Chapter 298

Beyond the gate is not heaven, but a glittering trap!

Gold is piled like mountains, jewelry dazzles the eyes, and all sorts of rare treasures emit an alluring glow.

"Wow! I'm rich! I'm rich!" The Interstellar Knight's eyes were about to pop out, drool was nearly dripping to his chin, and he couldn't wait to pounce and roll around on the mountains of gold and silver.

"Calm down, old knight!" Although Zhang Cheng was also dazzled by the shiny room, he remained calm. "This place feels sinister; be careful of tricks."

On the ground, various strange runes flickered with an eerie light; one look told them it was nothing good.

"This... could this be... the legendary... mechanism?" The Light Messenger pointed at the ground cautiously, her voice trembling slightly.

The Nebula Sage pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the golden light, making him look like a glowing ball of wisdom.

"Correct, these are ancient rune mechanisms. They are immensely powerful; a moment of carelessness will trigger them." He began to observe the runes on the ground closely, attempting to find the pattern within them.

"What's there to study! Time is money, my friend!" The Interstellar Knight could no longer hold back, rubbing his hands together, itching to rush up and grab a handful right now. "Wealth is sought in danger, understand? I'll go scout the path first!"

"You get back here!" The Nebula Sage grabbed him. "You reckless person! That's not how you throw your life away! I haven't even figured out these runes yet; if you act rashly, you'll get everyone killed!"

"Oh, old Sage, you're just too cautious! Look at me, I'm strong and healthy, and my luck is super good; I'll definitely be fine!" The Interstellar Knight looked unimpressed and forcefully shook off the Nebula Sage's hand.

"You..." The Nebula Sage was so angry he blew his beard and stared.

Zhang Cheng observed silently from the side, feeling that something was not quite right.

A faint fragrance permeated the air, sweet and cloying to an excessive degree.

"Wait..." he suddenly spoke.

The Interstellar Knight waved his hand impatiently: "Wait for what? If we wait any longer, the treasure will be snatched by others!" As he said this, he took a step forward... "Holy crap! It really is fragrant!" The moment the Interstellar Knight took a step, the runes on the ground instantly lit up with a blinding light, and a purple mist surged out, instantly filling the entire treasury.

"Cough, cough, cough... what the hell is this? It stings my eyes!" The Interstellar Knight covered his eyes, retreating while coughing.

"Idiot! That's poison mist!" The Nebula Sage shouted, frustrated. "I told you not to move around, but you just wouldn't listen!"

"Cough... I... I can't see..." The Light Messenger collapsed weakly to the ground; the poison mist made it difficult for her to breathe, and everything before her eyes was a blur.

"Protect everyone!" Zhang Cheng reacted immediately, releasing an energy barrier to shield everyone behind him.

The poison mist was highly corrosive; the surface of the barrier hissed, and it looked like it wouldn't hold for long.

Just then, a massive black shadow slowly crawled out from the corner of the treasury.

It was a giant spider, its entire body covered in black fuzz, its eight scarlet eyes flashing with malice, and green venom dripping from its mouthparts.

"Holy crap! What the hell is that?!" The Interstellar Knight was so scared he retreated repeatedly, nearly landing on his butt.

"Poison Mist Demon Spider!" The Nebula Sage's expression was grave. "This is one of the most notorious poisonous creatures in the galaxy! Its venom can corrode everything; even steel can be melted!"

The Poison Mist Demon Spider let out a piercing shriek, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

It waved its massive chelicerae and lunged fiercely at the group.

Zhang Cheng's energy barrier was on the verge of collapse, and the poison mist was growing thicker, making everyone's vision increasingly blurry.

"Damn it! This can't go on!" Zhang Cheng gritted his teeth. "Knight!"

"Huh?" The Interstellar Knight was still in shock and hadn't recovered.

"Charge!" Zhang Cheng's shout nearly scared the Interstellar Knight's soul away.

He stumbled a few steps, nearly performing a face-plant on flat ground, but managed to steady himself, cursing inwardly: "Damn it! This poison mist is like chili water sprayed in the face; how am I supposed to charge!?" Yet, he didn't dare slack off: "Don't worry, Brother Cheng! Watch my performance!" With that, he endured the burning pain in his eyes and swung his plasma battle axe as he charged toward the Poison Mist Demon Spider.

"Ha! Eat my axe!" The Interstellar Knight roared, using all his might to hack at the demon spider's head.

The Poison Mist Demon Spider glanced at him with disdain—all eight eyes glancing at once; the visual was absolute.

