Chapter 89: The Unveiling Nightmare

The rumbling grew louder, shaking the hidden chamber like a leaf in a tempest. Su Nian grabbed hold of a nearby stone pillar to steady herself, her eyes wide with alarm. "What the hell is that?" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the cacophony.​Zhang Chengying rushed to the center of the room, positioning himself between the trembling pool and the entrance. His hands balled into fists, even though his broken peachwood sword lay useless at his feet. "We should have known it was too good to be true," he gritted out, his gaze fixed on the widening cracks in the wall.​Chen Jiuzhang held the crystal - key high, desperately trying to make out any signs of the approaching threat. The key's feeble light revealed nothing but swirling dust and the ominous shadows cast by the flickering golden glow of the chamber. "Lyra, what do we do?" he called out, his voice tinged with desperation.​Lyra, her face pale but resolute, studied the ancient carvings on the wall. Her silver staff, though cracked, still emitted a faint, protective aura. "These carvings... they tell of a guardian, a creature that awakens when the balance of the realm is severely disrupted. I fear the destruction of the abomination's core was the final straw."​Shen Qingluan, who had been tending to Wu Laogou and Luna, looked up in horror. "A guardian? But we're in no state to fight!" Her hands trembled as she clutched the fragment of the Imperial Jade Seal, its power seemingly drained after the previous battle.​As if on cue, a massive, clawed hand burst through the wall, sending chunks of stone flying. The group scattered, taking cover behind whatever they could find. The hand was covered in thick, obsidian - like scales, and a sickly green glow seeped from the gaps between them.​Wu Laogou stirred, his eyes fluttering open. "What... what's happening?" he mumbled, his voice groggy from the healing process. But when he saw the clawed hand, his eyes widened in terror. "That's no ordinary guardian... that's a shadowwraith, a creature born from the darkest depths of the realm's corruption."​Luna, still weak but conscious, sat up slowly. Her starlight - woven gown glowed faintly, as if trying to summon the last of her strength. "We need to find its weakness. The water... it might hold the key." She pointed to the pool, which was now roiling violently, its iridescent sheen replaced by a murky, inky black.​Chen Jiuzhang nodded, his mind racing. "Everyone, focus on the pool. There has to be something there that can help us." But as he spoke, images began to flash before his eyes - visions of a past battle, where a group of warriors used the power of the pool to create a shield against the shadowwraith.​The creature let out a deafening roar, and the rest of its massive body emerged from the rubble. Its eyes glowed a malevolent red, and its maw was filled with rows of jagged, dripping fangs. The battle - worn group, already at their limits, prepared for the fight of their lives, hoping that the secrets of the ancient pool would be their salvation.​