56: Unveiling the ruins, clues gradually emerge

After Jun Xiaoyao and the others defeated the Stone Man, they continued deeper along the passage. The passage became increasingly narrow, and strange lights flickered on the surrounding walls as if telling ancient stories. As they moved forward, an increasingly mysterious aura brushed against their faces. Everyone could feel that they were getting closer to the secret of the Ancient Seal.

However, the Cult Master of the Dark Holy Cult was still in hot pursuit. As he chased them, he felt secretly annoyed. He hadn't expected this operation to go so poorly; the people from Beyond Heaven always managed to turn danger into safety. "Hmph, I'll see where else you can hide!" He urged his cultists to quicken their pace, swearing to intercept Jun Xiaoyao and the others before they could uncover the secret.

As Jun Xiaoyao and the others walked, a massive stone chamber suddenly appeared ahead. The floor of the stone chamber was covered in complex runes, while the walls were painted with vivid murals. These murals depicted a thrilling Ancient War: on one side were righteous warriors in strange attire, and on the other were evil forces shrouded in darkness. At the end of the battle, the righteous warriors joined forces to Seal the evil power within a massive vortex, which was strikingly similar to the black vortex that had previously appeared in the sky.

"It seems this is the detailed record of the Ancient Seal," Jun Xiaoyao said. Everyone gathered around, carefully observing the murals and runes.

Fu Hongxue pointed to a detail on the mural and said, "Master, look. These righteous warriors seem to have successfully sealed the evil power by relying on some kind of mysterious force. But the mural doesn't explicitly mention what this mysterious force is."

West Gate Blows Snow also said thoughtfully, "Furthermore, judging by the arrangement of these runes, there seems to be a hidden method for breaking the Ancient Seal or strengthening it. But these runes are too complex to decipher in a short time."

Just as everyone was focused on studying the murals and runes, footsteps were suddenly heard from behind. "Not good, the people from the Dark Holy Cult have caught up!" Qiao Feng said alertly.

Jun Xiaoyao reacted quickly: "Qiao Feng, Fu Hongxue, you two block the Dark Holy Cult at the entrance of the stone chamber and try to stall for time. West Gate Blows Snow, Ye Gucheng, you will continue studying the runes with me to find key clues as quickly as possible. The rest of you, stay on guard to prevent the enemy from launching a sneak attack from other directions."

"Yes!" Everyone acted quickly. Qiao Feng and Fu Hongxue held their weapons and stood at the entrance of the stone chamber like two door gods, waiting in full battle array. The Cult Master of the Dark Holy Cult soon appeared at the end of the passage with his cultists.

"You lot, today is the day you die!" Seeing Jun Xiaoyao and the others, a look of ruthlessness flashed in the eyes of the Cult Master of the Dark Holy Cult. He waved his Magic Wand, and a pillar of black flame shot toward Qiao Feng and Fu Hongxue.

Qiao Feng performed the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, and a golden Dragon-shaped palm print collided with the black flame pillar with a loud boom. Fu Hongxue took the opportunity to swing his long saber, and the Saber Qi of the Bright Moon Blade of the Horizon slashed toward the Cult Master of the Dark Holy Cult like a black crescent moon.

The Cult Master snorted coldly and flickered away, dodging Fu Hongxue's Saber Qi while simultaneously commanding his cultists to attack Qiao Feng and Fu Hongxue together. For a moment, the sounds of battle cries and spiritual energy collisions filled the entire passage.

Meanwhile, inside the stone chamber, Jun Xiaoyao, West Gate Blows Snow, and Ye Gucheng were fully focused on studying the runes. Relying on his knowledge of ancient scripts and the clues previously obtained in the ruins, Jun Xiaoyao gradually discovered the patterns between the runes.

"Look, these runes seem to be arranged according to some principle of the Five Elements' mutual generation and destruction. If I'm not mistaken, by activating the runes in this order, we might find the key to unlocking the secret," Jun Xiaoyao said.

Hearing this, West Gate Blows Snow and Ye Gucheng carefully observed the runes and nodded in agreement. The three of them began to carefully activate the runes in the order Jun Xiaoyao had specified. As the runes were lit up one by one, a pillar of light suddenly rose from the center of the stone chamber, and some blurry images appeared within it.

"This is..." Everyone looked at the images in the pillar of light in surprise. An old man with white hair appeared in the images, his body emitting a soft glow. The old man spoke: "The Ancient Seal suppresses evil. To break this Seal, one must find the five elements spiritual objects and gather them here to unlock the mystery of the Seal. However, the power of the Seal is immense; one must be cautious when breaking it, otherwise evil will return and the Jianghu will fall into chaos."

As soon as he finished speaking, the pillar of light vanished, and the images disappeared as well. But everyone already understood the key information: to unlock the secret of the Ancient Seal, they needed to find the five elements spiritual objects.

"It seems we have finally found some key clues," Jun Xiaoyao said.

However, at this moment, the Cult Master of the Dark Holy Cult seemed to sense something unusual inside the stone chamber. "They must have discovered something! Speed up the attack and charge in!" He intensified his attacks on Qiao Feng and Fu Hongxue, attempting to break through the defensive line.

Jun Xiaoyao knew that time was of the essence. Once the people from the Dark Holy Cult broke in, all their previous efforts might be in vain. "Qiao Feng, Fu Hongxue, hold on a bit longer! West Gate Blows Snow, Ye Gucheng, let's find a way to stop the Dark Holy Cult from entering the stone chamber first."

Could they successfully withstand the attack of the Dark Holy Cult and safely leave the ruins with the key clues? Where exactly were the five elements spiritual objects? The situation in the Jianghu was becoming increasingly tense, and everything awaited Jun Xiaoyao and his companions to resolve...