A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 21 The Secrets of the Underground Palace and Unknown Crisis

The shaking of the underground palace intensified, as if the entire world was turning upside down. Gems embedded in the walls fell like raindrops, shattering on the ground. The crisp sound now seemed like the death knell of the Grim Reaper, making Wanru, Huanmo, and the man in white's hearts leap into their throats.

Huanmo held Wanru tightly, his eyes filled with determination and tension. In this life-or-death moment, only one thought occupied his mind: he had to protect Wanru no matter what, and not let her suffer any harm. Wanru nestled fearfully in Huanmo's arms, her body trembling slightly, her heart filled with helplessness and confusion. She had just recovered from the danger of the underground river and the mystery of the white tiger, but unexpectedly, she had fallen into this desperate situation. She didn't know what had happened in this underground palace, nor what fate awaited them.

The man in white, holding a jade flute, cautiously surveyed his surroundings, trying to pinpoint the source of the violent shaking and how to deal with it. His brow furrowed, he pondered to himself, "This underground palace seems to hold many secrets, yet it's now fraught with danger. That golden box must be the key; I wonder if it's a blessing or a curse."

The white tiger roared anxiously to the side, pacing back and forth, its blue eyes filled with urgency, as if urging them to hurry up and act.

As the palace shook, cracks began to appear on the stone platform holding the golden box, threatening to collapse. Seeing this, Huanmo decisively said, "There's no time to hesitate, pick up that box first!" With that, he released Wanru and rushed towards the stone platform.

Wanru called out anxiously from behind, "Huanmo, be careful!" Her voice was trembling with tears, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, her eyes fixed on Huanmo's figure.

Huanmo rushed to the stone platform and swiftly grabbed the golden box. The instant he picked it up, the platform collapsed with a deafening roar, sending shards of stone flying everywhere. Huanmo, clutching the box, rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the flying debris.

He carried the box back to Wanru and the man in white, and at that moment, the shaking of the underground palace gradually subsided.

Wanru breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went to check if Huanmo was injured. "Are you alright? You scared me to death." Tears of fear still lingered in her eyes.

Huanmo shook his head and said, "I'm fine, but what's so strange about this box? It seems to be related to the commotion in this palace."

The man in white also came closer, carefully examining the strange symbols engraved on the golden box. The symbols shimmered with a mysterious light, as if telling an ancient and enigmatic story.

Just as they were examining the box, the white tiger roared again, then turned and walked towards a corner of the palace. It took a few steps, then looked back at the three of them, clearly signaling them to follow.

Huanmo glanced at Wanru and the man in white and said, "It seems that the White Tiger is going to take us somewhere. Perhaps if we follow it, we can find a way to leave this place and also figure out the secret of this box."

Wanru and the man in white nodded, and then they followed the white tiger toward a corner of the palace.

After passing through a dimly lit passage, the white tiger led them to a relatively quiet secret chamber. The chamber was filled with a mysterious and ancient atmosphere, and the walls were covered with murals depicting scenes and figures they had never seen before.

Wanru walked curiously closer to the wall and carefully examined the murals. The murals seemed to tell a legend about mysterious powers and ancient treasures. One of them depicted an object that looked exactly like a golden box, placed atop a snow-capped mountain, surrounded by strange light.

"Look, there's that golden box on this mural!" Wanru exclaimed in surprise.

Huanmo and the man in white also came over, looking at the mural, their doubts deepened.

The man in white said thoughtfully, "It seems that this golden box is closely related to this legend. Perhaps only by unlocking the secret of this box can we find a way out of here, and we may also uncover an even bigger secret."

Huanmo gently stroked the box and said, "No matter what, we have to try."

Just as they were about to examine the golden box again, a sinister laugh suddenly echoed from the secret chamber. The laughter seemed to come from the deepest hell, chilling to the bone, sending shivers down their spines.

"Who is it?" Huanmo shouted, gripping his sword tightly and scanning his surroundings warily.

Wanru was so frightened that she clung tightly to Huanmo's arm. Her face was deathly pale, and her heart was pounding wildly in her chest.

The man in white raised his jade flute, ready for battle.

As the laughter drew closer, a dark figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the secret chamber. The figure was hunched over, dressed in a long black robe, and wore a hideous mask, revealing only a pair of eyes that gleamed with an eerie red light.

"You intruders, how dare you touch what you shouldn't touch! Today is your death day!" The dark figure spoke in a hoarse voice, filled with intense killing intent.

Huanmo's heart tightened; he knew a fierce battle was inevitable. He looked at Wanru, his eyes filled with determination, and whispered to her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Wanru nodded. Although she was scared, she knew that at this moment she could only rely on Huanmo and the man in white to face this unknown enemy together.

The man in white launched the first attack, placing his jade flute to his lips and playing a rapid yet mysterious melody. The melody seemed to transform into invisible blades, flying towards the shadowy figure.

The dark figure let out a cold laugh, its body flashing as it easily dodged the white-clad man's attack. Then, it pounced towards Huanmo and Wanru at incredible speed.

Huanmo raised his sword and slashed down fiercely at the shadowy figure. The shadowy figure stretched out a withered hand, grabbed Huanmo's sword directly, and twisted it forcefully. Huanmo felt a sharp pain in his arm, and the sword almost slipped from his hand.

Seeing this, Wanru was extremely anxious. She remembered the power she had used to control the crystal ball in the stone chamber, so she concentrated her mind and tried to summon that power again.

However, perhaps because her body had not fully recovered, or perhaps because the shadowy figure was too powerful, Wanru only felt a resistance, and she was unable to mobilize that power for a long time.

At this critical moment, the white tiger suddenly roared and pounced on the shadowy figure. The white tiger was incredibly strong; it bit the shadowy figure's arm and flung it away with great force, sending the figure flying a great distance.

Huanmo seized the opportunity to steady himself, gripped his sword again, and prepared to continue the fight.

The man in white did not stop playing; his tune became even more impassioned as he attempted to attack the shadowy figure again.

The dark figure rose from the ground, glaring at the white tiger and the three others, its killing intent intensifying. "You think you can stop me? Hmph, how naive!"

With a wave of its hands, a powerful dark force surged into the secret chamber and swept towards the three of them.

Huanmo, Wanru, and the man in white huddled together, trying to resist the impact of this dark force. But the force was far too powerful; they felt as if they were in the midst of a raging storm, about to be submerged at any moment.

Just as they were struggling to hold on, the golden box suddenly emitted a dazzling light, which acted as a barrier, blocking the dark forces back.

Upon seeing this, the dark figure exclaimed in surprise, "How is this possible?"

The three of them stared in surprise at the golden box, wondering why it had suddenly emitted such a light.

Just then, a new mural appeared on the wall of the secret chamber. The mural showed a passage leading to the outside world. At the end of the passage, there seemed to be a bright world. In the middle of the passage, there was a huge vortex, which seemed to contain some unknown power.