43: Chapter 43 Who's there?

"Don't overthink it, keep moving forward," Chu Yang said in a deep voice.

They proceeded along the corridor when suddenly, a dark shadow flashed past from the side. Chu Yang swiftly drew his longsword, alertly scanning his surroundings.

"Who's there?" he shouted loudly.

A figure clad in a black robe slowly emerged from the shadows, a mysterious smile on his face. "Welcome to this ancient castle," his voice was low and carried a magnetic quality. "I am The Guardian of this place."

"Who are you? Why are you stopping us?" Bi Luo tightened her grip on the blade in her hand and asked coldly.

The Guardian chuckled lightly. "I am here to deliver a message. This ancient castle is The Guardian place of the Vermilion Bird's Heart. Only true heroes can pass the trials."

"What trials?" Chu Yang asked warily.

The Guardian pointed toward a door at the end of the corridor. "That is the way to the next trial. As long as you can pass all the tests, you will receive the ultimate reward."

As soon as the words were spoken, the door slowly creaked open, revealing a dim passageway.

"In that case, we accept your trial," Chu Yang said with determined eyes.

The Guardian smiled faintly, his figure disappearing into the darkness.

The group exchanged glances and resolutely stepped into that dim passage. They passed through one labyrinthine corridor after another, finally arriving at a spacious hall.

In the center of the hall was a massive stone platform. On the platform rested a crystal ball, surrounded by countless runes. Powerful magical fluctuations filled the air.

"It seems this is the first trial," Daoist Wangchuan observed the surroundings carefully. "These runes are extremely complex. We must find the correct method to pass."

Chu Yang stepped forward and gently touched the crystal ball. It suddenly lit up, and many points of light appeared on the surrounding walls.

"What is this?" Qing Luo exclaimed in surprise, looking at the changes around them.

"These light points are likely the key to unlocking the mechanism," Chu Yang analyzed. "We need to activate them in sequence to find the correct path."

Just as they were preparing to act, they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. Several villagers rushed in, their eyes filled with astonishment.

"You actually managed to find this place! That's truly amazing!" a young villager shouted excitedly.

"Yes, the legendary Vermilion Bird's Heart is here. Who would have thought someone could actually reach it!" another middle-aged villager said enviously.

"Thank you for the praise, but we still have much to do," Chu Yang responded with a smile. "We hope you can give us some time. We will complete the trial as soon as possible."

"Alright, we will pray for you and wish you success!" The villagers nodded one after another and stepped aside, full of anticipation.

Chu Yang turned to look at his companions. "Alright, let's begin."

The group began activating the light points one by one. With each activation, the glow of the crystal ball grew more dazzling. As time passed, more and more runes were activated, eventually forming a complete pattern.

Suddenly, the entire hall trembled, and a portal appeared in the center of the stone platform.

"We found it!" Qing Luo said excitedly.

"Quick, into the portal!" Chu Yang urged.

The group swiftly jumped into the portal, and the surrounding scenery changed once again. They found themselves in a massive chamber. On the four walls of the chamber were four recesses, each carved with a different symbol above it: wind, fire, thunder, earth.

"This room seems to require us to place something into these recesses," Nangong Han said thoughtfully.

At that moment, clamorous sounds came from outside the door. A group of enemies, weapons in hand, charged in.

"It's you lot again!" Chu Yang sneered coldly. "But this time, we will finish you off for good."

Battle erupted once more. Chu Yang and his companions quickly entered combat mode. Chu Yang's longsword darted like a flying dragon through gaps between enemies, each strike precise and accurate. Bi Luo brandished her long blade like a raging windstorm; enemies fell one by one under her attacks. Daoist Wangchuan's spells were like thunderous might, instantly suppressing the opponent's offensive. Nangong Han's whip was as agile as a snake; enemies who were even slightly inattentive would find themselves entangled and unable to move.

"It's truly unbelievable. Their combat strength is actually this powerful!" a villager hiding in a corner exclaimed in awe.

"These people are amazing!" another villager admired them wholeheartedly.

After a fierce battle, the enemies were finally defeated, leaving only the last leader struggling desperately.

"You think you can defeat us like this?" the leader roared, swinging a heavy battle axe towards Chu Yang.

Chu Yang nimbly dodged, countering with a sword thrust that forced his opponent back. "Your end has come!" he said sharply. Then, with a leap, he struck down the opponent's battle axe and, following through, knocked the leader to the ground.

"Excellent!" The watching villagers cheered excitedly.

Chu Yang took a deep breath and turned to his companions. "What should we do now?"

Daoist Wangchuan carefully studied the four recesses in the chamber. "Each recess corresponds to an element. We need to find corresponding treasures to place in them to solve the puzzle."

"Then let's act quickly!" Bi Luo said.

They split up to search for clues within the chamber. After some effort, they found four treasures representing wind, fire, thunder, and earth, carefully placing them into the recesses.

As the last treasure was placed, the entire chamber suddenly shook, the ground cracked open, and a new stone staircase appeared before them.

"This should be the path to the next level," Chu Yang said.

"I wonder what will happen next..." Qing Luo sounded somewhat worried.

"No matter what, we'll face it together," Chu Yang grasped her hand, his gaze firm.

"That's right, no difficulty can stop us," Nangong Han affirmed resolutely.

They descended along the stone staircase, their hearts filled with anticipation and vigilance.

Just then, faint, distant sobbing could be heard, as if a weak voice was calling out to them...

"Listen, who's crying?" Qing Luo asked, puzzled.

"Whoever it is, we'll know once we go see," Chu Yang said in a low voice, taking the lead and walking toward the direction of the sound.

They followed the sound all the way and finally discovered a girl curled up in a corner of a hidden small room. She looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing tattered clothes, her face streaked with tears, appearing utterly pitiful.

"Little Girl, what's wrong? Why are you alone here?" Chu Yang asked gently.

The girl raised her head, looking at Chu Yang and the others with tear-filled eyes, and sobbed, "I... my family was captured by bad people. I escaped alone. Please, I beg you, save my family!"