It unhurriedly spat out a ball of spider silk, precisely entangling the Interstellar Knight's battle axe.

Before the Interstellar Knight could react, he felt a massive force, and his entire body was flung away like a broken sack, hitting the wall with a "bang," unable to crawl up for a long time.

"Knight!" The Light Messenger exclaimed, struggling to go and help him.

Despite her blurred vision and difficulty breathing, she still tried hard to condense the energy within her body, and a soft white light radiated from her, causing the surrounding purple poison mist to slowly dissipate.

Just then, a crisp voice rang out: "Stop!"

Everyone followed the sound and saw an elf, her whole body burning with flames, appear in the center of the treasury.

She was tall with exquisite features, her long fiery red hair like dancing flames, and a pair of golden eyes flashing with an arrogant light.

"These treasures are guarded by me! If you want to take them, you must pass my test!"

The flame elf's voice carried an unquestionable majesty, shaking everyone present.

Zhang Cheng narrowed his eyes, sizing up this suddenly appearing flame elf, thinking to himself: A test?

It seems things are getting more and more interesting...

The Nebula Sage pushed up his glasses, a sharp glint flashing across the lenses: "A test? What kind of test?"

The flame elf smiled contemptuously: "We'll see if you have the qualifications." She waved her hand, and a line of flickering runes suddenly appeared on the treasury wall.

"What is this?" Zhang Cheng asked.

The flame elf did not answer, only looking at them coldly.

The Nebula Sage stepped forward, observing those runes closely, his brows locked in a frown.

A moment later, he looked up at Zhang Cheng and said slowly: "This seems to be a type of ancient interstellar script..." Before he could finish, those runes suddenly shone brightly, and the entire treasury began to shake violently...

"Quick! Retreat!" Zhang Cheng shouted.

The shaking of the treasury grew more violent, and debris from the ceiling fell like rain; although the light released by the Light Messenger had dispelled the poison mist, it could not stop this sudden earth-shaking tremor.

"Damn, what's going on? Is this for real?" The Interstellar Knight leaned against the wall, finally managing to stand up, feeling like a small boat drifting in a stormy sea, ready to capsize and die at any moment.

The Nebula Sage lived up to his role as the strategist; he remained calm in such a situation, scanning the runes on the wall rapidly, muttering to himself: "Geng, Xin, Bing, Ding... Qian, Kun, Gen, Xun... This, this is the Eight Trigrams Formation of the ancient interstellar language!"

"Eight Trigrams Formation? Old Sage, are you sure you're not kidding me? Isn't this stuff from Earth?" The Interstellar Knight looked bewildered.

The Nebula Sage had no time to deal with his complaints, pointing at the runes on the wall and saying: "Look, the changes in these runes follow a pattern; as long as you touch them in a specific order, you can crack this formation!"

"A specific order? How do we do that?" Zhang Cheng also felt a headache coming on.

The Nebula Sage pushed up his glasses, a sharp glint flashing across the lenses: "I've already calculated it. Brother Cheng, Knight, do as I say!"

The next few minutes were comparable to a thrilling parkour game.

Under the direction of the Nebula Sage, Zhang Cheng and the Interstellar Knight sprinted through the crumbling treasury, touching the runes on the wall in a specific order.

This wasn't a simple game of tag; a moment of carelessness would trigger new mechanisms, leading to being buried alive by falling rocks or roasted into a suckling pig by sprayed flames.

Finally, at the last moment, they completed the operation.

The shaking of the treasury stopped, and the runes on the wall extinguished.

The flame elf looked at them, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes: "Not bad, you passed my test." She waved her hand, and the spider silk entangling the Interstellar Knight's battle axe instantly vanished.

Immediately after, she turned to look at the Poison Mist Demon Spider, her eyes filled with fury: "You ugly creature, how dare you defile my treasury!"

The flame elf made her move, and that scene can only be described with the word "gorgeous."

She waved her hands, and countless fireballs rained down like a meteor shower onto the Poison Mist Demon Spider; the spider shrieked repeatedly, eventually turning into ashes.

"We did it!" The Interstellar Knight shouted excitedly, rushing toward the pile of treasure in the center of the treasury.

However, when he reached out to touch the glowing treasures, he hit an invisible barrier and was bounced back.

"What's going on?" Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

The flame elf walked to the pile of treasure, her expression grave: "These treasures are sealed by a powerful force, and this force..." She paused, her tone carrying a hint of unease, "seems to be related to the deeper secrets of the labyrinth."

Zhang Cheng looked at the sealed treasure, his brows locked in a frown: "Deeper secrets..."