Chapter 242: Exploring the Ruins

The morning sun shone on the mountains outside Chenxi Town, and the air was filled with a fresh smell of earth. Qin Feng and his companions left the inn early and headed towards the ancient ruins outside the town. After last night's investigation, they learned that the followers of the Lord of Shadows were looking for the ruins and might be plotting a new conspiracy there.

"What do you think is in that relic?" Chu Tian asked as he walked, with a hint of curiosity in his tone.

"Maybe it's the secret base of the Lord of Shadows." Zhang Meng guessed, "It would be even better if we can find some treasure!"

Ye Li smiled and shook her head: "I don't expect to find treasure, but there may be some ancient spells and mechanisms in it, so we must be careful."

"We still don't know what these people are looking for." Qin Feng said, his face looking a little serious, "But what is certain is that this relic must be related to the power of the Lord of Shadows. We must find clues as soon as possible."

They walked along a path into the forest, surrounded by lush trees that blocked out the sun. The sound of birds chirping from the roadside made people feel somewhat peaceful. But Qin Feng knew that this forest was hiding unknown dangers.

"It looks like no one has walked this road for a long time." Ye Li observed the surrounding environment. "There are a lot of weeds and fallen leaves on the ground."

"Maybe those men in black just started to act last night." Chu Tian guessed, "If they haven't found the entrance to the ruins yet, we have a chance to get there first."

"Everyone, be careful and pay attention to the movements around you." Qin Feng reminded, "Don't let the enemy discover our whereabouts."

After walking for about an hour, they finally found a hidden stone door under a cliff. The stone door was covered by vines and weeds, and it was difficult to find without careful observation.

"It seems we have found the right place." Ye Li said softly, squatting down, pushing aside the vines with her hands, revealing the ancient symbols on the stone door.

"These symbols are very similar to what we saw in the academy library." Qin Feng nodded, "This must be the remains of the Shadow Cult."

"It seems like there is some mechanism." Zhang Meng walked forward and pushed the stone door hard, but the door did not move at all.

"Let me take a look." Ye Li walked to the stone door and carefully observed the symbols. She gently touched one of the symbols with her finger and whispered, "Let's get straight to the point."

Suddenly, the stone door made a dull sound and slowly opened a gap. Qin Feng and his companions looked at each other, feeling both excited and nervous.

"Okay, let's go in." Qin Feng said, drawing out the Dragon Shadow Sword and walking in front.

Inside the stone gate was a dim passage. The stone walls on both sides of the passage were engraved with ancient patterns and words. The air was filled with an old atmosphere. Qin Feng lit a torch and walked forward carefully with his companions.

"These patterns look like some kind of sacrificial ritual." Ye Li walked beside Qin Feng, carefully looking at the carvings on the stone wall.

"It seems that these people want to obtain the power of the Lord of Shadow through these rituals." Chu Tian guessed, "They are really crazy."

"The power of darkness always attracts those with evil intentions." Qin Feng said calmly, "What we have to do is to stop them."

After walking for a while, they came to a spacious hall. In the center of the hall was a huge stone platform with some ancient artifacts and scrolls placed on it. There were several stone pillars around the stone platform, each with complex symbols engraved on it.

"This should be the altar." Ye Li whispered, "They may have performed some kind of ceremony here."

"Look, there are some scrolls here." Chu Tian walked to the stone platform, carefully picked up a scroll and opened it.

The scrolls were filled with ancient text. Although he couldn't understand it, he could feel the cold atmosphere. Qin Feng picked up a scroll and tried to decipher the contents.

"These scrolls seem to contain some spells for summoning and controlling dark forces." Qin Feng said, "These spells look very complicated and have a strong dark aura."

"We can't let these things fall into the hands of the enemy." Ye Li said, "If these spells can really summon the Lord of Shadow, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Put these scrolls away first." Qin Feng decided, "I can ask Vice President Feng to study them when we get back."

"Look, there is a passage over there." Zhang Meng pointed to a corner of the hall where there was a small door leading to a deeper place.

"Let's go in and take a look." Qin Feng said, and took the lead towards the small door.

Passing through the small door, they entered a narrow stone staircase that extended downward, as if leading deep into the ground. Qin Feng walked cautiously in front, the light of the torch illuminating the surrounding environment.

"The air here is so stuffy." Ye Li frowned, "It feels like I've been locked up for a long time."

"Maybe there's something more important hidden here." Chu Tian said, "We have to be careful."

After walking for a while, they came to a larger underground hall. In the center of the hall was a huge sarcophagus, which was surrounded by spells and seals. On the top of the sarcophagus was a huge symbol of the Lord of Shadows, which looked particularly gloomy.

