Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

Chapter 491: Breaking Through the Desperate Situation, the Truth Revealed

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, like a rapid drumbeat striking the hearts of everyone present. Yongqi and Xiao Yichen's hearts skipped a beat. They exchanged a glance, a glimmer of hope flashing in their eyes. They knew that reinforcements might have arrived, and this life-or-death struggle against the Shadow Pavilion might have taken a turn for the better.

Upon hearing the sound of hooves, the leader of the men in black's expression changed slightly, but he forced himself to remain calm and roared fiercely, "Don't panic! Whoever comes, don't even think about ruining our plans!" With a wave of his hand, the men in black quickly surrounded Yongqi, Xiao Yichen, and Xiaoxiao even more tightly, the sharp blades in their hands gleaming coldly in the dim, dilapidated temple.

Yongqi gripped his sword tightly, shielding Xiaoxiao behind him, and whispered to Xiao Yichen, "Young Master Xiao, find an opportunity later and take Xiaoxiao with you." Xiao Yichen nodded slightly, his eyes resolute, "Brother Yongqi, you be careful too. We must bring Xiaoxiao back safely."

As they were speaking, the door of the dilapidated temple was suddenly flung open with a loud crash, and sunlight flooded in, illuminating the tense standoff inside. There stood Hongli, dressed in military attire, looking dashing and imposing, followed by General Zhaohui and a group of elite guards, each armed and exuding a menacing aura.

"Let's see where you can escape to today!" Hongli's voice echoed like a booming bell in the dilapidated temple, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

The leader of the men in black turned pale. He never expected that the Emperor would personally lead his troops here. But he was still unwilling to give up. He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, if you take another step forward, don't blame me for being impolite to this little princess!" With that, he pulled Xiao Xiao in front of him and pressed a dagger against her neck.

Xiao Xiao was terrified, her face pale and her eyes filled with tears, but she held back her cries. Seeing this, Xiao Yanzi was frantic with worry and, ignoring everyone's attempts to stop her, was about to rush forward. Hongli quickly reached out to stop her and whispered comfortingly, "Your Majesty, do not worry, I will definitely save Xiao Xiao."

General Zhao Hui stepped forward and said loudly, "You are surrounded. If you know what's good for you, put down your weapons and surrender. We might spare your lives!" Upon hearing this, the man in black hesitated, and the weapon in his hand trembled slightly.

Taking advantage of the moment when the men in black were distracted, Yongqi suddenly swung his sword at the leader of the men in black. The leader quickly dodged to the side, and the dagger in his hand missed Xiaoxiao's neck. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Yichen used his lightness skill to flash to Xiaoxiao's side like a ghost, picked her up, and quickly retreated to Hongli's side.

"Xiaoxiao!" Xiaoyanzi hugged Xiaoxiao tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's alright, it's alright, Mother's here." Xiaoxiao sobbed in Xiaoyanzi's arms, "Mother, I was scared..."

Seeing Xiaoxiao rescued, the men in black panicked. Seeing this, Hongli waved his hand and shouted, "Seize them!" The guards rushed into the dilapidated temple like tigers descending a mountain, engaging the men in black in a fierce battle. For a moment, the temple was filled with shouts of battle and the flashing of swords.

Yongqi and Xiao Yichen joined the battle. Their swordsmanship was fierce and their teamwork was excellent. They quickly repelled the men in black around them. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the leader of the men in black turned to flee. Yongqi would not let him go. He used his lightness skill to chase after him and, after a few rounds, cornered him against the wall.

"You can't escape!" Yongqi glared angrily, his sword pointing directly at the throat of the leader of the men in black.

The leader of the men in black, his face ashen, knew he had nowhere to escape. Suddenly, he knelt on the ground with a thud: "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! It was all instigated by our sect leader, it has nothing to do with me!"

Hongli stepped forward and looked at him coldly: "Speak, who is your sect leader? Where is the treasure?"

The leader of the men in black stammered, "I really don't know the identity of the... Pavilion Master. I only know that he has been searching for a treasure that can control the world, and everything we have done is to help him find that treasure."

"What exactly is the secret technique in that ancient book?" Xiao Yichen stepped forward and asked.

The leader of the men in black shook his head and said, "I don't know either. I've only heard that the secret technique is related to the whereabouts of the treasure. We followed the Pavilion Master's instructions to search for ancient books and decipher their secrets, but we still haven't found the exact location of the treasure."

Hearing this, everyone's doubts deepened. Just then, Mr. Su rushed over. He looked at the leader of the men in black, then at the ancient book on the ground, and suddenly his eyes lit up: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, this old man may know a way to break the curse."

Everyone quickly gathered around. Mr. Su pointed to the patterns on the ancient book and said, "These patterns seem chaotic, but they actually contain hidden secrets. I overlooked a detail before: the patterns on these books are somewhat similar to the terrain of the capital city."

Upon closer inspection, everyone indeed discovered that the patterns on the ancient book subtly corresponded to the streets and buildings of the capital. Mr. Su continued, "Perhaps the treasure is hidden within the capital, and these patterns are the clues that guide us to find it."

Upon hearing this, Hongli immediately ordered: "Issue my decree that all guards in the capital search for the treasure based on the clues in the ancient books. Find it as quickly as possible; we must not allow the Shadow Pavilion's conspiracy to succeed!"

The guards obeyed and went off. After a thorough search, they finally found the mysterious treasure in an abandoned royal palace in the capital. It was an ancient box, covered with strange runes, exuding a mysterious aura.

Emperor Hongli ordered the box to be brought back to the palace and summoned everyone to open it. The moment the box was opened, a dazzling light flashed, and everyone looked closely to see that inside was a crystal-clear jade pendant. The jade pendant was engraved with some strange symbols that faintly echoed the text in ancient books.

Mr. Su carefully studied the symbols on the jade pendant and finally uncovered the entire conspiracy of the Shadow Pavilion. It turned out that this jade pendant was an ancient artifact with the power to manipulate people's hearts. The leader of the Shadow Pavilion intended to obtain the jade pendant, control the emperor, and ultimately rule the world.

Upon learning the truth, Hongli's face darkened: "What a Dark Shadow Pavilion! How dare they harbor such great ambitions! I will wipe them out in one fell swoop and never let their conspiracy succeed."

In the days that followed, Hongli, Xiaoyanzi, and others meticulously planned and finally wiped out the remaining forces of the Shadow Pavilion. The capital city returned to its former peace, and the people cheered and celebrated this hard-won victory.

After this ordeal, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli cherished each other even more, working together to protect the palace and the people. Xiao Xiao, under the loving care of everyone, grew up healthy and happy. That thrilling and legendary story became an eternal tale in the palace, passed down through generations.