From cute to empress

Chapter 356: Revelation of the Mysterious Crystal

"Cough cough..."

The thick dust made me cough and my vision blurred. I struggled to get up, but I felt sore and weak all over, as if all my bones were crushed.

"Mengmeng! Are you okay?"

A familiar voice came from my ears with anxiety. I tried to open my eyes and saw Youcai looking at me anxiously. He was covered in dust, and his originally handsome face looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm fine..." I shook my head and slowly sat up with his help, only then could I see the scene in front of me clearly.

The once ferocious guardian beast now lay dead on the ground, its massive body looming like a mountain amidst the ruins. We were right next to its massive head, surrounded by the devastation and utter devastation, demonstrating the terrifying power of that attack.

"We... survived?" I murmured to myself, as if still in a dream.

"Yes, we survived." Youcai held my hand tightly, his eyes full of relief for surviving the disaster.

We were silent for a moment, both immersed in the joy of escaping death. Suddenly, I noticed a faint light emanating from the guardian beast's abdomen, which flickered, rhythmically like breathing.

"What is that?" I asked puzzledly, pointing in the direction where the light came from.

Youcai followed my gaze and also noticed the strange light. He stood up, walked carefully to the guardian beast, and reached out to push aside the hair on its belly.

The next second, a black crystal appeared before us. The crystal was irregular in shape, its surface smooth as a mirror, but inside it seemed to be flowing with black smoke, emitting waves of frightening energy.

"What is this?" I couldn't help but reach out to touch it, but Youcai grabbed me.

"Be careful! This thing looks dangerous." He shook his head solemnly and protected me behind him. "Let's get out of here first."

We carefully walked around the body of the guardian beast and continued to walk deeper into the ruins. However, after a few steps, I suddenly felt the space ring in my hand heat up, as if it was attracted by something.

"Wait!" I stopped and took out a crystal clear stone from the space ring.

That is... the energy core!

I was surprised to find that the energy core was emitting a soft light, echoing with the black crystal in the guardian beast's body, as if they were conducting some kind of silent communication.

"Could it be..." A bold guess suddenly came to my mind, "Could it be that this crystal can control the power of darkness?"

I turned to look at Youcai, but found that he was also staring at me with a burning gaze, with a strange light in his eyes.

"Perhaps, we should take it back and study it carefully..." "Perhaps, we should take it back and study it carefully..." As soon as I finished speaking, Youcai nodded in agreement.

After returning to the surface, we immediately rushed to the palace laboratory. This laboratory was originally built by Youcai and I to study the various rare treasures brought back from the ruins, hoping to unlock more secrets about this world.

We carefully placed the crystal on the lab bench. The black light it emitted made the air in the lab seem to freeze. I took a deep breath and slowly brought the energy core closer to the crystal.

The next second, a miracle happened.

The energy core's originally gentle glow became incredibly dazzling the moment it came into contact with the crystal. Simultaneously, the black light, as if drawn in, began to swirl around the energy core, forming a small storm. The entire lab began to shake violently, and Youcai and I clung tightly to the lab table to avoid being toppled by the overwhelming force.

"They... are resonating!" I shouted excitedly, trying to suppress the discomfort caused by the vibration.

As expected, as the two forces continued to merge, the vibrations gradually subsided, and the black crystal no longer emitted a frightening aura. Instead, it lay like an ordinary stone, quietly beside the energy core. I tentatively extended a finger and gently touched the black crystal. A cool feeling instantly spread throughout my body, and I felt no discomfort at all.

"It seems we've succeeded." Youcai's voice was filled with a hint of uncontrollable excitement. "This crystal can really control the power of darkness!"

In the days that followed, we devoted ourselves to studying the crystal. We discovered that by combining the energy core with the crystal, we could guide and control the flow of dark power, and even use it to repair the damaged magic circle in the ruins.

With a glimmer of hope, we returned to the crumbling ruins. This time, harnessing the power of the crystals, we successfully repaired the ruins' defenses, and the once shaky space gradually stabilized. Even more surprising, we found a safe passage to the outside world. The entrance was located on the stone wall behind the guardian beast.

We walked along the passage and finally saw the light at the exit.

"Finally... I can go out..." I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look behind me. Youcai and the other friends were walking towards us...

