Chapter 342: Underground Mystery and Unexpected Guests

As the dark crystal shattered, the entire underground hall seemed to have returned to calm, but Qin Feng and his companions knew that this was only the brief calm before the storm. They were still in the secret realm of the dark sect, and no one could predict what would happen next.

The sound of the crystal shattering echoed in the hall, and along with the crisp sound of the fragments falling to the ground, the dark power in the air began to gradually dissipate. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the next moment to come.

"Did we really succeed?" Wang Yue asked nervously, the Bright Deer in her hand still tense.

"I'm not sure." Qin Feng held the Dragon Shadow Sword and looked around, alert to any enemies that might appear.

Yeying walked over to the crystal fragments, examined them carefully for a while, and then said, "This crystal is just an intermediary. The Dark Cult uses it to absorb the energy in the secret realm. The real core may be hidden somewhere else."

Ye Li sighed: "It seems that we can't take it lightly. Everything here is full of unknowns."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake slightly and everyone immediately became alert.

"Here we go again!" Chu Tian yelled, "Everyone be careful!"

The shaking intensified, rocks on the wall began to fall, and several cracks appeared on the ground. Zhang Meng, holding the giant rock bear, stood unsteadily on the edge of the crack and exclaimed, "The ground is going to crack!"

"Stay calm!" Qin Feng shouted, "Everyone try to stand in a safe place!"

Just as everyone was looking for a safe foothold, the shaking suddenly stopped. A strong mysterious atmosphere filled the air, as if something was awakening.

"Did you hear any sound?" Wang Yue suddenly asked.

Everyone stood there quietly, listening. Faintly, they heard a low and distant echo, as if it came from deep underground.

"This sound..." Yeying frowned, "It sounds like the growl of some creature."

Qin Feng nodded: "We must find out what this thing is."

Ye Ying took the lead and led everyone to a secret door on the other side of the hall. Behind the door was a narrow corridor, and the walls on both sides of the corridor were engraved with ancient runes, and a faint light flowed between the runes.

"This should be a passage leading deep underground." Yeying explained, "We have to be careful, there may be more traps here."

"I understand. Everyone, follow closely and don't get separated." Qin Feng reminded.

They walked along the corridor, the air was filled with a damp smell. At the end of the corridor was a heavy stone door, which was also engraved with runes and looked very solid.

"It seems we have to find a way to open it." Ye Li said.

Qin Feng walked forward and tried to push the stone door, but found that it did not move at all. He frowned and said, "It seems that brute force alone will not work."

Wang Yue walked to the stone door and carefully observed the runes on it. Suddenly, her eyes lit up: "These runes seem to be similar to the symbols on the scrolls I saw in the temple."

She took out an ancient scroll from her backpack, unfolded it, compared it with the runes on the stone door, and began to recite some ancient spell.

As the spell was recited, the runes on the stone gate began to gradually light up, and a soft light flowed between the runes, eventually converging in the center of the stone gate.

"It works!" Zhang Meng shouted excitedly.

At this moment, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a deeper passage. Qin Feng waved his hand and said, "Keep going."

They walked into the passage carefully and found that the structure here was more complicated than the previous hall. The walls were still covered with runes, but these runes looked even weirder.

"These runes seem to be telling an ancient story." Wang Yue said as he walked, "but I can't understand their full meaning."

Ye Ying suddenly stopped and raised his hand to signal everyone to stop: "Wait a minute, I feel something in front."

Everyone stopped immediately, held their breath, and listened quietly.

Sure enough, there was a slight sound coming from the front, like something moving on the ground.

"Let's go and take a look." Qin Feng said in a low voice.

They continued to move forward, and after a few steps, they suddenly found a huge deep pit in front of them, with some broken stone slabs and several skeletons scattered at the bottom of the pit.

"What are these?" Chu Tian frowned and looked at the bottom of the pit. "Are they the explorers who entered here before?"

Yeying nodded: "It's very likely. It looks like this deep pit is a trap."

Just then, they heard a slight sound of footsteps, as if something was approaching.

"Hurry, hide!" Qin Feng ordered in a low voice.

Everyone quickly hid behind the nearby wall and waited nervously. The footsteps got closer and clearer, and finally, a figure walked out from the shadows of the passage.

He was a very thin man, wearing a tattered cloak, and walking unsteadily. His face was full of fatigue and anxiety, and it was obvious that he had been here for a long time.

"Who is it?" Ye Li couldn't help but asked in a low voice.

Yeying motioned her to be quiet and continued to observe the man. The man walked to the edge of the deep pit, stopped to take a few breaths, and then began to talk to himself in a low voice.

"I finally found it...finally found it..." he murmured, with a hint of ecstasy in his voice.

Qin Feng winked at Ye Ying, who nodded, walked silently behind the man, and said in a cold voice: "What are you doing here?"

The man was startled, turned around, saw Ye Ying, Qin Feng and others, and his face changed immediately.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" he asked in horror, his eyes full of vigilance.

Qin Feng took a step forward and raised his hand to show that he had no ill intentions: "We are students from the Soul Master Academy, and we are here to stop the conspiracy of the Dark Cult. What about you? Who are you?"

The man swallowed nervously, hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "My name is Liu Feng, and I'm an explorer. I came here to find this ancient secret place."

"Explorer?" Chu Tian asked curiously, "How long have you been here alone?"

