sjar Chapter 119 Mysterious Source and Difficult Choice
Chapter 119 Mysterious Source and Difficult Choice
A mysterious, cold, and ancient aura surged forth from the end of the passage like a tide. The woman in black robes, the man in white, Ling'er, and the old man in gray robes felt as if countless invisible hands were slowly choking them, making their breathing increasingly heavy. The already dim light in the passage seemed to be suppressed by this aura, becoming even more eerie and gloomy. Crystals shimmering with a cold blue light had appeared on the walls, their faint glow flickering like will-o'-the-wisps in the oppressive atmosphere, casting long shadows of the group onto the cracked floor, adding to the eeriness.
A fear she had never felt before surged within the woman in black. She gritted her teeth, trying hard to hide it on her face, but her hand gripping the sword trembled slightly. She thought to herself, "I've faced countless hardships and dangers along the way. I thought I was used to struggling on the edge of life and death, but now, facing this mysterious source of unknown depths, I feel uncertain. But no matter what, I can't back down. Everyone is counting on me. Even if it costs me my life, I must protect them and find a way out." She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and looked resolutely towards the end of the passage, ready to face the unknown.
The man in white was ashen-faced, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, and he gripped the jade flute even tighter in his hand. He knew that the being behind this mysterious aura was extremely powerful and troublesome, perhaps far exceeding any danger they had encountered before. He weighed his options: "Should we continue recklessly forward, or seek another way? But this passage is fraught with danger, and there's no turning back. If we continue forward, and are defeated by that unknown entity, we'll all likely perish. But if we remain still and wait for it to come to us, our chances of survival are slim." His brow furrowed even deeper, his heart filled with conflict and helplessness.
Ling'er clung tightly to the man in white, her small hands gripping his robes tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her once bright eyes were now filled with terror, tears welling in her eyes, yet stubbornly refusing to fall. She still clutched the ancient scroll in her arms, as if it were her only solace, silently praying that the scroll would reveal another miraculous record to help them escape their predicament. She thought, "I can't cry. Everyone is trying their best. I have to be strong. Maybe we'll find a way soon."
The gray-robed elder, leaning on his cane, stared intently at the direction from which the mysterious aura emanated, his expression solemn and grave. In all his years, he had rarely encountered such a thorny and unknown situation, and a vague premonition lingered in his heart that it might hold the core secrets of this mysterious land. He muttered to himself, "It seems we can't escape it today. I just hope these young people can get through this safely." With that, he raised his head, looked at the black-robed woman and the others, and said calmly, "Now that things have come to this, we have no other choice but to continue forward and investigate what that mysterious source truly is. Everyone be careful and stay close together."
Upon hearing this, although the fear in everyone's hearts remained, they all understood that the old man's words were absolutely true, and they immediately began to move cautiously toward the end of the passage. With each step, the oppressive feeling brought by the mysterious aura grew stronger, as if the air itself had become thicker, making it difficult for them to move forward.
As they drew closer, a deep, rumbling sound came from ahead, seemingly emanating from the depths of the earth, carrying a strange rhythm, as if telling an ancient and mysterious story, yet leaving them unable to decipher its meaning. The tremors of the ground grew more violent, the cracks widened, and some places even began to collapse. They had to dodge the dangers beneath their feet as they struggled forward.
Finally, upon reaching the end of the passage, the sight before them caused everyone to gasp. A massive, circular stone platform stood there, upon which floated a crystal ball emitting a dark, eerie light. The mysterious aura emanated continuously from the crystal ball. Its surface was covered in intricate patterns, which shimmered with a faint light, seemingly containing boundless, mysterious power. Around the crystal ball, faint black lightning crackled intermittently, as if warning everyone not to approach lightly.
The woman in black robes widened her eyes and exclaimed in surprise, "What...what is this thing? It looks so sinister." The man in white robes was also astonished. He moved closer, wanting to examine the crystal ball more closely, but after taking only a few steps forward, he was bounced back by an invisible force and fell heavily to the ground.
Ling'er hurriedly ran over to help the man in white up, anxiously asking, "Are you alright?" The man in white shook his head, stood up, dusted himself off, and said with a solemn expression, "There are powerful restrictions around this crystal ball, so we can't get close. But I feel that the key to that artifact seems to be related to it in some way. Maybe only by unlocking its secret can we get the key and leave this place."
The old man in the gray robe paced slowly around the stone platform, carefully examining the crystal ball and everything around him. The gems inlaid on his cane occasionally flashed, as if resonating with the power of the crystal ball. After a long while, he stopped and said slowly, "This crystal ball may be the core hub of this place, controlling all the restrictions and protective powers here. To unlock its secrets, I'm afraid a considerable price will be paid."
The woman in black robes frowned and asked, "Senior, what should we do?" The old man was silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces, before slowly saying, "Either we risk trying to crack the secret of this crystal ball, perhaps finding a way out and the key; or we try to find other possible exits from this passage, avoiding this dangerous object, but doing so may also lead to getting lost in this endless labyrinth of passages and falling into an even more dangerous situation."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, exchanging bewildered glances, caught in a difficult dilemma. Should they gamble everything to unravel the crystal ball's secret, or seek another, slim hope of escape? Their fates seemed to hang on to this difficult choice, and whichever path they chose, what unknown dangers awaited them? Everything remained shrouded in mystery, unfathomable…