God Slayer: Make Up for the Past

The damp air in the cave, tinged with the scent of earth, felt suffocating. The crackling torches flickered, their flickering light illuminating Murong Xue's face, adding a touch of mystery. She remained standing before the strange rune, her fingers gently stroking it as if she were caressing a precious antique.

Chu Feng held his breath, not daring to disturb her. Murong Xue's state was strange, as if she were in some kind of trance, cut off from her surroundings. He noticed the subtle tremor at the corner of her eye and the lingering worry between her brows, and his confusion deepened. What exactly did this rune represent? Why did it cause such a huge emotional upheaval in her?

"These runes..." Murong Xue finally spoke, her voice low and hoarse, as if coming from far away, "I think I've seen them somewhere..."

Chu Feng's heart trembled. Just as he was about to ask, the communicator on his waist suddenly vibrated. It was a call from the family of Zhou's missing person.

He took a deep breath and answered the communicator. "Mr. Zhou, any news?"

An anxious voice came from the other end of the communicator: "Chu Shouye, my daughter has been missing for three days! Have you found any clues? My wife is almost going crazy with worry!"

Chu Feng's brow furrowed. The missing Zhou's daughter was the key to this incident and the biggest burden on his mind. He suppressed his irritation and spoke in a calm tone, "Mr. Zhou, please rest assured. We are searching with all our might. We have some leads and I believe we will have results soon."

After hanging up the communicator, Chu Feng felt a wave of weakness. The Zhou family's urging weighed on his heart like a huge rock, making it difficult for him to breathe. Night Watch Supervisor Li snorted coldly, "How's the progress, Night Watchman Chu? Don't forget, you've been given an ultimatum from above."

Chu Feng ignored the sarcasm in Li Shouye's words. He turned to look at Murong Xue and found that she had woken up from her trance, but there was still a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"You just said that you have seen these runes?" Chu Feng asked with a hint of urgency in his tone.

Murong Xue was slightly stunned, and seemed a little hesitant, but finally nodded. "A long time ago... in a very far away place..."

Her words were intermittent, and she seemed reluctant to say more. Chu Feng suppressed his anxiety. He knew that Murong Xue was hiding many secrets, and these secrets were likely related to this disappearance and those ancient runes.

"Where is it? Can you tell me?" Chu Feng asked.

Murong Xue was silent for a moment, her eyes wandering, as if she was thinking, but also as if she was avoiding. Just when Chu Feng thought she would not answer, she suddenly raised her head and looked at him firmly.

"I can tell you," Murong Xue's voice was low and powerful, "but you have to promise me that no matter what you find out, you must protect me..."

Before she could finish her words, a strange sound suddenly erupted from the depths of the cave. It sounded like the growl of a wild beast, or perhaps some ancient incantation... This strange sound from the depths of the cave intensified the already tense atmosphere. Night Watch Overseer Li subconsciously tightened his grip on his weapon and glanced around warily. "What's that sound?" he demanded sharply.

Chu Feng ignored him, his eyes fixed on Murong Xue. He felt that Murong Xue's secret was about to be revealed, and this secret might be the key to solving this disappearance.

"I promise you," Chu Feng said firmly, "no matter what happens, I will protect you."

Murong Xue looked at him deeply, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes. She reached out and pointed to a corner deep in the cave. "There... I feel like something is calling me..."

Chu Feng followed her finger and saw a corner covered in spiderweb-like cracks. A chilling aura seeped out from the cracks, sending shivers down his spine. The Zhou family's urging, the questioning of Night Watchman Li, the mysterious runes, Murong Xue's secrets, the eerie noises from deep within the cave... All the pressure surged like a tide, only to intensify Chu Feng's focus.

All the clues he had seen before flashed through his mind: the strange feeling when Murong Xue touched the rune, the "distant place" she mentioned, and the corner she was pointing to now...

"Wait!" Chu Feng suddenly said, a gleam in his eyes, "Those runes... and the structure of this cave... I understand!"

Pan Yue looked at him puzzledly, "What do you understand?"

