Chapter 24 - Chapter 24 ：The Forbidden Depths

As the ancient gate groaned open, a wave of icy, stagnant air rushed out, carrying with it the faint stench of decay and something indescribably ancient. The light from the sacrificial patterns on the ground illuminated the darkness beyond, revealing a long, winding staircase that seemed to descend into the very bowels of the earth. Each step was carved with strange, runic symbols that glowed with a faint, sickly green light, as if they were alive and whispering secrets lost to time.​Watanabe Miyuki disappeared into the shadows with a mocking laugh, her figure blending seamlessly into the darkness. "Come and find me if you dare, little mice," her voice echoed eerily through the chamber, sending chills down their spines.​Chen Jiuzhang slowly rose to his feet, wincing as the last of the jade pendant's healing light faded. His body ached from head to toe, but his eyes burned with determination. He looked at his companions—Shen Qingluan, still pale but standing strong; Zhang Chengying, who had retrieved his broken peachwood sword and was testing its weight with a determined glint in his eye; Su Nian, clutching her damaged bell, her expression resolute; and Wu Laogou, puffing on his pipe, the smoke curling up into the dimly lit air. "We've come this far," he said, his voice firm. "There's no turning back now."​As they began to descend the staircase, the air grew colder and thicker. The walls on either side were lined with torches that flickered and sputtered, casting dancing shadows that seemed to take on forms of their own. Suddenly, Su Nian stopped short, her eyes wide. "Do you hear that?" she whispered. The group froze, straining their ears. A faint, rhythmic thumping sound echoed through the passageway, like the slow, heavy heartbeat of a giant slumbering deep below.​Wu Laogou's face grew serious. "This place... it feels wrong. More wrong than anything we've faced before." His pipe shook slightly in his hand, a rare sign of his unease.​Just then, a series of loud clicks and hisses filled the air. From the darkness, hundreds of glowing red eyes appeared, slowly moving towards them. "Snakes!" Zhang Chengying shouted, brandishing his sword. But these were no ordinary snakes. They were massive, each as thick as a tree trunk, with scales that glistened like polished obsidian. Their mouths were filled with rows of jagged, venom - dripping fangs, and their bodies were covered in strange, pulsating growths.​Chen Jiuzhang gripped his Broken Snake Saber tightly. The Celestial Master Order and the jade pendant began to vibrate once again, their combined light flaring up to reveal more details of the approaching creatures. "These aren't natural," he said through gritted teeth. "They've been... corrupted by the dark power of this place."​The snakes lunged forward, their speed astonishing despite their size. Shen Qingluan quickly raised the fragment of the Imperial Jade Seal, creating a protective barrier. The snakes slammed into it, their bodies coiling and hissing in frustration. Su Nian's chains shot out, wrapping around the nearest snake, but the creature's skin was so tough that the chains merely bounced off.​Zhang Chengying leaped into action, his sword swinging in wide arcs. He managed to sever the head of one snake, but black, toxic blood sprayed out, burning the ground and sending up thick clouds of acrid smoke. Wu Laogou threw out more talismans from what remained of his Tui Bei Tu, but the snakes seemed to absorb the power of the fire, growing even more aggressive.​Amidst the chaos, Chen Jiuzhang noticed something. The growths on the snakes' bodies were shaped like the sacrificial patterns on the ground above. "Their weak point!" he shouted. "Aim for the growths!" With a newfound determination, he charged forward, the blood - red blade of light on his saber cutting through the air. His blade pierced one of the growths, and the snake let out a high - pitched scream before collapsing in a heap.​The others followed his lead. Shen Qingluan concentrated her power, sending a beam of golden light from the jade seal fragment that vaporized the growths on multiple snakes at once. Su Nian's chains found their mark, crushing the vulnerable spots, and Zhang Chengying's swordwork became more precise. Slowly but surely, they began to gain the upper hand.​But just as they thought they had overcome the threat, a deafening rumble shook the passageway. The ground beneath their feet cracked, and a massive, tentacled creature emerged from the depths. Its skin was a sickly, mottled gray, covered in the same strange runes as the staircase. One of its tentacles lashed out, knocking Zhang Chengying and Su Nian flying.​Chen Jiuzhang stood in front of Shen Qingluan and Wu Laogou, his body trembling from exhaustion but his resolve unwavering. The jade pendant and the Celestial Master Order were now blazing with an intense light, as if they were preparing for a final, desperate battle. "We can do this," he said, more to himself than to the others. "We have to."​As the creature let out a roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the underworld, the group braced themselves for the fight of their lives, unaware of what other horrors awaited them in the forbidden depths of the Gui Xu Secret Realm.