Chapter 834 "Unexpected Visitors"

The palace gate slowly opened, and Qin Feng and his party stepped into the magnificent hall. Although they had just solved part of the mystery in the strange warehouse, an invisible pressure still loomed over their hearts. The source of the darkness had not yet been found, and they also knew that this was far from the end.

"I'm really looking forward to talking to the king." Zhang Meng strode ahead and said loudly, "It's really exciting to get some thrilling tasks from him every time!"

"You're getting excited too early." Li Xiao reminded coldly, "We haven't completely solved the mystery yet, so save the excitement for last."

"Hey, I'm just cheering myself up." Zhang Meng shrugged. "After all, it might be tricky next. I have to keep my spirits up."

"Can't you be quiet?" Ye Li shook her head and smiled, but her eyes were still full of vigilance. "The closer we get to the truth, the more complicated things may become."

"By the way, Qin Feng, you said that there are other similar runes hidden in the royal capital, right?" Chu Tian asked, obviously confused about the next course of action.

Qin Feng nodded, "Yes, that warehouse's runes are not all there are. I can sense other similar energy fluctuations, and there may be other rune formations distributed throughout the capital. If we don't find them soon, the dark forces may continue to spread."

"Then should we give these runes a name?" Zhang Meng suddenly interrupted, saying with anticipation.

"What are you trying to do?" Ye Li glared at him.

"Look, since these runes are so mysterious, why not give them cool names, such as 'Devil Rune' or 'Curse of Darkness'?" Zhang Meng said with a proud smile.

Li Xiao was speechless. "What's the point of such an unrealistic name?"

"Sometimes, a name can boost morale." Zhang Meng patted his chest with a confident look, "Just wait and see, I can make this name popular."

Just as they were chatting, a palace guard came hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty is already waiting in the hall. Please follow me."

They followed the guards into the hall. The king was standing in front of the throne, his brows knitted and his expression serious. There were also several court officials beside him, who seemed to be overwhelmed by the current situation.

"You are finally back." The king came forward immediately after seeing them. "How is it? Have you found the source of the fog?"

Qin Feng bowed his head slightly, then said: "We have found one of the sources, which is an ancient stone tablet engraved with runes. We sealed it, but that's not all. We suspect that there are other runes hidden in various places in the capital, which are constantly releasing dark power."

"Other runes?" The king's expression became even more serious. "This means that the crisis in the capital is far from over."

"Yes." Qin Feng nodded, "We need to take action immediately to find other rune formations and seal them. Otherwise, the dark forces will continue to expand and even threaten the entire kingdom."

"We will do our best to cooperate with you." The king said firmly, obviously realizing the seriousness of the matter, "But you need more help. My mages are investigating the energy fluctuations in the capital, perhaps they can provide you with more information."

"This is good news." Zhang Meng clapped his hands. "More mages means more people to help. This way we can solve these problems faster!"

"But," the king suddenly changed the subject, "soon after you left the warehouse, a strange thing happened outside the palace."

"What's the matter?" Li Xiao asked with a frown.

"Someone claims to have the secret of this dark power," the king said, with a hint of doubt in his tone, "and he asked to see you."

"Oh?" Qin Feng raised his eyebrows, "Who is it?"

"He calls himself the 'Shadow Walker.'" The king's voice was low. "This name has never appeared in our intelligence. Although I am not sure of his true identity, he appears to be very confident and seems to know a lot of things we don't understand."

"'Shadow Walker'? It sounds very mysterious." A hint of excitement flashed in Zhang Meng's eyes. "Could this guy be a mysterious master with unknown origins?"

"It's better to be careful." Ye Li reminded, "These mysterious people who suddenly appeared are usually not easily trusted."

"He said he was willing to help us, but only if he met with you in person," the king said, a hint of doubt in his tone. "I'm not sure of his intentions, but you can decide whether to meet with him or not."

Qin Feng pondered for a moment, then said: "Let's meet him. If he really knows something, it may be the key to breaking the current deadlock."

"But we can't take it lightly." Li Xiao said coldly, "This is likely a trap."

"I understand." Qin Feng nodded, "We will remain vigilant."

"Very well, I will arrange for someone to bring him in." The king said, and immediately ordered the guards to bring the Shadow Walker into the hall.

A few minutes later, a mysterious figure in a black cloak walked into the hall. His face was hidden in the shadow of the cloak, and his whole body seemed to blend into the surrounding light, which was particularly strange. His footsteps were light and made almost no sound, as if he had walked out of the shadows.

"Hello." The Shadow Walker's voice was low and cold. "I have been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"Who are you?" Zhang Meng was the first to ask, "Why do you say you have mastered the secret of the dark power?"

"It doesn't matter who I am." The Shadow Walker slowly raised his head, revealing a cold and mysterious face. "What's important is that I know what you are facing."

"Then tell me." Qin Feng said calmly, looking at him sharply.

The Shadow Walker chuckled. "The runes you found in the capital are only a small part of the entire dark power. These runes do not exist independently. They belong to an ancient ritual, a ritual that gradually releases the power of destruction. And this ritual has been quietly carried out under your noses for many years."

"What? This ceremony has been going on for many years?" Ye Li asked in surprise.

"That's right." Shadow Walker continued, "The mist you see is just the beginning of this ceremony. When all the runes are activated, the true dark power will be completely released. At that time, the entire kingdom will no longer exist."

"This sounds like a typical doomsday prophecy." Zhang Meng sneered, "Are you exaggerating?"

"You may not believe it," Shadow Walker said coldly, "but the facts are before us. The nobles of the kingdom have been unintentionally promoting this ritual. Their greed and desire have made them tools of the dark forces, and you don't have much time left."

Qin Feng looked at him solemnly and asked in a deep voice: "Why are you telling us this?"

"Because I don't want to see this world destroyed." Shadow Walker's voice was cold, but firm. "If you are willing to trust me, I can take you to find the remaining runes, but you must act quickly."

"Why should we trust you?" Li Xiao asked coldly, his eyes full of vigilance.

"It's up to you whether you believe it or not." The Shadow Walker smiled slightly, "However, time waits for no one. If you hesitate any longer, the dark forces will completely devour the entire kingdom."

Several people looked at each other, obviously with their own considerations in mind. Qin Feng finally nodded and said, "We will trust you once. But if we find that you are hiding something, we will never show mercy."

Shadow Walker chuckled, "I am not afraid of you, because my goal is the same as yours - to prevent the end of the world."

"So what should we do now?" Zhang Meng asked.

"Follow me." The Shadow Walker turned slowly, his voice low and cold, "I will take you to witness the true darkness behind this world."

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