritted teeth, her eyes filled with resentment. Watching the scenes, Huanmo felt a surge of mission, secretly vowing to prevent the box from falling into the hands of those with malicious intentions again.
However, before everyone could recover from these images, the runes on the stone pillars surrounding the platform shone brightly, and beams of blue spiritual energy intertwined, forming a massive spiritual energy cage that trapped them inside. Huanmo swung her sword forcefully at the spiritual energy cage, but only managed to create a shower of sparks, the blade itself vibrating and humming. "Damn it, how are we going to get out of here!" Huanmo cried out anxiously.
The group began searching for a solution. Ling'er circled the cage repeatedly, then suddenly exclaimed, "Look, the runes here seem a little different from over there!" Following Ling'er's gaze, they indeed found that the runes on one of the stone pillars were slightly lighter in color than the others. The man in white pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps this is the key. Let's try to destroy the runes here; maybe that will break the cage."
Without hesitation, Huanmo gathered all his spiritual power and slashed fiercely at the rune. With a surge of spiritual energy, the rune began to flicker erratically, and the runes on the other stone pillars seemed disturbed, their light becoming chaotic. Just when everyone thought there was hope of breaking free from the cage, a muffled rumbling sound suddenly came from beneath the stone platform, as if something enormous was awakening.
Immediately afterward, the ground began to tremble violently, and cracks spread from the edge of the stone platform, faintly emitting a dark red light, as if magma was surging underground. Huanmo shouted, "Everyone, be careful!" Everyone quickly steadied themselves and warily watched the constantly changing situation around them.
The roar grew louder and louder. Suddenly, a gigantic claw emerged from the crack, its surface covered in sharp barbs and radiating a chilling aura. Immediately afterward, a colossal beast slowly crawled out from the ground. Its body was as large as a mountain, covered in hard scales, and its large, bell-like eyes gleamed with ferocity as it stared intently at the people trapped in the cage.
"What...what kind of monster is this?!" The woman in black robes trembled, her voice shaking. She had never seen such a terrifying creature. A chill ran through Huanmo as well, but he knew he couldn't panic. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "Don't be afraid. Let's find a way to break this cage first, then deal with it." But the giant beast wouldn't give them a chance. It opened its blood-red maw and spewed out a torrent of scorching flames, sweeping towards the spiritual energy cage. Everyone hurriedly cast spiritual energy shields to defend themselves. The flames struck the shields, sending sparks flying, making them feel the pressure increase exponentially.
Just as everyone was struggling to hold on, the giant beast swung its massive claws again, slamming them down on the cage. Under the powerful impact, the spiritual energy cage actually developed some cracks. Seeing this, Huanmo had an idea. Perhaps they could use the giant beast's power to break the cage, but doing so was extremely risky. If the cage broke and they didn't have time to dodge the giant beast's attack, they would be in grave danger.
He gritted his teeth and shouted to his companions, "If the cage breaks, everyone spread out and find an opportunity to attack its vital points. This might be our only chance of survival!" The others nodded in agreement. Although filled with fear, they had no choice but to take this desperate gamble. The giant beast seemed to sense their intentions, and its attacks became even more ferocious. Each slap and breath of fire caused more cracks to appear in the spiritual energy cage. Everyone's hearts were in their throats; their fate seemed to hang on the brink of collapse, life and death hanging in the balance…