Taking the opportunity of traveling through books

The first dangerous journey to the Lingzhu

The wind and snow continued to rage, the icy air scraping against my face like a knife. I wrapped my cloak tightly around me and followed closely behind Hao Yang. Following the route recorded in ancient texts, we headed north, towards the realm of the Unforgiven. The mountain path was rugged, the snow thick, and every step was incredibly difficult.

"Be careful, Yaoyao." Hao Yang turned around, looked at me with concern, and reached out to hold me. "The snow is very slippery here."

I nodded and let him pull me, feeling the warmth from his palm. "Hao Yang, do you think... can we really find the spirit pearl?" I looked at the vast expanse of white ahead, feeling a little uneasy.

"Don't worry, Yaoyao," Hao Yang said firmly, "We can do it."

After walking for about two hours, the trees around us became increasingly sparse, replaced by jagged rocks and steep cliffs. Suddenly, a low roar came from not far away, breaking the tranquility of the mountain.

"Be careful!" Hao Yang shielded me behind him and looked warily in the direction of the sound. Several wolf-like monsters covered in black scales scurried out from the bushes and lunged towards us, their fangs bared.

Hao Yang quickly drew the dagger from his waist and charged forward. His agility and sharp moves entangled him with the monster. This was the kung fu Master Hao had taught him, and now he was using it to its fullest potential.

However, the number of monsters increased, and Hao Yang gradually became overwhelmed. Seeing this, I quickly mobilized the power of the system to try to disperse these monsters. A powerful energy surged from my body, transforming into a golden light, which shook several monsters away.

However, the consumption of this energy was also extremely huge. I felt dizzy and my body was shaking.

"Yaoyao!" Hao Yang called out worriedly when he saw my pale face. He fought off the monsters around him, retreated to my side, and supported me. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's just... the system is draining too much energy."

We stood back to back, watching the surrounding monsters warily. They seemed intimidated by the power just now and didn't dare to approach easily, but they still stared at us with fierce eyes and let out bursts of low growls.

I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. Now, we must find a way to get rid of these monsters as soon as possible.

At this moment, I suddenly felt a powerful aura coming from afar. This aura... was completely different from the monsters I had encountered before, more powerful and more dangerous.

I looked up and saw a huge black shadow slowly moving towards us...

"Hao Yang..." My voice trembled a little, "Look..."

Hao Yang also sensed this powerful aura, and his expression became unusually solemn. He followed my gaze, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"No..." He grabbed my hand, "Let's go!"

We ran as fast as we could, away from the shadows. The monsters behind us were still chasing us, and that powerful aura was getting closer and closer...

After finally escaping the monsters, we arrived at a turbulent river. The water surged, emitting a deafening roar. The river seemed to harbor a dangerous force, and if we weren't careful, we could be swallowed up...

"This..." I looked at the river in front of me, and an ominous premonition arose in my heart.

Hao Yang's expression was also extremely solemn. He held my hand tightly, "Yaoyao..."

"This river..." I swallowed. The icy wind from the river made me shiver, and even more chilling was the unknown hidden beneath the rushing water. "Are we really going to cross it?"

Hao Yang stared at the churning river, his brow furrowed. He gripped my hand tightly, his knuckles whitening. I could feel the sweat on his palm, even through the thick gloves. "There's no other way, Yaoyao. We must cross. The spirit pearl is in the ruins on the other side of the river." His voice was low and firm, yet with a barely perceptible tremor.

I knew he was right. Behind us was the relentless pursuit of the monster, ahead was the raging river, and we were cornered. It was dangerous either way, so we might as well give it a try.

Hao Yang took a deep breath and pulled me behind him. "I'll go first, you follow me," he said, about to step into the freezing cold river.

"Wait!" I grabbed him, "This is too dangerous! The river flows too fast, and we don't know what is underwater..." My heart was in my throat, and a strong sense of uneasiness surged in my heart.

Hao Yang gave me a reassuring look and said, "Believe me, Yaoyao. I won't let anything happen to you." After that, he resolutely stepped into the river.

