From cute to empress

Chapter 219 Mysterious Guardian

In the darkness, those green eyes made me cringe. I subconsciously hid behind Zhen Youcai, clutching the "Heavenly Book" tightly.

"Don't be afraid, Mengmeng." Zhen Youcai whispered to comfort me, and at the same time cautiously asked in the direction of the voice, "Who are you?"

"Young man, don't be nervous. I've been waiting for you here for a long time." The voice sounded old and weak, but with an indescribable majesty.

In the dim light, we finally saw the person who was speaking. He was an old man in a gray robe, skinny and with white hair and beard. He looked as if a gust of wind could blow him down. But his eyes were bright and seemed to contain endless wisdom.

"You are..." I spoke hesitantly, my heart full of doubts.

"I, Ghost Hand Scholar, am the guardian of this cave," the old man said slowly, "and I am here to guide you in obtaining the inheritance."

Ghost Hand Scholar?! I was shocked. Isn't this the mysterious military advisor who has always helped us but never showed up? Why is he here?

As if seeing through my thoughts, the Ghost Hand Scholar smiled slightly: "I know you have many questions, but now is not the time to explain. Follow me, the place of inheritance is just ahead."

After saying this, he stood up shakily and turned to walk deeper into the cave. Zhen Youcai and I exchanged glances, each seeing surprise and confusion in the other's eyes, but we followed without hesitation.

The cave twisted and turned, and we followed the Ghost Hand Scholar for a long time before finally arriving at a spacious cavern. In the center of the cavern stood a massive stone platform, above which hovered a dazzling orb.

"This is the place where the inheritance is passed down." The Ghost Hand Scholar pointed at the stone platform and said, "As long as you place the 'Heavenly Book' into the groove on the stone platform, the inheritance will begin."

I took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, took out the "Heavenly Book" from my arms, and slowly walked towards the stone platform. However, just as I was about to touch the stone platform, something strange happened!

The originally peaceful cave suddenly shook violently, and countless sharp stone spikes emerged from the ground and the ceiling, blocking our retreat.

"Hahaha! Want to inherit the legacy? Dream on!" A cold voice echoed in the cave, "Be my sacrifice!"

I looked up in horror, and saw a figure in a black robe and a hideous mask appear at the entrance of the cave...

"Black Evil!" Zhen Youcai spat out these two words with gritted teeth, and the long sword in his hand made a clear sound, obviously he was ready for battle.

My heart tightened. Heisha, this name is familiar to me. He has been hiding in the shadows, plotting to overthrow my rule and seize the entire country. I didn't expect him to dare to appear here in person. It seems he is determined to obtain the inheritance!

"If you want to live, hand over the Heavenly Book!" Heisha's voice was as cold and piercing as if it came from the Netherworld. "Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Don't even think about it!" I refused without hesitation, tightly holding the "Book of Heaven" in my hand. This not only concerns my personal safety, but also the fate of the entire country. I will never compromise!

Heisha sneered, stopped talking nonsense, and waved his hand. The man in black behind him pounced on him like a hungry wolf.

The cave was cramped, forcing us to retreat to the stone platform, where we faced a desperate battle. Zhen Youcai wielded his sword like a tiger descending from the mountains, his every strike fierce and devastating. In a flash, several men in black fell to his sword.

However, there were simply too many men in black, all highly skilled in martial arts, and we gradually lost ground. While I lacked Zhen Youcai's skill, I couldn't just sit there and wait for death. I calmly observed my surroundings, hoping to find a way out.

"Mengmeng, be careful!" Zhen Youcai shouted, pulling me back from the edge of distraction. It turned out that a man in black had taken advantage of the fight between Zhen Youcai and me and had actually circled behind me, trying to attack me!

At the critical moment, a black shadow flashed by, and the Ghost Hand Scholar appeared in front of me at some point. His skinny palm was like an iron clamp, firmly gripping the neck of the man in black.

"Cough cough..." The man in black struggled, but could not make any sound and soon died.

"Thank you, senior!" I looked at the Ghost Hand Scholar with gratitude, and my heart felt a little relieved.

The Ghost Hand Scholar shook his head and said nothing. Instead, he turned to face Heisha and said in a deep voice, "Heisha, why don't you stop? You should know that inheritance is not something you can control!"

"Hmph, old man, stop pretending!" Heisha roared, "When I get the inheritance, I'll kill you first!"

"You are so stubborn!" The Ghost Hand Scholar snorted coldly, his figure flashed, and he actually took the initiative to attack the Black Evil.

I was stunned by the scene in front of me. I always thought that the Ghost Hand Scholar was just a resourceful military strategist, but I didn’t expect that his martial arts skills were so powerful!

The battle between Ghost Hand Scholar and Black Demon was earth-shattering, the powerful internal energy fluctuations causing the entire cave to shake violently. Zhen Youcai and I didn't dare to intervene. We could only fend off the attacks of the other men in black while anxiously observing the battle.

