bookcurios Chapter 244 The Crisis of Youyue Ridge
Chapter 244 The Crisis of Youyue Ridge
Little Swallow, accompanied by Liu Qing, Liu Hong, and a troop of Imperial Guards, marched in a grand procession towards Youyue Ridge. Along the way, the Imperial Guards all wore serious expressions, vigilantly observing the surrounding movements.
"Everyone be careful on the way! The Shadow Pavilion might be lying in ambush nearby," Little Swallow shouted from her horse.
Liu Qing replied, "Understood, Princess! We're all on high alert."
Liu Hong added, "Don't worry, Princess, we're here to protect you!"
As the group reached the foot of Youyue Ridge, the dense forests and mist created a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere.
"This place looks strange, everyone be on high alert!" Little Swallow said, dismounting first and gripping her sword tightly.
The commander of the Imperial Guards stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, let us go and scout ahead first."
Little Swallow nodded: "Okay, but be very careful!"
The Imperial Guards split into several small teams and cautiously advanced into the mountains and forests. Before long, one team returned to report: "Your Majesty, we've found some strange footprints ahead; it looks like someone just walked there."
"It seems the Shadow Pavilion is indeed making moves here." Little Swallow frowned. "Let's go, let's follow them and see."
Following the footprints, the group suddenly heard a rustling sound ahead. The Imperial Guards immediately surrounded Xiao Yanzi and the others, assuming a defensive stance.
A group of men in black emerged from the woods, wielding sharp blades, and charged towards them.
"Well done!" Little Swallow shouted. "Today, I'll make sure you don't leave alive!" With that, she flashed and charged into the group of men in black, her sword flashing and gleaming.
Liu Qing and Liu Hong were not to be outdone, each brandishing their weapons and engaging the men in black in combat. The Imperial Guards, well-trained, quickly formed a square formation and joined the fray.
"These men in black look very skilled, everyone don't underestimate them!" Little Swallow shouted as she fought.
Just as the battle was raging, a man in black seized the opportunity and stabbed at Xiao Yanzi from behind.
"Watch out!" Liu Hong, with her sharp eyes, shouted and leaped towards Xiao Yanzi, blocking the sword for her.
"Liu Hong!" Little Swallow cried out anxiously, turning around and thrusting her sword at the man in black. "How dare you hurt my sister!"
At this moment, the Imperial Guards gradually gained the upper hand, and the men in black, seeing that the situation was not good, retreated one after another.
"Don't let them get away!" Little Swallow shouted.
"Your Majesty, please stop chasing her! Liu Hong is injured!" Liu Qing said.
Little Swallow rushed back to Liu Hong's side to check on her injuries: "Liu Hong, how are you?"
Liu Hong gritted her teeth and said, "Gege, I'm fine, it's just some minor scratches."
"No, this wound needs to be treated quickly." Little Swallow turned to the Imperial Guard Commander and said, "Find a safe place and bandage Liu Hong's wound first."
The group found a secluded cave in the mountains and forests, where Liu Hong rested. The Imperial Guards stood guard outside the cave.
"Princess, it seems the Shadow Pavilion already knows we're here. They must have other schemes up their sleeves," Liu Qing said worriedly.
“That’s right, we can’t let our guard down,” Xiao Yanzi said. “With Liu Hong injured, we need to be even more careful.”
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the cave.
"What's going on?" Little Swallow stood up alertly and went out of the cave to check.
The Imperial Guards were facing off against another group of men in black. These men were dressed differently than before and looked even more mysterious.
"Who are you? Why are you blocking our way?" Little Swallow asked loudly.
The leader of the men in black sneered, "Hmph! You've trespassed on our territory and dare to ask who we are? If you know what's good for you, you'd better leave now!"
"This Youyue Ridge doesn't belong to you, so why should we leave?" Little Swallow retorted without backing down.
"Looks like you're going to have to suffer the consequences!" The man in black waved his hand, and the people behind him immediately surrounded him.
"Fight if you want, who's afraid of who!" Little Swallow drew her sword.
The two sides clashed again. This time, the men in black seemed even more formidable, and the Imperial Guards were gradually finding it difficult to fight back.
"His Majesty sent us to stop the Shadow Pavilion's conspiracy, we cannot back down here!" Little Swallow shouted, boosting everyone's morale.
As the battle intensified, Xiao Yanzi suddenly noticed that the attacks of these men in black seemed to follow a certain pattern.
"Everyone, be careful! Their attacks follow a pattern. We need to find their weakness!" Little Swallow observed as she fought, and finally found the man in black's weakness.
"Watch this!" Little Swallow seized the opportunity and thrust her sword at the vital point of the leader of the men in black.
The man in black hadn't expected Xiao Yanzi to be so powerful. He couldn't dodge in time and was stabbed by Xiao Yanzi's sword.
Seeing their leader wounded, the other men in black panicked. The Imperial Guards seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and the men in black fled in disarray.
"Don't chase us too far, we have an important mission," Little Swallow called out.
After some twists and turns, the group continued their search for the energy source of the "Gathering Spirit Eight Trigrams Formation" in Youyue Ridge.
"Where exactly is this energy source hidden?" Liu Qing asked, puzzled.
“Let’s search more carefully. According to the book, it should be around here,” said Little Swallow.
Just then, Liu Hong suddenly shouted, "Gege, look, there's a cave over there, it looks very secluded."
The group walked in the direction Liu Hong pointed and found that the cave was surrounded by strange symbols and markings, which were very similar to those they had seen in the book.
"It seems this is very likely the place we're looking for," Little Swallow said. "Everyone be careful, there might be more dangers inside."
The group cautiously entered the cave, which was dark and damp, filled with a pungent odor.
"This smells awful," Liu Hong said, covering her nose.
"Everyone cover your mouths and noses and keep moving forward," Little Swallow said.
As they walked, a stone gate appeared ahead, with intricate patterns and characters carved on it.
"This stone door looks unusual; the inscriptions on it seem to be hints at some kind of mechanism," Little Swallow observed carefully.
"Princess, can we open this stone door?" Liu Qing asked.
"I'll give it a try," said Little Swallow, and began to explore the patterns on the stone gate according to the method described in the book.
After a while, the stone door made a rumbling sound and slowly opened.
"We did it!" Little Swallow exclaimed excitedly.
However, instead of finding an energy source behind the stone gate, they encountered a group of even more powerful men in black.
"You've finally arrived! We've been waiting for you for a long time!" the leader of the men in black said smugly.
"Hmph! Do you think you can stop us by setting these traps?" Little Swallow said angrily.
"Today is your burial ground!" the man in black said, leading his men to pounce on Xiao Yanzi and the others.
Will Xiao Yanzi and her friends be able to break through this fierce battle and find the energy source of the "Spirit Gathering Eight Trigrams Formation"? Everything remains to be seen...
This chapter concludes here. Stay tuned for the next chapter.