A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 69 The Mystery of the Images and the Hope for a Breakthrough

Inside the rune array, the atmosphere was extremely tense. After breaking free from most of the light chains, the giant beast charged at the group again with overwhelming momentum. Its dark purple spiritual power surged like a raging tide, stirring up the air in the rune array wherever it passed. The howling sound was like the wailing of evil spirits, making everyone's scalp tingle.

Huanmo watched helplessly as the giant beast pounced, his heart filled with anxiety. Yet, his gaze was firmly drawn to the mysterious image appearing on the stone slab, his heart filled with contradictions and struggles: "This image must be the key, but there's no time to ponder it now. I must find a way to stop this beast first." Veins bulged on his forehead, his hands clenched unconsciously, but he dared not move an inch, afraid of missing any fleeting clues in the image.

The woman in black robes, wielding a long black sword, charged towards the colossal beast. Her gaze was resolute, her thoughts racing: "Even if it's just for a second longer so Huanmo and the others can see that image clearly, I absolutely cannot let the beast break through our defenses so easily." Her figure appeared so small before the beast's massive body, yet every swing of her sword carried a do-or-die spirit. The black and purple smoke from her sword collided with the beast's spiritual energy, sparks flying.

The man in white took a deep breath and brought the jade flute to his lips again. Rapid notes flew from the flute holes, transforming into transparent shields that attempted to halt the giant beast's advance. As he played, he anxiously glanced at the stone slab, pondering to himself, "What is that image trying to tell us? If we can't solve this mystery, we're all going to die here today." Sweat had already soaked his back, but he was oblivious, completely absorbed in the tense situation.

The man in the green robe and Qingwan leaned on each other. Qingwan's face grew increasingly pale, almost translucent, yet she still managed to channel her last wisp of spiritual energy into the man in the green robe. Sensing the faint spiritual energy, the man in the green robe's eyes reddened, his heart filled with guilt and resentment: "Wan'er, you're so weak, and I still haven't been able to protect you. Today, even if it costs me my life, I will make sure you live!" He roared, enduring his injuries as he attacked the giant beast, his moves filled with tragic grandeur.

Wanru held the white tiger, hiding a little distance away, her body trembling uncontrollably, tears welling up in her eyes. Watching everyone fight so desperately, she felt both moved and frightened, silently praying, "Everyone must be safe. We can get through this, we definitely can." The white tiger also widened its blue eyes, letting out low growls, as if cheering everyone on.

Just as everyone was locked in a stalemate with the behemoth, the mysterious image on the stone slab gradually became clearer, resembling an ancient map marked with strange symbols and routes, and vaguely showing what appeared to be the core of a formation. Huanmo's eyes lit up instantly, a surge of hope welling up within him: "Could this be the key to breaking the deadlock? If we can find that core, we can completely subdue this behemoth?" He didn't have time to think further, focusing on memorizing the image's contents, while shouting loudly, "Everyone, hold on a little longer! I think I've found a way to subdue the behemoth!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, and their attacks became even more ferocious. The black-robed woman's swordsmanship became even more ruthless, each strike precisely aimed at the giant beast's vital points. The white-robed man's jade flute sound waves also became more high-pitched and passionate, cutting through the giant beast's defenses like sharp blades. The green-robed man and Qingwan's coordination became increasingly tacit, creating considerable obstacles for the giant beast.

However, the behemoth sensed the change in everyone and became even more ferocious, its claws flailing wildly and smashing several golden chains of light. The remaining chains were on the verge of breaking completely. Huanmo was extremely anxious. He tried to recall the map in the image while searching for the corresponding location within the rune array, but the rune array was so complex that he couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the array's core.

"What should we do? If this continues, and the light chain breaks, we'll be in real danger." Huanmo muttered anxiously to himself, large beads of sweat sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the ground in the array, disappearing instantly.

Just then, the white tiger in Wanru's arms suddenly broke free and ran towards one of the rune arrays, letting out urgent cries. Everyone was taken aback, but Huanmo's heart skipped a beat: "Could the white tiger have discovered something? It's always been incredibly intelligent; perhaps it's heading straight for the array's core." Immediately, he shouted, "Follow the white tiger!"

Everyone hurriedly chased after the white tiger, the giant beast hot on their heels, each step causing the rune array to tremble violently. The runes within the array flickered increasingly chaotically, as if they too were restless and agitated by the tense situation.

The white tiger stopped in what appeared to be an ordinary corner, scratching the ground incessantly with its paws. The runes there emitted a faint golden light, bearing a striking resemblance to the aura of the array's core in the stone tablet image. Huanmo was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward, crouching down to examine it. There, he saw a small groove in the ground, its shape perfectly matching the mark of the array's core in the image.

"This is it!" Huanmo shouted excitedly, reaching out to touch the groove. But just as his hand was about to touch the groove, the giant beast pounced, a powerful force that sent everyone staggering back several steps. Huanmo fell to the ground, his palm scraped and bleeding slightly, but he paid no heed, his eyes fixed only on the array's core that was so close at hand.

"I'll hold it off, you go activate the array core!" the woman in black shouted, turning and charging towards the giant beast. She brandished her longsword, engaging in a fierce battle with the beast. The man in white, the man in green, and Qingwan also used all their skills to hinder the beast's advance.

Huanmo gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as he got up and ran towards the center of the array again. He slowly inserted his hand into the groove, and a powerful energy instantly surged out from it, spreading throughout his body along his arm. Huanmo felt as if his body was enveloped by a mysterious force, unable to move, yet his heart was filled with anticipation: "This should be the final step in subduing the giant beast. I hope nothing goes wrong."

As the energy continued to pour in, the rune array began to undergo violent changes. Beams of golden light shot into the sky, illuminating the entire rune array as bright as day. The giant beast sensed this powerful threat and tried to break free from the group's obstruction, but the group worked together to hold it back.

Just when everyone thought victory was in sight, a strange blackish-purple aura suddenly surged from the eye of the array, intertwining with the golden light. The entire rune array began to shake violently, as if it were about to collapse. Huanmo's eyes widened, filled with fear and confusion: "What's going on? Did we do something wrong again? Or is this a trap?"

Everyone was taken aback by this sudden turn of events, and the giant beast, taking advantage of the chaos in the rune array, once again gathered its power, suddenly shook off everyone, and charged towards the array eye where Huanmo was. A life-or-death battle was about to unfold. Could everyone resolve the crisis once again? What secrets did that array eye hold?