From cute to empress

Chapter 212 Blood Altar

"Stop the catastrophe?" I repeated these words, my heart filled with confusion. What catastrophe? And what did it have to do with that ancient book?

Zhen Youcai, who was standing by, also frowned. He stepped forward, stood in front of me, and asked sternly, "Stop being so mysterious and just say what you want to say!"

Elder Mo Yin looked at us deeply and said slowly, "This ancient book records a forbidden technique that can open the door to another world and release terrifying monsters. And Hei Sha wants to use this forbidden technique to subvert the entire world!"

"Heisha?" I was startled. This name was familiar to me. He was a notorious cult leader in the Jianghu, a long-time threat to the imperial court. Could it be that he truly possessed this terrifying forbidden technique?

"That's right, Heisha has found the key to open the door to the other world," said Elder Mo Yin in a heavy voice, "If we don't stop him, the whole world will be doomed!"

Although I still had some doubts, the matter was of great importance and no mistakes could be made. I took a deep breath, looked at Zhen Youcai, and asked, "What do you think?"

Zhen Youcai pondered for a moment and said, "It's better to believe it than not. We must find Heisha as soon as possible and stop him!"

"Okay!" I nodded and looked at Elder Mo Yin, "What do you need us to do?"

Elder Mo Yin's eyes flashed with admiration as he said, "The Black Demon's lair is located in Death Valley, which is heavily fortified and difficult to attack. Your Majesty and General Zhen need to disguise themselves, blend in, and search for clues to decipher the ancient text."

Death Valley is a terrifying place. It is said that there is no grass growing there and it is filled with miasma. Nine out of ten people who enter it will never be able to get out.

Although I was a little scared, I still said firmly: "Okay, let's go!"

Under the guidance of Elder Mo Yin, Zhen Youcai and I disguised ourselves as an ordinary couple in the martial arts world, and with a few guards, we embarked on a journey to Death Valley.

Along the way, we were careful to avoid the eyes of the Black Demon, and finally arrived at the entrance of Death Valley after a few days.

The scene before me was even more terrifying than the legends. There were steep cliffs on both sides, gusts of cold wind, and the valley floor was pitch black, like the gate to hell.

I took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, exchanged a glance with Zhen Youcai, and resolutely stepped into this dangerous abyss...

"Wait!" Just as we were about to enter the valley floor, the leader of the guards, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. He pointed to a huge rock not far ahead and said in a trembling voice, "Look, what is that?"

Zhen Youcai and I followed his gaze and saw a strange pattern engraved on the huge rock, emitting a faint red light.

"Oh no! It's the Black Demon's mark!" Zhen Youcai's face changed and he whispered, "We've been exposed!"

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, my heart pounding. Being exposed meant not only would we face the Black Demon's pursuit, but even more terrifyingly, we still hadn't figured out what he was planning to do with the ancient book, let alone stop him.

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" The head guard's voice was a little panicked.

"Don't panic," Zhen Youcai looked around calmly, "Let's first find a way to get into the valley and act accordingly."

I nodded and forced myself to calm down. Now is not the time to panic. We must remain vigilant to find a glimmer of hope in this crisis.

We advanced carefully along the rugged mountain road. There was a suffocating silence all around us, with only the occasional crow's cry adding a bit of eerie atmosphere.

After walking for about an hour, we finally reached the bottom of the valley. The sight before me gave me chills.

At the center of the valley, a massive altar stood, engraved with strange runes and emitting a sickening stench of blood. Dozens of men in black, blades in hand, stood solemnly guarding the altar. In the very center, Heisha, clad in a black robe, clutched an ancient book and muttered something, seemingly performing some ritual.

That book is the ancient book we are looking for!

"What is he doing?" I asked, lowering my voice.

Zhen Youcai didn't say anything, but just stared at the ancient book in Heisha's hand with a frown on his face.

I held my breath, carefully observing Heisha's movements. He pierced his finger with the dagger in his hand, and blood dripped onto the ancient book. The previously obscure runes instantly lit up with an eerie red light.

A powerful force emanated from the altar, and I felt as if my body was bound by an invisible force, unable to move.

"Oh no! He's about to open the door to another world!" Zhen Youcai's face changed drastically, and he whispered, "We must stop him!"

