allonlinenovel Chapter 78 Guidance from Mysterious Runes and the Fog
Chapter 78 Guidance from Mysterious Runes and the Fog
Above the frozen lake, the runes within the strange light curtain flickered incessantly, their soft glow illuminating the weary and bewildered faces of the group, as if silently telling an ancient and mysterious story. Outside the light curtain, the frozen lake, shattered by the impact of the monster's self-destruction, was littered with ice blocks of varying sizes. The lake water surged between the ice floes, gleaming with an eerie, cold light, as if still bearing the lingering shock of that fierce battle.
Huanmo leaned closer to the runes, examining them closely, his brow furrowed, his mind racing. He pondered, "These runes don't seem ordinary. Could someone have deliberately placed them to guide us, or is it another trap? But we have no other choice but to follow the clues in these runes to find out." Thinking this, he turned to look at his equally bewildered companions, his eyes hardening with determination, and said, "Friends, these runes might be our only clue right now. No matter what, let's see where they lead us."
Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, though they were worried. The woman in black robes clutched her injured arm, biting her lower lip slightly, her eyes revealing a resolute look. She thought, "Every step of the way has been fraught with danger. Now that we've come this far, there's nothing to be afraid of. Even if it's a den of dragons and tigers ahead, we have to brave it."
As the group approached, the runes suddenly shone brightly, slowly coalescing into a shimmering passage that wound its way forward, leading deeper into the frozen lake. The end of the passage was shrouded in a hazy mist, exuding an air of endless mystery. Huanmo took a deep breath and stepped into the passage first, followed closely by the others.
As they walked along the passage, the temperature seemed to drop, and their breath instantly turned into white mist, swirling around them. Occasionally, blurry patterns would appear on the walls of the passage, depicting ancient wars or mysterious sacrificial scenes, but before they could see them clearly, the patterns would disappear again, leaving them filled with curiosity and doubt.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the mist ahead gradually dissipated, revealing a massive ice crystal palace. The palace was crystal clear, radiating a cool, luminous glow that stood out brilliantly against the darkness of the icy lake. The palace doors were tightly shut, adorned with intricate and beautiful carvings, as if they contained some kind of powerful restriction.
Huanmo stepped forward and touched the door. A chill instantly ran down his arm and spread throughout his body, causing him to shiver. He inwardly marveled at the extraordinary nature of this ice crystal palace. Just then, the patterns on the door suddenly lit up with blue light, which slowly coalesced into a line of words: "To enter this palace, one must break the incantation. Sincerity will bring results, and only then can one pass through."
The group exchanged bewildered glances, none of them understanding the meaning of this "heart mantra." Huanmo pondered for a moment, then said, "Perhaps this is a test of our hearts. We've come a long way, enduring countless hardships, and it's only through our mutual faith and sincerity that we've made it this far. I think this heart mantra is meant to make us honestly face our own hearts." The companions, though finding it somewhat mystical, also agreed that Huanmo's words made sense. They closed their eyes, trying to comprehend the so-called "heart mantra."
Huanmo closed his eyes, and memories of the past involuntarily surfaced in his mind—the days he laughed and fought alongside his companions, the vows he had made to protect each other—every scene was so clear. His heart gradually calmed down, and a warm and pure power welled up from the bottom of his heart, as if resonating with the ice crystal palace.
As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the palace doors slowly opened, and a gentle breeze wafted in, carrying a delicate fragrance that soothed the soul. The group opened their eyes in surprise, exchanged glances, and then stepped into the palace together.
The palace was extremely spacious, with various ice crystal statues of different shapes displayed around it. Some were majestic mythical beasts, others were graceful fairies, each statue lifelike, as if they might come to life at any moment. In the very center of the palace, there was a high platform, on which sat a box emitting a seven-colored light. The light was so dazzling that it made people want to approach and explore it.
Huanmo and the others cautiously made their way towards the platform. Just as they were about to reach it, the surrounding statues suddenly seemed to come alive and began to move. The divine beast statues roared deafeningly and pounced on the group, while the fairy statues waved their long sleeves, releasing waves of spiritual energy to block their path.
Everyone quickly stopped and assumed a defensive stance. Huanmo inwardly groaned; he had thought that passing the test of the incantation would allow him to easily explore the secrets of the palace, but he hadn't expected to encounter such a troublesome situation. While dodging the attacks of the divine beast statues, he shouted loudly, "Everyone be careful! Let's figure out a way to deal with these statues first, and prevent them from getting close to the platform!"
Despite her injuries, the woman in black robes worked together with the man in white, one using her sword to parry while the other used the sound waves from her jade flute to disrupt the attack of the divine beast statues. The man in green robes and Qingwan circled the platform, trying to find a weakness in the statues so that Huanmo could get close to the seven-colored box.
After a fierce battle, the group gradually figured out the statue's attack patterns and began to fight back. Huanmo seized an opening, flashed forward, and rushed towards the platform. But just as he was about to touch the seven-colored box, a powerful spiritual energy barrier suddenly appeared, violently throwing him back. He fell to the ground, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"Huanmo!" his companions exclaimed, rushing over. Huanmo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, gazing at the seven-colored box so close yet unreachable, his heart filled with resentment. He murmured, "What's going on? Why won't they let us get it? Is there something inside that we shouldn't touch?"
Just as everyone was gathered around Huanmo, feeling helpless in the face of this sudden obstacle, the seven-colored box suddenly shone brightly, and a blurry figure faintly appeared in the light. The figure seemed to be conveying some message to everyone, but it was not clear.