Taking the opportunity of traveling through books

Chapter 73 Disasters Block the Path

Disasters block the way, the spirit pearl is far away

The old voice seemed to come from deep underground, carrying a terrifying pressure. I looked up and saw an old man in a gray robe appear before us. He was gaunt and his face was covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were bright and sparkling, flashing with an unsettling light.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into the forbidden area!" the old man repeated, his tone even colder.

I subconsciously tightened my grip on Hao Yang's hand, feeling the warmth of his palm, and my heart calmed down a little. "Old man, we have no ill intentions, we just want to..."

Before I could finish my words, the old man interrupted me. "This is my place. No one is allowed to covet it!" His voice was full of warning.

"Old man, we just want to borrow something. We have no ill intentions." Hao Yang stepped forward and tried to reason with the old man. "We heard there's a spirit pearl here that can..."

The old man sneered, "Spirit Pearl? Are you worthy of it?" As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful force burst out from his body, knocking Hao Yang away fiercely.

"Hao Yang!" I exclaimed, and hurried to Hao Yang's side to check his injuries. He was pale, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, obviously seriously injured.

"Are you okay?" I asked anxiously.

Hao Yang shook his head and struggled to stand up, but it pulled the wound and made him gasp in pain.

"Don't move!" I supported him, my heart filled with anger and worry. This old man was so cruel!

The old man looked at us, his eyes devoid of any pity. "You overestimate your abilities!" he snorted coldly. "Since you're determined to seek death, don't blame me for being rude!"

I supported Hao Yang and slowly retreated, watching the old man warily. I knew we were no match for him. His power was too great, and we simply couldn't resist it.

"System, how much energy is left?" I muttered to myself.

"Not enough for teleportation, only one attack can be launched." The system's cold voice sounded in my mind.

One attack... My heart sank. What harm could one attack do to this old man?

"Yaoyao, don't worry about me, just go away!" Hao Yang said weakly.

"No, let's go together!" I shook my head firmly, determined not to leave him alone.

The old man approached us step by step, and the overwhelming pressure made it almost impossible to breathe. I took a deep breath and made a decision.

"System, launch an attack!"

A dazzling light burst out from my body and rushed straight towards the old man… A hint of surprise flashed in the old man's eyes, and then he raised one hand and easily neutralized my attack… He slowly raised his other hand and pointed it at me. An invisible pressure locked me firmly. My body could not move, and I could only watch his palm getting closer and closer… "You..." I uttered a word with difficulty.

"You..." I managed to utter a single word, but couldn't say the rest. After the dazzling light faded, the expected sharp pain didn't come. I opened my eyes slightly and saw Hao Yang standing in front of me. His back had been struck by the old man's attack, and blood instantly stained his clothes red.

"Hao Yang!" I screamed heart-wrenchingly, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.

He slowly turned his head and gave me a weak smile, "Don't worry, I'm fine..." Before he could finish his words, a mouthful of blood spurted out of his mouth.

I supported his shaky body, tears blurring my eyes. "System, heal! Heal quickly!"

"Insufficient energy to activate the treatment function." The system's cold voice was like a bolt from the blue, shattering my last hope.

The old man looked at us, his eyes devoid of pity, but rather a hint of mockery. "You overestimate your own abilities!" he snorted coldly. "Since you're so persistent, let's die together!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand again, and an even more powerful force came towards us.

Hao Yang endured the severe pain and protected me behind him. "Yaoyao, go! Leave me alone!"

"No! I won't leave you!" I hugged him tightly, feeling his gradually cooling body, my heart filled with despair.

"Do you think you still have a chance to escape?" The old man sneered, and the power in his hand increased again.

At this critical moment, Hao Yang suddenly pushed me away and rushed towards the old man with his last bit of strength.

"Hao Yang!" I shouted in horror, but I couldn't stop him.

The old man looked at Hao Yang with disdain, waved his hand casually, and knocked him away. Hao Yang fell heavily to the ground, motionless.

"Hao Yang!" I cried and ran over, but I didn't dare touch him. His body was cold and stiff, his breath was weak, as if he would leave this world at any moment.

The old man slowly approached me, like the god of death, with a suffocating sense of oppression. "Now, it's your turn."

I closed my eyes in despair, waiting for death to come. However, the expected attack did not come. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the old man stopped in front of me, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

"You..." He looked at me, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to touch me, but stopped in mid-air.

"You..." He spoke again, his voice trembling. In the end, he said nothing and turned away.

I slumped to the ground, watching the old man disappear into the darkness, my heart pounding with confusion. Why had he suddenly changed his mind? Was it because... something about me had attracted him?

I looked down at myself and suddenly noticed the jade pendant on my chest was emitting a faint glow. I had been wearing this jade pendant since I traveled through time. I had always thought it was just an ordinary ornament. Could it be... that it had some special meaning?

I clutched the jade pendant tightly, a glimmer of hope rising in my heart. Perhaps this jade pendant could be the key to our escape...

"Hao Yang..." I called his name softly, my voice trembling.

Hao Yang's breath grew weaker, and I could barely feel his heartbeat. The old man's hesitation as he left flashed through my mind again and again. His pauses, his trembling voice, were like sharp thorns, piercing my heart. The look in his eyes seemed more than pure murderous intent; it was mingled with... a complex emotion I couldn't discern.

Trembling, I reached for Hao Yang's breath. A faint breath instantly gave me hope. "Hao Yang, hold on! We'll find a way!" My voice trembled so violently that even I couldn't hear the resolve within. The system remained silent, the low energy notification hanging like a spell, suffocating me.

The entrance to the ruins was right before our eyes, emitting a faint glow. Within lay our goal—the Spirit Pearl. But now, we were blocked from entering, caught between a rock and a hard place. I supported Hao Yang, trying to move him. Every movement strained his wounds, and my heart throbbed.

"Yaoyao...don't...waste your energy..." Hao Yang weakly grabbed my hand. His hand was frighteningly cold. I held it tightly, trying to transfer the warmth of my palm to him.

"No, I won't give up!" I gritted my teeth, tears blurring my vision. "We've finally made it this far, we can't give up!"

We moved with difficulty, each step akin to treading on knife-edge. I glanced around, trying to find another entrance, or perhaps a weakness in the old man. This ruin seemed shrouded in some power, a sense of antiquity and mystery permeating the air. The towering stone pillars were engraved with strange runes. I couldn't decipher their meaning, but I could sense the immense power they held.

As time passed, Hao Yang's breathing grew weaker, and my hope was gradually swallowed by despair. Are we really going to die here? Is there really no way we can change our fate?

"Cough cough..." Hao Yang suddenly started coughing violently, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, staining my sleeve red. I hurriedly wiped it for him, but I couldn't stop the bright red blood.

"Yaoyao... don't worry about me... just go away..." Hao Yang's voice became lower and lower, and his eyes gradually became dull, as if they would close at any time.

"No, I won't leave you!" I hugged him tightly, tears streaming down my face. "Let's go together, let's get out of here together!"

I supported Hao Yang and stumbled forward. I knew we were at our wit's end, but I had to hold on to even a glimmer of hope.

Suddenly, I stopped dead in my tracks. In the dim light, I saw something gleaming not far away. What was it? I squinted, straining to see clearly.

"What...what is that..." Hao Yang pointed weakly in that direction, his voice so weak that it was almost inaudible.

I supported him and approached him step by step. As the distance shortened, the shimmering object became clearer and clearer. It was a... a...

"Elf..." I muttered to myself, unable to believe my eyes.

The elf, emitting a soft light, slowly floated towards us and stopped in front of us...