As Grandma Lin gently lifted the lid of the treasure chest, a dazzling light instantly surged out of the box, like thousands of golden lights when the sun was rising, illuminating everything around.
Everyone couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. Their eyes were slightly narrowed by the light, and their hearts were filled with shock and surprise.
In the treasure chest, a magical artifact emitting mysterious light lay quietly in it. Its surface is inlaid with various gems, and each gem is flashing with different colors.
Next to the artifact is an ancient sheepskin map. Although the patterns on the map are a bit blurry, they clearly point to a deeper place in the mysterious space.
"This is...what is this?" Luo Xiaoyu's voice was filled with unconcealed excitement.
"This must be a treasure given to us by God." Grandma Lin's voice was trembling. Her hands gently stroked the surface of the artifact, feeling the warm power coming from the artifact.
Everyone's mood rose again and their morale was greatly boosted.
They knew that this was not just an ordinary treasure, but also the motivation and hope for them to move forward.
Everyone's eyes turned to the old man in white. The old man in white smiled and nodded, as if telling everyone that all this was destined.
At this moment, the old man in white suddenly stretched out his hand, gently stroked the black panther's head, and whispered: "Thank you, friend. You have completed your mission."
A deep respect surged in the hearts of the Black Panther, and they knew that this mysterious Black Panther had become an indelible mark in their hearts.
"Let's go, a new journey is waiting for us." The voice of the old man in white echoed in the air, and everyone's hearts were filled with firmness and hope. They embarked on the road deeper into the mysterious space, and every step was full of unknowns and possibilities.
After the treasure chest was opened, the surrounding space began to twist, and the originally closed stone chamber was like blooming flowers, revealing several mysterious channels.
A strange light flashed on the stone wall, which was as bright as breathing, illuminating the outline of the shadows deep in the passage.
An ancient and mysterious aura spread out, with a touch of unsettling chill.
Everyone looked at each other, and nervousness spread in the air.
"It seems that our journey has just begun." The man in white said calmly, his eyes firmly looked at one of the passages, and took the lead in walking forward.
Xiaohong followed without hesitation and held his hand tightly.
Luo Xiaoyu and others followed closely behind. Although they were nervous, their eyes were filled with excitement.
"Be careful." The gray-haired hunter reminded, he keenly noticed the trap hidden in the passage, and the air was filled with an undetectable danger.
"The terrain here is complex and has many mechanisms. If you are not careful, you will be doomed."
Xiaohong felt the warmth of the palm of her hand in white and felt much more at ease.
She held his hand back, her fingers intertwined, as if she had found the power to support her.
Grandma Lin looked at the two people walking side by side kindly, and smiled with relief, as if watching her child grow up.
Everyone encouraged and supported each other, and friendship became deeper at a new starting point, like an indestructible rock, resisting the unknown fear.
Walking along the passage, a melodious sound of flute suddenly came from everyone's ears, sometimes high and sometimes low, like a call from ancient times, carrying mysterious magic.
Everyone stopped involuntarily and looked along the sound, but they saw a misty deep in the passage, and the source of the flute sound was difficult to distinguish.
"The sound of this flute..." Xiaohong murmured to herself, and an inexplicable throbbing surged in her heart, as if something was summoning her.
"Let's go and see." said the man in white, feeling a mysterious force attracting him, making him want to find out.
Everyone walked towards the sound of the flute, their steps gradually accelerated, and the passage became narrower and narrower...
What is waiting for them ahead?
"Be careful!" The gray-haired hunter suddenly issued a warning.
The melodious sound of the flute seemed to carry some magic, leading everyone to the depths of the passage step by step.
The passage became narrower and narrower, and the rock walls on both sides squeezed towards them in a narrow way, and the air became wet and cold, with an indescribable smell of decay.
Everyone subconsciously slowed down, moved closer to each other, and glanced around with vigilant eyes.
As the sound of the flute became clearer, but even more strange, as if countless ghosts were whispering.
The light around was getting darker and darker, and only the rock walls occasionally flashed with phosphorescence, which was as erratic as ghost fire.
The air was filled with a strong smell of earth, mixed with unknown fragrance of flowers, which was disgustingly sweet.
Xiaohong felt a little wet and cold in her palms. She couldn't help but hold the hand of the man in white tightly. The temperature in his palm came from the fingertips, which made her feel a little relieved.
Grandma Lin walked in the middle of the team, holding the crutch tightly, her turbid eyes were filled with anxiety, and she muttered words in her mouth, as if she was praying for the gods to bless her.
Suddenly, several thick vines rushed out of the cracks in the rock wall and swept towards everyone like poisonous snakes.
"Be careful!" The gray-haired hunter shouted loudly, and waved the short knife in his hand first, cutting off a vine that was attacking Luo Xiaoyu.
The sudden attack made everyone a little panicked. Luo Xiaoyu exclaimed and almost fell down.
Liehun and Zhao Blacksmith responded quickly. They waved the axes and hammers in their hands and cut off the attacking vines one by one.
However, more and more vines came, like a tide, and everyone was in trouble again.
