Chapter 136: Life-and-Death Puzzle

The cavernous chamber echoed with the frenetic activities of the cultists as they scrambled to follow their leader's orders. The air was thick with the scent of incense and blood, a pungent reminder of the dark ritual they were preparing.

At the center of it all stood Captain Hato, though now he was no longer the disciplined officer known to the public.

Wearing a black-and-red mask that concealed his identity, he had fully embraced his role as the cult leader, a sinister figure orchestrating chaos.

His voice, muffled slightly by the mask, rang out with authority.

"You there, hasten the preparations! We don't have much time. Every entrance to this place must be guarded—double the sentries! I don't want any surprises."

The cultists obeyed without question, their movements frantic as they hurried to secure the entrances.

The atmosphere was tense, a mix of dread and anticipation.

Captain Hato, or rather the cult leader, crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing behind the mask as he considered the situation.

"So," he muttered to himself, "It must be that brat Ruchir and his little band of fools.

They've caused enough trouble already. This time, I won't leave them alive. For I am the enforcer of the Mysterious Heaven Palace." His tone dripped with sarcasm as he spat out the title, clearly mocking the idea of righteousness that the palace supposedly stood for.

He turned to a group of cultists nearby, who were anxiously awaiting his orders. "You," he barked, pointing at one of them, "Go ahead and bring those demonic beasts from the holding pens. We'll need them as sacrifices to loosen the chains on our power. The ritual must be completed at all costs."

The cultist he had pointed to nodded nervously, bowing before hurrying off to carry out the command.

The others resumed their work with renewed urgency, the fear of their leader driving them to work faster.

As the cult leader watched them, a twisted grin spread across his face, hidden by the mask. His voice dropped to a low, menacing murmur. "Ruchir, you've been a thorn in my side for far too long. But this time, you won't escape.

No one will. The chains that bind this power will break, and when they do... I will have my revenge."

His words were followed by a chilling, maniacal laugh that echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the stone walls and sending shivers down the spines of those who heard it.

The cultists redoubled their efforts, terrified of failing their leader.

Captain Hato reveled in the fear he instilled, his laughter growing louder as he imagined the chaos to come. "Soon, the world will know the true power of the Mysterious Heaven Palace... and they will tremble before it!"

His laughter continued to fill the chamber, mingling with the sounds of the cultists' hurried preparations.

The darkness seemed to close in around them, the very air thickening with the malevolent energy they were summoning.

And deep within the sewer tunnels, as Ruchir and his group continued their dangerous journey, they remained unaware of the dark forces converging ahead, and the twisted figure awaiting their arrival.

___

The air in the dimly lit underground chamber was thick with tension as Ruchir, Garret, Robert, and Professor Aanya stood before an ancient stone wall covered in intricate carvings and inscriptions.

The markings seemed to pulse with a faint, ominous glow, casting eerie shadows that danced across their faces. 

Ruchir examined the inscriptions, his brow furrowed in concentration. "This must be some kind of life-and-death puzzle," he muttered, mostly to himself. "I've read about these in ancient cultivation texts. Solving it incorrectly could trigger a trap—or worse."

Garret, already feeling uneasy from the oppressive atmosphere of the underground, glanced nervously at the stone wall.

"A life-and-death puzzle? That sounds... well, kind of important. You sure we can't just find another way around?"

Professor Aanya sighed, her eyes scanning the inscriptions with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

"Unfortunately, Garret, these puzzles are designed specifically to block intruders like us. If we don't solve it, we won't be able to proceed. And from the looks of it, this one isn't going to be easy."

She traced her finger over a set of symbols, her expression thoughtful. "Each symbol represents an element or a principle in cultivation. We have to arrange them in the correct sequence, or else..."

Robert, leaning casually against the damp wall, couldn't resist teasing. "Or else we get turned into crispy cultivator toast, right? No pressure, Ruchir."

Ruchir ignored the teasing, his mind focused on deciphering the symbols.

He could feel the weight of responsibility pressing down on him.

One wrong move, and they could all be in serious danger.

He began to sweat, his hands trembling slightly as he mentally rearranged the symbols in his head, trying to find the correct pattern.

Garret, meanwhile, was growing increasingly uncomfortable. "You know, Ruchir," he said, trying to sound calm but failing miserably, "I think you're doing a great job. But maybe... maybe we should just, uh, leave this to someone else? Like, you know, a professional puzzle solver? Is that a thing in the cultivation world?"

Professor Aanya rolled her eyes but smiled at Garret's nervousness. "Garret, if you're that worried, maybe you should try solving it yourself. It could be good practice for keeping calm under pressure."

Garret blanched at the suggestion, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "No, no, no! I'm more of a hands-on kind of guy, you know? Punch first, think later. Puzzles? Not my thing."

Robert snickered. "Hands-on? More like 'hands-flailing' with you, Garret. But hey, maybe you'll accidentally solve it by tripping over your own feet or something."

Garret shot Robert a dirty look. "Very funny, Robert. I'd like to see you do better."

Ruchir interrupted their banter, his voice tense. "Enough, you two. This is serious. If we don't figure this out soon, we're not going anywhere."

Professor Aanya nodded in agreement. "He's right. We need to focus. Ruchir, what have you figured out so far?"

Ruchir pointed to a series of symbols near the top of the wall. "I think these represent the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. But there's something off about the arrangement. They don't seem to follow the usual cycle."

Garret peered over Ruchir's shoulder, squinting at the symbols. "Uh, Ruchir... they all look the same to me. Are you sure this isn't just some ancient graffiti or something?"

Robert smirked. "Yeah, Garret. I'm sure some ancient cultivator spent centuries carving this just to mess with us."

Ruchir sighed in frustration. "Garret, I'm serious. These symbols could be the key to solving this puzzle and getting out of here alive. We just need to figure out the correct sequence."

Garret looked at the wall again, his eyes glazing over as he tried to make sense of the carvings.

Then, in a moment of frustration, he reached out and tapped a random symbol with his finger.

"Well, if you ask me, we should just try this one and see what happens. I mean, how bad could it be?"

Before anyone could react, the wall began to rumble, the symbols lighting up in sequence. Everyone froze, their eyes wide with shock.

Ruchir's heart pounded. "Garret! What did you—"

But before he could finish, the rumbling stopped. The symbols flashed one last time before the wall slowly began to slide open, revealing a passageway beyond.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Then, Robert burst out laughing. "No way... Garret actually solved it! By accident!"

Garret blinked, staring at the now-open passageway. "Uh... I did? I mean, of course, I did! I told you guys, I'm a hands-on genius!"

Professor Aanya shook her head, smiling despite herself. "I can't believe it. You really did solve it, Garret. By sheer dumb luck."

Ruchir let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, shaking his head with a mixture of relief and disbelief. "Let's just get moving before anything else happens.

And Garret, next time... maybe don't touch anything unless we're absolutely sure."

Garret grinned sheepishly. "Got it, boss. But hey, at least we're still alive, right?"

As they entered the passageway, Ruchir couldn't help but smile.

Despite the constant danger and Garret's unpredictable antics, they somehow managed to keep moving forward.

And in a world filled with life-and-death puzzles, that was no small feat.