I walk sideways in the game world

Chapter 285: The Secret Power of the Treasure Box Appears, and the Ruins Are About to Collapse

After a blinding flash of light, a powerful wave of energy erupted from the treasure box, sending everyone inside the stone chamber flying. Ren Xiaoyao was flung against the stone wall by this force, slamming heavily against it and spurting blood. But he held the treasure box tightly in his hands, not letting go even a little bit despite the excruciating pain.

Heifeng and the others were equally stunned, staggering. When the light faded and the dust settled, Heifeng immediately saw the treasure box in Ren Xiaoyao's hand, and his greed intensified. "The treasure box is mine!" he roared, desperately rushing towards Ren Xiaoyao again.

However, the stone chamber was no longer stable. The energy released by the treasure box seemed to have triggered some kind of mechanism, and the entire underground castle began to shake violently. Stones above fell one after another, and huge cracks appeared in the ground.

"Boom--" The loud noises continued, and the stone chamber was shaking, as if it would collapse at any time.

"Damn it!" Heifeng cursed, having to divert his attention to avoid falling rocks. A huge rock fell from above his head, and he barely dodged it, but it hit his shoulder, causing blood to flow.

Xia Lin and White Fox were also struck by the energy wave, but they quickly regained their composure, dodging falling rocks while assisting Ren Xiaoyao in fending off the Black Wind. Xia Lin's whip swung with impenetrable force, forcing back Black Wind's men who had approached Ren Xiaoyao. White Fox, with its nimble form, dove between the falling rocks, occasionally launching fierce attacks to harass Black Wind.

"Xiaoyao, this treasure box..." Pharmacist Chen hid behind a huge rock, his face pale as he stared at the glowing treasure box in horror. "It seems...it seems to be the root cause of all this!"

Master Li frowned, carefully observing his surroundings. He discovered that the walls of the stone chamber were covered in intricate runes, seemingly connected to some kind of formation. The energy released by the treasure box was destabilizing these runes, causing the entire ruins to collapse.

"No! The structure of this ruin has been destroyed by the power of the treasure box!" Master Li shouted, "We must leave here as soon as possible, otherwise we will all be buried!"

Ren Xiaoyao endured the excruciating pain and struggled to his feet. He looked around, a flicker of determination in his eyes. He knew now was not the time to linger in the battle; he had to find a way to escape as quickly as possible.

Heifeng still refused to give up. A mad light flashed in his eyes, as if he was possessed. "The treasure box! I must get it!" He rushed towards Ren Xiaoyao again, the long sword in his hand carrying a sharp murderous aura.

"Heifeng, you're crazy! It will be too late if we don't leave now!" Xia Lin shouted anxiously.

Hei Feng turned a deaf ear to the words, his eyes fixed only on the treasure box in Ren Xiaoyao's hand. He waved his sword like a madman, muttering to himself, "Power! I want power! No one can stop me!"

Just when Heifeng's long sword was about to hit Ren Xiaoyao, a huge rock fell from the sky and hit Heifeng on the head... Heifeng screamed and fell to the ground.

"Hurry up!" Ren Xiaoyao shouted, pulling Xia Lin and Bai Hu towards the other end of the stone chamber. Master Li and Pharmacist Chen followed closely behind.

"Boom boom—" The roof of the stone chamber collapsed completely, burying Heifeng and his men in the ruins...

"Wait!" Master Li suddenly stopped and pointed at an inconspicuous corner on the stone wall. "There seems to be a secret passage there!"

Ren Xiaoyao looked in the direction Master Li pointed... and there, a crack suddenly appeared in the stone wall... The crack was long and narrow, hidden, and if it weren't for Master Li's sharp eyes, it would have been almost impossible to detect in such a chaotic scene. A glimmer of hope ignited in Ren Xiaoyao's heart, and without thinking twice, he rushed forward. With all his strength, he pushed aside the rubble blocking the crack, revealing a narrow passage just wide enough for one person to pass through.

"Hurry! Get in!" Ren Xiaoyao urged, entering the secret passage first. Xia Lin and Bai Hu followed closely behind, followed by Master Li and Pharmacist Chen.

The secret passage was dark and damp, and the air was thick with dust, making it difficult to breathe. They could only grope along the walls, moving slowly forward. Above them, the relentless sound of falling rocks echoed, as if death were approaching.

"Where does this secret passage lead to?" Pharmacist Chen's voice trembled and echoed in the narrow secret passage.

"I don't know," Master Li's voice sounded a little weak, "but it's better than staying outside and waiting to die."

Ren Xiaoyao remained silent. He held the treasure box tightly, feeling the strange energy it emanated. This energy seemed to resonate with some power within him, causing him to feel an inexplicable throbbing.

"Xiaoyao, are you okay?" Xia Lin noticed that something was wrong with Ren Xiaoyao and asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Ren Xiaoyao forced a smile, "Let's keep going."

The secret passage twisted and turned, seemingly endless. They walked for a long time, but still saw no sign of an exit. The sound of falling rocks overhead grew more frequent, and cracks began to appear in the walls of the secret passage, threatening to collapse at any moment.

"No, we'll all be buried alive if this goes on!" Pharmacist Chen shouted in horror, "We have to find another way!"

