After a short rest, everyone's strength gradually recovered. Zhang Shi stood up, looked around at the dilapidated buildings, and made a silent vow to find the key clue to leaving the misty area from here.
"Everyone, check your weapons and equipment. Let's move on," Zhang Shi said, his eyes revealing determination.
Zhao Feng gripped his giant axe, stood up, and dusted himself off: "Alright, I'd like to see what other tricks this godforsaken place has up its sleeve."
Ge Dalong also stood up, his hands forming a hand seal, a faint blue light emanating from his body, clearly gathering magic power in preparation for any eventuality: "Let's go, better safe than sorry."
Huo Xiuxiu gently shook the bell, looking around warily, and said, "There might be other dangers around here, everyone stay close."
The group cautiously made their way deeper into the complex. Along the way, the moss and vines on the walls grew increasingly dense, and the stone path underfoot became uneven. From time to time, they could see dried bloodstains and broken weapons, indicating that a fierce battle had taken place here.
As they walked, a huge plaza suddenly appeared ahead, with a towering stone platform standing in the center, and something on the platform seemed to be shimmering with light.
"What's up there?" Zhao Feng asked curiously, his pace quickening unconsciously.
"Don't rush, be careful of traps," Zhang Shi warned, slowing his pace and cautiously observing the surroundings.
As they approached the stone platform, they discovered a tall figure sitting cross-legged on it, emanating a faint black mist, as if protected by an invisible force.
"It's those three-headed monsters!"
Huo Xiuxiu stepped forward, trying to use the sound waves from the bell to dispel the invisible force, but to no avail.
“This layer of power is very strong; it seems it won’t be easily broken,” Huo Xiuxiu said, frowning.
Just then, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from around the square. When everyone turned around, they saw a group of short, ferocious-looking monsters shrouded in mist pouring out from all directions. They were armed with various crude weapons and were making sharp noises as they pounced on the crowd.
"Oh no, we're surrounded!" Ge Dalong shouted, quickly shooting the ice spike in his hand towards the monster horde, instantly freezing several monsters.
Zhao Feng brandished his giant axe and charged into the monster horde, each swing sending several monsters flying: "Come on, you ugly creatures!"
Zhang Shi and Huo Xiuxiu were not to be outdone. Zhang Shi wielded Lao Duan swordsmanship with fierce skill, and monsters fell one after another as the blade flashed. Huo Xiuxiu kept shaking the bell, and the monsters slowed down wherever the sound waves reached.
However, there were simply too many monsters, and the group gradually began to feel the strain.
"This can't go on, we have to find a way to break through!" Zhang Shi shouted, a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
Huo Xiuxiu suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "I have a plan. Everyone move closer to the stone platform and use its terrain for defense."
Upon hearing this, the group retreated towards the stone platform while continuing to fight. As they leaned against the platform, the monsters' attacks intensified.
Huo Xiuxiu took a deep breath, raised the bell above her head, and shook it with all her might. A powerful sound wave spread out from her, causing the surrounding monsters to retreat.
"Now's the time, Zhang Shi! See if you can find a way to break through that layer of power so we can hold off these monsters!" Huo Xiuxiu shouted.
Zhang Shi nodded, concentrating on observing the figure emanating black mist on the stone platform and the invisible force surrounding it. He discovered that the invisible force seemed to have some subtle connection with the surrounding environment, as if it were drawing mysterious energy from this ancient architectural complex.
Suddenly, Zhang Shi noticed several faintly visible runes on the stone platform. The arrangement of these runes seemed somewhat familiar. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he remembered seeing similar runes on the centaur's pendant before. Although not exactly the same, they should be related in some way.
Zhang Shi quickly pulled out the centaur pendant fragments he had collected earlier from his pocket and carefully compared them to the runes on the stone platform. After some examination, he discovered that if he placed the fragments around the runes in a specific order, he might be able to interfere with this invisible force.
"I have a plan, you guys hold on!" Zhang Shi shouted, then carefully took the fragments and approached the stone platform.
The monsters realized Zhang Shi's intentions and launched an even more frenzied attack. Zhao Feng, Ge Dalong, and Huo Xiuxiu fought back fiercely, and all of them were wounded, but they still stubbornly held their ground, buying time for Zhang Shi.
Zhang Shi took a deep breath, and with his agile movements and precise judgment, he placed the fragments one by one in their respective positions during the monster's gaps in attack. Just as the last fragment was placed, the invisible force emitted a violent fluctuation, its light flickering erratically.
"It worked!" Zhang Shi was overjoyed.
As the invisible force weakened, the black mist on the stone platform gradually dissipated, revealing the true face of the three-headed monster. Its heads returned to three, each displaying a different expression: Chen Beipan's was ferocious, the old woman's was cunning, and the other unfamiliar face showed pain. Its body was huge and strong, with taut muscles, seemingly ready to attack at any moment.
At this moment, the surrounding monsters also fell into brief chaos due to the disappearance of the invisible force.
"Attack now!" Zhang Shi shouted, charging towards the three-headed monster with his old sword in hand.
Zhao Feng roared, brandishing his giant axe, and leaped high into the air, slashing fiercely at one of the three-headed monster's heads. The three-headed monster reacted quickly; one of its heads opened its blood-red maw and spewed out a stream of black flames. Zhao Feng hurriedly dodged to the side, but was still burned on the arm by the edge of the flames.
Ge Dalong swiftly formed hand seals, conjuring several enormous ice spears, which he then fired at the three-headed monster. The ice spears struck the monster's body with a crisp sound, and although they did not inflict fatal wounds, they did slow the monster's movements for a moment.
Huo Xiuxiu, meanwhile, kept shaking a bell to emit disruptive sound waves, attempting to influence the three-headed monster's thoughts and actions.
Enraged by the group's attack, the three-headed monster unleashed a simultaneous attack from its three heads, unleashing black flames, poisonous mist, and powerful sonic waves upon the group.
The group dodged left and right, struggling to avoid the attacks while searching for an opening in the three-headed monster's defenses.
While dodging the attacks, Zhang Shi noticed that after the three-headed monster launched its fire attack, its middle head would pause briefly, as if it were gathering its strength.
"Attack its middle head!" Zhang Shi shouted, then seized the opportunity, rushed forward, and used his sword to stab the middle head hard.
The three-headed monster sensed the danger and tried to dodge, but it was too late. Old Duan pierced its head, and the monster let out a painful roar as black blood gushed from the wound.
However, this attack did not render the three-headed monster incapable of fighting; instead, it retaliated even more frantically. The surrounding monsters swarmed in again, and the situation became even more critical.
Just as everyone was in trouble, Zhang Shi suddenly noticed that a crack had appeared on the stone platform due to the struggle of the three-headed monster, and a strange light was faintly shining through the crack.
"There might be something there. We need to find a way to get closer to the stone platform!" Zhang Shi shouted.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com