Liu Feng smiled bitterly: "I can't remember clearly, it's been at least a few days. I'm lost, there are maze-like passages everywhere, I can't find the way out at all."

Ye Ying looked at him, then looked at the surrounding environment, and asked: "What are you looking for?"

Liu Feng's eyes flashed with enthusiasm: "I'm looking for a legendary treasure. It is said that it is an ancient artifact that can give people unlimited power! I must find it!"

Qin Feng frowned: "Ancient artifact? Is there really such a thing here?"

Liu Feng nodded: "I have seen records about this secret place in an ancient book. The book mentioned that this place was once the site of an ancient civilization, which contained countless treasures and powers."

Ye Li looked at him with some suspicion: "Are you sure you are not making up a story?"

Liu Feng said anxiously: "I didn't lie to you! I have found many ancient artifacts and some clues here. I believe the artifact must be deep in this maze!"

Yeying pondered for a while and said, "Whether there is a divine weapon here or not, our first priority is to stop the Dark Cult. If you are willing to cooperate, we can take you away with us."

Liu Feng hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, I'm willing to go with you. But you have to promise to help me find the artifact."

Qin Feng nodded: "As long as it does not endanger our mission, we will help you find it."

After Liu Feng joined the team, they continued to move deeper into the maze. As they went deeper, the corridors became more and more complicated, with more and more runes around them, and an unsettling atmosphere filled the air.

"I feel that the spiritual power here is getting stronger and stronger." Wang Yue said in a low voice.

Yeying nodded: "This should be the center of the entire maze. We must be extra careful."

They walked for a while, and suddenly, a huge stone door appeared in front of them. The stone door was engraved with complicated runes, and there was a strange keyhole in the center.

"This is the place I've been looking for!" Liu Feng said excitedly, "I've seen in ancient books that behind this door is the treasure room!"

"It looks like we have to find a way to open it." Chu Tian said.

Ye Li walked forward and looked at the keyhole carefully: "It looks like it needs a special key."

Liu Feng nodded and took out an ancient key-shaped object from his arms: "I found it on the other side of the secret realm. I have always suspected that it is the key to this door."

He inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it gently. The stone door made a low roar and slowly opened.

When the stone door was fully opened, they saw a spacious stone chamber inside. In the center of the chamber stood a huge stone platform, on which stood an ancient box.

Liu Feng rushed in excitedly: "That's the box of the artifact! I finally found it!"

But just as he approached the box, the ground around the stone platform suddenly lit up with red runes, and the whole room shook.

"Oh no, there's a trap here!" Yeying shouted.

As soon as he finished speaking, the box suddenly opened, and a strong light shot out from the box and rushed straight towards Liu Feng. Liu Feng was hit by the light, and the whole person was thrown into the air and fell heavily to the ground.

"Liu Feng!" Qin Feng rushed over to check on him, but Liu Feng was already unconscious, with some dark runes faintly emerging on his body.

"What on earth is this?" Ye Li asked in horror.

Yeying walked forward and carefully examined the contents of the box, only to discover that it contained a stone slab that exuded a strong dark aura.

"This is not a divine weapon, it's a sealing stone!" Ye Ying's face became solemn, "The Dark Cult used this stone slab to seal some powerful dark power!"

Wang Yue looked at Liu Feng nervously: "Will he be okay?"

Yeying shook his head: "His body has been corroded by the power of darkness. We have to take him away from here quickly, otherwise his life will be in danger."

Qin Feng nodded: "Quick, let's take him back first, and then find a way to remove his seal."

They quickly helped the unconscious Liu Feng up and prepared to leave the stone chamber. At this moment, the vibration of the room suddenly intensified, the surrounding walls began to collapse, and stones kept falling down.

"This place is going to collapse! Run!" Chu Tian shouted.

Everyone rushed to the exit with all their might, rocks falling behind them. The moment they rushed out of the stone door, the entire stone chamber collapsed completely, making a huge roar.

Qin Feng and his companions supported Liu Feng and stood outside the stone gate, panting. They looked at the collapsed stone chamber and felt both relieved and anxious.

"It was a close call. We were almost buried in it." Zhang Meng wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Ye Li looked at the unconscious Liu Feng and asked worriedly, "What should we do now?"

Yeying pondered for a while and said, "We must return to a safe place as soon as possible, and then find a way to unlock the dark seal on him."

Qin Feng nodded: "Okay, everyone be careful, let's get out of this maze as soon as possible."

They quickly left the collapsed stone chamber and returned along the way they came. Along the way, the dark atmosphere in the air seemed to be even thicker, as if something was stirring.

"I have a bad feeling." Wang Yue said in a low voice.

Yeying also sensed something was wrong: "The dark power here seems to be growing. We must leave quickly."

Just as they were about to get out of the maze, suddenly, a cold voice came from the darkness: "Do you think you can escape?"

A leader of a dark sect walked out from the shadows, followed by a group of dark sect members, all with hideous smiles on their faces.

Qin Feng clenched the Dragon Shadow Sword, his eyes flashing with fighting spirit: "We won't let you succeed!"

The leader sneered: "You have ruined our plan, but this is just the beginning. The real darkness has not yet arrived!"

"Then let us see how powerful your darkness is!" Chu Tian shouted.

The battle is about to break out, and the entire maze is once again in chaos. Qin Feng and his partners must do their best to escape from this new crisis.