From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 22 The Secret of the Ancient Melody

Windrunner didn't speak, but instead pulled an old parchment scroll from his robes and examined it carefully in the dim light. Li Yan and I didn't dare disturb him, nervously watching his every move.

“Found it.” Windrunner suddenly spoke, a hint of excitement in her voice. “The song sings of ‘when the sun and moon shine together, when the seven stars align,’ which refers to the time when the seal will be broken. The method to break the seal is hidden in this text: ‘When the wind rises and the clouds surge, when the water recedes, the truth will be revealed; use the heart as the guide, use the song as the command…’”

I immediately understood what he meant. This seal actually needed to be broken with a song!

"I'll give it a try!" Li Yan volunteered. She had loved singing since she was little, and her voice was clear and beautiful; perhaps it really would work.

I nodded and told Li Yan the details of the song. Li Yan closed her eyes, carefully experiencing the imagery in the song. After a moment, she took a deep breath and began to softly sing it.

As Li Yan's singing began, the surrounding air seemed to come alive. The sealed light began to flicker intensely, and the previously calm runes seemed to come alive, moving erratically across the stone wall.

"Look!" I exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the center of the seal.

The once seamless seal now had a tiny crack, and as Li Yan continued singing, the crack continued to widen!

Hope was instantly ignited in our hearts, and Li Yan sang even more energetically, her voice filled with unwavering faith and a longing for the treasure.

Finally, as Li Yan finished singing the last line of the lyrics, the seal emitted a crisp cracking sound and collapsed completely!

Li Yan and I hugged each other excitedly, but before we could even celebrate, the scene before us completely stunned us.

After the seal was placed, instead of the gold and silver treasures we imagined, there was a deep, dark passage leading to who-knows-where.

“Let’s go.” Windrunner took the lead and stepped into the passage, with Li Yan and I following closely behind him.

At regular intervals, a luminous pearl was embedded in the walls on both sides of the passage, illuminating it as if it were daytime. We walked on for about half an incense stick's time before finally reaching the end of the passage.

Before us stood a massive stone gate, above which were carved three ancient and powerful characters: Treasure Chamber!

My heart suddenly raced, and an indescribable excitement welled up inside me.

Li Yan was so excited that her face turned red. She took a deep breath and pushed open the stone door with all her might.

"Squeak-"

With a dull thud, the stone door slowly opened, and an ancient and mysterious aura wafted out.

The secret chamber wasn't large, its walls covered with densely packed runes that emitted a faint golden light. In the very center of the chamber sat an ancient treasure chest, slightly ajar, its interior radiating a soft glow.

I held my breath and carefully walked to the treasure chest, reaching out to open it.

"Watch out!" Windranger suddenly shouted.

But it was too late for me to stop...

A powerful force, like a flood bursting its banks, surged out from the slightly open gap in the treasure chest! Before I could even react, I was thrown back by this force and slammed heavily against the stone wall behind me.

"Cough cough..." I felt a metallic taste in my throat, as if my internal organs had shifted. The intense pain made my vision go black, and I almost fainted.

"Xiao Yao!" Li Yan's voice came from not far away, filled with deep worry and panic. I struggled to get up, but found that my whole body was weak and I couldn't muster any strength.

"Don't move!" A figure swiftly appeared beside me and helped me up; it was Windrunner. His brows were furrowed, his gaze fixed intently on the treasure chest, his eyes filled with seriousness.

The treasure chest shone even brighter than before, and its powerful energy raged through the secret chamber. The runes that were originally engraved on the walls flickered erratically, as if they might go out at any moment.

"How could this be..." Li Yan's voice trembled. "What exactly is inside this treasure chest?"

The Windrunner didn't answer. He gently placed me on the ground, then quickly formed hand seals while chanting incantations. As he moved, an invisible barrier gradually formed around the treasure chest, and the violent power was gradually suppressed.

"Luckily, I was prepared." Windrunner breathed a sigh of relief, but his face was still pale. "What's sealed in this treasure chest should be a powerful magic weapon, but it doesn't seem to be fully refined yet, which is why its power is so violent."

"What do we do now?" I asked, forcing myself to endure the pain. "Can we still open it?"

Windranger pondered for a moment, then looked at me: "Perhaps you can give it a try."

"Me?" I was taken aback. "But I..."

"Although the power of this magical artifact is violent, it carries a familiar aura." Windwalker interrupted me, "Try to use your spiritual power to sense it; perhaps you can find a way to communicate with it."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the surging blood and qi within my body. Although my spiritual power was weak, almost negligible, I had no choice but to give it a try now.