"What is this?" Zhang Meng asked in surprise, "Is there really..."

Qin Feng raised the torch and approached the sarcophagus carefully. The sarcophagus exuded a cold breath, as if warning people not to get close.

"This may be the place where the Lord of Shadows is sealed." Ye Li guessed, "They want to open this sarcophagus and release the power of the Lord of Shadows."

"We can't let them succeed." Qin Feng said firmly, "We must destroy the seal here."

Just as they were preparing to act, suddenly, the talismans around the sarcophagus began to emit a faint light, and a low voice came from the sarcophagus, as if something was waking up.

"Not good! Get out of the way!" Qin Feng shouted.

Before he finished speaking, the top of the sarcophagus suddenly made a loud noise and shook violently. The talismans around him glowed brightly, and a strong dark aura surged out of the sarcophagus.

"Run!" Qin Feng turned around and ran, pulling Ye Li back.

Chu Tian and Zhang Meng followed closely behind, and the four of them quickly ran towards the passage they came from. The sarcophagus behind them opened with a bang, and a black figure rose from it, and the whole hall was instantly shrouded in darkness.

"That's... the Lord of Shadow!" Ye Li looked back in horror, her eyes filled with anxiety.

"We can't stop!" Qin Feng shouted, "Run out quickly!"

They rushed up the stone steps quickly, and the dark power followed closely behind them, as if to swallow everything. Qin Feng felt a cold breath coming towards him, and he knew that he had to escape from here as soon as possible.

Finally, they rushed out of the stone gate, the sun shining on them, dispelling the chill of darkness. Qin Feng and his companions looked back breathlessly, the forest outside the stone gate was still calm, as if nothing had happened.

"We...we escaped?" Zhang Meng asked in disbelief, panting.

"It's safe for now." Qin Feng nodded, but he knew that this did not mean the end.

"That black shadow just now... was it really the Lord of Shadow?" Ye Li asked with lingering fear.

"It's very likely." Qin Feng frowned and said, "We must go back immediately and tell Vice President Feng about the situation here."

"Yes, the danger this time is far greater than we imagined." Chu Tian nodded, "We need to be more fully prepared."

Qin Feng and his companions quickly returned to Chenxi Town and decided to rest in the town for a night before reporting back to the academy. They found a quiet tavern, ordered some simple meals, and sat in a corner to discuss in a low voice.

"Those scrolls must contain very important information." Ye Li said, "We must protect them carefully."

"But we have now alerted the enemy." Chu Tian said, "Those followers of the Lord of Shadows will definitely not give up."

"We must find their base as soon as possible." Qin Feng pondered, "Only by finding them can we completely eliminate this threat."

"By the way, the figure of the Shadow Lord just now doesn't seem to have fully awakened." Zhang Meng suddenly said, "Do we still have a chance to stop him?"

"It's possible." Ye Li nodded, "As long as we can destroy the altar and the sarcophagus, the Lord of Shadows will not be able to resurrect."

"Then we will set out early tomorrow morning to return to the academy and tell Vice President Feng about the situation here." Qin Feng said, "Then formulate a detailed counterattack plan."

"Okay, let's do it." Chu Tian nodded in agreement, "Everyone have a good rest tonight, and we will continue our journey tomorrow."

The lights of the tavern shone on their faces, and Qin Feng felt a warm feeling in his heart. Although there were unknown dangers ahead, as long as he was with his companions, he believed that he could overcome everything.

After returning to the inn, Qin Feng lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze. He kept thinking about the scene he saw in the ruins during the day. The dark figure and the symbols engraved on the sarcophagus made him feel uneasy.

"Lord of Shadow..." Qin Feng whispered to himself, "We must prevent him from resurrecting."

He turned his head and glanced out the window. The night sky was full of twinkling stars and the moonlight was shining on the ground, which seemed particularly peaceful. Qin Feng knew that this was just the calm before the storm. Their journey had just begun, and there were more challenges waiting for them ahead.

"Brother Feng, are you still awake?" Chu Tian's voice came from the bed next to him.

"I can't sleep." Qin Feng replied, "I'm thinking about tomorrow."

"Don't worry too much." Chu Tian smiled, "We have overcome so many difficulties, and there will be no problem this time."

"I know." Qin Feng nodded, "With you guys here, I feel much more at ease."

"Then go to sleep quickly." Chu Tian yawned, "We have to continue our journey tomorrow."

Qin Feng smiled, closed his eyes, and slowly fell asleep. No matter how many challenges lie ahead, he believes that as long as he is with his partners, he will be able to overcome all the darkness.