85: Chapter 85 Apocalypse Secret Realm

Early the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, that fellow Qin Wuji dragged me out from under the covers.

"Chen Ergou, are you a pig? What time do you think it is, and you're still sleeping!" Qin Wuji's stinking face zoomed in before my eyes, scaring me into sitting up with a jolt.

"Damn it, Senior Brother Qin, take it easy! My old bones can't handle being tossed around like this!"

"Stop the chatter and hurry up and get ready. President Ye is already waiting at the door." Qin Wuji threw a set of equipment at me. "Put this on. Elder Mo prepared it specially for you."

I took the equipment, and my eyes went wide.

[Tianqi Explorer Set] [Grade: Rare] [Defense: +150] [Special Effect: Movement speed in Secret Realm +20%, trap damage taken -30%]

"Good stuff!" I immediately changed into it, feeling much more energized.

Once ready, the three of us gathered at the entrance of the Sword Pavilion. Ye Liuli was wearing a tight-fitting combat outfit today, outlining her graceful figure, with two short swords tucked at her waist, looking heroic and spirited.

"Everyone is here, let's go." Qin Wuji took the lead, guiding us toward the underground of Tianqi City.

The entrance to the Tianqi Secret Realm was located beneath the oldest building in Tianqi City—the Apocalypse Sanctuary. It is said that this sanctuary was built hundreds of years ago and is one of the earliest structures in Tianqi City.

"Senior Brother Qin, have you ever been into the Secret Realm?" I asked as we walked.

"No." Qin Wuji shook his head. "For hundreds of years, very few people who went in have ever come out alive. This time, we're crossing the river by feeling the stones."

"Then why are you so calm, old man?"

"What else can I be if not calm?" Qin Wuji rolled his eyes at me. "Is crying and screaming going to help?"

"...Fair point."

Arriving beneath the Apocalypse Sanctuary, we stopped in front of an ancient stone wall. The wall was covered in complex runes, and in the center was a groove shaped like a sword.

"This is the entrance." Qin Wuji pulled a jade pendant from his pocket and placed it into the groove. "It requires a special key to open."

The moment the jade pendant was placed into the groove, the runes on the stone wall began to glow. After a rumble, the stone wall slowly parted to the sides, revealing a deep, dark passage.

"Let's go." Qin Wuji took a deep breath and walked in first.

Ye Liuli and I exchanged glances and followed closely behind.

The passage was pitch black, with only the occasional glowing fluorescent stone on the walls providing a faint light. The air was filled with a damp, musty smell, mixed with an indescribable, dangerous aura.

"Everyone be careful, traps might be right under our feet." Qin Wuji warned.

We walked forward cautiously. After about ten minutes, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

"This is..." I widened my eyes.

Appearing before us was a long corridor. The sides of the corridor were smooth stone walls, but the floor was covered in dense grids, with different patterns on each square.

"A trap corridor." Qin Wuji's expression was grave. "One wrong step, and you'll trigger a trap."

I squatted down to examine the squares carefully and found that the patterns were varied, with stars, moons, suns, clouds, and all sorts of strange symbols.

"System, can you analyze a safe path?"

[Ding! Analyzing... Analysis failed. This trap mechanism exceeds the system's current level of analysis.]

"Damn, failing me at a critical moment!"

I scratched my head, looking at the dense grids, and my head started to ache. If we had to test them one by one, we'd be here until the end of time.

"How about... we just force our way through?" I suggested. "I've got thick skin, let me try first."

"Are you looking to die?" Ye Liuli glared at me. "Who knows how powerful these traps are? What if..."

"Then what do we do? We can't just stand here staring at it, can we?"

Just as I was worrying, a flash of inspiration hit me, and I pulled a die out of my backpack.

That was a "lucky die" I had picked up at a street stall for five copper coins. The seller said it was an antique that could bring good luck. I bought it just for fun at the time, but I never expected it to come in handy now.

"What are you doing with that thing?" Qin Wuji looked completely confused.

"Trying my luck." I grinned. "Since we don't know which way to go anyway, might as well let Heaven decide."

With that, I tossed the die onto the ground.

The die rolled a few times and finally stopped on a number—six.

"Six squares..." I counted. "That means the sixth square."

I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, and stepped onto it.

"Ergou!" Ye Liuli gasped.

However, nothing happened.

