Chapter 59: Dilemma in the Ruins: An Unexpected Turn

The gloomy entrance of the ruins, like the open, blood-stained maw of a giant beast, silently devoured all light.

A damp, decaying scent filled the air, inducing an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Chu Feng gripped the short blade in his hand, his gaze as sharp as a falcon's as he scanned the surrounding darkness.

Pan Yue followed closely behind, the faint green light of her healing incantation glowing in her palm, providing the most solid backing for the team.

The other members were also fully focused, as if deeply embroiled in a silent battle, every breath taken with extreme caution.

They had stepped once again into this perilous land, driven by the need to unravel the mystery behind the twisted spider mark.

In the dim corridor, the crisp sound of their boots treading on stone slabs echoed like the whispers of the Grim Reaper.

Professor Yan walked at the very front of the team, the needle of the compass in his hand spinning wildly, seemingly portending the dangers ahead.

From time to time, he stopped to carefully decipher the ancient scripts on the walls, his expression immensely focused, as if conversing with history.

Suddenly, a harsh sound of metallic friction broke the silence.

From countless dense holes on the walls flanking the corridor, a rain of sharp arrows shot forth.

The arrows whistled through the air with piercing sounds, lunging forward like a swarm of thirsty, venomous bees.

Chen Quan let out a roar, wielding his shield into an airtight iron curtain that blocked the majority of the arrows.

Sun Yue moved like a nimble shadow, weaving through the rain of arrows. Her dagger flashed with cold light at intervals, swatting down all the approaching projectiles.

However, this was only the beginning.

The traps were triggered one after another. The ground suddenly collapsed, revealing bottomless pits; scorching flames burst from the walls, dyeing the entire corridor a fiery red; and even massive boulders crashed down from the skies like meteorites.

The team members were plunged into a life-or-death struggle, trying their utmost to survive within the narrow margins between the traps.

Liu Yong relied on his knowledge of mechanics to find a weak spot in the traps at the critical moment, quickly disabling it and buying a sliver of survival for the team.

Wu Xia continuously issued warnings; drawing upon her rich experience, she anticipated the triggering of traps in advance, allowing the team to evade fatal assaults.

Trapped in a desperate situation, fate seemed to mock their powerlessness.

Yet, they did not give up, still searching for that glimmer of hope within the darkness.

Finally, after a grueling battle, the group broke free from the barrage of traps and arrived at a massive stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber stood a colossal altar, carved with various bizarre patterns.

Scattered around the altar were shattered pieces of armor and weapons, clearly bearing witness to a fierce battle that had once taken place here.

At that moment, Chu Feng suddenly sensed a familiar aura emanating from the corner of the stone chamber.

He whipped his head around, only to discover a figure standing there.

That figure had their back turned to them, facing the altar, engaged in some unknown activity.

"Who's there?" Chu Feng barked softly, a hint of vigilance lacing his tone.

The figure slowly turned around, revealing a familiar face with a bizarre smile playing at the corners of their mouth.

"It seems you came after all." Scorpion's voice echoed through the empty stone chamber, carrying the smugness of a successful conspiracy.

Scorpion's appearance instantly froze the already tense atmosphere into ice.

Chu Feng and his companions never imagined that this team, as cunning as vipers, was still lurking within the ruins.

"You didn't leave?" Chen Quan tightened his grip on his massive shield, his gaze fixed on Scorpion like a leopard eyeing its prey.

"Leave? Why would I leave? How could I bear to miss such an interesting game of cat and mouse?" Scorpion smiled contemptuously.

Yet, to the adventurers' further surprise, Scorpion did not launch an immediate attack, but instead walked toward them.

The members of his team also began to move in tacit coordination. Rather than launching a sneak attack, they started helping the adventurers disarm the remaining traps.

With the cooperation of Scorpion's team, the otherwise perilous traps ceased functioning one by one.

"What is the meaning of this?" Pan Yue asked in bewilderment, a trace of confusion in her voice.

"Cooperation, of course." Scorpion spread his hands with a hypocritical smile. "After all, we don't want to waste time here either."

Chu Feng did not let down his guard, secretly tightening his grip on his short blade.

However, at that very moment, the ground began to tremble.

Fissures cracked open across the ground surrounding the altar, and countless distorted black shadows crawled out, lunging toward the crowd like the tentacles of demons.

Those black shadows turned out to be terrifying malevolent wraiths!

They varied in form—some resembled humanoid skeletons, others beasts with sharp fangs and claws—and emitted a nauseating, rotting stench.

Their sheer numbers were like a tidal wave, instantly filling the entire stone chamber to the brim.

"Careful!" Chen Quan roared, raising his giant shield to block the vanguard of the group.

Yet, the number of wraiths was simply overwhelming. Like deranged beasts, they frantically gnawed at the shield, emitting hair-raising screeches.

Sun Yue's figure flickered among the wraiths, her dagger flashing like bolts of lightning, precisely harvesting their lives.

