They cautiously entered the library, only to find it in complete disarray. Bookshelves had collapsed, books were scattered everywhere, many pages were yellowed, and some were even weathered and riddled with holes. Zhao Feng was worried about whether the contents of these books could be preserved intact.
The dark figure ascended the circular staircase, leading everyone to a spacious hall. The hall was lavishly decorated and, most importantly, remarkably well-preserved, seemingly unaffected by the war except for being covered in dust.
Zhao Feng was about to ask a question when the shadowy figure turned around and made a shushing gesture, causing Zhang Shi's nerves to tense up immediately.
Sure enough, the sound of light footsteps echoed from inside the hall from time to time, as if someone was pacing around. The hall was completely enclosed and dark inside, with many bookshelves and blind spots, making it difficult for Zhang Shi to see clearly.
Just as Zhang Shi was considering how to sneak in without alerting the mysterious entity, Chen Beipan caused another mishap. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he bumped into a stone sculpture at the entrance. The sculpture, already fragile from years of weathering, was like a candle flickering in the wind, easily broken. With what seemed like a gentle press from Chen Beipan, it was as if pushed by an invisible hand, its entire body swaying precariously before finally collapsing with a deafening roar, making intimate contact with the hard ground.
The sudden sound, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattered the surrounding tranquility. Immediately afterwards, a series of rapid, dense footsteps echoed from the depths of the hall, surging like a tidal wave, or as if countless unseen eyes and inaudible breaths were silently yet irresistibly approaching Zhang Shi and his group. An indescribable tension and pressure filled the air, causing everyone to involuntarily hold their breath, their hearts to race, and even the passage of time to seem to slow down.
The shadowy figure reacted first. He pointed forward, and a dark shadow shot out from his body, spreading rapidly through the air and instantly enveloping the entire hall.
"Hurry up and take them down quickly!"
This time, the voice emanating from the shadowy figure was that of an old woman. Zhao Feng, who had been holding back his anger for a long time, immediately rushed out after receiving the old woman's instruction. He swung his great axe wildly at the air in front of him, not caring whether he was actually fighting or not, and focused on suppressing the enemy with firepower.
Everyone used their own methods, and although they couldn't see their opponents, they quickly restored silence to the hall.
Seeing that the crisis was over, the shadowy figure casually waved his hand and withdrew the shadow.
"Let's go, there's a history book inside with detailed records about Lao Duan."
Zhang Shi and his group followed the shadowy figure, carefully traversing the hall, trying to make as little noise as possible. The air in the hall still seemed to carry the tension and oppressive feeling of the recent battle, making everyone wary.
They arrived at an area where books were displayed separately. This area was also relatively well-preserved; although some of the books on the shelves were worn, they were still neatly arranged. The dark figure went straight to a corner, climbed a ladder, and searched for something at the very top of the bookshelf. Zhang Shi saw that the covers of these books were covered with the marks of time, but the patterns and words on them were still faintly discernible.
As Zhang Shi passed by, he noticed a huge mirror standing next to the bookshelf. The mirror was more than a person tall, with its frame inlaid with unknown gemstones. The mirror surface was spotless, clearly showing every detail of the faceplate.
This anomaly caught Zhang Shi's attention. He looked at the mirror and saw the reflections of his teammates through it.
Zhao Feng idly wiped his battle axe, Chen Beipan furtively looked around, Zhang Dazhuang stood close behind him, looking wary like a bodyguard, and Ge Dalong stared at the shadowy figure, seemingly not entirely trusting him.
When Zhang Shi finally focused his gaze on Wu Qing, he felt his breath catch in his throat. Wu Qing's face was as pale as paper, her eyes were as black as ink, and her mouth was split open at an exaggerated angle, revealing a row of serrated teeth. Her tongue flicked in and out from time to time, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. Her whole face looked like a vengeful ghost from hell.
Zhang Shi quickly turned around to check. To the naked eye, Wu Qing appeared normal; she still had that beautiful and aloof face. Zhang Shi looked back at the mirror, where the image of a vengeful ghost was still reflected.
The mask concealed Zhang Shi's expression, but his unusual behavior still caught Wu Qing's attention.
"Zhang Shi, what's wrong? Did you find something?"
Zhang Shi did not answer, but stared at the mirror. After confirming that no one else was acting strangely, the shock in his heart gradually subsided.
At this moment, the shadowy figure had already found the historical record he mentioned and brought it to Zhang Shi, interrupting his thoughts.
"In this wilderness, what the eyes see is not necessarily the truth."
The shadowy figure held the annals of history high, the books pointing directly at the mirror.
"But the content shown here must be true!"
Zhang Shi sensed that the shadowy figure was implying something, but he couldn't make up his mind for the time being.
Zhao Feng snatched the history book from the shadowy figure and flipped through it. He discovered that the pages were made of an unknown leather, extremely thick and sturdy. Although the ink on it was somewhat yellowed, it was still clear and undamaged.
"It's all in foreign languages."
Zhao Feng scratched his head and helplessly handed the historical record to Ge Dalong. The latter took the record and began to read it carefully page by page. Before long, he found the information they wanted to know.
"Here, this is where the city lord's experience of obtaining Old Duan is recorded."
Zhang Shi temporarily set aside Wu Qing's matter and moved closer to Ge Dalong, shifting his attention to the contents of the historical records. Wu Qing also gathered around, but Zhang Shi quietly stepped back slightly, maintaining a certain distance from her.
Ge Dalong pointed to a passage in the historical record and slowly read aloud: "It is said that when the city lord first descended into the Wilderness World, he accidentally obtained a mythical-level Eastern woodcutter's knife in a dungeon. The woodcutter's knife was extremely sharp and could split gold and cut stone."
"The city lord then used it as his weapon, and with its sharpness, he cut through all obstacles and killed all his enemies." Upon reading this, Ge Dalong looked surprised and muttered, "This is a bit far-fetched."
Zhao Feng looked impatient.
"Hey, stop keeping me in suspense and keep going."
Ge Dalong nodded and continued translating.
"As mentioned above, the city lord once used Old Duan's sword to split a high mountain in half. The mountain collapsed and blocked the river, allowing him to lead his men across the river and defeat a powerful enemy."
Zhao Feng burst out laughing.
"I say, is the prototype of this city lord supposed to be Chen Xiang splitting the mountain to save his mother? Does it have to be so far-fetched? I don't believe that a human can split a mountain in half with one stroke."
Zhang Shi looked up at the shadowy figure, who remained standing silently watching them without any reaction. Suddenly, a new notification popped up on Zhang Shi's system interface.
Ding! The survivor has triggered a hidden quest: The Continuation of the Myth.
Phase One of the mission: Find out Lao Duan's background.
The task reward will randomly unlock one of Lao Duan's keywords.
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