A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 56 The Mystery of the Jade Box and the Predicament of the Giant Beast

Huanmo stared at the enormous black monster slowly emerging from the shadows, and his heart tightened. Its lion-like appearance with a pair of huge wings, its black scales covering its entire body, and its fierce eyes like burning red lanterns all exuded a chilling aura.

The atmosphere in the stone chamber instantly froze. The luminous pearl, still emitting a soft glow, hung high above, but now seemed to be stunned by the sudden terror, its light dimming slightly. The figures in the murals on the surrounding walls continued their eerie ritual, seemingly indifferent to the newly appeared monster, or perhaps they were the masterminds behind this series of horrific events, quietly awaiting further developments.

Huanmo gripped his sword tightly, his mind racing. He thought to himself, "This monster is so ferocious. We just went through a fierce battle with the black-robed man, and our spiritual energy has been greatly depleted. Can we really deal with it? But if we don't fight, this jade box might be the key to our escape from here. We absolutely cannot give up like this."

Wanru hid behind Huanmo, her eyes fixed on the black monster, her small hands unconsciously gripping Huanmo's clothes. She was both afraid and worried, afraid that the monster would hurt Huanmo, worried that they wouldn't be able to get out of this predicament, and couldn't help but whisper, "Huanmo, you must be careful."

The woman in black robes, the man in white, the man in green robes, and Qingwan were all on high alert. The black flute in the woman's hand trembled slightly, as if she were ready to play a defensive note at any moment; the man in white robes gripped his jade flute tightly, his gaze fixed intently on the monster, pondering a counter-spell; the man in green robes and Qingwan leaned against each other, gathering their remaining spiritual energy, preparing to provide support at a crucial moment. The white tiger lowered its body, letting out a deep roar, ready to pounce on the monster at any moment.

The black monster slowly strode forward, each step seeming to tremble the ground. It opened its blood-red maw and let out a deafening roar that echoed through the stone chamber, making everyone's ears ring.

"Roar! You insignificant humans, how dare you trespass into my territory! Today is your death day!" The monster spoke in a human voice, its hoarse tone filled with boundless rage.

Huanmo took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and shouted, "Don't be arrogant! We will definitely get through this place! Take this!" With that, he brandished his sword and charged towards the monster.

Huanmo's sword whistled as it pierced the monster, but the monster neither dodged nor evaded. Just as the sword was about to strike, it suddenly flapped its enormous wings, and a powerful gust of air instantly sent Huanmo flying. Huanmo crashed heavily to the ground, her sword slipping from her grasp and sliding a short distance along the ground.

"Huanmo!" Wanru exclaimed and rushed over to help Huanmo up.

Huanmo felt pain all over his body, but he knew he couldn't back down now. He endured the pain, picked up his sword from the ground, and stood up again.

Seeing Huanmo's setback, the man in white immediately began to play his jade flute. The melodious flute music filled the stone chamber, and soft rays of light flew from the flute, coiling towards the monster. The monster flapped its wings, trying to dispel the light, but the light, like serpentine snakes, tightly bound its wings, preventing it from moving freely for a moment.

Taking advantage of the moment, the man in the green robe and Qingwan joined forces to unleash an attack spell, a dazzling beam of light shooting towards the monster. The monster was struck by the beam and let out a painful roar, but its defenses were clearly extremely strong, and the attack did not cause it much damage.

The woman in black wasn't idle either. She closed her eyes and concentrated on playing her black flute. As she played, black notes flew like arrows towards the monster, piercing its body. The monster roared again, turned sharply, and pounced on the woman in black.

Seeing this, the white tiger pounced without hesitation, engaging the monster in a fierce battle in mid-air. Although the white tiger was brave, it gradually became overwhelmed by the enormous and powerful monster.

Seeing this, Huanmo was extremely anxious. Ignoring his own injuries, he charged at the monster once more. He unleashed his most ferocious swordsmanship and engaged the monster in close combat.

With everyone working together, the monster finally began to show signs of fatigue. Its attacks were no longer as fierce as at the beginning, and it was wounded in many places. Many of its black scales fell off, and blood kept seeping from its wounds.

"Everyone, give it your all! It's almost done for!" Huanmo shouted.

Upon hearing this, the crowd became even more determined to cast spells and wield their weapons.

Finally, after a fierce battle, the black monster collapsed to the ground and lay still. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but before they could even rest, they turned their attention back to the jade box on the stone platform.

Huanmo dragged his weary body slowly toward the stone platform. He reached out and gently picked up the jade box. As soon as he held it, a warm, smooth sensation spread throughout his body, and the faint glow seemed to brighten slightly.

The moment Huanmo picked up the jade box, the murals on the walls of the stone chamber suddenly stopped twisting, as if they had completed their mission. Then, a hidden door slowly opened on one side of the chamber, releasing a refreshing scent that seemed to lead to the outside world.

"Could this be the way out?" Huanmo thought with delight.

The crowd gathered around, their eyes filled with hope as they looked at the hidden door.

However, just as everyone was about to step into the hidden door, the jade box in Huanmo's hand suddenly emitted a strong light, enveloping him completely. Huanmo felt a white blur before his eyes, unable to see anything, and his body seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move.

"Huanmo!" Wanru called out anxiously, trying to reach out and pull Huanmo, but was bounced back by the light.

Everyone was panicked and wanted to help, but didn't know where to start.

Just then, a clear voice emanated from the light: "To escape this predicament, you must find an ancient artifact; otherwise, you will all be trapped here forever..."

The sound gradually faded, and the light dimmed as well, but Huanmo remained unable to move.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts filled with doubt and worry. An ancient artifact? Where were they supposed to find it? And could Huanmo escape this predicament? Was the hidden door truly a safe passage?