"Those runes aren't just decorations," Chu Feng said, pointing to the runes on the cave wall. "They're some kind of guide, pointing the way to a hidden space! And the 'distant place' Murong Xue mentioned is most likely referring to this hidden space!"

Pan Yue's eyes flashed with admiration. "Your thinking is quite sharp! So, the crack in that corner is the entrance to the hidden space?"

"That's right!" Chu Feng nodded affirmatively, "The reason why Murong Xue felt the 'calling' was because she had some connection with that hidden space!"

Night Watch Supervisor Li snorted coldly, "Mystique! Even if there really is a hidden space, how can we prove it's related to the disappearances?"

Chu Feng ignored his doubts and turned to look at Murong Xue. "Do you believe me?"

Murong Xue nodded firmly, "I believe you."

"Okay!" Chu Feng took a deep breath and took the lead to walk towards the corner full of cracks. Pan Yue followed closely behind him, and Li, the Night Watch Supervisor, hesitated for a moment and followed suit.

As they carefully crossed the crack, a powerful force suddenly hit them and pushed them into a dark abyss.

"Trap!" Pan Yue exclaimed.

Chu Feng's heart sank. He knew that they had encountered a powerful trap, and this trap seemed to be specially set up to prevent them from getting close to the truth.

As he fell, Chu Feng felt a cold murderous intent locking onto him. He suddenly looked up and saw a pair of scarlet eyes in the darkness staring at him intently... "Murong Xue, be careful!"

Darkness engulfed them. Even before the weightless sensation of falling had faded, a scorching wave of air rushed towards them. Chu Feng reacted quickly, gathering his spiritual power and forming a barrier in front of him, barely blocking the sudden flaming attack.

"Be careful! This trap will change its attack form!" Chu Feng warned loudly, while pulling Murong Xue beside him and protecting her behind him.

As soon as he finished speaking, the flames suddenly vanished, replaced by countless sharp ice spikes that shot out from all directions. Pan Yue waved his folding fan, and a whirlwind appeared out of thin air, sucking in the ice spikes and shattering them into icy shards.

The traps attacked in wave after wave, with no respite. Flames, icy spikes, lightning, poison... various elemental forces appeared alternately, as if to devour them completely. Chu Feng constantly adjusted his strategy, sometimes concentrating his spiritual energy to form a shield, sometimes wielding his sword to neutralize the attacks one by one.

Although Murong Xue didn't possess strong combat abilities, her agility and ability to anticipate danger made her crucial in the battle. She constantly alerted Chu Feng and Pan Yue to the source of their attacks, helping them avoid deadly attacks.

However, while dodging a lightning attack, Murong Xue accidentally got her arm scratched by flying gravel. Blood flowed down the wound, staining her sleeve red.

"Murong Xue!" Chu Feng was extremely anxious and quickly supported her. "How are you?"

Murong Xue gritted her teeth and shook her head, "I'm fine, just a minor injury..."

Seeing Murong Xue injured, Chu Feng felt a strong desire to protect her. He gently tore off the corner of his clothes and bandaged her wound. Murong Xue looked at Chu Feng's focused eyes and was deeply moved. She wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Chu Feng.

"Don't talk, save your energy." Chu Feng's voice was low and firm, "I will definitely take you out."

After bandaging the wound, Chu Feng's eyes became sharp. He felt that the power of the trap was weakening. He knew that this was the best time for them to break out.

"Pan Yue, prepare to break out!" Chu Feng shouted, and the spiritual power in his body burst out, and the long sword in his hand burst out with dazzling light.

Pan Yue also understood that the time had come. The folding fan in his hand turned into a sharp blade, which complemented Chu Feng's sword energy to form a powerful force that rushed straight to the core of the trap.

"Boom!" With a loud bang, the core of the trap was shattered, and the surrounding attacks disappeared. They finally broke through the trap and came to a new space.

It was a vast cavern, with strange lights flickering on the walls and a damp, decaying smell in the air.

Chu Feng supported Murong Xue and looked around cautiously. He felt that the missing person was nearby, but there was an extremely dangerous atmosphere around him.

Murong Xue gently tugged at Chu Feng's sleeve, her eyes looking towards the depths of the cave with a complicated expression. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only uttered two words:

"There……"