Time Travel: Ancient Martial Arts Chronicles

They continued along the passage, only to discover it grew increasingly complex, like the intestines of a ferocious beast, its branches seemingly endlessly branching out into the darkness. Every so often, a faint gemstone shone from the wall. Its light was dim, like a candle in the wind, barely breaking through the thick, inky darkness, illuminating only a small area and making the entire environment even more eerie and gloomy.

"This place is like a maze! We have to be careful not to get separated." Ye Wuhen frowned, every wrinkle filled with solemnity. He swung his sword fiercely, carving a deep mark on the wall. The "swish" sound was particularly harsh in the silent passage, like a provocation to this unknown maze.

Lin Xiaoxiao hugged the little fox tightly, its fur standing on end. It twisted restlessly in her arms, its claws clawing at her clothes. "These passages all look the same. How are we going to find the exit?" Lin Xiaoxiao's voice was a little tearful, her eyes filled with worry. She frantically searched the surrounding darkness, but saw only endless passages and the faint glow of the gemstone.

Bai Zhi crouched down, her slender fingers gently touching the ground, carefully feeling the texture, while her sharp eyes scanned the walls like an eagle. "Everyone, keep an eye out for any special markings or unusual areas that might point us in the right direction." Her voice was calm, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner nervousness.

They walked cautiously, each step akin to treading on the brink of life and death. From time to time, they encountered dead ends, the cold, solid walls mercilessly blocking their path, like a maze mocking them. Each time they turned back, they felt like they were teetering between hope and despair, the darkness as if alive, constantly devouring their courage.

Around a bend, they faintly heard a low, humming sound. At first, it was like the fluttering of a mosquito's wings, barely perceptible, but like the whisper of a demon, it burrowed deep into their hearts. As they advanced, the sound grew louder, like the roar of thousands of angry wasps deep underground, or the roar of a massive war machine far ahead. It stung their eardrums and their hearts beat wildly to the rhythm.

Just as they were absorbed in the sound, a sudden rustling sound emanated from the ceiling of the passage, like countless claws scraping across stone. Then, a swarm of monsters, resembling bats but several times larger, came roaring down. These monsters possessed sharp fangs and enormous wings, their eyes flashing a bloodthirsty red.

"Be careful! There are monsters!" Ye Wuhen shouted, swinging his sword towards the group of monsters that were charging at him. The blade cut through the air, making a sharp whistling sound, and instantly cut down several monsters, but more monsters continued to rush towards them.

Lin Xiaoxiao screamed in fear. She hugged the little fox tightly and quickly hid behind Ye Wuhen. The little fox also growled at the monster, as if to give Lin Xiaoxiao courage.

Bai Zhi's eyes flashed, and the silver needle in her hand shot out instantly, piercing the monster's eyes accurately. The monsters screamed shrilly and fell to the ground, but they did not die. Instead, they struggled even more frantically and flew up again.

"These monsters are not easy to deal with!" Bai Zhi shouted.

Monsters circled around them, attacking repeatedly. Ye Wuhen swung his sword, forming a curtain of swords in front of him, repelling the approaching monsters. Lin Xiaoxiao also summoned her courage. She mobilized her internal energy and punched the monsters several times. Each punch was shone with golden light, sending several monsters flying.

After a hard fight, they temporarily repelled the group of monsters that suddenly appeared, but everyone was panting and had some scratches on their bodies.

"We have to leave here quickly. I don't know how many monsters like this there are." Lin Xiaoxiao said anxiously.

They continued to move towards the direction of the buzzing sound, which became louder and louder. The air around them seemed to have lost all its temperature in an instant, and the coldness pierced into their bones like an icicle. Every breath was like swallowing a sharp blade. White mist spewed out of their mouths and was instantly swallowed by the darkness.

Suddenly, a vast circular hall appeared before them. In its center stood a massive rotating disc, resembling an ancient, mysterious beast, engraved with strange symbols and patterns. These symbols and patterns, like a curse from another world, exuded an eerie aura. As the disc slowly rotated, they flickered with a cold light and emitted an unsettling hum. Surrounding the disc were several stone statues, their expressions vividly lifelike, some ferocious, some solemn, yet all exuding a chilling eeriness, as if they were watchers from hell, silently observing the intruder.

"This disc looks unusual. These stone statues... seem to be staring at us." Bai Zhi's voice was a little hoarse, her gaze fixed on the statues. The silver needle in her hand, already infused with internal energy, gleamed with a cold light, ready for battle. She leaned forward slightly, like a cheetah poised for action, yet with a hint of fear of the unknown.

At this moment, a mysterious voice rang out in the hall: "Intruders, do you think you can leave here easily? This is my territory, and you will be trapped in this maze forever." The voice sounded like it came from the Netherworld, cold and gloomy, echoing in the hall. It was impossible to tell where it came from, as if every inch of air was issuing a declaration of death, and as if countless evil spirits were whispering in their ears at the same time. The voice was like a sharp blade, cutting their nerves.

"Who is it? Come out if you dare!" Ye Wuhen shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the hall, filled with anger and fearlessness. His eyes were like lightning, searching the hall frantically, the sword in his hand raised high, the light on the sword seemed so small in this strange atmosphere, yet so determined.

Lin Xiaoxiao hugged the little fox tightly, unconsciously moving closer to Ye Wuhen and Bai Zhi, her body pressed tightly against them, seeking a little comfort. "That sound is so scary, what should we do?" Her voice was filled with tears, her eyes glistening with fear, and she was almost collapsing under the cover of fear.

The mysterious voice rang out again: "Want to get out? Then solve the puzzle on the disc. However, this puzzle will cost you your lives." As the voice faded, the stone statues seemed to be infused with souls. They slowly moved, each step accompanied by a heavy footstep, like the footsteps of death approaching. The stone statues' eyes flickered red, a light like the flames of hell, filled with a desire for destruction. They moved towards Ye Wuhen and his companions, and a life-and-death battle was about to begin.

"Looks like we need to deal with these statues first," Ye Wuhen said. He took a deep breath, launched himself into action, and rushed towards the nearest statue like an arrow. As he approached the statue, he shouted, channeling his inner strength into his sword, and swung it with a fierce force. The sword energy was like a silver dragon emerging from the sea, slashing at the statue with a whistling sound. However, it only left a shallow white mark and a series of sparks that flickered briefly in the darkness before quickly extinguishing.

"It's so hard! Everyone be careful." Ye Wuhen shouted. His body flipped in the air and landed steadily, with a trace of solemnity in his eyes.

Lin Xiaoxiao and Bai Zhi also sprang into action. Lin Xiaoxiao channeled her inner energy to its fullest potential, her gaze firm as she gritted her teeth and punched the stone statue. This punch embodied all her strength, a golden glow shimmering from her fist like a miniature sun. The wind whistled, and the moment it made contact with the stone statue, a dull thud echoed, shaking the entire hall, yet the statue only swayed slightly.

Bai Zhi's figure flashed like a ghost, deftly dodging the statue's attacks. Silver needles rained down upon the statue's joints. Fueled by her inner strength, the needles gleamed with a cold light, bearing armor-piercing runes as they sought to find the statue's weak points. Each needle struck the statue with a resounding thud, leaving only tiny white dots on its surface.

(End of this chapter)

[Note: This story is purely fictional. Any similarity is purely coincidental.]