I am destroying the protagonist in the fantasy world!

In the darkness, Lei Yi's figure slowly appeared. His face was paler and there was even a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were extremely firm.

"Let's go!" Without time to explain, Lei Yi grabbed Dongfang Liuli's hand and ran to the other side of the crevice.

The two men took cover of the huge rock and quietly slipped out from the crevice amid the roar of the white ape.

"Huh..." Dongfang Liuli was still in shock. She looked back and saw that the white ape was still attacking frantically in the crevice of the rock and had not noticed any trace of them at all.

"We succeeded!" A smile finally appeared on Dongfang Liuli's face.

"Don't be too happy yet," Lei Yi said solemnly, "We are not completely out of danger yet. The situation here is more complicated than we imagined."

The two of them were now in a vast stone chamber, surrounded by towering stone pillars, each carved with bizarre designs, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura. Several night-shining pearls were inlaid on the ceiling of the chamber, emitting a faint glow that illuminated the entire space.

"Where...is this place?" Dongfang Liuli looked around, her heart full of doubts.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be the only way to the treasure." Lei Yi pointed to a stone door in front and said, "We must find a way to open the stone door as soon as possible, otherwise when the white ape catches up, we will really have nowhere to escape."

Dongfang Liuli followed Lei Yi's gaze and saw complex patterns carved on the stone gate, which seemed to be a formation, and there was a gap in the center of the formation, as if something was missing.

"This should be the key to opening the stone door," Lei Yi carefully observed the pattern on the stone door, "We need to find something that can fill this gap."

The two began to search the stone chamber carefully, hoping to find some clues.

Suddenly, Dongfang Liuli exclaimed: "Lei Yi, look!"

She pointed to one of the stone pillars, on which were engraved a few lines of small words:

"Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, Yin and Yang interplay, and wherever there is a birth gate, good or bad luck will reveal itself..."

"This is..." Lei Yi frowned slightly. These words seemed to be some kind of hint, but he couldn't figure out what they meant for a moment.

"It seems that we need to spend some time to solve this mystery." Dongfang Liuli said in a deep voice.

Lei Yi nodded, his eyes swept around, and he whispered, "Liuli, hurry up and study the words on the stone pillar. I'll set up some traps around here, just in case."

"Okay, you should be careful too." Dongfang Liuli reminded.

Lei Yi turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the shadow of the stone pillar.

Dongfang Liuli took a deep breath and focused his attention on the words on the stone pillar. He kept recalling the knowledge about the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams in his mind, trying to find a way to decipher it...

Lei Yi's figure shuttled between the stone pillars, waving the dagger in his hand quickly, carving several hidden marks on the stone pillars.

"I hope these traps can delay some time..." Lei Yi muttered to himself, with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, turned around abruptly and looked towards the entrance of the stone chamber.

"coming!"

Dongfang Liuli's brow furrowed. The inscription on the stone pillars resembled an ancient riddle. She recognized every single character, yet the combination was incomprehensible. "Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, Yin and Yang intertwined; where the gate of life lies, good and bad fortune will be revealed..." She pondered these words over and over, trying to find the key to unlocking the mystery. As the seconds ticked by, she could feel the pounding of her heart and the urgency of the race against time.

Lei Yi's figure darted between the stone pillars like a nimble cheetah. He used the pillars' cover to set traps in every corner of the stone chamber. His sharp dagger flew through his hands, carving secret marks into the stone pillars and smearing them with the poison he had scavenged from his own body. He knew these crude traps couldn't truly stop the white ape, but they could buy precious time; every second could mean the difference between life and death.

"Roar--"

A deafening roar erupted from the stone chamber's entrance, shaking the earth and mountains. The echoes reverberated throughout the empty chamber, bringing with them a palpable sense of oppression. A massive white ape appeared at the entrance, its crimson eyes scanning the chamber before finally locking onto Dongfang Liuli and Lei Yi. Sickening saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth, and its massive hands slammed against the ground, making resounding "bang bang" noises, as if venting its rage.

"It's coming!" Lei Yi whispered, his tone clear of panic, only the calmness and determination of facing a powerful enemy. He gripped the dagger tightly in his hand, staring at the white ape with sharp eyes, ready for a desperate fight.

Dongfang Liuli also withdrew her gaze from the stone pillar, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down. "Lei Yi, I haven't fully deciphered the secret of the mechanism yet, but I'm afraid it's too late!" Her voice trembled slightly, but it couldn't hide her inner determination.

Lei Yi didn't say anything, but nodded gently, indicating that he already understood. He knew that it was superfluous to say anything now. Only by trying his best could he escape from this monster.

The white ape roared, its massive body darting towards Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli like an arrow from a bow. The very floor of the stone chamber seemed to tremble beneath its feet. Its massive hands waved, stirring up a gust of wind that swept up the surrounding gravel and dust, forming a small tornado.

"Now!" Dongfang Liuli suddenly shouted, pointing to the words on the stone pillars and speaking hurriedly, "'Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, Yin and Yang coexist' refers to the arrangement of the stone pillars, and 'Where the gate of life is, fortune and misfortune will be revealed' means that the gate of life is within these stone pillars!"

Lei Yi didn't hesitate for a moment, trusting Dongfang Liuli's judgment. He dodged the white ape's attack with a flash of his body, and at the same time, following Dongfang Liuli's instructions, he quickly moved to a stone pillar engraved with intricate patterns.

"This one!" Dongfang Liuli's voice came again, "Turn it three times to the left!"

Without hesitation, Lei Yi grasped the stone pillar with both hands and used all his strength to rotate it to the left. The stone pillar emitted a dull rumbling sound, as if some huge mechanism was being activated...

