From cute to empress

Chapter 348 The Secret Behind the Ancestral Temple

"Your Majesty, be careful!" I heard the guards' exclamation. Before I could react, my body was already plummeting. In that critical moment, a strong arm wrapped around my waist. I looked up and met Zhen Youcai's resolute gaze: "Don't be afraid, I'm here." He guided me to cling to the protruding rocks on the cliff face, and we were saved.

Yingchoujian lived up to its reputation. We fought our way through the thorns and finally arrived at the mountain behind the ancestral temple. There was a hidden cave entrance in the mountain, a different world.

"Looks like this is their lair," Zhen Youcai said solemnly. We led the team in. The cave was full of winding paths and numerous traps, but fortunately we were well prepared, and our scouts, with their exceptional reconnaissance skills, were able to resolve each crisis one by one.

"Watch your step!" I had just reminded him when the guard walking in front accidentally triggered the mechanism. Countless poisonous arrows shot out from the wall. We dodged in a hurry, but some people were still injured and fell to the ground.

"Cover me, I'll destroy the mechanism!" Zhen Youcai acted decisively. Sword in hand, he rushed to the wall like a flash of lightning, slashing through several ropes connecting the mechanisms. The poison arrows stopped firing, and we breathed a sigh of relief.

As we continued to explore, a strange aura permeated the air. Finally, we arrived at a vast cavern. In the center, a figure in a black robe stood with his back to us, performing some kind of ritual. Before him lay a massive crystal, emitting a faint blue light. Surrounding him stood several other figures, also in black robes.

"It's them!" I recognized them immediately. The man in black at the head was the Imperial Master who had performed the ritual on the altar that night. The crystal in his hand was exactly the same as the one used in the ritual that night!

"What are they doing?" the guard asked in a low voice.

"They are trying to use the power of the treasure to enhance their own strength." I lowered my voice and tightened my grip on the hilt of the sword. "We must stop them!"

Zhen Youcai nodded and was about to order an attack when he saw the Imperial Master suddenly turn around, his sinister eyes swept towards us, and a strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "You are finally here..."

"Kill!" Zhen Youcai shouted, rushing out first. The guards followed closely behind him. Swords clashed, and the shouts of killing were deafening. The originally silent cave instantly turned into a Shura field.

The enemy was well prepared. Although all of our people were highly skilled in martial arts, they were more numerous and had the support of formations, so we gradually fell into a disadvantage.

"Mengmeng, cover me while I deal with the Imperial Preceptor!" Zhen Youcai anxiously shouted to me, wielding his sword to block the incoming attack. I understood what he meant. The Imperial Preceptor was their leader and the mastermind behind this conspiracy. If we could subdue him, we could disrupt their offensive.

I nodded, silently chanting a spell, and a raging fire ignited in my palm. The flames transformed into a fiery dragon, sweeping towards the enemy. Screams echoed one after another, and I took the opportunity to rush to Zhen Youcai's side, standing back to back with him, resisting the enemy's attacks.

"Mengmeng, be careful!" Zhen Youcai suddenly yelled, shoving me away. A sharp arrow grazed my cheek, and I turned back in shock to see a feathered arrow lodged in Zhen Youcai's shoulder, blood staining his shirt.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" Zhen Youcai gritted his teeth and pulled out the feather arrow, enduring the pain and saying, "We must get rid of the Imperial Master as soon as possible!"

I nodded, no longer hesitating, and mobilized all my spiritual energy. The flames grew stronger and stronger, illuminating the entire cave. I waved my arms, controlling the flames, forcing the enemy back and creating an opportunity for Zhen Youcai.

Zhen Youcai seized the opportunity and rushed towards the Imperial Master regardless of everything. The Imperial Master was not to be outdone and waved the crystal in his hand in a desperate fight with Zhen Youcai.

The two figures intertwined, the flashing of swords and sabers dazzled me. I didn't dare to step forward to help, for fear that an accidental injury would harm Zhen Youcai.

As time passed, Zhen Youcai gradually lost ground. The Imperial Master's strength seemed endless, while Zhen Youcai was physically exhausted due to his injuries.

"Ah——" Zhen Youcai roared, and with all his strength, stabbed the imperial teacher with a sword.

The Imperial Master was unable to dodge and was stabbed in the chest. The crystal flew out of his hand, and the dark blue light disappeared in an instant. The Imperial Master let out a scream, and his body fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string.

"Success!" I ran to Zhen Youcai happily and supported his shaky body.

