sjar Chapter 288 The Unknowns and Struggles of the Ruins Abyss
Chapter 288 The Unknowns and Struggles of the Ruins Abyss
Huanmo and the others felt an irresistible, powerful suction force, like a surging vortex, mercilessly pulling them towards the crack in the ruins' gate. The sharp, protruding stone pillars around them snapped and collapsed under the pull, sending debris flying. A flicker of despair crossed Huanmo's mind, "Are we going to perish here in these ruins like this?" But his survival instinct quickly calmed him down, and he shouted, "Everyone, hold your ground! Don't panic!"
Shadow reacted with lightning speed, instantly plunging her blade into the ground in an attempt to steady herself. However, the suction was too strong; the blade left a long gash in the ground, and Shadow was still being dragged along. Wanru brandished her longsword, slashing at the flying pebbles around her while desperately resisting the suction. The guardian's golden light shone brightly as she gripped a protruding rock tightly, her muscles taut and veins bulging. The woman in white hurriedly cast a defensive spell, forming a transparent shield around them, temporarily mitigating the impact of the suction.
Ling'er turned pale with fright and clung tightly to Huanmo. Huanmo shielded Ling'er with his arms while frantically searching for something to hold onto. He was frantic, "We have to find a way! We can't let everyone be trapped like this!" Just as they were about to be sucked into the ruins' gate, Huanmo suddenly spotted a thick vine not far away. He gritted his teeth, mustered all his strength, and lunged at the vine, grabbing it tightly. Using the vine's strength, he managed to steady himself and shouted to his companions, "Grab me!"
Upon hearing this, everyone struggled to move closer to Huanmo. After a difficult effort, Ying, Wanru, and the others grabbed Huanmo or each other, forming a human chain that pulled on each other, temporarily resisting the powerful suction.
However, this was not a long-term solution. The vines creaked and groaned under the weight of everyone pulling them, threatening to break at any moment. Huanmo, seeing the precarious state of the vines, knew he had to find a solution quickly. He forced himself to calm down, his mind racing through everything that had happened.
“We released our spiritual power according to the instructions on the stone, but it triggered an attack from the stone pillar and this suction force. Could it be that there was a problem with our interpretation of the runes or the way we released our spiritual power?” Huanmo frowned, deep in thought. Yichen was also thinking. He said loudly, “Perhaps we overlooked some details. The interpretation of the runes may need to be combined with the environment around the ruins, or perhaps the timing and intensity of our spiritual power release were not perfectly matched.”
Huanmo's heart skipped a beat. "Senior Yichen is right. Let's try to recall those runes and characters again." Amidst the tense tugging, everyone strained to remember the details of the runes and characters on the stone. Suddenly, Ling'er said, "Brother Huanmo, I remember a line in the text mentioning 'moonlight guidance, spiritual energy resonance.' Have we overlooked the factor of moonlight?"
Huanmo suddenly realized, "That's right, we've been focusing on releasing spiritual energy, but we've overlooked the crucial clue of moonlight. Perhaps we need to use moonlight to adjust the fluctuations of spiritual energy."
At this moment, moonlight streamed through the gaps above the ruins, forming beams of silver light. Huanmo gazed at the moonlight, quickly devising a plan. "Listen everyone," Huanmo said swiftly, "we'll adjust the intensity and rhythm of our spiritual energy release based on the direction and strength of the moonlight."
Following Huanmo's instructions, everyone began to adjust their spiritual energy. Huanmo took the lead, guiding his own spiritual energy to align with the direction of the moonlight. As he adjusted his spiritual energy, the surrounding suction seemed to weaken. Seeing this, Ying, Wanru, and the others followed suit, precisely controlling the release of their spiritual energy. The woman in white used auxiliary spells to coordinate the resonance of spiritual energy among everyone.
With everyone's combined efforts, the powerful suction gradually weakened. The creaking of the vines also gradually disappeared, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. As the spiritual energy and moonlight perfectly harmonized, the runes on the ruins' gate flickered with a soft and steady light, and the gate, which had been slightly ajar, slowly opened wide.
Huanmo and the others cautiously entered the ruins, their hearts filled with both anticipation and deep worry. "I wonder how many dangers are still hidden within these ruins," Huanmo mused to himself, gripping his sword tightly.
An ancient and decaying aura permeated the ruins. Gems, faintly glowing, were embedded in the walls, barely illuminating the surrounding space. The floor was covered with mysterious patterns, seemingly telling ancient stories. An eerie silence reigned, broken only by the echoing footsteps of the group in the empty passageways.
