I am destroying the protagonist in the fantasy world!

Chapter 31 Return to the Dangerous Cave, Searching for Treasures and Paying Debts

In the valley, swords flashed and sabers shone, and the cries of killing shook the heavens. Lei Yi and Hu Daxia were like two ferocious cheetahs, weaving through the crowd of black-clad men, each strike deadly and merciless.

"Mr. Lei, why don't we take advantage of the chaos and leave?" Hero Hu asked loudly, his words full of doubts, as he struggled to break through the defense of a man in black.

Lei Yi's eyes were sharp, and he turned the sword to force back the man in black who was trying to sneak attack Hu Da Xia. "Our purpose of this trip is not them, but..." Before he finished speaking, he saw Dongfang Liuli hiding behind a huge rock, waving at him.

"Let's go!" Lei Yi shouted softly and exchanged a look with Hero Hu. The two of them fought and retreated, gradually withdrawing from the battle.

Elder Qin's eyes were bloodshot. He was about to capture the two men, but he didn't expect them to feint. His anger grew even stronger. "Chase them! Don't let them get away!"

Lei Yi and his two companions, taking advantage of the cover of darkness, nimbly moved through the mountains and forests, heading in the direction indicated by Dongfang Liuli. Elder Qin's pursuers followed closely behind, relentlessly pursuing them.

"Miss Liuli, what is the place ahead?" Lei Yi asked while dodging the pursuers behind him.

Dongfang Liuli's expression was solemn. "Through this dense forest, we'll reach the entrance to that dangerous place. Rumor has it that there are rare treasures hidden there, but it also comes with great danger."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Elder Qin's angry roar from behind him, "Lei Yi, don't even think about escaping! If you know what's good for you, surrender obediently, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Lei Yi sneered, "Elder Qin, we have a long way to go before we can resolve our affairs. I have something important to attend to today, so I won't accompany you any longer!"

"Hmph, you're still stubborn!" Elder Qin shouted angrily and ordered his men to speed up the pursuit.

Lei Yi and the other two ran furiously, finally passing through the dense forest and arriving at a deep valley. In the center of the valley, a huge cave suddenly appeared. The entrance was surrounded by jagged rocks, and a chilling wind blew, making people shudder.

"This is it." Dongfang Liuli pointed at the dark cave entrance and said with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.

Lei Yi and Hu Daxia exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of solemnity in the other's eyes. They knew that the real challenge had just begun.

The three of them approached the cave entrance cautiously, a chilling aura wafting over them. Lei Yi reached out and touched the cave wall; it felt icy cold, and he could vaguely sense a faint energy fluctuation.

"Be careful!" Dongfang Liuli suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the area around the cave entrance, "These runes..."

Lei Yi followed her gaze and saw that the stone walls around the cave entrance were covered with densely packed runes. These runes emitted a strange light, as if they were some kind of ancient seal, which was daunting.

"These runes seem to be an ancient restriction. Once triggered, it may lead to unpredictable consequences..." Dongfang Liuli's voice became lower and lower, and his face became paler and paler.

Lei Yi frowned, a sense of foreboding rising within him... The runes at the cave entrance flickered eerily in the dim light, like a pair of prying eyes, scrutinizing Lei Yi and the other two. A chill wind blew from the depths of the cave, carrying with it a lingering, decaying air that was eerie.

"These runes are exquisitely structured, and are definitely not ordinary." Dongfang Liuli's slender fingers gently stroked the rough stone wall, and her tone was solemn. "It seems that the rumors are true. This cave is indeed extraordinary."

Lei Yi gripped the hilt of his sword, glanced around cautiously, and asked in a low voice, "Miss Liuli, is there any way to break this seal?"

"Give me some time." Dongfang Liuli pulled out a pair of thin gloves from her bosom and put them on. These gloves were made of a special material that could partially block the energy fluctuations of the runes. She concentrated on observing the order of the runes, constantly recalling the various ancient restrictions recorded in the family texts, trying to find a way to break them.

Time passed minute by minute, and Elder Qin's pursuers were getting closer and closer. The shouts of killing echoed in the empty valley, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

"Young Master, we have to hurry!" Hero Hu reminded anxiously. As he spoke, he looked uneasily at the dense forest behind him, as if he had already seen countless men in black pouring out from there.

Lei Yi knew that time was of the essence at this moment, but he also knew that the more critical the situation, the more he couldn't afford to lose his composure. He suppressed his anxiety and whispered soothingly, "Miss Liuli is well versed in formations and restrictions. I'm sure she'll find a way to break it soon. Let's just be patient and wait."

At this moment, Dongfang Liuli suddenly raised her head, a gleam of light flashing in her beautiful eyes, "I found a way to crack it, but..."

"But what?" Lei Yi and Hu Daxia asked in unison, their tone full of anticipation and a hint of uneasiness.

Dongfang Liuli took a deep breath and pointed at one of the runes and said, "This rune is the key to the entire sealing formation. It will take me some time to unlock it, but..."

Before she could finish her words, she heard hurried footsteps, accompanied by Elder Qin's cold voice, "Lei Yi, let's see where you can escape this time!"

"Oh no, they are catching up!" Hero Hu's face changed and he tightened his weapon.

Lei Yi's eyes glared, and he said in a deep voice, "Miss Liuli, just focus on breaking the seal, and leave this to us!"

After saying that, he and Hero Hu stood side by side in front of Dongfang Liuli, their eyes sharp and ready for the upcoming fierce battle.

Dongfang Liuli was touched, but she knew that now was not the time to be pretentious. She gritted her teeth and whispered, "I'll do it as soon as possible!"

