Chapter 244 Secret Cave Exploration

Qin Feng and his companions followed the mark on the map, aiming for a stronghold deep in the forest. After a day's trek, they finally came to a hidden cave entrance. The cave entrance was covered by dense vines and bushes. If you didn't look carefully, it would be difficult to find that there was another cave here.

"It looks like this is the entrance to the stronghold." Qin Feng pushed aside the vines, revealing the cave entrance.

"They are really good at hiding." Zhang Meng scratched his head, "They can be found in such a hidden place."

"We have to be careful." Ye Li reminded, "Since they chose this place as their base, they will definitely not let down their guard easily."

"Well, let's go in and take a look." Qin Feng lit the torch and led the way into the cave.

The cave was pitch black, with only the light of the torch casting swaying shadows on the stone wall. The air in the cave was damp and cold, and the stone road underfoot was extremely slippery. Qin Feng and his group moved forward cautiously, keeping alert at all times.

"It feels very eerie here." Chu Tian whispered, "I wonder if there is any trap."

"Everyone, be careful with your feet." Qin Feng reminded. He noticed that there seemed to be some strange marks on the ground, as if left by someone who walked around frequently.

After walking for a while, some simple murals and symbols began to appear in the cave, which looked like some kind of ancient markings. Ye Li took a closer look and whispered: "These symbols seem to be used to guide the direction. Maybe they have a secret base inside."

"Let's follow the direction of the symbol." Qin Feng nodded, "Hopefully we can find their base."

Continuing to move forward, Qin Feng and his friends found that the road in the cave began to become wider, and some traces of human activities could occasionally be seen on the surrounding stone walls, as if someone had lived here.

"Look, there's light over there!" Zhang Meng suddenly said, pointing forward.

Qin Feng looked up and saw a faint light not far ahead. They quickened their pace and walked to the light, and found a spacious underground hall in front of them. There was a bonfire in the middle of the hall, and the flames were flickering. Some simple daily necessities and tools were piled around it, and it was obvious that someone had lived here for a long time.

"It seems we have found the right place." Chu Tian said, tightening the sword in his hand.

"Don't rush to expose yourself." Qin Feng whispered, "Let's investigate first to see how many people are here."

Qin Feng signaled everyone to hide in a corner, and he quietly approached the center of the hall and carefully observed the situation around him. He found that there were several small doors on the other side of the hall, leading to different rooms. He could vaguely hear someone talking in the room.

"These people seem to be discussing something." Qin Feng pricked up his ears, trying to hear the content clearly.

"…The ceremony must be performed tonight…it cannot be delayed any longer…" A deep voice came, sounding like an order.

"…But they have discovered our actions…We have to be careful…" another voice replied, with some concern.

Qin Feng's heart tightened when he heard this. He knew that the followers of the Lord of Shadows were preparing for some kind of ceremony and were aware of their existence.

"They are going to perform the ritual tonight." Qin Feng returned to his companions and whispered, "We have to act quickly and not let them succeed."

"Then what should we do?" Ye Li asked.

"I have an idea." Qin Feng thought for a moment and said, "We will split into two groups. One group will interrupt their rituals, and the other group will find those scrolls and ritual props to prevent them from using them again."

"Ye Li and I will go find the scrolls and props." Chu Tian volunteered, "You and Zhang Meng go stop the ceremony."

Qin Feng nodded: "Okay, it's settled. Everyone be careful and keep in touch."

After assigning the tasks, Qin Feng and Zhang Meng quickly walked towards the direction where the sound came from. When they reached a door, Qin Feng gently pushed it open and saw several people inside busy setting up an altar. On the altar was a black stone slab, which was engraved with strange symbols and gave off a chill.

"It's this altar." Qin Feng whispered, "We have to destroy it."

“Just rush in like this?” Zhang Meng clenched his fists, eager to try.

"Wait a minute." Qin Feng stopped him. He saw a pile of curtains in the corner of the room. An idea suddenly occurred to him and he said softly, "We can make some noise to lure them out."

