Li Feng gripped the glowing blossom tightly in his hand, its light dimming as he stepped away from the stone pedestal. The visions that had flooded his mind slowly began to fade, but Mei’s face remained etched in his memory, haunting him with its pale, ghostly appearance.

The chamber around him was still, the remnants of the shattered stone warriors scattered across the floor like broken dreams. The oppressive atmosphere that had filled the air moments before was now lifted, replaced by an unsettling calm. But even in the silence, Li Feng felt the mountain’s presence watching, waiting.

He needed to press on. There was no time to waste.

As he turned to leave the chamber, a soft hum echoed from the walls, growing louder until it filled the entire space. The carvings on the stone flickered to life, the ancient symbols glowing faintly. Li Feng’s eyes widened as the carvings shifted, forming an image he hadn’t noticed before.

It was the same scene—the two warriors locked in battle, their weapons shining with an otherworldly light—but this time, there was a third figure. A woman, standing in the background, her face hidden beneath a veil. She held a single blossom in her hands, and her presence seemed to draw the warriors toward her.

Li Feng’s heart skipped a beat. The woman… was it Mei?

Before he could investigate further, a gust of wind swept through the chamber, and the walls began to tremble. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling as the ground beneath him shook violently. The stone warriors had been destroyed, but the mountain was far from finished with him.

He bolted toward the exit, barely making it out of the chamber as the walls collapsed behind him. The tunnel outside was just as unstable, the floor cracking and heaving underfoot. Li Feng pushed forward, his mind racing with thoughts of Mei and the strange woman in the carvings.

The deeper he descended into the mountain, the more his surroundings changed. The narrow passages of stone gave way to wider corridors, their walls lined with ancient tapestries and statues of long-forgotten warriors. The air grew colder, and a heavy fog began to settle in, making it harder to see what lay ahead.

Eventually, the tunnel opened into another vast chamber, but this one was different. Instead of the oppressive darkness that had filled the previous rooms, a soft, silvery light illuminated the space. At the center of the chamber was a massive stone circle, its surface etched with intricate patterns and symbols.

Standing in the middle of the circle was a lone figure.

Li Feng’s breath caught in his throat as he recognized the silhouette. It was Mei.

She stood with her back to him, her hands clasped in front of her, seemingly lost in thought. Her robes fluttered in the breeze, and her hair shimmered in the pale light, but something about her presence felt… off.

“Mei!” Li Feng called out, his voice echoing through the chamber.

She didn’t respond.

He took a step forward, his heart pounding in his chest. “Mei, it’s me. Li Feng. I’ve been looking for you.”

Slowly, Mei turned to face him, and the sight that met his eyes made his blood run cold.

Her face was as pale as the moon, her eyes dark and hollow, as if the life had been drained from her. The warmth that had once filled her gaze was gone, replaced by an eerie, vacant stare. She seemed… distant, as if she were only a shadow of her former self.

“Li Feng,” she whispered, her voice soft and distant, like a breeze passing through a hollow cave. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

Li Feng’s heart sank. “What do you mean? I came to find you. We need to leave this place.”

Mei shook her head slowly, her movements mechanical, as if she were struggling to remain in control. “It’s too late. The mountain… it’s already claimed me.”

“No,” Li Feng said firmly, stepping closer. “We can still leave. I’ve faced the trials. I found the blossom. We can escape.”

But Mei didn’t seem to hear him. Her eyes flickered with a strange light, and she lifted her hands, revealing the blossom she had been holding. It was the same blossom he had seen in the carvings—the one that the mysterious woman had held in her hands.

“The blossoms… they are not what we thought,” Mei whispered. “They do not grant power. They take it. They consume everything.”

Li Feng felt a chill run down his spine. The words of the travelers he had encountered echoed in his mind, their warnings about the cursed power of the blossoms suddenly taking on new meaning.

“Mei, please,” he pleaded. “We can still break free of this.”

But as he reached out to her, a dark shadow enveloped the chamber, and the ground beneath them began to tremble once more. The fog thickened, swirling around them like a storm, and in the distance, a deep, guttural roar echoed through the mountain.

The final trial had begun.

Before Li Feng could react, the floor of the stone circle cracked open, and from the darkness below, a massive figure rose. It was a creature unlike any he had ever seen—a towering beast of stone and shadow, its eyes glowing with malevolent energy. Its form was twisted and grotesque, as if it had been born from the very mountain itself.

Li Feng drew his sword, his heart racing. This was the test he had been dreading, the final challenge that would determine his fate—and Mei’s.

But as he prepared to face the creature, Mei stepped forward, her eyes locked on the beast. Her expression was calm, almost serene, as if she had already accepted her fate.

“Li Feng,” she said quietly, “you can’t save me. But you can save yourself.”

Li Feng’s grip tightened on his sword, his voice trembling. “I’m not leaving you.”

Mei smiled faintly, her eyes filled with a sadness that cut him to the core. “Then we’ll face this together.”

The beast roared, and the mountain trembled beneath them as the final battle began.