From cute to empress

Chapter 354 Unveiling the Secret of Dark Power

"Ugh..." I groaned in pain, and my eyelids finally trembled slightly.

"Mengmeng! You're awake!" Zhen Youcai's joyful voice came to my ears, and I felt a warm hand holding my hand tightly.

I struggled to pry open my heavy eyelids, but the glare forced me to squint. When I finally adjusted to the light, I found myself lying on the cold laboratory floor, with Zhen Youcai, the monk, and the meteorologist anxiously surrounding me.

"What's wrong with me..." I struggled to sit up, but felt sore and weak all over.

"Don't move!" Zhen Youcai quickly supported me and asked worriedly, "How do you feel? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"

I shook my head, trying to recall what happened before I passed out: "I remember... I was sucked into the crystal ball... and then... and then I heard a voice..."

"What's that sound?" the monk asked quickly. "What did you see?"

I tried hard to recall, but my memory was a mess, leaving only a vague concept: "That voice... said it was the will of this world... and said... and said I awakened it... and... and some darkness..."

"Darkness?" Zhen Youcai's expression changed. "Could it be..."

He stood up suddenly, his eyes sweeping across the laboratory, finally landing on the rows of tall bookshelves filled with densely packed books and scrolls that had clearly been there for a long time.

“These are all…” I looked at the books in surprise, and an ominous premonition arose in my heart.

"These are all research materials about dark forces," Zhen Youcai said in a deep voice. "We've been searching for so long, and the truth is finally coming to light."

The three of us suppressed our uneasiness and began to leaf through the ancient documents. As we read deeper, our expressions grew more and more solemn.

These materials record in detail the origin, development, and application of dark forces, as well as the explorations and attempts of researchers throughout the ages. However, the most shocking thing is that these materials show that dark forces did not originate naturally, but were created by an ancient civilization!

"Why did they create such a terrible power?" I murmured to myself, my heart full of confusion and fear.

Zhen Youcai didn't answer, but simply flipped through the scroll in his hand with a sullen expression. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he jerked his head up, his eyes gleaming with shock. "They...they actually want to use the power of darkness to..."

His words abruptly stopped, his gaze fixed on the last line of the scroll, his hands trembling uncontrollably. I had never seen him so out of control before, and a strong sense of unease suddenly rose within me. I asked tremblingly, "What do you intend to do with the power of darkness?"

Zhen Youcai took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, and gave me a complicated look. He spoke word by word, "They want... immortality!" "Immortality..." I gasped. Those four words seemed to carry a tremendous weight, choking me. The pursuit of immortality had created such a terrifying power, ultimately leading to its destruction. The fate of this ancient civilization, like a hammer, hammered at my heart.

"They failed," the monk's voice trembled. "These materials record that the dark power eventually lost control and devoured the civilization that created it. All the glory turned to dust." He pointed to an illustration on the page. It was a desolate scene. Among the broken walls and ruins, only endless wind and sand were howling.

I felt a mixture of emotions: pity for this civilization's fate, yet also fear of their arrogance in attempting to control the forces of darkness. "So, what we're facing now is the mess they left behind?" I muttered to myself, my tone filled with bitterness.

"No, perhaps there's more to it than that." Zhen Youcai frowned, his eyes deep. "If they created the dark power, then they must have a way to control it, or even destroy it. We must find more clues they left behind."

His words rekindled a glimmer of hope in my heart. Yes, since we have created a problem, there must be a solution. We can't just sit there and wait for it to fail.

"But where can we find them? This civilization has disappeared for thousands of years, and we don't even know their names." I felt lost, as if I was standing at the entrance of a foggy forest, unable to find the direction to go forward.

"No, I know where to go," the weather officer, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up, pointing to the sky outside the window, where the seven planets in alignment were still clearly visible. "Legend has it that the day of the seven planets in alignment is the key to a land of miracles. And I just happen to know where that door is."

His tone was firm, and his eyes shone with a strange light, as if he saw a distant place that we could not see. My heart was shocked. Could it be that the answer we were desperately seeking was hidden behind that "miracle door"?

Zhen Youcai didn't say anything, but just looked at the meteorologist deeply, and then said resolutely: "Okay, we will follow you!"

We followed the meteorologist out of the laboratory and embarked on a journey to find the "Gate of Miracles." Along the way, those ancient texts and images kept resurfacing in my mind, filling me with both anticipation and unease. What secrets lay hidden within the remnants of this ancient civilization? What fate awaited us?

"Wait!" As we walked out of the palace, an old voice came from behind us, "I want to go with you too!"

I looked back and saw the monk, leaning on a staff, stumbling towards us. "Master, are you going to take the risk too?" I asked in surprise.

