A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 99 The Mystery of the Cave and the Hidden Crisis

Swept up by the powerful suction, the woman in black, the man in white, and Ling'er were involuntarily drawn deeper into the cave. The surrounding air howled past, stinging their cheeks, and their robes fluttered in the wind. Ling'er's eyes were tightly shut, her hands gripping the hem of the woman in black's robes tightly. She was terrified, her mind a jumble of panic, desperately hoping the terrifying suction would dissipate quickly so they could be safe.

The woman in black robes struggled to steady herself, attempting to resist the suction with her spiritual power, but it felt like an ant trying to shake a tree—utterly futile. Her heart was filled with worry, and she secretly blamed herself for failing to protect Ling'er better, leaving everyone in such a dangerous situation. At the same time, she was filled with apprehension about the cave, wondering what terrible things awaited them.

The man in white keenly observed his surroundings. Despite the perilous situation, he still tried to find clues on the rapidly passing cave walls to see if he could find a way to deal with it. The cave walls were damp, covered with shimmering crystals. These crystals were arranged randomly, yet seemed to follow some kind of pattern, though it was difficult to decipher them for the time being.

With a sudden dizzying sensation, the suction force vanished, and the three of them crashed onto the cave floor with a thud. Ignoring her own pain, the woman in black robes quickly got up to check if Ling'er was injured. Seeing that Ling'er was only a little frightened and otherwise unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

They then began to take in their surroundings. The cave was filled with a damp and decaying smell, and it was pitch black all around, with only the crystals on the cave walls emitting a faint glow, barely enough to make out the outlines of their surroundings. The ground beneath their feet was muddy, making a "sizzling" sound when they stepped on it, as if something was wriggling underground, which sent chills down their spines.

The man in white took out a luminous pearl from his robes and infused it with spiritual energy. The pearl instantly shone brightly, illuminating the cave considerably. By the light, they saw a winding passage not far ahead. The walls of the passage were covered with strange murals. The paint on the murals seemed to have aged considerably, some faded and peeling, but it was still possible to discern that the paintings depicted ancient people dressed in unusual clothing. They were either sitting together as if performing some kind of mysterious ritual, or wielding weapons and fighting against strange-looking creatures.

"These murals look unusual; they might be related to the secrets of this place," the man in white said softly as he walked towards the passage, with the woman in black pulling Ling'er along cautiously behind.

Ling'er looked at the murals with curiosity, her fear lessening slightly. She muttered to herself, "What are the people in these paintings doing? It feels so mysterious." The woman in black gently patted her head and said, "Ling'er, don't worry about that for now. We need to be careful. This cave is strange in every way."

They walked slowly along the passage, and the deeper they went, the more oppressive the feeling became. Suddenly, a deep roar came from the depths of the passage. The sound seemed to come from the deepest hell, and it made the cave tremble slightly. Ling'er was so frightened that she trembled all over and hugged the black-robed woman's leg tightly.

The woman in black gripped her sword tightly, her face grave. The man in white also stopped, holding his jade flute horizontally in front of him, ready for battle. As the roar grew closer, a gigantic monster appeared in their field of vision. This monster was as large as a mountain, its body covered in hard black scales. Its large, bell-like eyes gleamed with bloodlust, and its gaping maw spewed out a pungent stench. With each step it took, the ground trembled.

"What kind of monster is this, so ferocious!" The woman in black was shocked, but she showed no sign of backing down. She knew that fear would be useless now, and she could only fight with all her might. The man in white frowned, quickly thinking of a countermeasure. He realized that although the monster's movements seemed clumsy, its hard scales would probably be difficult to break through. He had to find its weakness.

Upon seeing them, the monster roared and pounced on the three. The woman in black robes rushed forward first, slashing her sword at the monster's legs, but the sword struck its scales, only sending up a few sparks and failing to harm it in the slightest. Seeing this, the man in white played his jade flute, and spiritual energy waves transformed into sharp arrows that shot towards the monster's eyes. The monster seemed to sense the danger, turning its head to dodge the attack, but it was also enraged, swinging its massive claws at them.

The three hurriedly dodged, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. Ling'er watched anxiously from the side. She knew she couldn't be of much help, but seeing the woman in black and the man in white in danger, she was extremely worried. Her eyes searched the cave, hoping to find something that could help.

Just then, Ling'er suddenly noticed a protruding stone on the wall on one side of the passage. The shape of the stone was out of place with its surroundings, and there were some strange runes around it. She thought that maybe the stone had some purpose, so she mustered up her courage and ran towards the stone.

"Ling'er, where are you going? Come back quickly!" The woman in black robes shouted anxiously upon seeing this, but Ling'er had already run to the rock and pressed her hand down. Instantly, the entire cave shook violently, and the monster seemed to be affected as well, its movements becoming much slower. At the same time, a stone door slowly opened in the cave wall behind them, emanating a mysterious aura, as if something important was attracting them.

"Could the key to leaving this place or unlocking the secret lie behind this stone door?" The man in white had a sudden thought and shouted to the woman in black, "Let's head towards the stone door first; maybe we can get rid of this monster!"

Taking advantage of the monster's slowed movement, the three rushed towards the stone gate. Upon entering, the gate slammed shut behind them. The scene inside, however, astonished them. Rows of enormous bookshelves stood there, piled high with ancient scrolls, each emitting a faint glow as if containing boundless knowledge.

Before they could examine it closely, the monster outside the cave began to ram the stone door again. With each ramming, the stone door trembled violently, as if it would be smashed open at any moment.

"This stone gate probably won't hold for long. We need to quickly find a way to deal with that monster or leave this place!" the woman in black said anxiously. The man in white and Ling'er also hurriedly searched the area filled with scrolls. But could they find a way before the stone gate was broken open? And what astonishing secrets did these ancient scrolls hold? Everything was still unknown, waiting for them to explore…