sjar Chapter 125: Perilous Encounters Beyond the Stone Gate
Chapter 125: Perilous Encounters Beyond the Stone Gate
The stone gate slowly opened, and a powerful current of air, carrying a hint of chill, rushed out, like pairs of icy hands crawling down their necks and into their clothes, causing them to shiver. The woman in black robes instinctively tightened her clothes and stepped into the stone gate first, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily.
The space inside was extremely spacious, yet dimly lit, with only a few faint rays of cold light filtering down from an unknown point above, barely enough to make out the general outlines of the surroundings. The walls were covered in damp moss, with water droplets dripping down from time to time, making a clear, rhythmic sound in the silence, like the tolling of a countdown clock, pounding on everyone's tense nerves.
A sense of unease welled up in the woman in black robes. She knew that the more peaceful a place seemed, the more deadly dangers it often concealed. "Everyone be careful, this place is probably not as simple as it seems," she whispered to the people behind her, gripping her sword tightly once more, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.
The man in white followed closely behind the woman in black, his sharp gaze trying to pierce the dim light and see his surroundings clearly. The wound on his arm still throbbed faintly, but he paid no heed to it at the moment, his mind solely focused on passing this trial as quickly as possible and finding the key to the divine artifact. "What kind of daunting test will this one be?" he pondered to himself, his hand gently caressing the jade flute, the spiritual energy on the flute flickering slightly, as if responding to the tense atmosphere.
Ling'er clung tightly to the white-clad man's robes, her large eyes filled with tension and fear. She clutched the book to her chest as if it were her lifeline. With each step, she moved cautiously, afraid of stepping on some trap or mechanism. The crisp sound of dripping water seemed like a death knell to her ears, making her heart race. "Brother, I'm so scared. It's so eerie here," she whispered, her voice trembling with a sob.
The old man in the gray robe, leaning on his cane, walked at the very back, keeping an eye on the movements behind him and observing the details of his surroundings. "This place has an eerie aura; everyone, don't get separated," he solemnly warned, the gem on his cane emitting a faint glow, illuminating part of the path beneath their feet.
As the group cautiously advanced, the ground suddenly began to tremble violently, as if something enormous was awakening and surging underground. Immediately afterward, a group of short but ferocious monsters emerged from all directions. They were covered in sharp spikes, their eyes flashed with an eerie red light, and they made strange "squeaking" noises as they rushed towards the group.
"Prepare for battle!" the woman in black shouted, taking the lead in swinging her sword at the monster charging at the front. The blade sliced through the air, creating a surge of spiritual energy, and accurately struck a monster. However, the monster was only sent flying a short distance, quickly getting up after landing and continuing to pounce on them, showing no fear of injury.
Seeing this, the man in white quickly played his jade flute, and a rapid melody filled the air. Spiritual energy transformed into sharp wind blades that swept towards the monster horde. As the wind blades sliced through, several monsters were slashed open, black blood splattering out, yet they continued their frenzied charge forward. The pungent stench of blood filled the air, making the scene increasingly chaotic and nauseating.
Ling'er hid behind the crowd, anxiously flipping through the scrolls, trying to find a way to deal with the monsters. "Found it!" she suddenly exclaimed. "The scrolls say these monsters are afraid of fire; perhaps a fire attack can repel them!"
Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder immediately took out a fire spirit stone from his robes, infused it with spiritual power, and threw it towards the monster horde. The moment the fire spirit stone landed, it burst into a raging inferno, which quickly spread. Any monsters that came near and touched the flames let out a shrill scream as their bodies were instantly engulfed by the flames and turned to ashes.
Seeing that the fire attack was effective, everyone was overjoyed. But before they could breathe a sigh of relief, the tremors underground became even more intense, as if an even more powerful entity was about to emerge from the ground.
"Oh no, there might be something bigger here!" The woman in black robes' expression changed, becoming increasingly grave.
As soon as the words were spoken, a gigantic, pangolin-like monster emerged from the ground. Its scales were incredibly hard, each one like a shield, gleaming coldly in the dim light. It opened its blood-red maw, revealing sharp fangs, and let out a deafening roar at the crowd. The roar carried a powerful impact, causing everyone's eardrums to ache and their steps to falter.
The woman in black gritted her teeth, leaped into the air, and charged towards the monster's head. She channeled all her spiritual power into her sword, aiming for its eye. But the monster reacted swiftly, whipping its head around to block the fatal blow with its hard scales, and then slammed its massive claws down at the woman in black.
The man in white quickly unleashed several spiritual energy blades, striking the monster's claws and slowing its attack. The woman in black seized the opportunity to leap backward, narrowly avoiding the attack. The old man in gray used his cane to release spiritual energy chains, attempting to entangle the monster's limbs and restrict its movement. However, the monster possessed immense strength and easily broke free of the chains.
Ling'er was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet. Looking around, she suddenly had a brilliant idea and shouted to the others, "There's a puddle over there. Let's lure it there. Maybe we can subdue it with water!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood Ling'er's meaning and began to retreat towards the puddle while fighting. The monster relentlessly pursued them, gradually leading them to the edge of the puddle.
The moment the monster stepped into the puddle, the man in white played his jade flute again, and his spiritual power transformed into ice spikes that shot towards the puddle, instantly freezing the water inside. The monster's limbs were firmly frozen, and its movements became sluggish.
Seeing this, everyone quickly joined forces to launch an attack, striking the monster's weak points. After a fierce battle, they finally repelled the powerful monster.
Exhausted and panting, the group was about to take a short rest when they noticed that the surrounding walls began to flicker with an eerie light. The light gradually converged and formed the outline of a new door.
What trials await behind that door? Will it be even more perilous obstacles, or a step closer to the key to the divine artifact? With hearts pounding with trepidation, the group slowly walked towards the door, unsure of what unknown fate awaited them…