Chapter 133: The Ancient Spell

Zhang Hu was terrified out of his wits, collapsing onto the ground as he stared at the scene before him in shock.

The piles of dazzling "treasures" had completely vanished, replaced by mounds of ghastly, bleached bones.

"Brother Feng, what... what are these things?" Zhang Hu’s voice trembled. He had never witnessed such a macabre sight, and his face had turned pale with fright.

Qin Feng did not answer. He hauled Zhang Hu to his feet and said in a low, stern voice, "You were both bewitched by hallucinogenic agents the moment you entered."

"This isn't a treasure vault. If I’m not mistaken, this is an ancient altar from the Tibetan region—an altar used for human sacrifice."

"Then what do we do now?"

Abu was panicked as well. Although he was well-versed in the arts of gu, he was helpless against such sinister, malevolent forces.

Qin Feng remained silent, his eyes scanning the surroundings like torches as his mind raced. He knew that to break out of this predicament, he had to locate the nexus of the formation.

"Eye of Insight, activate!"

Qin Feng whispered the command internally. A brilliant light flashed in his pupils, and the scene before him shifted instantly. The ghastly bones transformed into streams of energy, all converging toward a single point: the altar.

"Found it!"

Qin Feng felt a surge of relief. Pointing at the altar, he told Zhang Hu and Abu, "The nexus is on the altar. If we can destroy it, we can shatter this illusion!"

"Right, let’s do it together!"

Ignoring their fear, Zhang Hu and Abu grabbed their gear and charged toward the altar behind Qin Feng.

The three approached the altar with extreme caution. Every step felt heavy, as if the air were thick with an invisible pressure. Beneath the glow of the night-luminescent pearls, the bronze carvings on the altar shimmered with a sinister light, chilling them to the bone.

"Brother Feng, what are these carvings? They look like some kind of ancient spell to me," Zhang Hu asked nervously, his voice echoing in the hollow cave and adding to the eeriness.

Qin Feng stared at the patterns, his brows tightly knitted. "If I’m not wrong, this is an ancient curse intended to suppress or appease some kind of evil power."

"If we destroy it, will there be any dire consequences?" Abu asked with concern, his hands gripping his dagger tightly, ready to face any sudden danger.

"We don't have a choice. This is the only path left for us," Qin Feng said firmly, his mind made up.

***

The three reached the altar, and Qin Feng carefully observed the carvings, searching for the nexus. Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a peculiar symbol at the center of the altar. The symbol emanated a faint, dark mist—it was clearly the heart of the formation.

"This is it!"

Qin Feng gave a low shout and plunged his carry-knife directly into the strange symbol.

The moment the blade pierced the symbol, the entire cave seemed to tremble. The "treasures" that had been conjured from the bleached bones began to dissolve, revealing the cave’s true, desolate appearance.

"We did it!" Zhang Hu cheered. He looked around and saw that the terrifying illusions had vanished without a trace.

Abu also breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Qin Feng with gratitude. "Mr. Qin, thank you. Without you, we would likely have been trapped here forever."

Qin Feng shook his head, his eyes still scanning the surroundings with vigilance. "We aren't out of danger yet. Since this was a site for sacrifice, there may be other traps or mechanisms."

No sooner had he spoken than a low rumble echoed from the depths of the cave, as if something were awakening.

"Not good. Let's move!"

Qin Feng made a split-second decision. He grabbed Zhang Hu and Abu and sprinted toward the cave exit. Behind them, the rumbling grew louder, as if a powerful force were in hot pursuit.

The three pushed themselves to their limits and burst out of the cave at the very last second.

"Phew... phew... finally out..." Zhang Hu collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

Abu’s face was also deathly pale, clearly shaken by the harrowing ordeal. He looked at Qin Feng with gratitude. "Mr. Qin, thank you for saving us."

Qin Feng shook his head, his gaze still alert. "We aren't safe yet. This is a sacrificial ground; there might be other traps or guardians."

His words made Zhang Hu and Abu tense up again. They quickly scrambled to their feet and followed Qin Feng deeper into the dense forest.

Danger lurked everywhere. The three moved cautiously, terrified of triggering a hidden trap. However, they walked for a long time without encountering any further threats.

"Brother Feng, do you think there are really demons or ghosts in this godforsaken place? Why does it feel so creepy..." Zhang Hu hunched his shoulders, his voice quivering.

Qin Feng ignored his muttering, his sharp eyes surveying the environment. The dense forest was wrapped in an unnatural silence. Aside from their own footsteps, there was almost no sound of insects or birds; even the rustling of leaves in the wind sounded jarringly loud.

"Don't talk nonsense. There’s no such thing as ghosts or demons in this world," Abu snapped at Zhang Hu, though his hand tightened instinctively around his dagger.

Qin Feng stopped and crouched down to examine the fallen leaves on the ground.

"Don't let your guard down. This place is full of anomalies; being careful is never a bad thing." He pointed to a small depression almost hidden by the leaves. "See that? That’s a simple trigger trap. If you step on it, the branches nearby will snap back."

Zhang Hu and Abu gasped, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads. They had been so focused on looking for danger around them that they had neglected the ground beneath their feet. If not for Qin Feng’s warning, they would have been caught already.

"Brother Feng, you’re amazing! You even spotted that!" Zhang Hu said, his tone full of admiration.

Qin Feng smiled faintly but said nothing. Having studied the ancient arts of geomancy inherited from the Daoist Tongbao, he was naturally more sensitive to such mechanisms than the average person.

Continuing forward, Qin Feng suddenly stopped again, his brow furrowing slightly.

"What is it, Brother Feng?" Zhang Hu asked, noticing his change in expression.

"Look." Qin Feng pointed to the trunk of a large tree ahead. "The carvings on this tree look like symbols, very similar to the patterns on the altar, but..."

"But what?" Abu pressed.

"The way these symbols are arranged is completely different from those on the altar, and..." Qin Feng paused, his tone growing grave. "I feel that these symbols contain a very powerful energy—even more potent than the curse on the altar."

Zhang Hu and Abu looked at each other, both seeing a flicker of fear in the other’s eyes.