I walk sideways in the game world

The tunnel shook violently, and rocks rained down from above. Ren Xiaoyao and his group were caught off guard by this sudden change. "Quick!" Ren Xiaoyao grabbed Xia Lin and protected her beneath him, shouting, "Everyone gather together! Watch out for falling rocks!"

In the chaos, everyone dodged frantically, but the narrow passageway offered little room for maneuver. Elder Feng reacted quickly, wielding his staff. With a flash of green light, he shattered a boulder into dust, shielding several team members. However, more rocks crashed down, and one team member, unable to dodge, was struck in the leg, causing him to scream in agony.

"Hold on!" Princess Xu was quick to move forward and support the injured team member, shouting anxiously, "Hurry, we need to find a safe exit as soon as possible!"

"This way!" Ren Xiaoyao looked around and found a relatively safe depression, so he asked everyone to take shelter.

After everyone had settled down for a while, Ren Xiaoyao surveyed his surroundings with the light of the Night Pearl. He saw that the passage wasn't straight ahead, but rather like a maze, with numerous forking paths and faintly visible strange symbols and patterns on the walls.

"These symbols... seem to be some kind of markings..." Charlene carefully observed the patterns on the wall, her brows furrowed. "Could they be a sign of a trap?"

"Be careful," Ren Xiaoyao said solemnly. He looked around and noticed the team's mood was somewhat subdued. The groans of the injured team members only exacerbated everyone's anxiety. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Don't panic, everyone. We have already left the most dangerous area. As long as we work together, we will definitely find a way out!"

However, as soon as she finished her words, Xia Lin's foot slipped and she stepped on a loose tile. "Ah!" she cried out, falling downwards. At the same time, countless sharp arrows suddenly shot out from the walls on both sides of the passage, heading straight for everyone's faces!

"Oh no, it's a trap!" Ren Xiaoyao's eyes were bloodshot, and he flashed and pulled Xia Lin back to his side. At the same time, he swung his sword to block and shot down all the arrows shot at them.

"Ahem..." Xia Lin was still in shock and her face was pale.

"Are you okay?" Ren Xiaoyao asked with concern.

"I'm fine..." Xia Lin shook her head and pointed ahead, "Look!"

Ren Xiaoyao looked in the direction Xia Lin pointed, and saw a stone door at the end of the passage...

The stone door slowly opened, revealing a spacious stone chamber. In the center of the chamber stood a massive bronze coffin, surrounded by lifelike carvings of mythical beasts, emitting an ancient and mysterious aura.

"Could this be..." Ren Xiaoyao's heart moved. Before he could finish, Elder Feng excitedly interrupted him, "That's right! This is what we are looking for - fragments of the ancient artifact!"

However, before everyone could be happy for too long, the walls around the stone chamber suddenly cracked, and dozens of soldiers wearing black armor and holding sharp blades poured out from the cracks and surrounded them.

"Who is it?!" Ren Xiaoyao asked sternly, unsheathing the long sword in his hand, with a cold light flashing.

"Anyone who trespasses into the forbidden area will be killed without mercy!" The leading soldier spoke in a cold tone without any emotion.

Before he finished speaking, the soldiers pounced on Ren Xiaoyao and others like tigers descending from the mountains.

"Protect everyone!" Ren Xiaoyao shouted, and with lightning speed, he rushed towards the enemy. The long sword in his hand danced like the wind, and in the flash of the sword, several soldiers fell in a pool of blood.

"Xiaoyao, be careful!" Xia Lin was extremely anxious when she saw Ren Xiaoyao being besieged by the enemy, but she had no time to help. She could only do her best to command everyone to resist the attacks of other enemies and protect the injured team members.

At this moment, Lord Ma suddenly shouted loudly, and his body suddenly grew in size, turning into a giant several feet tall. Holding a huge iron stick, he swept through the army and forced back the soldiers who were besieging Ren Xiaoyao.

"Wow! Is this your true strength?" Ren Xiaoyao couldn't help but admire when he saw Lord Ma's transformation.

"Hehe, just a little trick, nothing to worry about." Lord Ma grinned, waving an iron rod, and rushed into the enemy camp like a god of war. Wherever he passed, the soldiers were knocked away.

"Let's go!" Elder Feng took advantage of Lord Ma's distraction and quickly called for everyone to retreat. Relying on his knowledge of the ruins, he found a hidden passage and led everyone out of the stone chamber.

However, the enemy was obviously well prepared. They pursued them relentlessly, and Ren Xiaoyao and others were soon forced into a desperate situation - a narrow cliff path.

"What should we do? There is no road ahead!" Xia Lin asked anxiously.

"Hmph, even if there is no way, I will fight my way out!" Lord Ma roared, waving his iron rod, ready to fight to the death.

At this moment, Princess Xu suddenly said, "Wait! I have a solution!"

Princess Xu spoke quickly, "Although this cliff path is narrow, it's not without life. Look, there are many vines growing on the cliff face. We can use these vines to swing to the opposite cliff!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up and saw many thick vines growing on the cliffs, hanging down like natural ropes.

