Weird Survival: I can devour thousands of talents

Chapter 185 184: Don’t order yet!

Ling Xiao gripped the torch tightly in his hand. The flame flickered in the humid air, casting a faint, flickering light. His footsteps echoed in the narrow cavernous passage, each step accompanied by the crunch of earth and rock. His heartbeat quickened with the torchlight. Though he tried to remain calm, the air of uncertainty and danger permeating the caverns strained his nerves to the breaking point.

"Ling Xiao, are you sure this is the right path?" Qi Heng's voice came from behind, a hint of uncertainty and worry. His eyes were particularly sharp in the torchlight, staring intently at Ling Xiao's back.

Ling Xiao stopped and turned to face Qi Heng and the other team members. His gaze was determined, though his heart was filled with doubt. "According to the map and the notes of our predecessors, this is the only way." His voice was low and powerful, trying to instill confidence in the team. "We must trust each other and work together to unlock the secrets of the catacombs."

The team members exchanged glances and finally nodded in agreement. They knew that only by working together could they survive in this cave full of traps and puzzles.

Continuing forward, they arrived at a massive stone gate. It was covered in strange symbols, like some ancient code. Ling Xiao approached, carefully examining the symbols, trying to find a clue to unlock the gate.

"These symbols... I seem to have seen them somewhere before," Ling Xiao muttered to himself, his brow furrowed as he tried to recall them. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Yes, this is the 'Star Code' mentioned in ancient texts!"

He quickly found the corresponding astrological patterns on the stone door and touched them in a specific order. As the last pattern was touched, the stone door made a heavy rumbling sound and slowly opened.

"Well done, Ling Xiao!" Qi Heng patted Ling Xiao's shoulder excitedly, and the other team members also smiled with satisfaction. They passed through the stone gate and came to a huge underground space. In the center was a deep pool, and a strange blue light floated on the water.

"What is this?" A team member stretched out his hand curiously, wanting to touch the light.

"Don't move!" Ling Xiao and Qi Heng shouted almost simultaneously, their voices filled with warning. Ling Xiao quickly pulled back the team member's hand and explained, "These lights might be some kind of mechanism. Touching them might trigger a trap."

They began to carefully observe the pool and discovered a complex mechanism beneath the surface. Ling Xiao and Qi Heng discussed it for a while and decided that Ling Xiao would dive in and find a way to disable the mechanism.

Ling Xiao took a deep breath and dove into the icy water. His eyes opened underwater, searching for clues. After some effort, he finally found the core of the mechanism—a massive crystal ball emitting a faint blue light.

He approached the crystal ball cautiously and discovered thin metal wires wrapped around it. Ling Xiao knew these wires were the key to controlling the mechanism. He gently severed one of them with his dagger, and the mechanism in the pool immediately stopped functioning, and the water returned to calm.

Ling Xiao surfaced and reported the good news to the team. They continued on, passing through the underground space and reaching the depths of the cave. Here, they discovered an even larger stone door with even more complex patterns carved on it.

"It seems that we need more wisdom and courage to solve this puzzle." Ling Xiao said to the team members, his voice full of determination.

Ling Xiao stood before the massive stone gate, his brow furrowed. The intricate patterns on the gate resembled a vast spider web, each line imbued with mystery and danger. He took a deep breath; the air, thick with the scent of dampness and earth, heightened his senses.

"The pattern on this door," Ling Xiao muttered to himself, his eyes wandering over the stone door, trying to find a clue to solve the mystery. His fingers gently touched each pattern on the stone door, feeling the cold and rough texture.

Qi Heng and the other team members gathered around Ling Xiao, their eyes fixed on the stone door. They knew that behind this door might be hidden the deepest secret of the cave, or perhaps their greatest crisis.

"These patterns... they seem to tell a story." Ling Xiao's voice was deep and powerful, his eyes gleaming with determination. "We need to find the starting point of the story to solve this mystery."

The team members began to examine the stone door carefully, their eyes dancing across the patterns, trying to capture every detail. Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and only their nervous breathing echoed in the cave.

Ling Xiao's gaze finally rested on an inconspicuous little pattern: a simple spiral shape. Compared to the other complex patterns, it seemed exceptionally simple. But his intuition told him that this spiral might be the key to solving the puzzle.

He reached out his hand, gently touched the spiral pattern, and then rotated it clockwise. As he rotated, the stone door vibrated slightly, then slowly moved to the side, revealing a narrow passage.

"Let's go." Ling Xiao's voice was firm and powerful, and he led the way into the passage. The air inside the passage was even more humid, and the sound of water dripping on the walls was clearly audible. The light from the torches flickered in the passage, casting long shadows.

They moved forward cautiously, each step filled with vigilance. At the end of the passage was a huge maze, the walls of which were also engraved with intricate patterns, as if another puzzle was waiting for them.

Ling Xiao stood at the entrance of the maze, his eyes wandering over the walls, trying to find a way in. He knew that this maze might be even more dangerous than the stone gate before, and every step could be a matter of life or death.

"We can't just go in blindly." Qi Heng's voice interrupted Ling Xiao's thoughts, his eyes filled with worry. "We need a plan."

Ling Xiao nodded, knowing that Qi Heng was right. They couldn't just enter the maze blindly, they had to find a way to crack the secret of the maze.

They began to carefully observe the walls of the maze, trying to find a pattern. Ling Xiao's eyes finally stopped at a recurring pattern: a trident shape, which repeated itself over and over on the walls of the maze.

"This trident," Ling Xiao muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming. "It could be the key to the maze."

He began to follow the guidance of the trident pattern. Whenever he encountered a fork in the road, he would choose the same direction as the trident pattern. As they went deeper, the light in the maze became dimmer and dimmer, and the light from the torches could hardly penetrate the darkness ahead.