"Huh? Nothing?" I jumped up and down in surprise. "Looks like Heaven is looking out for me!"

"Coincidence, probably..." Qin Wuji's mouth twitched.

"Whether it's a coincidence or not, as long as it works!" I excitedly picked up the die. "Continue!"

I threw the die a few more times, moving forward according to the number each time. Strangely enough, this lousy die actually pointed the right way every time, and we passed through the trap corridor without any danger.

"This... this works too?" Qin Wuji's look at me changed. "Your luck is too good, isn't it?"

"Hehe, this is called the protagonist's halo, get it?" I shook my head smugly.

Ye Liuli shook her head helplessly, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

Passing through the trap corridor, we arrived at a larger stone chamber. In the center of the chamber stood a massive stone statue, looking lifelike.

"This is..." Just as I wanted to get closer to take a look, the stone statue suddenly moved!

"Careful! It's a guardian beast!" Qin Wuji shouted and drew his sword.

The stone skin on the statue's surface fell off, revealing a blue-gray body underneath. It was a giant gargoyle, its wings spanning five or six meters, its sharp claws gleaming with a cold light.

[Gargoyle] [Level: 30] [HP: 8000/8000] [Skills: Petrifying Gaze, Rock Throw, Earth Tremor]

"Level 30!" I swallowed hard. "Higher than all of us!"

"What are you afraid of? It's three against one!" Qin Wuji charged forward first. "President Ye, you're responsible for ranged harassment. Ergou, find an opportunity to sneak attack!"

"Understood!"

The battle erupted instantly. Qin Wuji's swordsmanship was incredibly fierce, each strike carrying whistling sword qi, leaving wound after wound on the gargoyle. Ye Liuli was agile, her two short swords dancing like butterflies, focusing on the gargoyle's vital points.

I circled to the side, looking for an opening.

"Petrifying Gaze!" The gargoyle suddenly opened its mouth, and two grayish-white beams shot toward Qin Wuji. Qin Wuji reacted extremely quickly, rolling to dodge, but his shoulder was still grazed, instantly covered in a layer of gray stone skin.

"Senior Brother Qin!"

"I'm fine, just a small injury!" Qin Wuji gritted his teeth and continued to attack.

"I'll help you!" I pulled out a talisman. "Great strength creates miracles!"

The talisman turned into a golden light, enveloping Qin Wuji. His attack power instantly skyrocketed, and with one slash, he struck the gargoyle's wing, cutting a deep wound.

"Well done, Ergou!" Qin Wuji praised loudly.

"That's right!" I responded smugly, simultaneously tossing out another talisman. "President Ye, take this!"

Ye Liuli's body was also enveloped in a layer of golden light, her speed and attack power significantly increased.

The three of us worked in perfect coordination, driving the gargoyle back steadily. Finally, Qin Wuji seized the opportunity and stabbed his sword into the gargoyle's heart, ending the battle.

[Ding! Killed Level 30 Gargoyle, gained 5000 EXP!]

"Whew... finally done." I sat on the ground, panting heavily.

Qin Wuji was also quite injured, but his spirits were still good. He walked up to me and offered a rare smile: "You kid, you've really got some skills. That talisman buff is pretty good."

"Hehe, of course, don't you know who I am." I patted my chest. "The Prince of Street Stalls, Chen Ergou!"

"Look at you." Ye Liuli rolled her eyes at me, but her eyes held a hint of admiration.

After resting for a while, we continued forward.

Passing through the stone chamber, a huge stone door appeared ahead. There were three grooves carved into the door, seemingly requiring something to open it.

"Looks like this is it." Qin Wuji said. "The Apocalypse Sanctuary should be right behind this door."

We joined forces to push open the stone door, and the sight before us left us stunned.

It was a magnificent hall with a dome reaching high into the clouds, and the surrounding walls were covered in exquisite reliefs. In the center of the hall, on a high platform, was a giant sword emitting a golden light.

The sword was golden all over, its blade covered in complex runes, and a huge gem embedded in the hilt emitted a soft light. Even from such a distance, we could feel its overwhelming power.

[apocalypse holy sword] [Grade: Legendary] [Attack Power: +2000] [Special Effect: Damage to Shadow-type creatures +100%, can release the skill "Light of Tianqi" to purify all darkness]

"Found it!" I was so excited I almost jumped up. "The apocalypse holy sword!"

"Don't get excited." Qin Wuji grabbed me. "Look around that sword."

