Renault regained his clarity, tightly gripping Shen Jingqi's hand, his eyes filled with gratitude and admiration. "Thank you... If it weren't for you, we might never have woken up."
Shen Jingqi shook his head, indicating they didn't need to be so polite.
At this moment, they were a team, and only by uniting as one could they overcome the difficulties ahead.
However, just then, the atmosphere in the sand cave suddenly became more intense. The warmth and cold forces intertwined once again, forming an indescribable vortex. They felt their bodies being drawn by an invisible force, irresistibly sliding toward the center of the vortex.
A strange sound suddenly emanated from deep within the sand cave. That sound was like a whisper, yet also like a call, causing Shen Jingqi and the others to feel an inexplicable tremor. They exchanged glances, seeing the confusion and vigilance in each other's eyes.
"What is that sound?" Li Baiyu asked softly, his voice carrying a hint of unease. He knew that in this eerie sand cave, any unusual sound could signal a new crisis.
Shen Jingqi shook his head, indicating he didn't know either. He stared intently into the depths of the sand cave, trying to glean a clue from the darkness. However, all he saw was endless darkness and the unknown.
"Let's go and take a look," Renault suddenly suggested.
Shen Jingqi and Li Baiyu exchanged a glance and both nodded.
Renault was right. Only by bravely facing the unknown could they overcome all difficulties and challenges. So, the three of them mustered their courage and walked toward the depths of the sand cave.
As they moved deeper, the strange sound became clearer.
Shen Jingqi, Li Baiyu, and Renault seemed to be guided by an invisible force, their steps inadvertently heading toward the source of the sound. Each step felt like treading on the edge of the unknown, with their heartbeat and footsteps echoing in the narrow passageway, intertwining into a tense prelude.
At the end of the passageway stood a massive stone door, silent and solemn, as if it were a gateway to another world. They pushed open the door and suddenly entered a spacious sand chamber. On the sand chamber's walls, flowing sand slid down like fine threads, weaving into moving pictures, and at the center, a strange sand sculpture altar caught their eyes.
The altar seemed like a relic traversing from ancient times, huge and solemn, covered with intricate, indecipherable runes and patterns, with every detail exuding a mysterious and ancient aura. The strange sound was emanating from the depths of this altar, like whispers, also resembling a call, enticing exploration.
Li Baiyu's gaze wandered over the runes, his brow furrowed, and his fingers unconsciously traced along the contour of the patterns, trying to find logic and patterns within. "These runes... I've never seen them before," he murmured, his tone tinged with confusion and unease.
Renault crouched down, placing his ear close to the altar as if trying to capture clues directly from the sound. "This sound has a pattern, yet it seems to hide some secret," his eyes flickered, filled with curiosity and caution.
Standing before the altar, Shen Jingqi stared at those runes, a sense of inexplicable familiarity surging in his heart. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, attempting to converse with this ancient power. At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning—Three Measure. Direct perception, analytical inference, and transcendental cognition. These three concepts revolved in his mind, knowing there was a complex connection to the altar before him.
"Direct perception is intuitive sensing; analytical inference is logical reasoning; transcendental cognition is beyond conventional understanding," Shen Jingqi murmured, beginning to try to interpret the runes and patterns on the altar using these three ways. His fingers gestured in the air, seemingly engaging in a silent dialogue with an invisible sage.
Suddenly, Li Baiyu's body trembled violently, his eyes becoming hollow and bewildered, as if his soul were being drawn out by an invisible force. "Li Baiyu!" Renault exclaimed, trying to grab his hand, only to find his own hand trembling, his consciousness gradually muddling. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ n0velfire.net
Shen Jingqi suddenly opened his eyes, only to see confusion and fear in Li Baiyu and Renault's eyes, their bodies trembling uncontrollably as if being devoured by an unseen force. A powerful sense of crisis surged through Shen Jingqi's heart, knowing he must quickly find a way to break the spell, or they would all fall into eternal darkness.
He glanced around, his gaze again falling on the altar, a thought flashing through his mind—that force seemed particularly sensitive to sound. Whenever he shouted or spoke loudly, the force would become more intense; when he remained silent, the force would slightly weaken.
"Sound… Sound is the key!" Shen Jingqi rejoiced inside, as if grabbing a lifeline. He took a deep breath, striving to calm his heart, beginning to think about how to use sound to counter this unknown force.
At this moment, an ancient battle song surfaced in his mind, one he heard his father sing since childhood, its melody spirited and full of power. Whenever he listened to this song, he could feel inexplicable courage and strength surging within his heart.
"That's it!" Shen Jingqi resolved and began to hum that ancient battle song in a low, powerful voice. His voice resonated in the sand chamber, seemingly transforming into an invisible force, counteracting the intertwined warmth and cold forces.
As he hummed, the atmosphere in the sand cave began to change. The intertwined warmth and cold forces seemed to be struck, beginning to gradually weaken. Shen Jingqi felt a warm current surge within his heart, the power of courage and faith dispelling the fear and bewilderment.
Li Baiyu and Renault's bodies also ceased to tremble, a hint of clarity starting to flicker in their eyes. It was as if they woke from a nightmare, looking at Shen Jingqi with gratitude and admiration in their eyes.
"Shen Jingqi… What happened to us?" Li Baiyu asked, panting heavily, his voice still trembling. He knew he almost lost himself, sinking into eternal darkness. If Shen Jingqi hadn't hummed that battle song in time, they might never have woken up.
Shen Jingqi smiled at them, his heart filled with comfort and pride. "You were influenced by an unknown force, almost falling into an illusion. But don't worry, everything's fine now." He explained, his tone full of firmness and confidence.
"Now, we need to continue studying this altar to discover the source and purpose of that force." He said, his gaze once again resting on the runes and patterns on the altar.