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墨書 Inktalez
Several people hurried over, and sure enough, a massive Stone Turtle was blocking the stone tablet.
The Stone Turtle was made from local materials and carved directly into the cliff, while the stone tablet was a blank slab.
The group was wary of traps, cautiously approaching but not daring to touch it recklessly.
As they got closer, the light from the Night Pearl illuminated a zigzagging upward path behind Bixi, which was over a foot wide, with steep cliffs on both sides that looked like an endless abyss below. They could ascend by stepping over the stone tablet.
"Logically, they should have an ambush set here, but why is it so quiet?" Cong Yue asked.
Before she finished speaking, Mei Shuang seemed to step on something. Just as she was about to lift her foot, a sudden tension in her mind froze her in place as if she had been hit by a Binding Technique.
"Not good, I've triggered a trap."
The others quickly gathered around. Anriyan crouched down, shining the Night Pearl's light and brushing away the loose dirt under Mei Shuang's feet. Indeed, she had stepped on a stone slab that sank about half a palm's depth.
They all understood at once; they had been vigilant above but had forgotten about the damn ground beneath them.
Mei Shuang frowned, "What should we do?"
Anriyan thought of a solution and planned to use another object to replace Mei Shuang's foot. While Cong Fei searched for a stone, Mei Shuang repeatedly protested.
"If the force is even slightly off, it could trigger the trap," she shouted anxiously.
"Well, you can't just stay here forever," Anriyan said as he took the stone Cong Fei handed him and prepared to place it down.
"Are you serious? The force of my foot can't be matched by a stone!" Mei Shuang exclaimed in extreme doubt.
Cong Fei and Anriyan fell silent, focusing instead on manipulating the mechanism beneath her foot until they finally managed to help Mei Shuang slowly lift her foot.
Mei Shuang remained unconvinced, terrified that lifting her foot would trigger some unknown mechanism and lead to disaster. In the end, Anriyan forcibly pulled her foot out.
Mei Shuang broke out in a cold sweat and quickly made her way up the path.
As long as they climbed up, they would basically reach their final destination.
The zigzag path did not seem long, but after climbing for a while, it felt like they were still far from the bright light at the top.
Sitting in a slightly wider area, a few people pondered why.
It was Mei Shuang who discovered the clue. She said, "There must be something wrong with this zigzag path. It’s impossible that after climbing for so long, we are getting further away from that light."
When they continued to climb along the zigzag path, Mei Shuang specifically asked Cong Fei to hold Night Pearl high above his head. This time, they indeed discovered the problem.
It turned out that the zigzag path they were on was actually a series of interconnected zigzag detours. They had been going in circles for quite some time.
Above them was an upward path, so they were just going around in circles. If it weren't for Mei Shuang's strategy, they could have gone around for hundreds of times and still remained in the same place.
The group cursed under their breath. After going up, sure enough, it wasn't long before they reached the bright light.
Following the path upward, the terrain became flat, and suddenly everything opened up before them.
Two tiger-like beasts known as Bianhan stood on either side, coldly staring ahead as if scrutinizing all incoming visitors.
This time, the group was more cautious; they kept an eye on both the front and their feet, fearing another ambush. To their surprise, everything was very calm.
"The calmer the place, the greater the danger. Bixie Beasts usually stand by Hell's Gate, which means if we go further in, we are almost stepping into hell."
Upon hearing Mei Shuang's words, everyone tensed up and began to examine their surroundings.
The illumination from Night Pearl was limited. After walking a bit further, they realized that this cave was enormous. In the center stood a massive stone door with a protruding black skull in the middle and below it was a shield-shaped Golden Block, about two feet high and one foot wide. The surface had nine compartments, each embedded with a red gem that shone brilliantly under the light of Night Pearl.
"It really is Hell's Gate," said Anriyan. "I just wonder what lies behind this big door."
Mei Shuang carefully examined the shield-shaped Golden Block embedded in the recess and noticed that there were dense small characters along its edges.
She forced herself to look for a while, only to find the characters as small as ants, resembling ghostly scribbles, making it impossible to recognize what they were.
A few people gathered around to take a look, but none of them could identify it. However, Cong Fei took off a small piece of what looked like human skin from his body and crouched down to examine it closely.
This palm-sized piece of skin was also densely covered with tiny characters, and surprisingly, the script matched the small characters above. The difference was that each tiny character corresponded to a Chinese character surrounding it.
Mei Shuang felt both surprised and delighted. After carefully interpreting the tiny characters above, her expression gradually became serious.
Suddenly, a light voice came from behind, “Well, what luck! I’ve been waiting for you here for quite some time.”
The group turned around abruptly, their torches illuminating the space before them.
In front of several men in black stood a man dressed in luxurious brocade robes, calm and composed, with a Silver Mask obscuring his face.
Although his voice was slightly hoarse, the tone remained unmistakable.
Mei Shuang slowly tucked away the piece of human skin into her bosom. Rising from behind the Golden Shield, she turned around slowly with a smirk at the corner of her lips. “The former emperor mentioned that I would see you soon; I didn’t expect to find you here.”