But how can we stop him? This place is full of Black Demons, we can't get close at all.

Just when I was extremely anxious, Zhen Youcai suddenly grabbed my hand and pointed to a huge rock not far away. I immediately understood what he meant. That was the blind spot of the entire altar!

We crouched down and approached the boulder cautiously. With every step I took, I felt my heart leaping out of my throat.

Finally, we came to the back of the boulder, where we could clearly see what was happening on the altar without being discovered by the Black Evil.

Zhen Youcai pulled out a small bottle from his bosom, poured out a black pill, handed it to me, and whispered, "This is the smoke I developed. It can temporarily stun these people and buy us some time."

I nodded, took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

"Are you ready?" Zhen Youcai asked in a low voice, with a hint of determination in his eyes.

I took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, and whispered, "Ready..."

The smoke screen was surprisingly effective. The white smoke quickly spread out, and those men in black fell down one by one before they could even react to what was happening.

"Let's go!" Zhen Youcai shouted in a low voice, took my hand and rushed towards the altar.

My heart was in my throat and I followed his footsteps closely.

However, just as we were about to approach the altar, an accident happened.

"Who is it?!" An angry roar came from behind, followed by a sharp sword energy attacking us.

Zhen Youcai reacted quickly, pushed me away, but took the blow himself.

"Zhen Youcai!" I exclaimed, watching him spit out a mouthful of blood, his body swaying and almost falling to the ground.

"Don't worry about me, go stop him!" Zhen Youcai yelled at me, enduring the pain.

I gritted my teeth, knowing now was not the time to hesitate. Heisha's plot had to be stopped, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

I took a deep breath, gripped the sword tightly in my hand, turned around and rushed towards the altar.

However, before I could take a few steps, I was surrounded by a group of men in black.

"Protect the Lord!" They roared and swung their swords at me.

I dodged left and right, relying on my agility to barely withstand their attacks.

But two fists are no match for four, let alone so many well-trained assassins. It wasn't long before I had several more wounds on my body and my strength was gradually failing.

"Your Majesty!" Zhen Youcai's anxious voice came from a distance, and my heart sank suddenly.

I can't fall down, I still have to stop Heisha, I still have to...

Just when I was about to despair, those strange runes on the ancient books suddenly flashed through my mind.

A bold idea came to my mind. I subconsciously raised my hand, muttering to myself. The runes seemed to come alive, emitting a dazzling light...

Golden light, like the breaking light of dawn, burst forth from me! I felt a powerful force surge from my body, flowing through every limb and bone. Those runes, like ancient spells activated, carried devastating power, toppling all the black-clad men who were besieging me to the ground!

I stared at my hands in amazement, unable to believe this was real. I could actually, truly, use the magic found in ancient books! But what exactly was this power, this power hidden within me?

"Your Majesty!" Zhen Youcai struggled to stand up, his eyes full of shock and disbelief.

I didn't bother to explain too much, I immediately ran to his side and helped him up, "How are you?"

He shook his head, but his eyes were fixed on me. "Your Majesty, you..."

Before he could finish, a cold voice came from the direction of the altar, "So you are the key, Your Majesty."

Black evil!

I don't know when he appeared on the altar, holding a black dagger in his hand, looking at me greedily, or to be more precise, looking at the golden light emanating from my body.

"You knew this a long time ago?" I asked warily, tightening my grip on the sword.

Heisha sneered, "I knew it from the moment you stepped into this place." He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with madness, "As a vessel possessing ancient divine power, you are even more perfect than I imagined."

Vessel? Ancient Power? What did he mean?

I was filled with doubts, but now was clearly not the time to dwell on them.

"Let's go!" I pulled Zhen Youcai up, turned around and ran.

Heisha didn't chase after them, but laughed loudly, his voice full of pride and madness, "You can't escape! The entire palace, the entire country, will soon become mine!"

I glanced back at the altar, where Heisha's figure stood out in the blazing flames. His words, like a curse, echoed in my ears, sending chills down my spine.

"Let's go!" I pulled Zhen Youcai and ran out of the palace with all my might.

Behind him, the crazy laughter of the Black Demon and the blazing flames seemed to foreshadow an even greater disaster to come...