Black Myth: The Legend of Tianpeng Seeking Demons

Avril gently helped Juckley to sit down against the wall so he could rest, while she paced back and forth in the dungeon, her brow furrowed in deep thought.

The power and evil of the dark mage Augustus filled her with deep fear, and the dark force that had just tried to control her sent chills down her spine.

"Was I really wrong?" Avril murmured to herself, Jukely's words echoing in her mind. She recalled the scene of her parents' tragic death, and the deep-seated hatred made her clench her fists, but the scene of Jukely risking his life to save her also surfaced in her mind, making her waver.

"Revenge...is that really what I want?" Avril looked up at the dungeon ceiling, where only dim firelight and cold stones seemed to mock her confusion.

"Xiaobai, what should I do?" Avril's voice was filled with exhaustion and confusion. "I...I don't know what to do..."

"You idiot, you need to rest now. Can't you be quiet?" Little White replied irritably. "However, you're in a much better state than before; at least you've started thinking."

“But… I promised to avenge my parents…” Avril’s eyes reddened, and her voice trembled with a sob.

“Revenge shouldn’t be your only goal,” Xiaobai’s voice softened for once. “You have many other possibilities in your life. You should go and find your own happiness.”

Avril fell silent. She knew Xiaobai was right, but over the years, revenge had become her only spiritual pillar, allowing her to persevere in despair.

At that moment, Juckley slowly opened his eyes. He saw Avril's worried face and struggled to sit up. "Avril, what's wrong?"

"I...I'm fine." Avril quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. "How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"

“I’m fine,” Jukele forced a smile. “I just need some rest.”

His gaze swept across the dungeon. "What should we do now?"

“I don’t know either…” Avril sighed, “Augustus is too powerful; we are no match for him at all…”

“We must find a more powerful force,” Juklee said. “Little White, do you know where we can find something to fight against the forces of darkness?”

"You idiot, do you think I'm an encyclopedia?" Little White said with dissatisfaction. "But... I just remembered something. I heard those adventurers at the tavern say that Augustus recently obtained a very powerful treasure, which seems to be... a relic of a dragon knight."

"The Dragon Knight's relics?" Juckley and Avril asked in unison.

“That’s right, it’s said that the relic possesses immense power, capable of controlling dragons,” Xiaobai said. “But I’m not entirely sure what it is.”

Juckley pondered for a moment, "If we can find that relic, perhaps we can fight against Augustus."

“But where are we going to look?” Avril asked.

Juckley looked around, his gaze settling on a pile of rubble in the corner of the dungeon. He recalled the rumors he'd heard in the tavern: that Augustus's castle once contained a secret passage leading to an ancient dragon's lair.

“Perhaps we can look around here,” Juklee said, walking over to the pile of rubble and beginning to clear away the debris.

"What...what are you doing?" Avril asked, puzzled.

“I remember hearing someone mention it in a tavern before,” Juklee said, clearing away the rubble, “that there used to be a secret passage in Augustus’s castle leading to an ancient dragon’s lair, perhaps…”

"A dragon's lair?!" Avril exclaimed in surprise. "You mean, the dragon knight's relics might be hidden in a dragon's lair?"

“It’s possible.” Juklee nodded. “Let’s give it a try; there’s no other way right now anyway.”

"Little White, do you think there really is a Dragon Knight artifact hidden here?" Juklee took out a tinderbox and lit the torch on the wall. The dim light illuminated the surrounding environment, but also cast more eerie shadows.

"You idiot, you're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" Little White said irritably. "Don't you have the 'Eye of Insight'? Why don't you just look for yourself?"

Jukeli closed his eyes, concentrated, and activated the "Eye of Insight" ability of the nine-bead bracelet. The world before him instantly changed; the ancient runes on the walls seemed to come alive, shimmering with a faint light, guiding them in the right direction.

"Follow me!" Juckley opened his eyes and led Avril deeper into the dungeon.

The entrance to the secret passage was hidden beneath a massive stone slab, covered in ancient runes that exuded an unsettling aura.

"Be careful, there are definitely magical traps here," Jukele warned.

Avril nodded, drew her longsword, and cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

Jukli chanted a spell, releasing the magical seal on the stone slab. The slab slowly rose, revealing a staircase leading to the secret passage. A cold, damp air rushed out, mixed with the stench of decay, making one want to vomit.

The two carefully descended the steps. The dungeon was pitch black, with only a few torches flickering on the walls, casting eerie shadows.

“Be careful,” Juklee warned. “I have a feeling something’s not right here.”

As soon as they finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the darkness, and then a huge black shadow descended from the sky, blocking their way.

"What kind of monster is this?!" Juklee exclaimed, quickly taking a few steps back.

The firelight illuminated the dark figure, revealing a massive black scorpion waving its sharp pincers, glaring menacingly at them. Its black carapace was covered in spikes, gleaming with a chilling light.

"It's a Soul-Eating Giant Scorpion!" Avril exclaimed. "A legendary monster that feeds on souls!"

The Soul-Devouring Scorpion let out a piercing scream and pounced on Juckley and Avril.

"Little White, help!" Zhu Keli shouted, while quickly retreating to avoid the giant scorpion's attack.

"Silly pig, don't panic! Use your nine-toothed rake!" Little White's voice rang out from the jade pendant.

