Black Myth: The Legend of Tianpeng Seeking Demons

Zhu Feifei felt her eyelids were as heavy as a thousand pounds, and her consciousness was floating in the darkness.

"Hiss... Why is my mouth numb? Could it be that I've been poisoned by the legendary 'goodbye kiss'?" He thought groggily, trying to open his eyes.

A faint, pleasant fragrance wafted into his nostrils, slightly clearing his muddled consciousness.

He struggled to open his eyes, and what came into view was an absolutely beautiful face.

The Queen of Jingjue was looking down at him, her exquisite features appearing even more enigmatic in the dim light, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows on her face.

"You're awake?" The Queen of Jingjue's voice was gentle and concerned, a stark contrast to her usual icy demeanor.

Zhu Feifei felt his heart suddenly beat faster, and he quickly looked away, not daring to meet the eyes of the Queen of Jingjue.

"What...what's wrong with me?" He struggled to sit up, but felt dizzy.

"You were poisoned, and I'm the one who saved you." The Queen of Jingjue reached out to support him. "Don't move around; the poison hasn't been completely cleared from your body yet."

Zhu Feifei then noticed that she was covered with a thick blanket, and that the Queen of Jingjue's lips were somewhat purple.

"You...you've been poisoned too?" he exclaimed.

The Queen of Jingjue nodded. "I sucked out the poisonous blood for you, and I was poisoned myself in the process. But don't worry, I've temporarily suppressed the poison with herbs."

"How could you be so foolish..." Zhu Feifei was filled with emotion and self-reproach.

He wanted to say something, but didn't know how to express it.

"Don't speak yet, we need to find the antidote as soon as possible." Queen Jingjue interrupted him, "The Black Wind Bandits have already escaped, we can only rely on ourselves."

Zhu Feifei nodded. He knew this was not the time for sentimentality; they had to find the antidote as soon as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

The Queen of Jingjue helped Zhu Feifei as the two groped their way forward in the deep, dark ancient tomb.

"This place... something feels off?" Zhu Feifei looked around, feeling as if a pair of eyes were watching them from the shadows.

"This... seems to be an ancient city..." The Queen of Jingjue's voice trembled slightly, "I have never seen a place like this before..."

The two continued walking forward, passing through a long passageway, and arrived at a spacious square.

In the center of the square stands a tall altar, surrounded by dozens of stone pillars, each carved with a variety of strange patterns and symbols.

The square was deserted, but whispers could be heard from time to time in the wind, as if countless spirits were whispering.

"This place...it's so eerie..." Zhu Feifei rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. "Why do I feel a chill down my back?"

"Be careful, there might be something strange here," Queen Jingjue said solemnly.

Just then, the stone pillars in the square suddenly began to move, making a loud rumbling sound, and the ground began to shake violently.

"Oh no! We have to go!" Queen Jingjue grabbed Zhu Feifei's hand and ran towards the other side of the square.

The two ran into a magnificent palace, which was resplendent with gold, carved beams and painted rafters, and was extremely beautiful.

However, before they could even admire the view of the palace, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The once magnificent palace has been transformed into a gloomy and terrifying labyrinth, where countless illusions and traps appear before them.

"Watch out!" Zhu Feifei grabbed the Queen of Jingjue, dodging a sharp blade that fell from the sky.

The two were trapped in a maze, constantly encountering various illusions and traps.

“These illusions… seem to be targeting our inner fears…” Queen Jingjue said while dodging the attacks.

Zhu Feifei also realized this. The illusions he saw were all the hardships and setbacks he had experienced in the past, which filled his heart with fear and unease.

He gripped the nine-bead bracelet tightly and unleashed all his supernatural power.

"Ah!" Zhu Feifei roared, and golden light burst forth from his body, dispelling all the illusions around him.

On the palace walls, some strange symbols appeared exceptionally clear under the golden light.

"These symbols... are the script of the ancient Jingjue Kingdom!" the Queen of Jingjue exclaimed excitedly. "I know how to leave this place!"

