Black Myth: The Legend of Tianpeng Seeking Demons

The air in the cave was stuffy and damp, and dim light filtered through the cracks in the rock walls, illuminating the entire space in a dark and mysterious atmosphere. A thin mist covered the ground, and a chilling aura seemed to rise with every step.

Juckley and Avril stood quietly at the cave entrance, facing a giant fire dragon whose enormous scales gleamed eerily in the dim light.

"Shh, keep your voice down!" Juckley whispered, gently tugging at Avril's sleeve, his face full of anxiety. "Don't wake it up!"

Avril's heart pounded, her gaze fixed on the dragon, her voice trembling with unease: "But...it...it's so big! Are we really going to take the Dragon Knight's artifact from it?"

The dragon lay peacefully on a huge stone bed, its limbs outstretched, occasionally exhaling scalding hot breath from its nostrils. Even in its slumber, it was terrifying, as if it might awaken at any moment and unleash a torrent of flames capable of incinerating everything.

“Don’t worry, Avril,” Juckley glanced at the dragon, suppressing his fear and forcing a reassuring smile. “It’s sleeping right now. If we’re careful, we shouldn’t disturb it.”

"We'd better pray it doesn't suddenly wake up," Avril muttered to herself, her palms still sweating with nervousness.

Jukele turned to look at Little White, who was hovering around them, "Little White, do you know where the Dragon Knight artifact is?"

Little White was a small, silver magical pet with wings that shimmered faintly, but its little face was tightly scrunched up, its eyes filled with dissatisfaction and a hint of mockery. "How should I know? Find it yourself!"

Juckley sighed helplessly; clearly, Little White had no intention of helping. He began searching the cave, hoping to find traces of the Dragon Knight's artifact. Avril followed closely behind, glancing around cautiously and remaining alert, afraid of accidentally awakening the sleeping dragon.

They searched for a long time, turning over almost every corner of the cave, but still found no valuable clues. Juklee's expression gradually became serious, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His palms were trembling slightly from prolonged tension.

"What should we do? Little White, we can't seem to find the Dragon Knight artifact..." Zhu Keli said helplessly, with a hint of frustration in his eyes.

Xiao Bai glared at him and scoffed, "Idiot, don't rush. The Dragon Knight artifact is definitely hidden in this cave. Let's search carefully again."

Just then, Jukely's gaze was suddenly drawn to a faint light beneath the dragon's body. His eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly, as if he had discovered a treasure, "Avril, look!"

The two stealthily approached and discovered a faint golden light shimmering beneath the dragon's belly. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a golden bracer. The bracer was intricately carved with dragon patterns, which seemed to sway slightly with the changing light, emanating a powerful magical aura.

"This is... the Dragon Knight's artifact?" Avril asked in a low voice, her eyes filled with doubt and surprise.

Juckley nodded, his gaze firm. "It should be. Legend has it that the Dragon Knight's artifact is a golden bracer, possessing the power to control dragons."

He slowly reached out towards the wristband, but just as he was about to touch it, an invisible force suddenly repelled his hand, as if an invisible barrier was blocking his way.

"What happened?" Jukele rubbed his hand that had been pushed away, his face full of surprise.

"You idiot, have you forgotten that this place is sealed?" Little White said impatiently, glancing at Juklee. "Do you think such an important artifact would be left there unprotected for you to take? To get the Dragon Knight artifact, you must first break the seal."

"But... how can we break the seal?" Jukli asked, frowning, a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

"Let's see if there are any clues around," Little White yawned as it hovered in the air, its wings flapping gently. "The Dragon Knight certainly wouldn't leave his artifacts lying around; he would definitely leave clues."

Juklee and Avril resumed their careful search of the cave. Finally, they discovered ancient writing on the cave walls—the language of the ancient dragons, complex and mysterious. Juklee frowned as he approached the wall, gently stroking the carvings.

"What is this? Can you read it?" Avril's eyes were fixed on the words.

Jukli used the "Eye of Insight" ability from his nine-bead bracelet, his eyes gleaming with a faint blue light. He silently chanted in dragon language, painstakingly translating the ancient runes.

“These runes… seem to be recording the method to break the seal…” he muttered to himself, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

Following the runes' instructions, he proceeded step by step, connecting the runes around the cave as if constructing an invisible magic circle. As he completed the final step, the entire cave shook violently, the ground seemed to crack, and it rumbled loudly.

"The seal has been broken!" Juklee's face was pale as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

However, before he and Avril could even catch their breath, a deafening roar echoed from the depths of the cave, and the slumbering fire dragon slowly opened its eyes, as hot as molten lava. The dragon raised its head, its aura of fury and oppression enveloping the entire cave, as if the whole space trembled.

"Who is it? Who has disturbed my slumber?" The dragon's voice echoed like thunder in the cave, and its massive body began to move slowly.

Juckley and Avril quickly hid behind the boulder, their breathing rapid and labored, their hearts pounding as if they were about to burst from their chests. They had witnessed the dragon's awakening, and their hearts were filled with terror.

"Oh no, the dragon has awakened!" Avril gritted her teeth, gripping her magic wand tightly, a hint of despair flashing in her eyes.

"Don't panic, you silly pig!" Little White remained calm, seemingly unfazed by the danger before him. "It has just awakened and its power hasn't fully recovered yet. We still have a chance!"

“Opportunity? What opportunity?” Jukeli asked, frowning, his eyes filled with confusion and unease.

"Before it fully wakes up, let's quickly get the Dragon Knight artifact and leave this place!" Little White said, gently flapping its wings to urge the two of them to move.

Juklee nodded, took a deep breath, and then burst out from behind the boulder, running towards the Dragon Knight artifact.