Zhen Youcai's face was solemn. He pulled me behind him and looked warily at the Imperial Master lying on the ground. He said in a deep voice, "Be careful, he's not dead yet!"

Before I could react, the Imperial Master suddenly opened his eyes, filled with malice and madness. He muttered something, his hands rapidly forming seals, and a powerful dark force gushed out of him, enveloping Zhen Youcai and me...

"Zhen Youcai..." I shouted in horror, but found that my voice was getting smaller and smaller, and everything in front of me was getting more and more blurred... The darkness swallowed up everything, and I felt dizzy, as if my soul was sucked into the bottomless abyss.

"Zhen Youcai!" I groped in the darkness, calling his name in panic, but only heard my own hollow echo.

"Mengmeng, don't be afraid, I'm here." A familiar voice came from not far away. I felt like I had grabbed a life-saving straw and stumbled towards the direction of the voice.

In the darkness, I felt a cold, hard wall. The wall exuded a disgusting stench, like the rotting corpse of some creature. I suppressed my nausea and groped along the wall, hoping to find an exit.

"Zhen Youcai, where are you?" I lowered my voice, afraid of disturbing something terrible.

"I'm here, Mengmeng." Zhen Youcai's voice came again, with a hint of weakness, "I seem to be injured."

My heart tightened, and I quickened my pace until I finally found him. He was leaning against the cold wall, breathing weakly. I felt a sticky patch on his arm, and I immediately understood something.

"Are you hurt? Where are you hurt?" My voice trembled, and my heart was full of worry and self-blame. If he hadn't protected me, he wouldn't have been hurt.

"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious." Zhen Youcai forced a smile and comforted me, "Don't worry, we will definitely get out."

I fumbled to take out the tinder from my pocket, trying to light it to illuminate the darkness, but found that I couldn't light a fire.

"It's useless. Everything here is shrouded in dark forces. We can't use any spells or martial arts." Zhen Youcai's voice sounded particularly calm in the darkness.

My heart sank, despair surging like a tide, enveloping me tightly. We were trapped in a completely unfamiliar and dangerous space, unable to use any power. How was this any different from waiting to die?

"Mengmeng, don't be afraid. Even without magic, I will protect you." Zhen Youcai held my hand. His hand was icy cold, but it gave me infinite strength.

"Zhen Youcai, do you think we can really get out?" I snuggled up to him, with a hint of tears in my voice.

"It will definitely work," Zhen Youcai said firmly. "We've been through so many hardships together, and we've made it through it all. We'll definitely be able to do it this time too."

His words were like a ray of light in the darkness, illuminating the hope in my heart. I held his hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm, feeling his heartbeat, and feeling his presence.

Yes, we can definitely get out of this! We still have each other, we still have love, and we still have faith. These are the forces that support us to keep going.

We are groping in the darkness, looking for a way out. We know that only by overcoming this difficulty can we truly usher in the dawn of victory.

Suddenly, I felt like I stepped on something...

I carefully moved my foot away, squatted down, and gently touched it with my hand. It was a cold, hard object, with an uneven surface, like some kind of carving. I groped it, trying to identify its shape, but I had no idea.

"What is it?" Zhen Youcai noticed my movements and asked softly.

“I don’t know,” I shook my head, running my fingertips along the cold surface. “It looks like a statue, but I can’t identify it.”

We groped around and discovered that the statue was so massive that it would require at least four or five people to hug it. It stood silently in the darkness, emitting an unsettling aura, as if it were the guardian of this dark space.

"Could it be a mechanism?" A thought flashed through my mind. If I could find a way to open the mechanism, perhaps I could find an exit.

"It's possible." Zhen Youcai's voice was also filled with excitement. "Let's split up and look for any clues."

We felt along the base of the statue, hoping to find buttons or grooves, but found nothing except a cold, smooth surface.

"That's strange," I said, a little discouraged. "There's nothing here."

"Don't worry, we'll look for it carefully again." Zhen Youcai comforted.

At this moment, my hand touched the chest of the statue and felt a dent there. I was delighted and quickly called Zhen Youcai over.

"There seems to be something here!" I said excitedly.

We pressed our palms together into the depression, and a powerful suction instantly sucked us in...

After a dizzying moment, we fell heavily to the ground, and before our eyes there was a bright light. Before we could react, an old and majestic voice rang in our ears:

"Who are you? Why are you trespassing into the forbidden area?"