Floating life reflects two lotuses

The night was as dark as ink, and a suffocating chill permeated the depths of the imperial tomb. The runes engraved on the stone walls emitted an eerie glow as the torches flickered, like countless eyes staring at the intruders.

Xiao Jinlian gripped the torch firmly, her gaze fixed on the stone platform ahead. Li Heng followed behind her, his steps steady, the long sword in his hand gleaming coldly, ready to face any sudden danger.

"The aura here is much stronger than in the outer area," Xiao Jinlian said in a low voice, pointing to the stone platform emitting a faint light in front of her. In the very center of the stone platform was an oval stone box, covered with complex runes that were very similar to the fragments they had found before.

Li Heng nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping warily around him: "The imperial tomb is full of traps and mechanisms; this stone platform may not be so easy to approach."

Silan followed closely behind, whispering a reminder: "Princess, are you sure this is the location of the second rune fragment? What if it's a trap deliberately set by Consort Yan..."

Xiao Jinlian looked firmly at the stone platform, her tone revealing an unwavering determination: "We have no other choice. Every fragment we find brings us one step closer to the truth."

The three of them slowly approached the stone platform, each step feeling like walking on a knife's edge, and the tension in the air grew stronger.

As they approached, the runes on the stone platform suddenly rippled slightly, and as if activated, a beam of dark blue light shot straight up from the stone box, piercing the darkness of the entire tomb.

"This...this is an energy fluctuation!" Xiao Jinlian's tone was urgent. "Be careful of the traps around us!"

Before the words were even finished, the ground suddenly trembled. The once smooth stone slab split open, revealing a bottomless crack. A cold wind, carrying the stench of decay, rushed out from the crack, sending chills down one's spine.

"Back off!" Li Heng suddenly pulled Xiao Jinlian behind him, his long sword held horizontally in defense, his eyes warily fixed on the changes in the ground.

Several statue-like stone figures gradually rose from the crack, their bodies covered in ancient runic light, their shapes ferocious, holding sharp stone axes in their hands, and their eye sockets emitting a ghostly green light.

"It's a tomb-guarding agency!" Silan exclaimed.

The stone figure gradually came to life, its movements stiff yet full of power. Almost the instant they could see it clearly, it swung its stone axe and charged towards the three of them.

"I'll hold them off!" Li Heng drew his longsword, took a step forward, and swung it at the foremost stone figure. The sword flashed, clashing with the stone axe, producing a piercing metallic clang.

"Silan, protect the princess!" Li Heng roared, his sword flashing out and successfully forcing back a stone golem.

"Princess, be careful!" Silan grabbed Xiao Jinlian's sleeve and pulled her aside. "These stone men are too strong. We must find a way to stop them as soon as possible."

Xiao Jinlian's gaze swept across the stone platform, quickly analyzing the arrangement and fluctuations of the runes. "This is not a simple energy protection; the stone golem's actions are controlled by the runes! If we can decipher the core runes on the stone platform, perhaps we can stop them."

Silan nodded: "I'll cover you!"

Without further hesitation, Xiao Jinlian rushed to the stone platform and gently touched the surface of the stone box with both hands. The icy touch traveled through her fingertips, and the energy fluctuations of the runes spread along the stone box, as if trying to devour her consciousness.

"Focus!" Xiao Jinlian silently reminded herself in her mind. She took a deep breath and began to quickly analyze the arrangement and structure of the runes.

At this moment, Li Heng was engaged in fierce combat with the stone golem. His movements were steady, and each sword strike was precisely aimed at the stone golem's joints. However, the stone golem's regenerative ability was astonishing; the severed parts quickly returned to their original state.

“Their power is almost inexhaustible!” Li Heng gritted his teeth and held on, blocking another fierce attack, glancing at Xiao Jinlian’s direction out of the corner of his eye.

"Princess, hurry!" His voice was urgent, but without a trace of panic.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Jinlian's forehead as she stared intently at the changes in the runes, her fingers rapidly tracing the surface of the stone box. Finally, one rune was completely deciphered, and the stone box emitted a deep hum, its top slowly opening to reveal a fragment of a rune radiating a ghostly blue light lying quietly inside.

"Success!" she exclaimed softly, quickly picking up the fragment. At the same time, the runic light on the stone platform vanished abruptly, and the entire tomb returned to silence.

The stone figures stood frozen in place, the light extinguished, and they returned to being ordinary statues.

Li Heng, panting heavily, walked to Xiao Jinlian's side, his gaze falling on the rune fragment in her hand: "Is this it?"

Xiao Jinlian nodded, her tone filled with deep complexity: "It's the second fragment, and its energy is stronger than the first. Li Heng, we must leave as soon as possible; it's not safe here."

Silan rushed over and supported the panting Li Heng: "Princess, that was too dangerous. Are you alright?"

Xiao Jinlian gently shook her head, her eyes filled with determination: "We have no way out. The secrets of the Spirit Offering Site are gradually being revealed, and I must find the remaining fragments and uncover the truth."

The three quickly left the tomb, their figures disappearing into the night. The faint glow of the rune fragments shimmered in Xiao Jinlian's palm, as if whispering an even greater secret.

Xiao Jinlian staggered, cold sweat trickling down her forehead, her face deathly pale. She gripped the rune fragment tightly in her hand, feeling as if a heavy stone was pressing on her chest, making each breath difficult.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Silan grabbed her and said anxiously.

"I...I'm fine." Xiao Jinlian managed to squeeze out a few words, but her trembling fingers betrayed her weakness.

Li Heng immediately approached, his eyes filled with worry: "Lian'er, don't force yourself. This fragment seems to be related to a curse. Put it down first."