The light at the entrance of the tunnel drew closer, like a beacon in the darkness, guiding us forward. I turned back and looked at my companions walking side by side behind me. Each of their faces was filled with the joy of surviving the disaster and with anticipation for the future.

"Finally out!" Old Zhang, who was walking in front, couldn't help but sigh. His rough face was full of fatigue, but his eyes were unusually bright.

"Yes, we finally made it out alive!" Xiao Li also echoed. As he spoke, he supported his injured arm and took a breath with his mouth open.

Although everyone was injured to varying degrees, we were filled with gratitude and joy to see that everyone was safe. We supported each other and walked out of this long and dangerous passage.

The warm sunshine fell on my body, and I couldn't help but close my eyes and take a deep breath. The fresh air, with the fragrance of grass and soil, made me feel extremely comfortable and relaxed.

"We succeeded!" Youcai walked over to me and gently held my hand, his eyes gleaming with joy. "We not only found a way to escape from the ruins, but also found the key to controlling the dark forces!"

I nodded, looking at the crystal in my hand, my heart filled with hope. During this period of time, we have experienced countless dangers and challenges, but in the end, we still overcame the difficulties and found the way forward.

"Mengmeng, you're right. As long as we master the method of controlling the dark power, we can completely eliminate it and protect the peace of the entire universe!" Youcai's voice was full of determination and confidence. "We can't let this power fall into the hands of the wrong people, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Yes!" I nodded firmly, my heart full of a sense of responsibility.

We have decided to bring this crystal back to Earth for further research. I believe that with Earth's technological capabilities, we will be able to uncover more secrets of this crystal and find a way to completely control the forces of darkness.

"Let's go, it's time for us to go back." I raised my head and looked at the blue sky, my heart full of expectation and hope.

We, along with the crystal, set out on a journey back to Earth. However, just as we were about to leave this world, a powerful force suddenly appeared before us...

"You...don't even think about leaving..."

The voice was deep and hoarse, as if it came from the depths of hell, with a chilling chill. We were startled and turned around suddenly, only to see a tall figure appear behind us without us noticing.

He was completely covered in a black cloak, and his face could not be seen clearly. Only a pair of scarlet eyes could be seen, flashing with a strange light under the cloak, as if staring from the abyss, which made people shudder.

"Who are you?" Youcai stepped forward, protected me behind him, and asked vigilantly.

"Haha..." The black-robed man sneered, his tone filled with disdain and ridicule, "A bunch of ants dare to touch my power?"

His voice was icy cold and carried a powerful pressure, like a mountain, pressing down on us so hard that we couldn't breathe.

"Your power?" My heart moved. Could he be the source of this dark power?

"That's right," the black-robed man seemed to see through my thoughts and said slowly, "I am the Lord of Darkness. All the dark forces in this world are under my control."

His tone was full of arrogance and confidence, as if nothing in the world could escape his control.

"Lord of Darkness?" My heart sank. It seemed like we were really in big trouble this time.

"You greedy ants, you are trying to steal my power, you are simply overestimating yourselves!" said the man in black robe, slowly raising one hand. A powerful dark force condensed into a black energy ball in his hand, emitting a heart-pounding breath.

"Oh no, he's going to attack!" Lao Zhang exclaimed and warned.

"Everyone be careful!" Youcai shouted, pushed me behind him, and at the same time drew the long sword at his waist, ready to fight.

"It's useless. In front of my power, you will all be turned into dust!" The man in black robe sneered, and the energy ball in his hand suddenly shot out, turning into a black lightning, and rushed straight towards us.

"Get out of the way!" Youcai shouted and pulled me to the side.

"boom--"

Black lightning struck the ground behind us with a deafening roar. The ground collapsed instantly, forming a huge deep pit. Dust flew everywhere, covering the sky and the sun.

"Cough cough..." I was choked and coughed repeatedly, feeling a little scared. If Youcai hadn't reacted in time, we would have been blown to pieces by this powerful force.

"Hahahaha... ants, feel the despair!" The man in black robe laughed wildly and raised his hand again, ready to launch an attack.

At this critical moment, the crystal in my hand suddenly emitted a dazzling light, and a powerful force surged out from the crystal, enveloping Youcai and me...