Ling Xiao's heartbeat quickened in the darkness. He could sense the tension and fear of his teammates. Their footsteps echoed in the maze, like the whispers of some unknown creature.

Suddenly, they came to a large open space with a huge stone platform in the center. On the stone platform was an ancient treasure chest. The treasure chest was engraved with the same patterns as the walls of the maze, as if it was the end of the maze.

Ling Xiao and Qi Heng exchanged a glance. They knew this treasure chest could be the treasure they were looking for, or it could be a deadly trap. "We have to be careful," Ling Xiao's voice was deep and powerful, his eyes flashing with vigilance. "This treasure chest might not be simple."

They approached the treasure chest cautiously. Ling Xiao reached out and gently touched the surface of the treasure chest. His fingers felt the coldness and hardness of the treasure chest, and his heartbeat almost stopped at this moment.

The lid of the treasure chest slowly opened, revealing the light inside. It was not the light of gold or silver treasures, but a strange blue light that illuminated the entire open space, making all the patterns shine brightly.

"This is……"

Ling Xiao's voice was filled with surprise and awe, his eyes deeply attracted by the blue light. He knew that the contents of this treasure chest might be a miracle they had never seen before.

Ling Xiao stood before the treasure chest, the strange blue light pulsing in his pupils as if alive. His heartbeat synchronized with the light's rhythm, each beat seeming to awaken a dormant power within him. Qi Heng and the other team members stood behind him, their gazes also drawn to the mysterious light, a strange anticipation rising within them.

"What kind of power is this?" Ling Xiao whispered to himself, his hand involuntarily reaching out towards the blue light. As soon as his fingertips touched the light, a jolt of electricity instantly spread throughout his body, and his consciousness seemed to be pulled into a whole new dimension.

He saw the birth and destruction of stars, felt the passage of time and the distortion of space. His consciousness roamed in this ocean of light, every cell absorbing this power, and his body changed unconsciously.

Ling Xiao slowly opened his eyes, his gaze becoming even deeper, as if he could see through all the secrets of the world. He could feel the power surging within him, a power beyond that of ordinary people, a power that could rival the mysterious power within the cave.

"Ling Xiao, are you alright?" Qi Heng's voice woke Ling Xiao from his reverie. He turned around and faced Qi Heng and the other team members. He could sense the worry and curiosity in their eyes.

"I'm fine." Ling Xiao's voice was filled with a new confidence. "I feel a power, a power that can get us out of this cave."

The team members exchanged glances. Although they didn't understand what kind of power Ling Xiao was talking about, they chose to believe him. They knew that Ling Xiao had always been their leader, and his intuition had never let them down.

"So what should we do next?" asked a team member, his eyes wandering between Ling Xiao and the treasure chest.

Ling Xiao took a deep breath, his gaze resting on the treasure chest again. He knew this power wasn't just his, it belonged to all of them. He extended his hand, signaling the other team members to touch the blue light as well.

"Let us feel this power together." Ling Xiao's voice carried a new authority, and his orders were unquestionable.

One by one, the team members reached out their hands and touched the blue light. Their expressions gradually changed from initial surprise to joy. They could feel the changes in their bodies, and could feel the power flowing through them.

"This, this is..." Qi Heng's voice trembled a little. He could feel his strength increasing, his senses becoming sharper, and his thinking becoming clearer.

"This is our hope." Ling Xiao interrupted him, his eyes gleaming with determination. "This is the key to our escape from the cave."

They stood around the treasure chest, the blue light connecting them together, forming a mysterious energy field. They could feel their strength growing and their confidence growing.

Suddenly, a deep roar emanated from the depths of the cave, a voice filled with anger and warning. Ling Xiao and his team members immediately became alert, knowing that the awakening of this power had alarmed the guardians of the cave.

"We have to leave here quickly." There was a hint of urgency in Ling Xiao's voice. He knew that although their strength had increased, it was still not enough to fight against the guardian of the cave.

They quickly gathered their gear and prepared to leave the clearing, but just then the walls of the maze began to shake, chunks of rock fell from the ceiling, and the entire cave seemed to tremble.

"Run!" Ling Xiao shouted, leading the charge towards the maze's exit. The team members followed closely behind, their footsteps echoing through the maze, their hearts pounding in their chests.

They passed through the maze and returned to the original passage, but when they reached the end of the passage, they found that the stone door had been closed, completely blocking their retreat.

"What should we do?" a team member asked anxiously, his eyes wandering between Ling Xiao and the stone gate.

Ling Xiao took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the stone door. He knew they had to find a way to open it, otherwise they would be trapped in this cave until the guardian found them.

He closed his eyes, concentrated, and felt the power within him. The power surged through him, resonating with the pattern on the stone door. He reached out and touched the pattern on the stone door as before, but this time he could feel the power within it.

The stone door slowly opened, revealing a ray of light. Ling Xiao and his team quickly rushed out of the stone door and returned to the entrance of the cave. They looked back at the gradually closing stone door, their hearts filled with both relief and fear.

"We succeeded." Ling Xiao's voice was filled with a hint of fatigue, but more of a sense of relief. Not only had they found a way out of the cave, they had also gained new strength.

"Yes, we succeeded." Qi Heng's voice was filled with awe. He looked at Ling Xiao, his eyes gleaming with new understanding. "But this is just the beginning. Our power and our adventure have just begun."

They stood at the entrance of the catacombs, with unknown dangers behind them and an unknown world before them. But their hearts were filled with strength and hope, knowing that no matter how many challenges lay ahead, they could face them together.

(End of this chapter)