Xiao Jinlian shook her head, her expression resolute: "No, this fragment contains important information. If we don't figure out its secrets, all our efforts will be in vain."

The rune fragments in her hand emitted a dark red glow, the surrounding air became unusually heavy, and a faint, low humming sound echoed in her ears, as if summoning some unknown power.

“This light… seems to be coming from inside the fragment,” Silan said softly, tentatively reaching out to touch it.

"No!" Xiao Jinlian shouted abruptly, "This power has nothing to do with you, do not touch it lightly."

Upon hearing this, Silan's hand froze in mid-air. She quickly took a step back, her face filled with unease.

Li Heng frowned, raised his hand to protect Xiao Jinlian's side, and said in a low voice, "Are you sure you can hold on? If anything happens to you, we must leave immediately."

Xiao Jinlian closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and forced herself to concentrate. After a moment, she took a deep breath and handed the shards in her hand to Li Heng: "Hold these for me for now."

Li Heng hesitated for a moment, but still took the shard. The moment he touched it, a cold, stinging sensation shot through his arm, as if countless fine needles were piercing his skin at once.

"This thing is too dangerous," Li Heng muttered under his breath, wrapping the fragments in his cloak to avoid direct contact.

As the fragment temporarily left her hand, Xiao Jinlian's breathing became slightly more even, but the dull pain in her chest had not completely subsided. She pressed her chest, her gaze falling on the area where the fragment had been wrapped, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"This fragment seems to be draining my life force," she said softly, her tone tinged with helplessness and self-reproach.

Li Heng's face instantly turned gloomy: "Absorbing life force? What kind of evil thing is this! Lian'er, your body is already very weak, you can't come into contact with this thing anymore."

“If we don’t keep moving forward, we may never be able to unlock the secrets of the Land of Offering Souls.” Xiao Jinlian struggled to stand up straight, her eyes filled with an extraordinary determination. “Li Heng, I know you’re worried about me, but this is my mission.”

Li Heng was silent for a moment, looked at her deeply, and finally sighed: "Since that's the case, then let's face it together. Whatever the curse, I will protect you."

The three continued their exploration deeper into the imperial tomb. The air grew increasingly cold, and the runes on the walls began to become clearer, emitting a dim glow as if serving as a warning. Li Heng remained vigilant, gripping his longsword, ready to deal with any sudden danger.

Suddenly, a deep rumble came from ahead, and the ground trembled slightly, as if something was awakening.

"What's going on?" Silan's expression changed drastically, and she quickly moved closer to Xiao Jinlian.

Xiao Jinlian frowned and looked ahead. She saw a deep crack spreading from the ground, with runes emanating from it, as hot and eerie as burning flames.

"This is not a natural phenomenon; it is the power triggered by the fragments." Xiao Jinlian's tone was solemn, and her fingers unconsciously clenched her sleeves.

The light from the crack gradually widened, followed by a sharp, piercing sound, like countless wronged souls weeping softly. Xiao Jinlian felt a sudden pain in her head, her vision blurred, and she almost lost her balance.

"Lian'er!" Li Heng pulled her into his arms and asked in a low voice, "Is the power of the fragments starting to affect you again?"

"It's okay, I can still hold on..." Xiao Jinlian gritted her teeth, trying to regain her senses.

"Stop being reckless!" Li Heng's tone was more anxious as he turned to Si Lan. "We must find a safe place as soon as possible to temporarily escape this force."

Silan looked around and pointed to a hidden stone door, saying, "There! It looks like a shrine; perhaps we can temporarily escape the influence of these runes."

Without a word, Li Heng helped Xiao Jinlian quickly walk towards the stone door. After pushing open the stone door, the three of them found that it was indeed an empty stone chamber, with ancient rune paintings covering the walls.

“It should be safe here for now.” Silan breathed a sigh of relief, but the unease on her face still lingered.

Xiao Jinlian sat down against the stone wall, slightly out of breath, but her gaze never left the fragment of the rune.

“These runes… seem to be telling some kind of ritual.” She raised her hand and gently pointed to the painting on the wall.

Silan leaned closer for a look and exclaimed, "These are records from the Land of Soul Offering! These runes record the ritual procedures for soul sacrifice!"

Upon hearing this, Li Heng frowned even more deeply: "Soul sacrifice? Isn't that a forbidden technique from legends? Why would it appear here?"

“Perhaps this is the source of the curse…” Xiao Jinlian said softly, her eyes filled with a complex light.

The atmosphere in the stone chamber grew increasingly heavy, and the three fell into a brief silence. After a moment, Li Heng broke the silence: "We must decipher the secrets of these runes as soon as possible, or the consequences will be unimaginable."

Xiao Jinlian nodded. Although she was still weak, an indomitable fighting spirit ignited in her eyes: "No matter how terrible the curse is, I will not back down. This fragment must be the key to solving the mystery."

Inside the stone chamber, the dim light illuminated the three resolute figures. Despite the unknown dangers lurking ahead, they did not flinch. The power of the curse was closing in, and their determination, like the starlight before dawn, shone ever brighter.

Inside the stone chamber, faint runic light still flickered on the walls, as if recording ancient secrets. Li Heng gripped his longsword tightly, standing guard at the doorway. Xiao Jinlian leaned against the stone wall, holding rune fragments in her hands, her gaze deep and solemn.

"Lian'er, you still don't look well." Li Heng turned to look at her, his brows furrowed with worry. "We should leave here as soon as possible."

Xiao Jinlian raised her head and said softly, "This fragment is of great importance. I'm worried that as soon as we leave, Consort Yan's people will follow us."

As they were talking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from afar. The sound grew louder as it approached, carrying an undeniable sense of oppression, echoing in the empty stone chamber like the whisper of death.