A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 90 The Siege of the Stone Statues and a Glimmer of Hope

Under the heavy and fierce attacks of the stone statues, the group struggled to move towards the mysterious protrusion at the far end of the hall. Huanmo continuously swung his sword to deflect the stone arms that were crashing down on him. Each impact left his arm numb and his hand aching, but his gaze remained firm as he stared intently at the distant protrusion, thinking, "That must be the key. If we can get there, maybe we can stop these damned stone statues. We can't afford to fail at the last minute!"

The woman in black robes was also in a sorry state, her hair disheveled and her robes torn in several places by stone fragments. She dodged the attacks while panting heavily, gritting her teeth, "These stone statues are so troublesome! If this continues, we'll all be smashed into mincemeat! We have to hold on!" The man in white robes was covered in sweat, his hand trembling slightly as he played his jade flute. While the music could temporarily disrupt the statues, he felt powerless against the relentless attacks, his heart filled with anxiety: "The situation is getting more and more critical. I hope that protrusion really works." Ling'er followed closely behind the group, her face flushed, her colorful ribbons dancing rapidly in her hands as she tried her best to defend everyone from the attacks coming from behind. Tears welled in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall, muttering, "Ling'er, you have to keep going! You have to help everyone defeat them!"

The surrounding air seemed to be stirred restlessly by the heavy footsteps of the stone statues. Each dull thud as the statues landed struck the hearts of the crowd like a drumbeat, sending chills down their spines. The once dazzling brilliance of the gemstones in the hall now seemed to be shrouded in gloom by the tense atmosphere, the flickering light adding to the eeriness.

Finally, the group got a little closer to the protrusion, but the statues seemed to sense their intentions and their attacks became even more frenzied. One of the beast-shaped statues suddenly opened its mouth and spewed out a powerful gust of air that swept towards them with a whooshing sound. Huanmo shouted, "Watch out!" and quickly turned to the side to protect Ling'er behind him, but he himself was slid back several steps by the impact of the gust of air and slammed his back hard against a stone pillar, letting out a muffled groan of pain.

The woman in black and the man in white were thrown into disarray by the sudden attack, each sustaining several more abrasions. Ignoring the pain, they continued their arduous journey towards their goal. Just a few steps from the protrusion, a humanoid stone statue suddenly shifted sideways, blocking their path. Its massive stone arm rose high, slamming down with tremendous force towards them.

Huanmo gritted his teeth, gathering all the remaining spiritual energy in his body into his sword. With a roar, he swung his sword with all his might to meet the descending stone arm. This strike contained all his determination and hope. A dazzling light shone as the spiritual energy collided with the sword, actually managing to withstand the statue's unstoppable attack. But Huanmo also felt his spiritual energy rapidly draining away, his legs starting to weaken. He shouted, "Quick, now!"

Taking advantage of the moment, the woman in black robes, the man in white, and Ling'er rushed past Huanmo and quickly arrived at the protrusion. The woman in black robes reached out and touched the protrusion, and the instant her fingers touched it, the protrusion shone brightly, and a strong light spread out in all directions. The stone statues that had been attacking frantically seemed to have all their power drained away, instantly stopping their movements and turning back into cold sculptures, standing silently in place.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, plopped down on the ground, and gasped for breath. The feeling of surviving a disaster left them speechless for a moment. After a while, Huanmo slowly stood up, looked at the surrounding stone statues, and said with lingering fear, "We're safe for now. Just how many secrets and dangers are hidden in this palace?"

After resting for a while, the group began to examine the area at the far end of the main hall. Behind the shimmering protrusion, they saw a hidden door, covered with images of the Seven-Colored Box. Some depicted the box being opened, others showed light pouring out and enveloping the world, and still others showed blurry images that seemed to tell the story of the box's origin. This made Huanmo and the others even more curious about the truth behind the box.

Huanmo stepped forward and gently pushed open the hidden door. Behind the door was a long, narrow passage. The walls on both sides of the passage were inlaid with crystals that emitted a faint blue light, making the passage appear dreamlike. The group slowly walked along the passage. The passage was so quiet that only their own footsteps could be heard. Each step seemed to be treading on unknown mystery, making them both nervous and expectant.

As they walked, the passage suddenly opened up, revealing a small, secret chamber. In the center of the chamber stood a stone platform, upon which rested an ancient scroll. The scroll emitted a faint glow, as if beckoning them. Huanmo cautiously approached the platform, picked up the scroll, and opened it. The writing was obscure and difficult to understand, yet it seemed to subtly reveal the core secrets of the Seven-Colored Box and how to control its powerful and dangerous energy.

"This...this might be the key we've been searching for!" Huanmo exclaimed excitedly, her eyes filled with surprise. The others also gathered around, looking at the words on the scroll. Although they couldn't understand them for the time being, hope was ignited in their hearts.

Just then, cracks suddenly appeared on the walls of the secret chamber, from which black liquid began to seep out. The liquid emitted a pungent odor, and when it dripped onto the ground, it corroded small pits. Immediately afterwards, some spider-like but enormous monsters crawled out of the cracks. They were covered in sharp spikes, and their eight eyes flashed with an eerie red light as they quickly crawled towards the group.

Huanmo quickly put away the scroll, watching the monsters warily, and shouted, "A new danger is coming! Everyone be careful!" Everyone picked up their weapons, ready to fight. But these spider monsters were extremely agile, and in the blink of an eye they were already close. The spider silk they spun was incredibly tough, and once you were entangled, it would be difficult to break free.

Ling'er accidentally got her foot tangled in spider silk and cried out in terror, "Brothers and sisters, save me!" Everyone was caught in a chaotic frenzy, dodging attacks from other monsters while trying to rescue Ling'er. The spider monsters seemed endless, and how they would escape their predicament, or whether they could safely leave the mysterious palace with the crucial scroll, remained uncertain. Danger still loomed over them…