Chapter 6：A Bloodstone Heart

That is a blood-red jade stone emerging from the darkness, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly glow. Shaped oddly like an ancient mythical beast, with its jaws wide open in a fearsome snarl, its form was intricately detailed, with every curve and contour meticulously crafted to perfection.

In the dim light of the cavern, the Bloodstone Heart seemed to pulse with an eerie vitality. Each curve and contour of the stone was painstakingly carved, evoking the likeness of a long-forgotten creature from the annals of mythology.

"It's a Bloodstone Heart..." he muttered, furrowing his brow.

The heart, a tremor rippled through its form, causing it to convulse violently as if losing the very source of its life. The heart's once steady rhythm was now replaced by erratic spasms.

And then, from within the heart's interior, a torrent of small, soft-bodied creatures poured forth, their writhing forms spilling out like a floodgate unleashed. Their writhing forms intertwining in a chaotic dance of desperation and despair. With frenzied movements, they swarmed around Broken Blade and Sang Nian. With each passing moment, the heart struggled against the encroaching darkness, its once-potent life force waning with each pulse of agony.

Outside the cave, the horde of small, soft-bodied creatures surged forward with renewed ferocity, their numbers swelling with each passing moment. Drawn by the scent of blood and the promise of fresh prey, they descended upon the cavern like a swarm of locusts, their movements swift and relentless.

As Sang Nian and Broken Blade fought against the relentless tide of aberrant creatures, their backs pressed against the unforgiving walls of the cavern, they found themselves forced into a desperate retreat. The feeble flames from Broken Blade's lighter flickered weakly in the encroaching darkness, their illumination barely enough to stave off the advancing horde.

In a desperate bid to stem the tide of creatures, they resorted to igniting surrounding flammable materials, the flames leaping from one makeshift barrier to the next in a desperate attempt to expand their reach. The flames dancing wildly as they spread across the cavern floor. With each burst of fire, they sought to create a perimeter of safety, a ring of light to hold back the encroaching darkness. The air filled with the acrid scent of smoke and burning flesh, mingling with the faint crackling sounds of the creatures as they succumbed to the flames.

Some of the creatures, their soft-bodied forms writhing in agony, succumbed to the searing heat, emitting faint crackling sounds as their flesh burned and charred. For every creature that fell, countless more surged forward to take its place, their numbers seemingly endless. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burnt flesh, mingling with the stench of decay that permeated the cavern like a shroud of death.

As smoke billowed through the cavern, thickening with each passing moment, Sang Nian and Broken Blade found themselves engulfed in a choking haze, their lungs burning with each ragged breath. The acrid stench of burning flesh mingled with the noxious fumes, filling the air with a suffocating pall that clung to their senses.

Amidst the chaos, their coughs echoed through the darkness, each hacking breath a painful reminder of the peril that surrounded them. The flames flickered weakly, their feeble light struggling to penetrate the dense smoke that obscured their vision.

With each passing moment, the situation grew more dire. The only opening, once their sole means of escape, was now jammed with surging creatures, their twisted forms pressing against one another in a frenzied mass of writhing limbs and snapping jaws.

Sang Nian thought, am I going to die here? Maybe I should have listened to Broken Blade's advice in the first place.

No, I've never been one to give up. There must be another way out!

Groping blindly through the darkness, Sang Nian's fingers traced the rough contours of the cavern walls, searching for any sign of a hidden passage or alternate route to safety. Every inch of stone seemed to hold the promise of escape, every crevice a potential lifeline in their desperate bid for survival.

And Broken Blade had already sprung into action.

In the dim light of the flickering flames, their fingers traced the jagged contours of the cavern walls, feeling for any hint of a hidden passage or secret exit.

At the final moment, Sang Nian suddenly touched a soft patch of soil, and with a strong push, behind the soil was revealed a passage!

Sang Nian ventured into the passage, her fingers grazing the earthen walls. She turned swiftly, clutching Broken Blade's sleeve, her voice poised to beckon him into the newfound path.

"Broken Blade, come here!"

Yet, before her words could escape, fate intervened.

As the Bloodstone Heart tumbled from Broken Blade's pocket, a sense of foreboding filled the air. Sang Nian watched in stunned disbelief as the crimson bloodstone descended in a chaotic arc. the stone descended in a tumultuous arc, its path veering unexpectedly towards Sang Nian.

Before she could react, the Bloodstone Heart found its unexpected destination, slipping past her lips and down her throat with a sensation both chilling and electrifying.

Amidst the nausea and the urge to vomit, Sang Nian blacked out the next moment.