Without a second thought, Jukeli immediately unleashed the full power of the nine-bead bracelet, and a nine-toothed rake appeared in his hand.

"Take this!" Zhu Keli shouted, brandishing his nine-toothed rake as he charged toward the Soul-Devouring Giant Scorpion.

The nine-toothed rake clashed with the giant scorpion's carapace, producing a metallic clang and sparks flying. The giant scorpion, jolted back several steps by Jukli's force, angrily brandished its pincers and lunged at Jukli again.

Juklee skillfully dodged the giant scorpion's attacks while searching for its weakness. "Little White, this beast's shell is too hard; my rake can't hurt it at all!"

"You idiot, don't be reckless! Use your 'Insightful Eye' to see where its weaknesses are!" Little White reminded him.

Jukeli closed his eyes, concentrated, and activated the power of "Eye of Insight." The world before him instantly changed; the giant scorpion's body seemed to become transparent, and the blood flowing within it, its beating heart, and the weaknesses hidden beneath its carapace were all clearly presented before him.

"Found it!" Juklee opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his lips.

He seized the opportunity and swung his nine-toothed rake fiercely, stabbing it hard into a soft spot on the giant scorpion's abdomen.

With a muffled thud, the nine-toothed rake pierced the giant scorpion's body, and black blood gushed out.

The Soul-Devouring Giant Scorpion let out a shrill scream before its massive body crashed to the ground.

"Well done, you idiot!" Little White exclaimed. "Looks like you haven't completely turned into a useless piece of trash yet!"

Jukele smiled smugly. "Of course! Don't you know who I am?"

Avril was also impressed by Juckley. She had originally thought that Juckley was just a bard who only knew how to talk, but she did not expect that he would have such strong fighting power.

“Let’s go, let’s keep going,” Avril said, eager to find the Dragon Knight artifact.

The two continued deeper into the secret passage. They passed through narrow corridors and crossed stone doors covered with runes, finally arriving at the deepest part.

“Look, what’s that?” Avril said, pointing ahead.

Before them appeared a huge magic circle. At the center of the circle was a massive stone door, carved with lifelike dragon patterns, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

"This is the gate to the dragon's lair!" Avril exclaimed excitedly. "Legend has it that the dragon knight's artifact is hidden within the dragon's lair!"

"Looks like we made the right bet!" Juckley exclaimed excitedly. "Let's go, Avril, let's see what's hidden in this dragon's nest!"

Although Avril was still filled with fear and unease, she chose to trust Juckley and followed him into the gates of the dragon's lair...

“Be careful, Avril,” Juckley whispered. “This place feels… a little unusual.”

Avril nodded, gripping her magic wand tightly and cautiously observing her surroundings.

At intervals along the walls on either side of the passage stood dim magic lamps, emitting a ghostly blue light that illuminated the passage like a dark, eerie place. The ancient runes on the walls seemed to come alive with each step they took, twisting and flickering, sending a chill down their spines.

"Little White, can you sense anything?" Jukele asked in his mind.

“There is a strong dragon aura here,” Xiaobai’s voice echoed from the jade pendant, tinged with solemnity. “Moreover, I feel… this place seems to be sealed by some powerful force.”

"A seal?" Jukele frowned slightly. "Could it be that a dragon is really sealed here?"

“Possibly,” Xiaobai said. “Legend has it that the relics of dragon knights are usually placed in dragon lairs, which are often protected by powerful magical seals.”

Jukeli took a deep breath and gripped the nine-bead bracelet in his hand. He had a premonition that they were about to face a huge challenge.

They saw that the stone gate was carved with lifelike dragon patterns, which seemed as if they might come to life at any moment, inspiring awe.

"Is this the entrance to the dragon's lair?" Avril asked, looking at the stone door.

Jukeli walked to the stone door and carefully examined the runes on it. These runes were different from those he had seen in the dungeon; they were more complex and ancient, radiating powerful magical energy.

“These runes… I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before…” Juklee murmured to himself.

He closed his eyes, concentrated his mind, and activated the power of the "Eye of Insight." The world before him suddenly became clear, and the ancient runes seemed to come alive, telling him their secrets.

"I know! This is the language of the ancient dragons!" Jukli suddenly opened his eyes. "These runes record the incantation to open the dragon's lair!"

Following the instructions on the runes, he chanted the incantation word by word. His voice echoed through the tunnel, and the ancient dragon language seemed to carry some kind of magic, causing the surrounding air to vibrate.

"Rumble..." The stone door slowly opened, and a scorching heat rushed out, as if it were flames from hell.

“Be careful, Avril,” Juckley said. “It’s definitely dangerous in the dragon’s lair.”

The two cautiously stepped through the stone gate, and suddenly a bright and open space opened up before them.

A huge cave appeared before them, with molten lava flowing at the bottom, radiating a scorching light that turned the cave a fiery red.

Huge stalactites hang from the cave ceiling, shimmering with an eerie light under the firelight, like stars twinkling in the night sky.

In the center of the cave, a colossal red dragon lay asleep on the ground. Its massive body, with scales as hard as steel, radiated a scorching light, inspiring awe. Even in its slumber, it exuded majesty and oppression, deterring anyone from approaching.

"This is... an ancient dragon?" Avril murmured to herself, stunned by the sight before her, momentarily speechless.