The Queen of Jingjue pointed to the symbols on the wall and quickly deciphered them: "These record the structure of the maze and how to solve it. You see, these symbols represent different directions and mechanisms. As long as you follow their instructions, you will find the exit."

Zhu Feifei stared at the symbols that wriggled like tadpoles, and felt a chill run down his spine. "Your Majesty, you are truly learned and knowledgeable. I, Old Pig, know absolutely nothing about these things!" He scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

"Stop flattering me, let's get going!" Queen Jingjue rolled her eyes at him. "This maze is unpredictable; we must leave here as soon as possible."

Following the instructions on the mural, the two carefully navigated the maze. Along the way, they encountered all sorts of traps and mechanisms: poison-spraying arrows, boulders falling from the sky, and quicksand hidden beneath the ground.

Using the various tools conjured from the nine-bead bracelet and his innate keen sense of danger, Zhu Feifei repeatedly averted crises. Meanwhile, the Queen of Jingjue, with her ability to decipher the ancient Jingjue script, accurately guided them.

"The traps and mechanisms in this place are all incredibly insidious!" Zhu Feifei complained as she dodged the incoming poisoned arrows. "I wonder which despicable bastard designed them; aren't they afraid of retribution?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Queen Jingjue quickly stopped him. "Do you want to attract other monsters?"

"A monster? What monster?" Zhu Feifei asked nervously. "Are there other things in this maze?"

"In the legends of the ancient Jingjue Kingdom, besides traps and mechanisms, all sorts of monsters guard the treasure..." the Queen of Jingjue said in a low voice. "I've read about them in ancient books before; they're said to be incredibly ferocious and impervious to swords and spears..."

"My God! We'd better run!" Zhu Feifei was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she quickly quickened her pace.

Just then, a stone gate suddenly appeared in front of them. Two ferocious beast heads were carved on the stone gate, so lifelike that they seemed ready to come to life at any moment.

"What...what is this?" Zhu Feifei asked, pointing to the beast head on the stone gate, her voice trembling.

"This is... the 'Gate of Life and Death'..." The Queen of Jingjue's expression also turned solemn. "According to ancient records, this gate is the final and most dangerous barrier leading to the treasure."

"The most dangerous checkpoint?" Zhu Feifei swallowed hard. "Then what should we do?"

"Don't worry, I've found a way to break it." Queen Jingjue pointed to an inconspicuous groove on the stone door and said, "As long as we activate the mechanism in this groove, we can safely pass through this door."

She took a finely crafted dagger from her waist and prepared to insert it into the groove.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!

The walls of the maze suddenly began to move, trapping the two in a small space.

"Oh no! We're trapped!" Zhu Feifei exclaimed.

"Calm down!" Queen Jingjue said quickly. "We will definitely find a way out!"

She examined the runes and mechanisms on the stone door again, trying to find new clues.

Zhu Feifei paced anxiously in the cramped space, glancing up at the ever-approaching wall every now and then, feeling her breathing become increasingly rapid.

"Little White, Little White, do you have any ideas?" He called out to the Ringwraith Little White in his heart.

"You idiot, don't count on me at a time like this!" the Ringwraith said irritably. "I'm just a Ringwraith, not a god. How could I possibly know everything?"

"Then... what should we do?" Zhu Feifei was on the verge of tears.

Just then, the Queen of Jingjue suddenly exclaimed, "Found it!"

She pointed to an inconspicuous rune on the stone door and said, "This rune... is the key to controlling the maze's mechanisms!"

She lightly touched the rune with her dagger, and with a "click," the surrounding walls stopped moving.

"Great!" Zhu Feifei exclaimed excitedly, "We're saved!"

However, before he could rejoice for long, the two beast heads on the stone gate suddenly came to life, opened their blood-red maws, and roared at the two of them.

"Roar!" A deafening roar echoed through the maze, sending chills down everyone's spine.

"My God! What... what the hell is this?!" Zhu Feifei was so frightened that she quickly hid behind the Queen of Jingjue.

The Queen of Jingjue was pale, but she remained calm.

“These are… guardian beasts…” she whispered. “It seems we must defeat them to pass through this door…”