I slowly stretched out my hand, palm facing the direction of the treasure chest, concentrated my mind, mobilized the faint spiritual power within my body, and slowly reached out...

A powerful resistance came towards me, as if I had hit an invisible wall, and my spiritual power was instantly bounced back.

"Don't rush, take your time," Windranger encouraged in a low voice. "Feel it with your heart, find that resonance."

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, cleared my mind of all distractions, and tried again to probe the treasure chest with my spiritual energy. This time, I didn't rush to fight against that power, but instead carefully explored along its flow.

Gradually, I felt a peculiar rhythm, like an ancient melody echoing in my ears. This melody was sometimes high-pitched and passionate, sometimes low and melodious, as if telling a long-ago story. I tried to infuse my spiritual power into this melody, like a dancer gracefully moving to the rhythm of the music.

A miracle occurred! The force that had initially repelled me seemed to sense my kindness and gradually softened. The light from the treasure chest also began to flicker, as if responding to my call.

A surge of joy filled me, and I focused even more intently on controlling my spiritual power, following the ancient melody as I approached the core of the treasure chest step by step. Finally, my fingertips touched a warm and hard object, and a powerful energy surge emanated from the point of contact, instantly spreading throughout my entire body.

I suddenly opened my eyes and saw a dazzling gem floating silently in the crack of the treasure chest. The gem was crystal clear, its interior seemingly shimmering with nebula-like light—the very treasure we had been searching for!

"We did it!" Li Yan shouted excitedly, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I took a deep breath and carefully controlled my spiritual power to take the gem out of the treasure chest. The moment the gem left the chest, the entire secret chamber suddenly shook violently, the runes on the walls went out completely, and the previously suppressed violent power raged out again.

"Oh no! The secret chamber is about to collapse!" Windrunner's expression changed, and he grabbed me and Li Yan and rushed out.

The three of us strained with all our might and finally broke free just before the secret chamber collapsed. However, before we could even catch our breath, a chilling voice suddenly rang out at the entrance of the passage:

"It seems you've found the treasure..."

I turned my head sharply and saw Black Wind's figure suddenly appear at the entrance of the passage. He had a cruel sneer on his lips, and dozens of men in black followed behind him, completely blocking our escape route...

I suddenly felt a chill run from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. Before I could react, Windwalker had already shielded Li Yan and me behind him and shouted in a deep voice, "Black Wind! What do you want to do?"

"What are you doing?" Black Wind chuckled sinisterly, his eyes greedily fixed on the gem in my hand. "To take back what belongs to me, of course!"

With that, he suddenly waved his hand, and the men in black behind him surged forward like a tide. Windrunner showed no fear, flashing forward to meet them. His movements were ghostly, his palm strikes fierce, and within moments he had taken down several men.

"Let's go too!" I stuffed the gem into my pocket, drew the soft sword from my waist, and joined the battle with Li Yan.

Although the men in black were numerous, most were just a rabble, and Li Yan and I could barely handle them together. However, Black Wind's strength was not to be underestimated. He wielded a ghost-headed broadsword, and his moves were ruthless and cunning. Windwalker was locked in combat with him, and for a time it was difficult to determine a winner.

"Damn it, how did he get stronger again!" Li Yan shouted anxiously while fending off the attacks from the man in black.

I was secretly anxious. If this continued, we would eventually run out of spiritual energy! Just then, I suddenly felt something strange about the ground beneath my feet. Looking down, I saw that some strange patterns had appeared on the originally flat ground.

These intricate patterns vaguely form a design. A thought suddenly struck me: Could it be... a mechanism for the secret room?

Without thinking, I quickly called out to Li Yan, "Li Yan, look at the ground!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan looked down and immediately understood what I meant. A hint of joy flashed in her eyes: "You mean, we can use these mechanisms to deal with Black Wind?"

I nodded and pointed to one of the patterns, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, this mechanism should control the walls of the secret chamber, as long as..."

Before I could finish speaking, a powerful force suddenly came from behind, sending me flying. I groaned and crashed heavily to the ground. Looking up, I saw that Blackwind had somehow broken free from Windrunner's grasp and was walking towards me step by step. His eyes flashed with a fierce light, like a wild beast ready to devour its prey.

"It seems you've discovered some incredible secret..." Black Wind's voice was low and hoarse, carrying an undisguised killing intent.