Huanmo felt a pair of eyes watching them from the darkness, and a strong sense of unease welled up inside him. "Everyone be careful, the atmosphere here is very strange," he whispered to his companions. Ling'er clung tightly to Huanmo's side, her eyes warily scanning their surroundings. "Brother Huanmo, I feel so scared too, it's like something is following us."
Ying carefully observed his surroundings and noticed that the patterns on the wall seemed to be constantly changing. "These patterns don't seem static; they're moving," Ying said, pointing to the wall. Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing and indeed saw the patterns slowly twisting and deforming, as if they were alive.
Yi Chen stepped forward and carefully studied the patterns. "These patterns seem to be recording some major event, perhaps related to the secrets of the ruins and that dark power." Just as Yi Chen was speaking, a low rumbling sound suddenly came from the passage ahead.
The roar grew louder, as if something enormous was approaching them. The ground began to tremble violently, and the gems on the walls flickered erratically. Huanmo and the others quickly assumed fighting stances, their eyes fixed intently on what lay ahead.
A gigantic black shadow slowly emerged from the darkness. Its form was like a mountain, its entire body covered in hard scales, radiating a chilling aura. A pair of enormous eyes flickered with an eerie green light, like two will-o'-the-wisps. "What kind of monster is this?" Wanru exclaimed in surprise.
Huanmo's heart sank. "No matter what it is, we must give it our all." The monster opened its blood-red maw and let out a deafening roar, as a powerful gust of air swept towards them. Huanmo and the others quickly cast spells to defend themselves, the air blasting against their shields and making a buzzing sound.
During the standoff with the monster, Huanmo noticed that its movements seemed to be somewhat restricted; each attack was limited to a certain range. "Everyone, pay attention! This monster's range of movement is limited; we can use this to find its weakness," Huanmo shouted.
While dodging the monster's attacks, the group searched for its weaknesses. However, the monster's defenses were extremely strong, and their attacks only left shallow marks on its body. Just when the group was in dire straits, Yi Chen suddenly noticed that the monster's eyes would briefly flash different lights between attacks.
"Look, everyone, the monster's eyes! The way its eyes change before each attack seems to follow a pattern. Maybe that's its weakness," Yi Chen shouted. Huan Mo and the others immediately focused their attention on the monster's eyes. After several observations, they discovered that when the monster's eyes flashed blue, it would launch an attack from the left; when they flashed red, it would launch an attack from the right.
“We can use the brief gap before it attacks to attack its eyes,” Huanmo said. So, everyone waited for their chance. The instant the monster prepared to attack again, its eyes flashing blue light, Ying darted to the monster's left side like lightning, her blade aimed straight for its eye. The monster sensed the danger and tried to dodge, but Ying was too fast, and the blade still struck its eye.
The monster roared in agony and struggled frantically. Its attacks became chaotic, leaving the surrounding ground and walls riddled with holes. Huanmo and the others seized the opportunity to launch an even fiercer attack. Finally, the monster collapsed to the ground with a thud, turning into a cloud of black smoke and disappearing.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they looked at the spot where the monster had disappeared. But at the same time, new questions arose in their minds. "Why did this monster appear here? What is its connection to that dark power?" Huanmo murmured to himself.
Just then, they found a faintly glowing fragment where the monster had disappeared. The fragment was engraved with strange symbols, and after studying it carefully, Yi Chen said, "This fragment seems to be part of a key item; perhaps it can help us unlock more secrets of the ruins."
Just as the group was preparing to continue exploring the ruins, a mysterious voice rang in their ears. The voice was deep and indistinct, as if it came from a distant place, yet also as if it were right beside them. "Leave here...or else..." The voice was intermittent, making it difficult to hear clearly.
Huanmo and the others were startled and looked around warily, but found nothing unusual. "Where did this voice come from? What is it trying to warn us about?" Ling'er asked fearfully. Huanmo held Ling'er's hand tightly and said, "Don't be afraid, Ling'er. Whether this voice is friend or foe, we must find out the secrets of the ruins and find a way to leave this forest."
However, the appearance of the mysterious voice made the already dangerous ruins even more unpredictable. They didn't know what they would encounter if they continued forward—whether it would be more powerful monsters or hidden clues that held the key to unraveling all the mysteries. But at this moment, there was no turning back. Huanmo looked at the determined eyes of his companions, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's keep going. Whatever lies ahead, we'll face it together."
The group continued along the passage, and in the darkness, even more unknown dangers seemed to await them. What secrets lay hidden behind that mysterious voice? Could they find a way out of the forest within the ruins and uncover the truth behind the dark forces? Everything remained uncertain…