"This won't work!" Zhang shouted loudly, "There are too many vines, we will be trapped!"
"Xiaohong!" A scream of exclamation cut through the nervous air...
Xiaohong exclaimed, and saw a vine that was thicker than before, like a python, wrapped around her ankles like lightning, and pulled her towards the rock wall.
"Xiaohong!" the man in white exclaimed, watching Xiaohong hanging in the air, her slender body seemed particularly fragile under the constraints of the vines.
Fear filled Xiaohong's face. She struggled desperately, but it became tighter and tighter. The rough vine skin rubbed against her skin, causing a burst of scorching pain.
"Save her!" Luo Xiaoyu shouted anxiously, waving the dagger in her hand to cut off the vines, but was forced back by other vines that rushed back.
Everyone was anxious, but they were surrounded by the crazy dancing vines, making it difficult to get close to them.
Zhang Lang was anxious, but he could only watch Xiaohong being pulled higher and higher.
Grandma Lin was so scared that her face turned pale and kept muttering "Amitabha" in her mouth.
Liehuo and Zhao blacksmith waved the weapons in their hands, but they were like mantis armed to drive a car. The vines were getting more and more dense, almost covering the entire passage.
The man in white had his eyes rippled and tried hard to cut off the vines wrapped around him, trying to rush over to save Xiaohong, but when he was distracted, a vine sucked hard to his back.
At the critical moment, Master Lingyin was muttering a word, and a golden light shot out from the Buddhist beads in his hand and enveloped Xiaohong.
The vines wrapped around Xiaohong's body quickly withered and turned into ashes as if burned by fire.
Xiaohong fell from mid-air, and the man in white rushed forward and caught her steadily.
Master Lingyin was solemn in his treasure, and the golden Buddha light lingered around him, like a god descending to earth.
Seeing this, everyone ignited a fire of hope in their hearts and threw gratitude at him one after another.
"Before..." Master Lingyin's eyes were solemn and pointed to the depths of the passage.
Before Master Lingyin finished speaking, a clicking sound came from the depths of the passage, like the sound of bone friction, which was creepy.
Everyone looked in the sound and saw a group of puppets appearing at the end of the passage. Their movements were stiff and mechanical, but with a strange sense of oppression.
These puppets have different shapes, including men and women, old and young, wearing tattered clothes and strange oil paints on their faces, like evil spirits crawling out of hell.
"What is this?" Luo Xiaoyu exclaimed and subconsciously held the dagger in her hand.
"Be careful, these puppets are not easy to deal with!" The gray-haired hunter said in a deep voice. He had seen similar puppets in other secret realms and knew that their attack power should not be underestimated.
Zhang Langzhong narrowed his eyes, carefully observed the movements of the puppets, and suddenly spoke: "Their joints seem to be weaknesses!"
When everyone heard this, they immediately turned the target of attack to the joint of the puppet.
Blacksmith Zhao waved his hammer and slammed hard on the knee of a puppet. With a click, the puppet's legs broke.
Li Liehun's axe also chopped on the shoulders of another puppet, and the puppet's arms hung down weakly.
After Xiaohong escaped from danger, she hugged the man in white tightly, with fear still in her eyes.
"I'm fine." She said softly, her voice trembling a little.
The man in white patted her back gently and comforted her softly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Grandma Lin watched everyone work together to fight the puppet, "Children, don't be afraid, we will definitely break through!" She encouraged everyone with a hoarse voice.
However, the number of puppets is too large, and even if everyone concentrates on attacking their weaknesses, it is difficult to resist their continuous attacks.
Everyone fought and retreated, and the pressure doubled.
At this moment, everyone discovered that the melodious sound of flute came from the center of the maze.
As long as you get there, you can unravel the maze!
"Run over!" the man in white shouted and rushed towards the center of the maze first.
Everyone followed closely behind, and the puppet followed closely behind, and the clicking sound echoed in the passage like a desperate spell.
"Wait...we seem..." Xiaohong suddenly found in horror that they had been running for so long, but the surrounding scenery had not changed at all...
After Xiaohong escaped from danger, she hugged the man in white tightly, with fear still in her eyes.
"I'm fine." She said softly, her voice trembling a little.
The man in white patted her back gently and comforted her softly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Grandma Lin watched everyone work together to fight the puppet, "Children, don't be afraid, we will definitely break through!" She encouraged everyone with a hoarse voice.
However, the number of puppets is too large, and even if everyone concentrates on attacking their weaknesses, it is difficult to resist their continuous attacks.
Everyone fought and retreated, and the pressure doubled.
At this moment, everyone discovered that the melodious sound of flute came from the center of the maze.
As long as you get there, you can unravel the maze!
"Run over!" the man in white shouted and rushed towards the center of the maze first.
Everyone followed closely behind, and the puppet followed closely behind, and the clicking sound echoed in the passage like a desperate spell.
"Wait... we seem..." Xiaohong suddenly found in horror that they had been running for so long, but the surrounding scenery had not changed at all.