She no longer hesitated, quickly forming seals with her hands. Streams of spiritual energy shot out from her fingertips, landing precisely on the runes at the cave entrance. As she moved, the previously tranquil runes began to flicker violently, and the air around them grew increasingly oppressive.

"Roar--"

Just when Dongfang Liuli was about to break the seal, a deafening roar suddenly came from the depths of the cave, as if it came from an ancient ferocious beast, which was terrifying.

Dongfang Liuli's face turned pale and she exclaimed, "Not good..."

"Oh no, it's the guardian beast!" Dongfang Liuli's face suddenly changed. Before he finished speaking, a powerful pressure swept in from the depths of the cave, making it hard to breathe.

"No time to explain, let's go in!" Lei Yi acted decisively, grabbed Dongfang Liuli's hand, and rushed into the cave entrance. Hu Daxia followed closely behind, and the three of them disappeared into the cave in the blink of an eye as the runes flashed.

"Chase! Chase them!" Elder Qin was furious upon seeing this, and recklessly led his men towards the cave entrance. However, the moment they stepped into the cave entrance, the previously dim runes suddenly glowed brightly, and visible energy fluctuations transformed into sharp sword energy, attacking them.

"Ah!" Screams rang out one after another, and Elder Qin's men were caught off guard and fell to the ground in an instant. Elder Qin, with his advanced cultivation, barely dodged the fatal blow, but he was also injured by the sword energy and was in a miserable state.

"Damn it!" Elder Qin covered the wound on his arm, his eyes gleaming with resentment, but he didn't dare to rashly enter the cave again. He stared at the dark cave entrance with gritted teeth. He knew that the cave must be full of dangers. Lei Yi and others would be in great danger if they went in this time.

At this time, Lei Yi and others who entered the cave were not having an easy time either.

The cave was pitch black, with no sight of one's hand in front of one's face. The damp air was filled with the smell of decay. Lei Yi and the other two groped their way forward. Dongfang Liuli released a soft light, barely illuminating a small area around them.

"This... seems to be a passage." Dongfang Liuli observed the surrounding environment and said in a low voice, "The walls on both sides of the passage are engraved with ancient patterns, which look like some kind of writing, but I have never seen it before."

Lei Yi also noticed the patterns. He felt like they looked familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen them before. Just as he was trying to recall them, a sudden click of a mechanism came from the front. Then, countless gleaming blades shot out from the walls on both sides, sweeping towards them like a violent storm!

"Be careful!" Lei Yi reacted quickly, pulling Dongfang Liuli behind him and swinging his sword, knocking down the oncoming blades one by one. Sparks flew, and blades were sent flying, emitting a sharp whistling sound that echoed in the narrow passage.

"These blades contain powerful spiritual power, so you can't use them head-on!" Dongfang Liuli reminded. She quickly scanned the surroundings with her sharp eyes, trying to find the flaw in the mechanism.

"Miss Liuli, I will attract their attention, and you find an opportunity to break the mechanism!" Lei Yi said in a deep voice. He injected spiritual power into the sword body, and the sword body suddenly burst out with dazzling light, turning into sword energy, forcing back the surrounding blades.

"Okay!" Dongfang Liuli didn't hesitate. She moved nimbly, weaving through the flashes of swords and sabers, carefully observing every detail on the wall, searching for the key to cracking the mechanism...

"Miss Liuli, be careful!" Lei Yi shouted, wielding his sword like a violent storm, knocking down every blade that struck Dongfang Liuli. His body moved like lightning, dodging and evading the narrow passage. Each strike was precise, keeping the danger away from Dongfang Liuli.

A hint of admiration flashed in Dongfang Liuli's beautiful eyes. Although Lei Yi's swordsmanship was not exquisite, his advantage was his quick reaction. Moreover, in such a critical situation, he was able to distract himself to protect her. This kind of mentality was truly rare.

"Found it!" Dongfang Liuli shouted. She found an abnormality on the wall on the right side of the passage. There was a stone brick with a slightly different color, which was difficult to notice without careful observation.

"Young Master Lei, cover me!" Dongfang Liuli said, and with a flash of his body, he came to the stone brick.

Lei Yi understood what he meant, and swung the sword in his hand to create a sword flower, forcing back all the surrounding blades to buy time for Dongfang Liuli.

Dongfang Liuli took a deep breath, concentrated his spiritual power in his palm, and gently pressed it on the stone brick.

"Om-"

The stone brick trembled slightly, and a strange energy wave spread out from the stone brick.

At the same time, the rotation speed of the blades in the passage suddenly slowed down, and finally with a "clang" sound, all the blades were retracted into the wall, and the passage returned to calm.

"That was a close call..." Lei Yi breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the blade fragments all over the ground, feeling a little scared.

"This is just the first trap. There are definitely more dangerous ones ahead." Dongfang Liuli warned. She walked over to Lei Yi, her beautiful eyes gleaming with wisdom. "Master Lei, we must be even more cautious from now on."

"Miss Liuli is right. Everything is up to you." Lei Yi nodded. He knew in his heart that Dongfang Liuli was the expert in mechanisms and traps.

Dongfang Liuli smiled faintly and continued walking forward. Lei Yi followed closely behind, and the two of them explored forward cautiously.

"Click——"

Suddenly, Lei Yi's feet felt empty and he fell down.

"Young Master Lei!" Dongfang Liuli exclaimed and reached out to grab Lei Yi, but it was too late.

Lei Yi felt his eyes go dark before he fell into a bottomless abyss...