As Lei Yi spun vigorously, the ancient stone pillars emitted a deafening roar, as if a sleeping giant had been awakened. The ceiling of the stone chamber began to tremble violently, dust fell, and the ground shook slightly. Dongfang Liuli stared at Lei Yi nervously, her heart pounding.

Suddenly, a translucent shield of light rose from the base of the stone pillar, enveloping Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli like an inverted bowl. The shield shone with vibrant light, ancient runes looming in the distance, and powerful energy waves emanated from it.

"Roar—" The white ape's attack arrived almost simultaneously, its massive palm slamming heavily onto the light shield. A horrifying scene unfolded: instead of shattering the light shield, the white ape's attack was rebounded by an invisible force, its massive body stumbling backward, roaring in pain.

"Success!" Dongfang Liuli shouted happily, the tense expression on her face finally easing. Lei Yi also breathed a sigh of relief. In that moment, he had truly felt the threat of death.

"Don't be too happy too soon," Lei Yi put away the dagger, his expression serious, "This barrier won't hold for long, we must find the real escape route as soon as possible!"

Dongfang Liuli nodded, her gaze returning to the inscription on the stone pillar. She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and carefully observed every detail on the stone pillar, trying to find more clues.

The atmosphere in the stone chamber grew tense once again. Lei Yi watched the white ape warily. Although deflected by the light shield, the ape didn't give up its attack. Its scarlet eyes burned with rage as it continuously attacked the light shield, trying to find a way through.

Time ticked by, and the light on the shield began to flicker, evidently on the verge of collapse. Fine beads of sweat oozed from Dongfang Liuli's forehead. The dagger in her hand carved intricate patterns on the ground, muttering to herself, "Qian three links, Kun six breaks, Zhen upturns the bowl, Gen overturns the bowl..."

"Found it!" Dongfang Liuli suddenly exclaimed, pointing to one of the stone pillars and saying, "This stone pillar is the key!"

Lei Yi followed Dongfang Liuli's gaze and saw a strange pattern carved on the stone pillar. It looked like some ancient writing, or a complex symbol.

"What is this?" Lei Yi asked.

"This is ancient writing, meaning 'reversal,'" Dongfang Liuli explained. "If I'm guessing correctly, as long as I touch the patterns on these stone pillars in a specific order, I can reverse the mechanism and open the true door to life!"

Lei Yi didn't hesitate at all; he trusted Dongfang Liuli's judgment. He took a deep breath and, following Dongfang Liuli's instructions, placed his palm on the pattern on the stone pillar...

A strange wave of energy emanated from the stone pillars, rapidly spreading throughout the chamber. The runes on the stone walls seemed to activate, flashing with dazzling light, and the ground began to tremble violently.

"Rumble--"

With a deafening sound, the stone wall in front of them slowly split apart, revealing a deep passage.

"It seems we succeeded!" Dongfang Liuli said excitedly, but Lei Yi's expression became more solemn.

"Be careful!" Lei Yi grabbed Dongfang Liuli and protected her behind him.

Gusts of fishy wind blew through the passage, accompanied by a chilling growl. A larger white ape appeared at the entrance, emitting a frightening aura, clearly more powerful than the previous one.

"Damn human, how dare you disturb my meditation!" The giant ape spoke in human language, and his voice echoed in the stone chamber like a huge bell.

"Oh no, this beast has awakened its intelligence. It may be difficult to deal with it!" Dongfang Liuli's face changed slightly.

"What are you afraid of? No matter how powerful it is, it can't stop us!" Lei Yi drew out the dagger, his eyes determined.

"Roar—" the giant ape roared, brandishing its massive fist as it lunged towards Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli. Lei Yi charged forward without hesitation, his dagger flashing with a cold light as it collided fiercely with the giant ape's claws, producing a piercing sound of metal clashing.

The two men and the beast engaged in a fierce fight in the narrow passage. Dongfang Liuli also kept looking for opportunities, using the dagger in his hand and coordinating with Lei Yi's attacks to try to find the giant ape's flaws.

However, the giant ape's strength and speed far exceeded their expectations, and Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli gradually fell behind. At this moment, the light shield protecting them finally collapsed under the weight and shattered with a loud bang.

"Not good!" Lei Yi's heart sank. Without the protection of the light shield, they would face the attack of the giant ape.

A fierce gleam flashed in the giant ape's eyes. It opened its bloody mouth and spewed a fierce gust of wind towards Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli. Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli had no way to escape and could only watch helplessly as the gust of wind came...

"Boom——"

The stone chamber trembled violently, and smoke and dust filled the air. When the dust settled, Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli had vanished, leaving only the mess on the ground and the giant ape's angry roar echoing in the stone chamber.

After an unknown amount of time, the stone chamber returned to calm. Deep in the passage behind the giant ape, a faint light flickered, as if hiding some secret. Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli appeared near the light. Before them stood a tightly closed stone door, intricately carved with patterns, faintly exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

"This... should be where the treasure is stored." Dongfang Liuli said softly, looking at the stone gate in front of him.

Lei Yi didn't say anything. He stared at the patterns on the stone door with burning eyes. His mind kept recalling the ancient characters he had seen on the stone wall before, trying to find the key to open the stone door.

"Click——"

A slight noise echoed from the stone chamber. Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli turned their heads at the same time, only to see a giant ape approaching them step by step. Its scarlet eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty light, like a demon from hell...

"Found it." Lei Yi suddenly spoke, with a confident smile on his lips. He stretched out his palm and slowly pressed it on a depression on the stone door.