The dragon's gaze instantly locked onto him, its burning eyes filled with rage. It opened its enormous mouth and spewed out a torrent of scorching flames that swept towards him like a raging inferno. Jukli swiftly dodged to the side, the flames grazing his body and instantly incinerating the boulder behind him. The intense heat hit him, almost suffocating him.

He dared not linger and continued running desperately toward the Dragon Knight's artifact. Every step felt like a race against death, the dragon's rage ever-present, the heat of the flames causing a dull ache in his back, as if his skin were already scorched.

"Hurry, hurry!" Jukeli urged himself incessantly. Finally, he reached the dragon's base. He grabbed the golden bracers, and in that instant, the bracers seemed to resonate with him, a powerful force surging into his body.

But he had no time to process this power; he immediately turned and ran. The dragon roared, its massive body soaring into the air, flapping its enormous wings, and chased after Juklee.

Flames spewed from the dragon's mouth once more. Jukli gritted his teeth and ran for his life, his heart pounding in his chest. However, his strength was waning, his speed was decreasing, and the dragon's wrath was drawing ever closer.

"Oh no... what should I do?" His mind was in complete chaos, and he could see almost no hope.

Just when he was about to despair, Avril suddenly rushed up from behind. She raised her magic wand, quickly chanting a spell, and a powerful magical shield instantly appeared in front of them, blocking the dragon's fire breath.

Avril waved her wand, and magical energy surged into her palm like a tidal wave. Her expression was tense, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

The magical shield, like an invisible barrier, instantly blocked Jukli and the dragon. Flames crashed into the shield with a deafening roar, and the surrounding air seemed to ignite instantly, filling the cave with a scorching heat.

"Run!" Avril shouted at Juckley, her voice trembling slightly from the effort. "I'll hold it off!"

Forced back by the dragon's flames, Juckley saw Avril buying him time and gritted his teeth, daring not to hesitate for a moment. He quickly scrambled to his feet, gripped the dragon knight's bracers, and ran desperately towards the cave's exit. Behind him, the dragon's roars echoed endlessly, and the air was thick with a tense and deadly aura.

"Roar—!" The dragon roared furiously, its massive body shaking the entire cave. Its wings slammed violently against the ground, stirring up a gust of wind. Flames spewed from its throat, impacting Avril's magical shield with devastating force.

Avril's magical shield began to crack under the dragon's repeated attacks, and her face grew increasingly pale, clearly indicating that magic had consumed a great deal of her energy. The dragon's roar was deafening, and its enormous claws slashed fiercely at the shield, as if to tear everything apart.

"Juckley, run!" Avril struggled to maintain her shield, cold sweat dripping down her forehead like rain.

Jukeli ran towards the exit without looking back, his heart filled with anxiety and self-reproach. He knew he couldn't stop, and he couldn't turn back. He had to take the Dragon Knight's artifact with him first, or they would all die here.

As he drew closer to the exit, suddenly, the dragon let out a deafening roar. The magic shield finally gave way under its attack and shattered instantly.

Avril was thrown back by the powerful impact, her body slamming heavily against the rock wall, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth.

The dragon, having gained the upper hand, spread its enormous wings, soared into the air, its eyes fixed on the fallen Avril, and suddenly swooped down, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

"Avril!" Juckley's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly stopped. He turned around and watched as the dragon's claws were about to tear Avril's body apart. An uncontrollable fear and rage surged within him. He knew that if he didn't act now, Avril would surely die under the dragon's claws.

"This can't be!" Juklee gripped the bracers in his hands, feeling the powerful force surging into his body. He knew this was the power of the Dragon Knight's artifact, but he had never learned how to use it.

“You must believe in yourself, Jukele!” Avril’s voice seemed to echo in his mind. Those were the words she had once told him—never give up hope, no matter what difficulties you face.

Juckley took a deep breath. He couldn't let Avril die; he couldn't abandon her.

He closed his eyes, focusing his mind on sensing the power within the bracers. Gradually, a warm energy swirled within him, and he seemed to hear the whispers of the dragon knights—an ancient incantation guiding him on how to control this power.

Juklee gritted his teeth, countless images flashing through his mind.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide, raised his arm, and the golden light on his wristband suddenly shone brightly, illuminating the entire cave in an instant.

The dragon's attack froze in mid-air, as if sensing the power emanating from the divine artifact; a hint of wariness and anger flashed in its eyes.

Juckley chanted the dragon knight's incantation aloud, and golden light spread from his body, forming a light barrier that protected him and Avril.

The dragon roared in fury, its massive body retreating as if afraid to approach the sacred power any further. Its eyes were filled with hatred, yet it was powerless to do anything about it.

"Juckley, take me away!" Avril struggled to her feet, her voice weak but filled with urgency.

Juckley nodded and quickly ran over to help her up. Avril was pale and swaying, clearly struggling to stay upright due to the strain of the magic. But she stubbornly kept her back straight, her eyes filled with determination.

The two ran desperately toward the cave exit, Jukli's golden bracers gleaming, blocking the dragon behind them. The air in the cave became scorching hot from the dragon's roar, making even breathing difficult.

Finally, they burst out of the cave. A rush of fresh air washed over them, and Juckley and Avril breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously.

They looked back and saw the dragon standing at the cave entrance, roaring angrily, its huge wings flapping against the cave ceiling, but it seemed to be bound by some force and unable to fly out of the cave.

“We’re safe,” Jukele said breathlessly, his body almost collapsing to the ground from the prolonged tension and running. He breathed in the fresh air, as if he had been reborn.

Avril stood to the side, her hands on her knees, her face pale but her eyes shining. She glanced at Juckley, smiled softly, and said weakly, "Aren't we friends? Of course we should help each other."

They smiled at each other, their eyes filled with understanding and trust. Having survived this life-or-death escape, their friendship had grown even stronger.