"Good idea!" Ren Xiaoyao's eyes lit up and he immediately agreed. "Master Horse King, you have the most strength. First, use your iron rod to pull the vines over and secure them to a nearby tree. Then we can swing over one by one!"

Lord Ma nodded, wielded his iron rod, and pulled a thick vine over, firmly fixing it to a large tree. Then, he took the lead in grabbing the vine, leaped up, and swung to the opposite cliff.

Following Lord Ma's example, the others followed suit, grabbing the vines and swinging to the opposite cliff. In the end, only Ren Xiaoyao and Princess Xu were left.

"Princess, you go first, I will cover your retreat." Ren Xiaoyao said.

"No, you should go first. I..." Princess Xu hesitated to speak, a complicated look flashing across her face.

"What's wrong?" Ren Xiaoyao noticed that Princess Xu looked strange and couldn't help asking.

"It's nothing. Let's hurry up, the enemy will catch up soon!" Princess Xu said, grabbing a vine and preparing to swing over.

However, at this moment, an accident happened!

For some unknown reason, the vine suddenly broke. Princess Xu screamed, lost her balance, and fell off the cliff!

"Princess!" Seeing this, Ren Xiaoyao jumped up without thinking, reached out and grabbed Princess Xu's wrist, pulling her back from the brink of death.

"You..." Princess Xu was still in shock. Looking at Ren Xiaoyao who was holding her wrist tightly, her eyes were filled with gratitude and an indescribable emotion.

"Be careful!" Ren Xiaoyao didn't have time to think about it. He pulled Princess Xu and used the rebound force of the broken vines to swing to the opposite cliff.

As soon as the two men landed, they heard shouts and cries of killing behind them. The black-clad soldiers had already chased to the edge of the cliff and were looking at them angrily.

"Hurry up!" Ren Xiaoyao pulled Princess Xu and ran quickly along the mountain road.

They ran all the way and finally got rid of the black soldiers and came to a relatively safe place.

"Huh..." Ren Xiaoyao let out a long sigh, looked back where he came from, and was relieved to see that the enemy had not caught up with him.

"It's all thanks to you this time, otherwise I would..." Princess Xu said with lingering fear.

"You don't have to be polite, Princess. It's our duty to help when we see injustice." Ren Xiaoyao said with a faint smile.

At this moment, a low roar came from the depths of the passage, which made people shudder.

"What's that sound?" Charlene asked palely.

Elder Feng's face was solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Not good, we seem to have disturbed something terrible..."

The roar echoed in the empty passage, like the roar of an ancient beast, making people shudder. Ren Xiaoyao gripped the sword tightly in his hand, and an invisible pressure enveloped his heart.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death." Ren Xiaoyao's eyes were firm, his tone unquestionable. "Deep in the passage may be hidden the key to resolving the crisis, or even the ultimate secret of the ruins. I decided to go in and find out."

Xia Lin grabbed his sleeve worriedly, "Brother Xiaoyao, this is too dangerous! We know nothing about what's going on inside. What if..."

Ren Xiaoyao gently patted the back of her hand and said softly, "Don't worry, I will be careful. If we don't find out the truth, we won't be able to truly resolve the crisis, and we might even implicate more people."

Elder Feng also stepped forward and said solemnly, "Young Master Ren is absolutely right. I have guarded the ruins for many years, yet I know very little about this place. The situation is dire now, and only by taking a risk can we find a glimmer of hope."

Lord Ma patted his chest and said, "Brother Ren, go ahead. I, Old Ma, will escort you! Any demon or monster, I, Old Ma, can kill it with a stick!"

Although Princess Xu was nervous, she still stood firmly beside Ren Xiaoyao and said softly, "Be careful."

Ren Xiaoyao nodded, took a deep breath, and resolutely turned and stepped into the depths of the dark passage. Xia Lin followed closely behind, and Elder Feng and Lord Ma also followed, leaving Princess Xu and several injured people waiting there.

The passage was pitch black, and Ren Xiaoyao advanced cautiously, relying on his keen senses. The deeper he went, the thicker the eerie atmosphere grew, and from time to time, strange noises reached his ears, making his hair stand on end.

"Brother Xiaoyao, do you feel that it is getting colder here?" Xia Lin's voice trembled a little.

"Yes." Ren Xiaoyao held Xia Lin's hand, and a warm Qi slowly flowed into her body. "Follow me closely, don't be afraid."

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a faint light finally appeared ahead. As the distance got closer, the light grew stronger and stronger, eventually illuminating the entire passage.

Before them lay a vast underground cavern, its ceiling inlaid with countless luminous pearls, illuminating the entire space like daylight. In the center of the cavern stood an ancient altar, engraved with mysterious runes and emanating an ancient and powerful aura.

At this moment, Ren Xiaoyao noticed that there seemed to be a secret door under the altar...