Ren Xiaoyao looked around, trying to find another way out. He found some strange symbols engraved on the walls of the secret passage. These symbols were somewhat similar to the runes he saw in the stone chamber, but also different.

"These symbols..." Ren Xiaoyao muttered to himself, reaching out to touch the symbols on the wall.

At this moment, the energy of the treasure box began to fluctuate again, and a powerful force surged out of the treasure box, enveloping Ren Xiaoyao. He felt dizzy, and the world before his eyes seemed to have changed.

The originally dark secret passage now became clear to him. He could see the passages hidden behind the walls and the exits blocked by fallen rocks.

"I... I saw it!" Ren Xiaoyao shouted excitedly, "I know how to get out!"

He pointed to a wall in front of him and said, "There's a hidden passage there. We can get out from there!"

Everyone looked in the direction Ren Xiaoyao pointed, but they only saw a smooth stone wall with no sign of any passage.

"Xiaoyao, are you sure?" Xia Lin asked doubtfully, "There's nothing there."

Ren Xiaoyao didn't explain. He felt the power of the treasure box again, making sure he wasn't mistaken. He took a deep breath and rushed towards the wall.

"Xiaoyao, don't!" Xia Lin exclaimed.

Just when everyone thought Ren Xiaoyao was about to hit the wall, his figure suddenly disappeared.

"Where...where did he go?" Pharmacist Chen asked in horror.

Xia Lin and Bai Hu looked at each other, bewildered. Master Li stared at the wall, a gleam in his eyes.

"Wait," Master Li said in a deep voice, "There seems to be something there."

He walked to the wall and observed it carefully. He found that there seemed to be a thin energy barrier on the wall, covering up the hidden passage.

"This is... a special formation!" Master Li suddenly realized, "The power of the treasure box can actually break this formation!"

He took a deep breath and reached out to touch the wall. The moment his hand touched the wall, a ray of light suddenly appeared, and a hidden passage slowly opened... Master Li looked back at the frightened crowd behind him, then at the deep passage ahead, and said in a deep voice:...

Master Li glanced back at the frightened crowd behind him, then at the deep passage ahead. He said in a deep voice, "Xiaoyao has gone first, let's follow!" With that, he was the first to step into the passage. Xia Lin and Bai Hu followed closely behind. Pharmacist Chen hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed.

In the passage, Ren Xiaoyao's figure flickered ahead. The light from the treasure box swirled around him, illuminating the path ahead. He seemed to be able to foresee danger, always finding a safe path before falling rocks.

"Xiaoyao, wait for us!" Xia Lin shouted from behind.

Ren Xiaoyao glanced back, slowed his pace, and waited for everyone to catch up. "This treasure box... seems to be able to guide us to escape from here." He whispered, his eyes full of surprise.

At this moment, a roar came from the entrance of the passage: "Want to run? Not that easy!"

Black Wind appeared at the entrance, his face grim and a massive battle axe wielding. He chased after them, regardless of the danger. "Damn it! There's a secret passage!" he roared, wielding his battle axe and hacking at the wall, sending rubble flying.

"Hurry up!" Ren Xiaoyao urged, quickening his pace.

Black Wind was in hot pursuit, on the verge of catching up. White Fox suddenly stopped, turned to face Black Wind, and in her hands appeared two sharp daggers, flashing with a cold light. "Your opponent is me!" she said coldly.

Xia Lin also stopped, her staff gleaming as she prepared to support Bai Hu. "We'll hold him back, you go ahead!" Xia Lin shouted to Ren Xiaoyao.

Ren Xiaoyao glanced at the two people behind him, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, but he also knew that now was not the time to hesitate. "Take care!" He said in a deep voice, and then rushed into the depths of the passage without looking back.

Hei Feng was entangled by Bai Hu and Xia Lin, unable to escape for a moment. He roared angrily, but was unable to break through the two people's obstruction.

Ren Xiaoyao led Master Li and Pharmacist Chen through the passage quickly. The light from the treasure box grew brighter and brighter, guiding their direction. A glimmer of light appeared at the end of the passage, a ray of hope for an exit.

"We're almost there!" Ren Xiaoyao shouted excitedly.

They rushed out of the passage, and the view suddenly opened up. They came to a valley, and the entrance to the ruins had collapsed, completely blocking the way back.

"We...we're out!" Pharmacist Chen collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

Ren Xiaoyao looked at the treasure box in his hand, his eyes filled with confusion. What exactly was this treasure box? Why did it have such magical power? He had a vague feeling that this treasure box hid a huge secret, a secret that could change his destiny.

At this moment, deep in the ruins, Heifeng, who was trapped among the rocks, let out a desperate roar...but the figures of Baihu and Xia Lin had already disappeared.

Ren Xiaoyao put the treasure box away, took a deep breath, and looked into the distance. He knew that this was just the beginning. He still had more important goals to accomplish.

He clenched his fists and his eyes were determined.

"The sect competition..." he whispered, walking off into the distance. Ahead, the sect square was bustling with people, the flags of the various sects fluttering in the wind, and the competition arena towered majestically... He stood beneath the arena, feeling the gazes of those around him: curiosity, contempt, and anticipation... He gently stroked the treasure box hidden in his sleeve, feeling the familiar warmth on his fingertips...