Qin Feng picked up a small stone and threw it towards the curtain. The stone hit the curtain, making a dull "dong" sound. The people in the room immediately became alert, and one of them shouted, "Who? Who's there!"

Several people walked towards the curtain. Qin Feng and Zhang Meng took the opportunity to sneak into the room and came to the altar.

"Hurry, destroy this stone slab." Qin Feng said in a low voice.

Zhang Meng punched the stone slab with all his strength, and the stone slab cracked with a sound. Qin Feng drew out the Dragon Shadow Sword and stabbed the stone slab with all his strength, completely shattering it.

"Who is it!" When the men in black heard the voice, they immediately turned around and saw Qin Feng and Zhang Meng destroying the altar, and they all exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh no, run!" Qin Feng shouted, and rushed out the door with Zhang Meng.

Seeing this, the man in black immediately chased after them. Qin Feng and Zhang Meng ran all the way, bypassing several rooms and successfully shaking off the pursuers.

"We have to go back to find Chu Tian and Ye Li." Zhang Meng said breathlessly.

"Let's go!" Qin Feng nodded, and the two walked towards the room on the other side.

At the same time, Chu Tian and Ye Li quietly came to a larger room. The room was filled with various scrolls and ancient books, and looked like a small library.

"These must be the scrolls they use for their rituals," Ye Li whispered, "We have to take them away or destroy them."

"I'll set the fire, and you'll be responsible for collecting useful scrolls." Chu Tian suggested.

Ye Li nodded and began to quickly flip through the scrolls, looking for useful clues. Chu Tian took out a fire starter from his body, lit a few pieces of waste paper, and threw them on the pile of books.

Soon, the flames began to spread, and the study was filled with smoke. Ye Li picked out a few scrolls that looked the most important, stuffed them into her bag, and rushed out of the room with Chu Tian.

"Hurry up! The fire is on!" Chu Tian shouted.

As soon as the two rushed out of the room, they saw Qin Feng and Zhang Meng running towards them.

"How is it over there?" Qin Feng asked.

"It worked. We lit a fire and took away a few scrolls." Chu Tian replied.

"Okay, we have successfully destroyed the altar, but now we have to leave here quickly." Qin Feng said, "These men in black will find out soon."

The four of them quickly retreated out of the cave, and the panicked shouts of the men in black could be heard behind them. Soon, the sound of dense footsteps could be heard in the cave. It was obvious that the men in black had discovered the fire and the destruction of the altar, and were chasing them.

"Hurry up, the exit is just ahead!" Zhang Meng shouted and took the lead rushing towards the cave entrance.

Finally, they rushed out of the cave, and were greeted by fresh air and sunshine. Qin Feng looked back and saw thick smoke billowing out of the cave, and the shouts of the men in black echoed in the cave.

"They can't catch up with us!" Chu Tian said excitedly.

"But we can't let our guard down." Qin Feng said seriously, "If we alert them, they will definitely be more careful. We must bring these scrolls back to the academy as soon as possible."

Ye Li nodded: "Yes, we have to leave as soon as possible."

The four of them quickly left the cave and disappeared into the mountains and forests. They knew that this was only a small victory, and the real battle was still to come.

After resting for a while in a safe place, Qin Feng and his companions continued on their way. Their destination was the academy, where they would hand over the scroll they brought back from the cave to Vice Dean Feng Jian.

"The contents of these scrolls must be very important." Ye Li said as he looked at the scrolls in his backpack, "I hope we can find more clues."

"We destroyed the altar and interrupted their rituals, which should delay the resurrection of the Lord of Shadows." Chu Tian said.

"But we can't let our guard down." Qin Feng warned, "They will definitely look for other opportunities. We must always remain vigilant."

"Don't worry, we won't let the Shadow Lord's conspiracy succeed." Zhang Meng said firmly.

The sun shone through the leaves on their faces, and Qin Feng felt a warm feeling. He knew that although the road ahead was still full of dangers, as long as they were with their companions, nothing could stop them.

"Let's go back to the academy!" Qin Feng said loudly.

The companions responded in unison, took steps, and walked towards the academy in the distance. Their journey continued, and new challenges and adventures awaited them.