Liu Yong continuously hurled specially crafted explosive charges; the flames of the blasts reduced some wraiths to ashes, but even more surged forward like possessed demons.

Pan Yue's healing incantation emitted a gentle glow, continuously mending her teammates' injuries, though her beautiful face was etched with exhaustion.

Scorpion's team was likewise embroiled in a bitter struggle; despite their considerable strength, they appeared somewhat overwhelmed in the face of so many wraiths.

An oppressive atmosphere blanketed the entire stone chamber, filling everyone with a deep sense of despair.

At that moment, Chu Feng suddenly felt a powerful surge of energy pour into his body.

He looked down at his hands. The shadow incantation on the back of his hand seemed to come alive, emitting pulses of black light.

He took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute.

"It seems it's time to let these creatures witness true power," Chu Feng muttered to himself, a cold smile curling on his lips.

Black light poured from the shadow incantation on the back of Chu Feng's hand, rapidly spreading across his entire body and shrouding him in a layer of mystical shadows.

His figure seemed to merge with the darkness, yet radiated a heart-palpitating pressure.

He leaped fiercely, weaving through the horde of wraiths like a phantom. Every swing of his short blade unleashed a fierce arc of black light, acting like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, ruthlessly reaping the lives of the wraiths.

Sensing the formidable aura emanating from Chu Feng, the previously frantic wraiths let out terrified screeches and began to retreat instinctively.

However, Chu Feng's attack speed was too swift; the blade light pursued them like shadows, giving them no chance of escape.

"So strong!" Chen Quan gasped in involuntary admiration, having never witnessed such formidable incantation power.

The other members also wore looks of shock, not expecting Chu Feng to conceal such tremendous strength.

During an evasive maneuver, Pan Yue was scratched on the arm by a wraith's sharp claw, blood instantly staining her sleeve.

"Pan Yue!" Seeing this, Chu Feng's heart tightened. He flashed to her side, slew the wraith with a single slash, and pulled Pan Yue into his embrace.

"Are you alright?" Chu Feng asked, his tone laden with concern.

"I'm fine." Pan Yue shook her head, resting gently against Chu Feng's chest. Feeling the warmth radiating from him, an inexplicable sense of security swelled within her.

Led by Chu Feng, the morale of the adventurers soared. They fought valiantly, obliterating the wraiths wave after wave.

The wraiths in the chamber dwindled in number, and the bloody stench in the air gradually faded.

However, at that moment, Scorpion spoke up. "It seems our cooperation ends here." A cold, chilling curve touched the corners of his mouth.

The atmosphere in the stone chamber suddenly tightened at Scorpion's words, resembling the calm before a storm.

Chu Feng furrowed his brow, his grip on the short blade tightening further.

Professor Yan, the scholar who had been engrossed in ancient texts and patterns, suddenly underwent a drastic change in expression.

The compass in his hand vibrated violently, its needle spinning crazily as if interfered with by some immense power.

Pointing at an inconspicuous mural in the corner of the altar, he said with a trembling voice, "Look over there! Those patterns... they are identical to the mysterious person we encountered earlier! And they all bear the same armband—Scorpion and his men have them too, I didn't notice before!"

Following Professor Yan's direction, the members saw bizarre symbols carved onto the mural, alongside some vague humanoid figures.

Those humanoid figures bore an extreme resemblance to the mysterious individuals who had previously attacked them, and their armbands were identical to those worn by Scorpion's subordinates.

This made Chu Feng and the others realize immediately that Scorpion's appearance here was not accidental, but premeditated.

Some unspeakable connection existed between them and the mysterious figures.

"It looks like we've been played." Chen Quan gritted his teeth, his grip on his heavy shield producing a cracking sound.

"They didn't just want cooperation; they wanted to use us to break the deadlock and then seize the treasure." Sun Yue laid bare the truth, the playful smile on his face replaced by unprecedented gravity.

"They are likely even more dangerous than we imagined," Wu Xia analyzed calmly, her gaze sweeping over Scorpion and his subordinates.

At that moment, the ground began to shake violently. The entire stone chamber rocked, debris falling continuously from the ceiling as if to swallow them whole.

A powerful force emanated from the depths of the ruins, pressing heavily upon their nerves.

"What is going on?" Liu Yong looked up toward the depths of the ruins, a trace of panic appearing in his typically calm eyes.

"Oh no, something is coming out!" Professor Yan exclaimed in alarm. The needle of the compass in his hand had completely spun out of control, whirling frantically as if about to shatter.

The oppressive feeling in the air grew stronger, as though countless pairs of eyes were watching them from the dark.

The wraiths, which had grown quiet, began to stir restlessly once more, emitting low growls as if in fear of something.

Feeling the power of the incantation within his body, Chu Feng sheltered Pan Yue behind him, his gaze fixed resolutely on the depths of the ruins.

He had to protect his teammates; he would never allow anyone to harm them.

A playful smile played on Scorpion's face as he gazed toward the center of the stone chamber. "The good show... is about to begin," he whispered.

Just as his voice fell, a deafening roar echoed from the depths of the ruins.