Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 232: The Ancient Ruins (Part-4)

For ordinary people, that position would require kneeling down and groping around on the wall. No wonder neither of them had found it.

"Unbelievable," Black muttered, utterly defeated. "The owner of this ruin really hid things in places no normal person would ever think of."

Boom!

The stone door slowly opened. Because it hadn’t been moved for countless years, the moment it shifted, a heavy rumbling echoed through the passage. Thick dust poured out, billowing like smoke and instantly filling the air.

The soot accumulated over centuries was overwhelming, forcing Zora and Prince Kael to narrow their eyes.

"The stone room opened! Hurry, catch up!"

The two spirit warriors behind them panicked the instant they saw the door open. In a place like this, whoever entered first claimed the advantage. How could they afford to fall behind?

But before they could even take a full step...

Zora and Prince Kael dashed forward the instant the door opened. Shihtzu leapt lightly onto Zora’s shoulder, moving in perfect sync.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures vanished into the stone room.

As soon as Zora crossed the threshold, she instinctively reached back, ready to close the door...

Bang!

The stone door slammed shut on its own.

The two spirit warriors who rushed over a heartbeat later smashed straight into the closed stone door, their foreheads nearly colliding with the cold stone.

"Damn it!"

They pounded furiously on the door, but no matter how hard they struck, it remained completely immovable.

Inside the stone room, Zora and Prince Kael stood frozen.

Just one glance was enough to leave both of them stunned.

Countless points of soft green light floated through the vast stone chamber, like stars scattered across the night sky. The room spanned several hundred square meters, yet it was filled with these glowing motes, each one crystal-clear and mesmerizing.

"How... how is this possible?" Zora whispered, genuine shock flashing across her face.

Upon closer inspection, she realized that each cluster of green light wrapped around a fruit-shaped form. It resembled a green apple, yet it was not a physical object, but something formed entirely from condensed energy.

Even with her knowledge of ancient ruins, she had to admit that this place was extraordinary.

Prince Kael’s gaze locked onto the floating green fruits, his usually calm expression filled with disbelief. "These... could they be Essence Fruits?"

Essence Fruits were not exactly fruits, but manifestations of pure elemental power, condensed directly from a spirit warrior’s own essence.

Absorbing an Essence Fruit could directly increase one’s cultivation. However, very few people were willing to create them, as the cost was enormous. It consumed both strength and vitality, making it an extremely inefficient method unless used by elders to nurture their juniors.

And yet, here they were.

Not one or two. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

But countless Essence Fruits, filling the entire stone room.

To encounter something like this was no different from stumbling upon a mountain of priceless treasure.

"With this many Essence Fruits..." Zora’s lips curved into a faint smile, her eyes gleaming. "Our cultivation will rise by a significant margin."

This journey into the ancient ruins had already proven its worth.

A confident, slightly wicked smile curved across Prince Kael’s striking face as his gaze settled on Zora.

"These Essence Fruits are far more useful to you," he said calmly. "You cultivate here first. I’ll stay by the stone door and see if there’s a way to keep others from breaking in."

Essence Fruits were extremely special. Once formed, they couldn’t be stored or carried away. They had to be absorbed immediately, or they would dissipate on their own.

Given Zora’s current cultivation, this was the perfect opportunity.

Prince Kael understood her well. Her talent was no weaker than those raised in great clans. The only difference was that she had lost too much time while growing up in the general’s household in a small Empire, far from proper cultivation resources.

With these Essence Fruits, she could rapidly close that gap and avoid countless detours in the future.

Zora felt a quiet stir in her heart. Surprise came first, followed by warmth.

If it were anyone else, faced with so many Essence Fruits, even lovers might turn against each other. Yet Prince Kael didn’t hesitate at all. He chose her without a second thought.

"There are so many here," she said softly. "I can’t absorb them all alone. You should cultivate, too."

Essence Fruits couldn’t be taken away, only absorbed and refined on the spot. No one in their right mind would walk away from such a treasure.

Prince Kael shook his head gently. "You cultivate first. I’ll check the stone door."

He gave her a reassuring smile before turning to study the massive stone gate.

Outside the room, the two spirit warriors were still furiously attacking the door.

"Open this door right now!"

Bang! Bang!

Their strikes echoed endlessly, but the stone door didn’t even tremble. It remained firm and unmoved, which quietly put Zora and Prince Kael at ease.

Soon, the two outside gave up brute force and began searching for mechanisms. Unfortunately for them, their situation was no better than before.

Inside the room, the atmosphere was very different.

Shihtzu grabbed a floating Essence Fruit and stuffed it straight into its mouth.

The moment the energy surged through its body, its eyes lit up. It smacked its lips happily, paws waving excitedly as it reached for more.

Black and White weren’t any slower, each clutching an Essence Fruit and absorbing it with obvious delight.

"This feels amazing," Black sighed.

"Master," White suddenly said, "there’s something strange on the rightmost wall."

Hearing that, Zora walked toward the wall White indicated. With the keen perception of her beasts, she trusted their judgment.

As she approached, she noticed a subtle bulge halfway up the wall. Reaching out, her fingers brushed against a thick layer of dust.

After wiping it away, a rectangular groove was revealed.

Inside the groove sat a small black iron box, its surface dull and ancient, radiating a deep, time-worn aura.

Prince Kael’s eyes sharpened. He stepped over at once, clearly surprised.

Zora reached out and lifted the box from the groove.

And in that exact instant—

The change came without warning.

Boom!

A heavy, muffled roar echoed through the stone chamber.

Before Zora or Prince Kael could react, a massive stone wall dropped straight down between them, slamming into place with terrifying speed and cutting the room cleanly in half.

"Zora!"

Prince Kael lunged forward the instant the change occurred, but the stone gate descended faster than he could reach her. His palm struck the cold surface with a dull thud, his path completely blocked.

"Zora! Can you hear me? Answer me!"

No response came from the other side.

His expression darkened at once, worry and fury surging together. This sudden mechanism was completely beyond his expectations.

"Damn it!"

A tremendous amount of dense Mana burst from his body as he slammed attack after attack into the stone gate. The power shook the chamber, but the thick door didn’t even tremble, as solid as if it had been cast from divine iron.

"What kind of stone gate is this?"

For someone as composed as Prince Kael to lose his calm like this spoke volumes. If anything happened to her, regret would follow him for the rest of his life.