The river water was icy cold, reaching his knees in an instant. He steadied himself and walked forward, step by step. The water pounded against his body, making a gurgling sound, like a roaring beast, ready to devour him at any moment.

I stared at him intently, my heart hanging in the air. Seeing how difficult each step he took was, my heart also tightened.

Suddenly, a powerful undercurrent surged from the bottom of the river, sweeping Hao Yang in. He let out a cry of surprise, and his body was instantly swallowed by the river.

"Hao Yang!" I shouted his name heartbreakingly and jumped into the icy river desperately.

The freezing water instantly enveloped me, and I struggled desperately, trying to find Hao Yang. The river was rushing, and I felt like a fallen leaf, being tossed around by the relentless current, unable to control my direction.

I choked on the water and my vision went blurry. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, my hand touched something hard. I grabbed it with all my strength, only to find that it was Hao Yang's hand.

He held my hand tightly, his face was pale and his lips were purple. It was obvious that he was about to collapse.

"Hao Yang..." I called his name weakly, my tears mixed with the river water, blurring my vision.

"Yaoyao..." He said with difficulty, "Don't... don't worry about me... you... you go up quickly..."

"No! I won't abandon you!" I hugged him tightly, summoning the last bit of energy in my system. Golden light surged from my body once again, enveloping us.

"Catch me!" I shouted to Hao Yang.

He seemed to understand what I meant, and with his last bit of strength, he tightly grasped my hand... A powerful force pushed us towards the river bank...

"Hao Yang...wake up..."

The icy water soaked through my clothes, feeling heavy as lead. I forced my eyes open, but the world was blurry, with only Hao Yang's pale face clearly visible. We lay on the riverbank, gasping for breath, as if we had just survived a catastrophe.

"Hao Yang, how are you?" I struggled to sit up and looked at him worriedly.

He smiled weakly, "I'm fine, just a little cold." His voice was hoarse and his lips were purple from the cold.

I quickly took off my coat and wrapped it around him. The overdrawn system energy left me feeling weak and dizzy. I held my forehead, trying to stay awake. We had to get out of here quickly; the monsters could catch up at any moment.

I looked around, taking in the scenery across the river. Dense jungle obscured the sun, and in the distance, an ancient building loomed—perhaps the ruins we were looking for. But we were still some distance from the ruins, separated by a dense jungle. I wondered what dangers lay within.

"We have to leave quickly." I helped Hao Yang stand up. His body was shaking and he could hardly stand.

"Yaoyao, can you still walk?" he asked with concern.

I gritted my teeth and said, "We can walk. We must reach the ruins as soon as possible."

We supported each other and walked deeper into the jungle. The jungle was dark and damp, filled with a rotten smell. The thick fallen leaves underfoot made a crunching sound that was creepy.

"Be careful!" Hao Yang suddenly grabbed me and pointed forward.

I followed his gaze and saw a huge python coiled on a tree, hissing and spitting out its tongue. Its scales gleamed coldly in the dim light, making people shudder.

We held our breath, not daring to make any sound for fear of disturbing it. We carefully walked around the python and continued forward.

The path through the jungle became increasingly difficult, with thorns and vines tangled around us. Every step we took was extremely difficult. My strength had reached its limit, and my legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

"Yaoyao, let's take a break." Hao Yang said.

I nodded, and we found a relatively flat place to sit down. I took out some dry food and water from my backpack and handed them to Hao Yang.

"How much system energy do we have left?" asked Hao Yang.

I opened the system panel and took a look, my expression suddenly becoming serious. "Not much left, only enough for a short distance transmission."

Hao Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "It seems we have to save some money."

We rested for a while and then continued on our way. As time went by, the sky grew darker and darker, and the jungle became more eerie and terrifying. We could clearly hear the roars of wild beasts all around us, which was terrifying.

Finally, we saw the outline of the ruins. It was an ancient stone tower, standing deep in the jungle, looking mysterious and solemn. We quickened our pace and walked towards the tower.

However, before we could get close, a figure suddenly appeared in front of us...

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into the forbidden area!" An old voice sounded in the air.