Chapter 973: Chapter 973

The two doors fell simultaneously, and Lin Chen and the others were instantly trapped in the confined space.

Trapped in the secret room, the five of them found the surrounding walls smooth as icy surfaces, with no visible mechanisms.

The group explored the walls thoroughly but discovered there was no way to open the secret chamber.

"Damn it, are we going to be trapped here until we die?" Wang Zixuan said gloomily.

Lin Chen's expression was serious. "We won't die here, but I can guarantee that if we can't escape, we'll be squished into meat pie."

"What?" Lin Chen's words caused their hearts to tighten.

Lin Chen stared at the four walls and said, "Haven't you noticed the walls are slowly closing in?"

Since the walls were moving very slowly, the others hadn't yet noticed anything unusual.

When Lin Chen pointed it out, the others finally realized the walls were indeed inching closer together.

Although the movement was very slow, the situation was undoubtedly akin to the "boiling frog" dilemma—if it continued, they would unquestionably face death.

"I don't want to be crushed into a meat patty!" Ai Xiaoying's expression turned pale as she punched hard against the wall.

However, her forceful punch only produced a dull thud; the wall remained undamaged.

"It's useless. These walls are made of black iron, exceptionally dense and impossible to break with brute force," Lin Chen sighed.

While the group was discussing solutions, the stone door suddenly opened, and two figures darted inside in the blink of an eye.

Since the group was busy debating how to open the stone door, no one had noticed the movements of the two intruders.

Lin Chen turned his head just in time to see Zhao Xiaohua staring at him while her lips moved slightly.

By the time Wang Zixuan and Ai Xiaoying chased after them, the stone door had already closed.

Ai Xiaoying desperately pounded against the wall, but the closed stone door remained unresponsive.

"Lan Xingling, you bastard! I knew you were up to no good!" Ai Xiaoying cursed while slapping the stone door.

"Stop hitting it. This door responds to voice commands; only a designated keyword can open it," Lin Chen said calmly.

With the opening and closing of the stone door, the walls began to close in even faster.

"It's over. Those two bastards doomed us. They must have done it on purpose," Ai Xiaoying slumped to the ground in despair.

Lin Chen approached the recently shut door and said, "Let me try. Maybe I can open it."

Ai Xiaoying sighed in frustration. "It's pointless. The Jiuli tribe's language was lost ages ago; how could you possibly know it?"

"Wanna bet on it?" Lin Chen said with a grin, unfazed by the rapidly closing walls.

"Bet? I'm in no mood for games right now!" Ai Xiaoying snapped, her eyes full of panic as she stared at the shrinking space.

Lin Chen chuckled lightly. "If I open the door, how about you become my little servant?"

"If you open the door, I'll do whatever you want!" Ai Xiaoying said, her eyes brimming with fear as she glanced around the shrinking room.

Before Ai Xiaoying could finish her sentence, the moment Lin Chen uttered those words, the door slowly opened.

"How is this possible? You actually know the Jiuli tribe's language?" Ai Xiaoying froze in shock.

"Of course—I'm a language expert. A mere Jiuli language is nothing to me. Little servant, you're mine now," Lin Chen said smugly.

"Hmph! What I just said doesn't count! I'm a direct descendant of the Yellow Emperor; how could I possibly be your servant?" Ai Xiaoying said with a defiant look.

"As far as I know, the Youxiong tribe highly values their promises. If you break your oath, you'll face eternal damnation!" Lin Chen added mockingly.

"You... Fine, you win." Ai Xiaoying was left speechless.

The three passed through the stone door and found another narrow corridor ahead, though darkness stretched out before them.

With no choice, the trio turned on their flashlights and moved cautiously forward.

Due to the low visibility afforded by the flashlights, their progress was slow.

"Strange... This language is from the E star system," Xiaoshuai suddenly said in Lin Chen's mind.

"The phrase just now means 'open the door.' It's a language from an intelligent planet within the E star system," Xiaoshuai explained.

"Quick—give me the full vocabulary for this language!" Lin Chen said hastily.

Soon, an unfamiliar language filled Lin Chen's mind.

As Lin Chen uttered those words, the entire room suddenly lit up.

"What the—Lin Chen, you truly understand the Jiuli language?" Ai Xiaoying stared at Lin Chen in astonishment.

Lin Chen smirked. "What do you think? Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Impressive? I'd sooner punch you in the face! I thought we'd get squished into a pie earlier—my heart almost gave out!" Ai Xiaoying grumbled.

"Alright, stop fooling around. We have a bigger problem now." Wang Zixuan, who had been walking ahead, stopped and stared at the three pathways in front of them.

"Three routes—Which one should we take?" Wang Zixuan asked hesitantly.

Lin Chen examined them briefly and then pointed toward the middle path. "This one—let's go down the middle."

Ai Xiaoying froze at Lin Chen's decisive choice. "Why are you picking so recklessly?"

In situations like these, choosing correctly posed no issue—but choosing the wrong way could lead to a lethal dead end.

Lin Chen smiled faintly and pointed to some markings in the corner. "See this? It's a sign left by Xiaohua for us."

"What?! She betrayed us earlier, and now you're trusting her? What if this is another trap?" Ai Xiaoying said worriedly.

"I trust Xiaohua wouldn't deceive us—she's the one who gave me the opening command," Lin Chen said as he strode confidently down the passage.

"Hmph. So that's why—playing dirty tricks, were you?" Ai Xiaoying stomped her foot angrily.

"Dirty tricks or not, you're still my little servant now!" Lin Chen teased with a grin.

The trio continued forward. Although they encountered several forks along the way, the markings left by Zhao Xiaohua ensured that they navigated safely.

Meanwhile, above them, Burton and his group had arrived at the edge of a lake.

A young, blond man stood by the lake, a melancholy expression on his face.

"Misha, I'm back again. It's all my fault—I hurt you. This time, I'm determined to enter the starry domain and bring you back to life."

At that moment, Burton and his group appeared behind the blond man. They all knelt before him respectfully on one knee. "Master, what are your orders?"

The blond man touched the ring on his finger and said, "Follow me into the lake."

"What? Into the lake? Master, isn't this lake filled with soul-devouring demons?" Burton asked, his voice trembling.

Staring at the water's surface, the blond man replied calmly, "Don't worry. I've found a way to deal with them."

He reached his hand into the lake and patted the water's surface.

Suddenly, a swarm of red fish emerged rapidly from beneath the surface. The hideous creatures resembled skulls, each opening its gaping jaws and rushing toward the man's submerged hand.

"Zzzzz!" Sparks of electricity surged from the blond man's hand, instantly frying the fish closest to his palm. The rest scattered in fear.

"Anyone who stands in my way—no matter what it is—I will make it perish," the blond man said coldly as he withdrew his hand from the water.