sjar Chapter 120: A Difficult Choice and Seeking Opportunity Amidst Risk
Chapter 120: A Difficult Choice and Seeking Opportunity Amidst Risk
The woman in black robes, the man in white, Ling'er, and the old man in gray robes stood before the crystal ball emitting a dark, eerie light, falling into deep silence. The space at the end of the passage seemed shrouded in an invisible pressure, the air so heavy it was almost suffocating. The surrounding crystals, shimmering with a cold blue light, still flickered like will-o'-the-wisps, reflecting on their faces—a mixture of conflict, hesitation, and unease.
The woman in black robes frowned, her gaze shifting between the crystal ball and the surrounding passageways, her mind a jumbled mess. She thought, "This crystal ball looks incredibly dangerous. Who knows what terrible consequences await us if we try to unlock its secrets? But finding another exit is no easy task. If I get lost in this labyrinthine passageway, I'll be utterly helpless. But I'm not one to shy away from trouble. Rather than try my luck in this maze, I might as well take the risk. Perhaps I can find a glimmer of hope." With this thought, she gripped her sword tightly, her eyes hardening with a resolute determination.
The man in white also wore a solemn expression. He stroked the jade flute, his mind constantly weighing the pros and cons of the two options. He thought to himself, "Unraveling the secret of the crystal ball is extremely risky, but if I can truly use it to control the restrictions here and obtain the key to the divine artifact, then all the effort will be worthwhile. However, the variables involved are truly unpredictable. If I fail, I might not even have a chance to regret it. And finding an exit is indeed like looking for a needle in a haystack; I might even fall into an even deeper predicament. Alas, this is truly a difficult choice." He sighed softly, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead and cheeks, but he had no intention of wiping them away.
Ling'er bit her lip, her big eyes filled with confusion and fear. She looked at the woman in black robes, then at the man in white, hoping they would make the right decision. She hugged the ancient scroll tightly, silently praying, "Scroll, oh scroll, if only you could show me the way! I'm so afraid we'll all end up in even more danger." Her small hands clenched tighter with nervousness, and she unconsciously leaned closer to the man in white.
The old man in the grey robe leaned on his cane, silently observing the crowd. He knew this decision concerned everyone's life and death, and his heart was filled with immense conflict. After a long while, he slowly spoke, "I've lived for many years and faced many risks. In my opinion, since this crystal ball is the core of this place, it must hold the key to leaving. Although it's risky, if we proceed cautiously, we might find a turning point. But once the decision is made, there's no turning back. What do you all think?"
Upon hearing this, the woman in black robes nodded first and said, "Senior is right. I also think that instead of blindly searching for the exit in this passage, we should try to unravel the secret of this crystal ball. I'm willing to give it a try." The man in white hesitated for a moment and then said, "I agree as well. Now we can only try to find an opportunity amidst the danger." Seeing that everyone had made the same decision, Ling'er, although afraid, obediently nodded and said, "Then I'll go with everyone."
Having made their decision, everyone turned their attention back to the crystal ball emitting a dark, eerie light. The gray-robed elder stepped forward first, raising his cane and slowly approaching the crystal ball. The gemstone at the tip of the cane shone even brighter, as if testing the restrictive power surrounding the crystal ball. When the cane reached a certain distance, a bolt of black lightning suddenly struck it. The elder quickly dodged to the side, and the lightning struck the ground, instantly creating a large crater and sending debris flying.
"Such a powerful restriction!" The old man's expression changed slightly, and he shouted a warning, "Everyone be careful, the crystal ball's defense is not to be underestimated." The woman in black robes took a deep breath and shouted, "I'll try attacking it first and see if I can find a weakness." With that, she brandished her sword, channeling her spiritual power into it, and unleashed a sharp sword aura towards the crystal ball. The sword aura whistled as it struck the restrictions surrounding the crystal ball, but only caused a ripple before dissipating without a trace.
Seeing this, the man in white also played his jade flute, and a melody of spiritual energy rang out, transforming into blades of spiritual energy that flew towards the crystal ball. However, those blades of spiritual energy also failed to have any substantial effect on the barrier, and were all deflected, some even rebounding back towards the crowd. They hurriedly dodged, and for a moment the scene became somewhat chaotic.
Ling'er was extremely anxious. She hurriedly opened the scroll, anxiously searching for a way to break this kind of powerful restriction. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "The scroll says that when encountering a restriction containing mysterious power, one must use the power of elements that are mutually reinforcing and restraining to arrange them according to a specific formation. Perhaps this can weaken its power."
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly gathered around, looking at the array diagram drawn on the scroll in Ling'er's hand. It was a complex Five Elements array, requiring the placement of objects corresponding to the five elements and containing powerful spiritual energy in five different locations. But where could they find suitable objects in such a short time?
Just as everyone was worrying, the gray-robed old man seemed to remember something, took out several items from his robes, and said, "I have some spiritual items I've collected over the years. Let's see if they can be of any use." Everyone crowded around to take a look. There was a fire spirit stone that emitted a fiery red light, a water droplet containing water spiritual power, a tree branch engraved with wood grain and full of spiritual power, a piece of metal that exuded spiritual energy, and an earth crystal that emitted an earthy yellow light.
"It corresponds perfectly to the five elements; perhaps it really will work!" the man in white exclaimed with delight. Immediately, everyone carefully placed the spiritual objects in the corresponding positions around the crystal ball, following the array diagram on the scroll. Just as the last spiritual object was placed, the black lightning around the crystal ball seemed to weaken, and the originally dark light flickered, as if the array had taken effect.
Everyone was overjoyed, but before they could even rejoice, the crystal ball suddenly trembled violently. Its dark light intensified, and a powerful suction force surged from within, sweeping towards them. The woman in black robes was terrified and cried out, "Oh no! What's happening?" But her voice was quickly drowned out by the howling of the suction force. Before they could react, they were pulled by the force and flown into the crystal ball.
In an instant, everything went black before their eyes, as if they were in an endless void, and their bodies lost control. After an unknown amount of time, the suction gradually disappeared, and they slowly landed in an unfamiliar place. Clouds and mist swirled around them, and beneath their feet lay land radiating a strange light. In the distance, there seemed to be some blurry building outlines, but they couldn't make them out clearly.
Where exactly is this place? What dangers will they encounter here? Is the key to the divine artifact here? Everything has fallen into a new unknown, waiting for them to explore and uncover the truth...