There are still gray stone walls on both sides of the passage, winding and twisting, as if there is no end.
The sound of the flute seemed to have maintained the same volume, neither getting louder nor getting smaller.
"What's going on?" Luo Xiaoyu asked panting, feeling an inexplicable chill rising from the soles of her feet.
"Are we... spinning around?" Doctor Zhang's face was solemn. He looked around and tried to find some marks, but found nothing.
The more and more puppets gathered, their clicking sounds became more and more dense, as if countless cold metal claws were scratching everyone's hearts.
Fear surged into my heart like a tide.
"Are we... going in the wrong direction?" Zhao Blacksmith's voice trembled a little, and the hammer in his hand seemed to become heavier.
The old man in white has always been like a lighthouse, guiding everyone in the direction of progress.
At this moment, he remained silent, frowned, and seemed to be in confusion.
"I...I can't do anything about it." The old man in white spoke slowly, his voice was low and hoarse, as if he had lost his wisdom and calmness as before. "This maze... is beyond my understanding."
This sudden change was like a bolt from the blue, causing everyone to panic completely.
The belief they had always believed in collapsed at this moment.
In the depressed air, Xiaohong's voice trembled: "We...we can't continue like this anymore...why...why...why let's go separately, maybe... maybe there is still a glimmer of life..."
As soon as Xiaohong finished speaking, everyone looked at her.
After the crowd was dispersed, the passage was filled with terrifying shouts.
Liehun's roar was the first to sound, followed by Luo Xiaoyu's scream and Zhao's blacksmith's dull cry.
The puppet's cold iron claws slashed through the air, causing a burst of creepy sound of wind breaking, as if the god of death was reaping life.
Grandma Lin is old and weak, and soon tripped by a puppet.
She watched the metal face approaching in horror, and let out a desperate wail.
Doctor Zhang tried to pull her up, but was entangled by another puppet, and his sharp claws left a blood mark on his arm.
"Help!" Zhang Langzhong's voice was filled with pain, and the puppet's iron claws left blood marks after blood on him.
He felt his power was rapidly losing, and his eyes began to blur.
He looked around in despair, and saw the puppets rushing in like a tide, as if they were about to swallow him completely.
When the man in white heard Xiaohong's cry for help, his heart tightened. He tried hard to split the puppet blocking in front of him and rushed towards the direction where Xiaohong's voice came.
However, he soon found himself in a deeper dilemma.
Countless puppets surged out from both sides of the passage, densely packed, like a cold steel wall surrounding him.
The puppets waved their cold claws and made a "click" collision sound, and the air was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.
Just as everyone was in despair, Luo Xiaoyu's screams broke the silence.
"Here! There is light here!" she shouted excitedly, with incredible surprise in her voice.
Everyone looked in the sound and saw a fist-sized stone in the corner of the passage emitting a faint light, like stars in the dark, guiding the lost traveler.
"Everyone, come here!" Luo Xiaoyu waved her arms excitedly, as if she had discovered a new continent.
Everyone seemed to have grabbed the life-saving straw and gathered towards the light.
The people gathered again, looking at the stone emitting strange light, hope rekindled in their eyes.
"Let's attack that stone together!" The man in white said in a deep voice. He felt the power emerging again in his body. He held the sword in his hand tightly and pointed at the stone with his eyes firm.
Everyone agreed in unison, took out their weapons, aimed at the stone, accumulating strength, and preparing to launch a new round of attacks.
Luo Xiaoyu looked at everyone, and she felt the trust and admiration for her in everyone's eyes, and a heat surged into her heart.
Just as everyone was about to launch an attack, Elder Chen suddenly whispered: "This stone seems a bit strange."
Master Lingyin clasped his hands together and said softly: "Amitabha, perhaps, this is the key to breaking the mystery."
Wang Liehuo looked at the stone, his eyes full of curiosity and expectation. He couldn't wait to know what the secret of this stone was. He rubbed his hands excitedly, "What is this? This is the first time I have seen it!"
"No matter what, try it!" Luo Xiaoyu held the short knife in her hand tightly, her eyes firmly, and she looked at the man in white, "We, come together!"
The man in white nodded. He didn't say anything, but his eyes revealed that he thought so.
Everyone's weapons were all out, and their strength gathered on the luminous stone.
After a loud bang, the stones split into pieces, bursting out dazzling light, illuminating the entire passage.
At the same time, something strange happened - those puppets that were attacking wildly suddenly became slow and the mechanical clicking sound became intermittent.
Immediately afterwards, they actually began to attack each other!
The sharp metal claws were waving, and the harsh metal impact sounded, sparks splashing everywhere.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and this sudden change caught them off guard.
"What's going on?" Luo Xiaoyu asked in surprise, forgot to wave the short knife in her hand.
"Take back now!" The man in white made a quick decision and took the lead in slashing the puppet closest to him.
Only then did everyone react and seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack on the puppets that were in chaos.
The swords intersect, making a harsh metal rubbing sound.
Although the puppet is chaotic, its attack power cannot be underestimated.
Chapter completed!