"We can't go on like this. We must find a way to break out!" I said to Zhen Youcai. If we continue like this, we will be exhausted to death sooner or later.

Zhen Youcai nodded, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. Suddenly, his gaze fell on an inconspicuous corner below the stone platform. There seemed to be something unusual there...

"Mengmeng, cover me!" Zhen Youcai growled and rushed towards the bottom of the stone platform...

Zhen Youcai's voice exploded in my ears, and before I could react, he had already rushed out like an arrow from a bow. The man in black had clearly not anticipated his sudden turn, and he had instantly cleared a path for me. I didn't dare to delay, brandishing my dagger and following closely behind him.

"Mengmeng, come here!" Zhen Youcai's voice came from under the stone platform. I hurriedly followed him and saw that he was squatting in front of a huge rock, pushing something hard.

"Youcai, what are you doing?" I asked anxiously while fending off the attacks of the men in black.

"There's a trap here!" Zhen Youcai's forehead was already covered with sweat, but he still didn't give up. "Come and help me!"

I didn't dare to delay and rushed forward to help. Together, we pushed the boulder open a gap.

"Come in quickly!" Zhen Youcai pushed me in and followed me in.

We heard angry roars from the men in black behind us, but soon, the sounds were isolated outside the stone gate.

I looked around in shock, and found that there was a different world here!

This is a spacious stone chamber with exquisite mythical beast patterns carved on the surrounding walls. In the center is a high platform with an ancient stone box placed on the platform.

"Could this be..." I covered my mouth and looked at everything in front of me in disbelief.

"That's right, we finally found it!" Zhen Youcai's eyes were also full of excitement. He walked quickly to the platform and carefully opened the stone box.

In the stone box, an ancient book lay quietly, with the two big words "Heavenly Book" written on the cover.

We finally found the place where the ancient books were passed down, but things were not as simple as we thought.

"If you want to obtain the inheritance, you must solve the puzzle." The Ghost Hand Scholar came to our side at some point and said, pointing to a line of small words on the bottom of the stone box.

I looked closely and saw a line of strange symbols engraved on the bottom of the stone box, like some ancient writing that I had never seen before.

"What kind of text is this?" I turned to look at the Ghost Hand Scholar, hoping he could give us an answer.

The Ghost Hand Scholar shook his head. "I don't recognize it either, but it should be an ancient formation. Only by unlocking it can we obtain the true power of the 'Heavenly Book'."

Just as we were about to study these symbols carefully, a cold breath suddenly came from the door of the stone chamber.

"Do you think you can inherit this way?"

Heisha's voice echoed in the stone chamber like a ghost. Zhen Youcai and I exchanged glances, and a sense of foreboding suddenly rose in our hearts...

Black Demon?! My heart sank, a chill running from my feet to my skull. He's not dead?! And he even chased me all the way here?!

I looked back in horror and saw Heisha dressed in black, standing at the door of the stone chamber like a ghost. His sinister eyes swept over the three of us and finally fell on the stone box containing the "Heavenly Book". His greed was not concealed at all.

"Want to inherit the legacy? Dream on!" Heisha's cold voice echoed in the stone chamber, bringing with it a chilling chill. He flashed, transforming into a black shadow, and headed straight for the "Heavenly Book" on the stone platform.

"Don't even think about it!" Zhen Youcai roared, drawing his sword to meet him. However, Heisha's speed was astonishing. Before Zhen Youcai's sword could fall, Heisha had already circled behind him, his five fingers forming claws, and went straight for Zhen Youcai's back.

"Be careful!" I screamed, but I was powerless to stop him. At the critical moment, the Ghost Hand Scholar suddenly moved. He stood behind Zhen Youcai like a ghost, and with his hands forming seals, a golden light instantly repelled the Black Evil.

"Ghost Hand Scholar, do you want to meddle in other people's business?" Heisha was shocked back several steps, steadied his body, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.

"Heisha, you have done so many evil things, and today I will enforce justice on the behalf of Heaven!" The ghost-handed scholar said righteously, with golden light flashing in his hands, and it was obvious that he was ready for battle.

"You think you can stop me? You're overestimating yourself!" Heisha sneered, his body swirling with black energy, like a beast ready to devour its prey. "Today, all of you must die!"

Before he finished speaking, Heisha attacked again. This time, his target was me! I knew that Heisha's target was the "Heavenly Book", and I was the key to obtaining it. As long as he captured me, he could use me to threaten Zhen Youcai and the Ghost Hand Scholar.

"Meng Meng!" Zhen Youcai exclaimed, trying to come over to help me, but was forced back by Heisha's attack. I knew I couldn't just sit there and wait for death, so I quickly brandished my dagger and met Heisha's attack.