The newcomer appeared taken aback, seemingly surprised that Mei Shuang recognized him. A hint of cold laughter crept onto his lips. “Since you managed to arrive safely at this place, you must have some value after all. However, this place is one-way; as long as you cooperate with me obediently and we break through here together, I will surely grant you a lifetime of glory.”
“Value?” Mei Shuang softly repeated, feeling as if something deep inside her had been violently torn apart. The pain left her somewhat breathless.
Gazing at the tall man before her, she momentarily drifted back to the past. Although those days were often filled with ambiguity, there were still warm moments amidst the sorrow. Yet in an instant, all she could see in his eyes was “value.”
Mei Shuang lowered her gaze to her feet, suppressing the turmoil within her heart and replied calmly, “There’s no need for cooperation; we can’t even get in here.”
The Man Under the Silver Mask paused briefly before scoffing. “How is that possible?”
Mei Shuang sighed and mocked lightly, “If we could get in, would you still be waiting until now? Zhao Prince, there’s no need to waste your efforts.”
Hearing that it was indeed Zhao Prince before them shocked Coach Brothers greatly; even Anriyan's eyes darkened with depth.
Called out easily by Mei Shuang, Nangong Nuo let out a scoff. "It seems you still think of me after all this time. Clearly, I haven't wasted my affection on you."
Mei Shuang felt a chill run down her spine at his words, even feeling a bit nauseous. She retorted without hesitation, "Zhao Prince, your actions have always been unpredictable. If you are here for a purpose, why not come openly? Why resort to sneaky tactics? Do you have something shameful to hide?"
As she spoke, Mei Shuang felt a pang in her chest. Who would have thought that the two who had just been laughing together would meet again under such circumstances, devoid of any warmth, only cold and ruthless exchanges?
Nangong Nuo was not angered by her words. He gazed deeply at Mei Shuang, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips. "No need for more words. I ask you, how do we get through this door?"
Mei Shuang shook her head. "It's impossible to enter."
Nangong Nuo remained silent, simply raising his right hand slightly.
Suddenly, Cong Yue beside Mei Shuang let out a muffled groan, clutching her abdomen before collapsing.
Everyone was startled and hurried to support Cong Yue, but her face had already turned ashen; she was lifeless.
"You!" Cong Fei's eyes turned red as she drew her dagger and charged at Nangong Nuo, but Mei Shuang held her back tightly.
"Let me go! I want to avenge my brother!" Cong Fei cried hoarsely.
"Don't!" Mei Shuang urged urgently. "We can't possibly fight them. Stay calm; your brother would want you to live. We can settle the score later when we get out."
Cong Fei trembled all over and fell to her knees before her brother's body, her shoulders shaking as she choked back sobs.
"From now on, if you utter another 'no,' someone with you will perish." His tone was cold and laced with menace.
Mei Shuang took a deep breath and stepped forward to gently close Cong Yue's wide-open eyes. Rising, she gritted her teeth and said slowly, "This treasure is not what has been rumored. It didn't disappear during transport; it was deliberately hidden here by the Founding Ancestor for the future needs of the nation. That’s why this place is filled with traps. This is the final trap, clearly marked 'No Return.'"
Nangong Nuo did not believe Mei Shuang's words at all. "If there is no return, what is the purpose of hiding the treasure here?"
Mei Shuang scoffed coldly. "That is what our ancestors instructed. If you don't believe me, feel free to open it and see for yourself."
Nangong Nuo nodded and took a few steps closer, standing about ten feet away from Mei Shuang. Proudly, he declared, "Those words were meant for the outsiders. I am a royal descendant, and naturally, my Founding Ancestor will look after me."
Cong Fei had already gotten up from the ground and angrily retorted to Nangong Nuo, "What royal descendant! Although you are the only Other Clan Prince of the Great Qin Empire, you should know how you became this Other Clan Prince!"
Nangong Nuo's face hidden beneath the Silver Mask suddenly changed color. He raised his hand and struck Cong Fei hard across the face, his voice cold and hard as iron. "Disrespecting your superior deserves execution!"
Seeing Nangong Nuo's murderous intent, she hurriedly stepped forward. "Zhao Prince, the difficulties are right before us. Losing one person means losing one chance of hope. Why must you be so narrow-minded?"
Nangong Nuo turned his head and fixed his gaze on Mei Shuang. "I am narrow-minded? Fine, I will remember his life! If that door opens, I will let him go!"
Mei Shuang glanced back at the massive stone door before turning her head again. "What is written on this door is clear. If you insist on opening it and anything goes wrong, don't blame me for not warning you. Also, Zhao Prince, you didn't come here without plans to return alive, did you?"
Nangong Nuo remained silent, merely staring at the shield-shaped yellow Jin Suo on the stone door. Then he said to Mei Shuang, "I know a hundred times better than you that there are countless traps inside and dangers a hundredfold. However, I must tell you that I have a foolproof plan."
Mei Shuang was at a loss for words.
This person was too confident; she vaguely felt that he was somewhat different from the previous Nangong Nuo, but that tone was impossible to feign.
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