I looked closely and discovered that the apocalypse holy sword was covered by a golden light barrier, with complex runes flowing across it—clearly a powerful seal.

"There's a seal." Ye Liuli frowned. "How do we break it?"

Just then, an ancient voice echoed in the hall: "To obtain the apocalypse holy sword, you must solve three riddles. For every riddle answered correctly, the seal will loosen. Only when all three are answered correctly can the sword be taken."

"Riddles?" I scratched my head. "I'm familiar with this routine!"

"First riddle:" The voice continued. "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"

When I heard that, I almost laughed out loud. Isn't this the Riddle of the Sphinx? Are they testing me with this?

"The answer is man!" I said loudly. "In infancy, one crawls on four legs; in adulthood, one walks on two; and in old age, one uses a cane, which is three legs!"

As soon as I finished speaking, the golden light barrier flickered, and its glow dimmed slightly.

"You got it right!" Ye Liuli said pleasantly surprised.

"Easy peasy." I shook my head smugly.

"Second riddle:" The voice sounded again. "I have cities but no houses, mountains but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I?"

"A map!" I blurted out.

The light barrier flickered again, and the glow dimmed even further.

"Right again!" Qin Wuji's look at me changed. "Ergou, your brain works pretty fast!"

"Of course, what kind of people haven't I seen and what kind of riddles haven't I heard while running a street stall?" I chuckled.

"Third riddle..." The voice paused, as if brewing something.

Just then, the entire hall suddenly began to shake!

"What's going on?" Ye Liuli exclaimed.

"Not good!" Qin Wuji's expression changed drastically. "Someone triggered the outside traps and is coming this way!"

"It's the people from the Shadow Pavilion!" I realized immediately. "They've found us!"

The shaking became more and more intense, and gravel began to fall from the ceiling. The ancient voice sounded again, but this time with a hint of urgency: "Third riddle: What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?"

"This..." I froze for a moment, my brain racing. What belongs to me, but others use more than I do? A name!

"The answer is a name!" I shouted.

However, this time the light barrier did not react.

"Wrong answer?" I was stunned.

"Think again!" Ye Liuli said anxiously.

The shaking grew stronger, and footsteps could be heard in the distance. The people from the Shadow Pavilion were about to arrive!

"Hurry, Ergou!" Qin Wuji urged.

I was sweating profusely, my brain a mess. What belongs to me, but others use more than I do? It's not a name, then what is it? Time? No. Life? Also no.

The footsteps were getting closer; I could even hear the voices of the people from the Shadow Pavilion.

"They are right ahead!" "Hurry, don't let them get the holy sword!"

"Damn it!" I gritted my teeth. "What the hell is it?"

Just at this critical moment, a flash of inspiration hit me— "The answer is 'your name'!" I shouted. "No, wait, it's 'name'! No, that's not it... it's... it's..."

"What is it exactly?" Ye Liuli stomped her feet in anxiety.

"It's 'yours'!" I suddenly realized. "No, it's... it's 'name'!"

"You already said that, it's wrong!"

"Then... then it is..."

The footsteps had reached the door, the stone door was slammed open, and a group of black-clad figures rushed in!

"It's over..." I closed my eyes in despair.

Just at this life-or-death moment, that ancient voice suddenly sounded: "The answer is correct."

What?

I opened my eyes, and before I could react, the golden light barrier suddenly shattered, and the apocalypse holy sword let out a crisp ring, flying automatically into my hand!

"This..." I gripped the hilt, feeling that massive power surge into my body, and I was completely stunned.

"Chen Ergou, die!" The leader of the black-clad figures shouted and lunged at me.

I instinctively raised the apocalypse holy sword, the runes on the blade instantly lit up, and a golden light shot into the sky!

"Light of Tianqi!"

Wherever the golden light passed, those black-clad figures let out miserable screams, the shadow power on their bodies was completely purified, and they all fell to the ground, unable to move.

"So... so strong!" I looked at the holy sword in my hand in shock.

"Run!" Qin Wuji shouted. "This place is collapsing!"

Only then did I realize that the entire hall was shaking more and more violently, cracks were appearing on the dome, and large chunks of stone were falling down.

"Retreat!"

The three of us, clutching the apocalypse holy sword, ran desperately toward the exit.

Behind us, the Apocalypse Sanctuary gradually collapsed amidst the roaring sound...