The monk shook his head. "I am old and can't stand the torture. I have made up my mind to leave. I will stay here and continue to study this information, hoping to find more ways to eliminate the dark forces."

"But..." I wanted to persuade him again, but Zhen Youcai stopped me. "Since Master has made up his mind, let's not force it. Master, take care of yourself."

We bid farewell to the monk and followed the weather officer eastward until, hidden in a valley, we finally found the legendary "Gate of Miracles." It was a massive stone door, carved with bizarre patterns that resembled ancient writings or mysterious symbols, exuding an air of antiquity and majesty.

"This is it," the weather officer pointed at the stone gate, a hint of awe in his tone. "According to ancient records, this door can only be opened when the seven planets align and using a specific method."

"A specific method?" I asked, puzzled. "What method?"

The meteorologist didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out an ancient compass from his pocket and muttered something. The compass needle spun rapidly, finally pointing to a pattern on the stone gate. He stepped forward and placed his palm on the pattern. A powerful wave of energy instantly emanated from the stone gate.

Rumbling--

With a roar that shook the earth, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a deep passageway before us. Under the awe-inspiring gaze of the indigenous people, we stepped into this ancient ruin that had slumbered for a thousand years.

The interior of the ruins was even more magnificent than I had imagined. The towering dome was inlaid with countless luminous pearls, illuminating the entire space like daylight. The walls were covered with exquisite murals depicting the glorious history and daily life of this ancient civilization.

"Be careful!" Zhen Youcai suddenly grabbed my hand and shielded me behind him. "These murals..." he said solemnly, "No, they should be called traps!"

Before he could finish his words, the once lifelike murals suddenly came alive! Warriors armed with weapons leaped down from the walls and launched a fierce attack on us.

"Protect the Empress!" The indigenous warriors drew their weapons and engaged in a fierce battle with the "mural warriors." It was then that I realized these indigenous people were willing to lead us, not out of genuine desire to help us, but because they saw us as the key to unlocking the ruins, hoping to use us to find the treasure left behind by their ancestors.

"Don't trust them!" Zhen Youcai reminded me while swinging his sword to fend off the attacks of the "Mural Warriors." "They just want to use us!"

My heart trembled, and I became even more cautious. We fought and retreated, finally reaching the center of the ruins. Here, we discovered a massive energy core, emitting a dazzling light that distorted the surrounding air.

"Is this... the source of the dark power?" I muttered to myself, my heart filled with shock and fear.

"Maybe..." Zhen Youcai pondered for a moment, "We must figure out what it is, so that we can find a way to completely eliminate the dark power."

His gaze was firm and determined. I nodded, tightened my grip on his hand, and walked with him toward the massive energy core. We approached the massive energy core cautiously, each step meticulously taken. The light emanating from the core grew increasingly dazzling, and a strange energy wave permeated the air, sending a wave of palpitations through my heart.

"Youcai, I feel...something is not right." I grabbed Zhen Youcai's arm and whispered uneasily.

"What's wrong?" Zhen Youcai asked with concern, his sharp eyes constantly scanning the surrounding environment.

"I can't explain it, it's just a... very uncomfortable feeling." I tried to describe this strange feeling. "It's like being stared at by something. It's creepy."

Zhen Youcai didn't say anything, but simply squeezed my hand, reassuring me. He untied a small metal disc from his waist and, after injecting spiritual energy into it, it emitted a faint golden light, illuminating a small area around it.

"This is a detector I made based on ancient texts. It can sense energy fluctuations in the surroundings," he explained. "If there's anything unusual, it will sound an alarm."

I nodded, feeling slightly more reassured. We continued forward, drawing ever closer to the energy core. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it wasn't a regular sphere, but rather a giant heart, beating gently. Each beat was accompanied by a powerful energy surge, and the air around it seemed to tremble.

"Is this... really man-made?" I was so shocked by the scene before me that I was speechless.

Zhen Youcai did not answer. His eyes were fixed on the energy core, his brows furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.

"Mengmeng, look!" He suddenly pointed to a stone slab below the energy core, his tone tinged with excitement, "There seems to be words here!"

I looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, I found some strange symbols on the stone slab, like some ancient writing, none of which I recognized.

"What does this mean?" I asked.

"I don't know, but I have a hunch that this stone tablet may contain secrets about this energy core, or even about the origin of the dark forces!" Zhen Youcai's eyes gleamed with hope. "If we can decipher these words, perhaps we can find a way to completely eliminate the dark forces!"

He squatted down, took out a brush, ink, and paper from his bag, and began to carefully copy the ancient symbols. I watched the surroundings vigilantly, protecting him.

Suddenly, Zhen Youcai's finger accidentally touched a symbol on the stone slab.

At that moment, the entire ruins shook violently...