The black-scaled blood lion pounced like a black lightning bolt, its speed so great that the reconnaissance team barely had time to react. "Scatter! Don't fight it head-on!" the team leader shouted, his voice shrill in the wind. The team members quickly used their movement techniques, scattering in different directions to dodge the blood lion's first attack.
The blood lion missed its target and roared angrily, the huge sound wave stirring up the yellow sand on the ground, forming a sand curtain. It turned its head and locked onto a team member, launching another attack. Its blood-red maw opened, revealing sharp fangs, and it bit at the team member.
The team member's heart tightened, and he quickly drew his sword, unleashing the Spirit Sword Sect's basic sword technique, "Thirteen Swords of Gentle Breeze." The sword shimmered with spiritual energy, and thirteen sword shadows shot towards the blood lion like a gentle breeze, attempting to block its attack. However, the black-scaled blood lion was thick-skinned and tough; the sword shadows only sparked a few fireballs on its scales, failing to cause any real damage.
"Everyone, attack together! Attack its eyes and abdomen!" the reconnaissance team leader shouted. Hearing this, the team members swarmed in from all directions, launching an attack on the blood lion. One team member seized the opportunity and threw out the "Spiritual Rhinoceros Warning Bell." The bell rang, releasing a special spiritual energy fluctuation that disrupted the blood lion's movements. The blood lion paused, then let out a furious roar.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, another team member unleashed "Shadow Strike," appearing like a ghost behind the Blood Lion and thrusting his sword towards its abdomen. Sensing the attack from behind, the Blood Lion swiftly turned and swept its tail, the powerful force sending the team member flying. The team member arced through the air before crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out blood.
"Oh no, Xiao Li is injured!" a team member exclaimed.
"Never mind me, keep attacking!" The injured team member struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and rejoined the battle.
The reconnaissance team leader knew that if they didn't deal with the blood lion quickly, they would all be in danger. He swiftly took out a "Restriction-Breaking Talisman" and infused it with spiritual power. The talisman shone brightly, and a powerful shockwave of spiritual energy blasted towards the blood lion. Sensing the immense threat, the blood lion tried to dodge, but the talisman's spiritual energy impact was incredibly fast, striking the blood lion's hind leg. The blood lion cried out in pain, its hind leg trembling slightly.
"Now! Attack with all your might!" shouted the reconnaissance team leader. The team members unleashed their strongest spells, various spiritual lights flashing as they attacked the Blood Lion. Under the combined assault, the Blood Lion finally succumbed and collapsed to the ground.
The group breathed a sigh of relief, but they knew the dangers of the Western Wilderness were far greater than they had imagined. After a short rest and some basic treatment for the injured, they continued on their way.
As they ventured deeper into the western wilderness, the surrounding environment grew increasingly eerie. The once-yellow sun was now shrouded in a layer of black mist, plunging the earth into darkness. Eerie howls echoed from all directions, sending chills down their spines.
"This place is getting increasingly strange. Everyone, be on high alert," the reconnaissance team leader said in a low voice, gripping his sword tightly and scanning his surroundings warily.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, and cracks spread out like a spider web. From the cracks, countless small black beasts emerged. These beasts resembled mice, but were the size of small dogs, with eyes that gleamed with an eerie green light and teeth that were extremely sharp.
"It's a Soul-Eating Rat! They devour spiritual energy! Everyone be careful!" a team member shouted in alarm.
The Soul-Devouring Rats surged towards the group like a tidal wave, moving with incredible speed. The reconnaissance team leader swiftly ordered, "Form a sword formation, defense is key!" The team members quickly formed a sword formation, its light gleaming, sword energy swirling around its perimeter to block the Soul-Devouring Rats' attacks. Some Soul-Devouring Rats reached the sword formation and were wounded by the sword energy, but the remaining rats continued their frenzied advance, attempting to break through the formation.
"This can't go on, there are just too many of them!" one of the team members said anxiously.
Just then, a team member discovered the Soul-Eating Rats' weakness. "Look, everyone, the Soul-Eating Rats' eyes are sensitive to bright light. If we use our magic weapon to emit a bright light, we might be able to repel them!" he shouted.
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly took out their magical artifacts, releasing intense light. Under the light, the Soul-Devouring Rats cried out in pain, their movements becoming sluggish. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the reconnaissance team quickly broke through the encirclement and ran forward.
However, having just escaped the Soul-Eating Rats, they encountered a new problem. A massive spiritual energy barrier appeared ahead, radiating powerful spiritual energy fluctuations that made it impossible for anyone to approach.
“This barrier looks difficult to break through, what should we do?” one of the team members asked.
The reconnaissance team leader carefully examined the barrier and discovered it was covered in ancient runes. He took out an intelligence manual provided by the Spirit Harmony Merchant Guild and searched for relevant information by referring to the runes. After some searching, he finally found a way to break the barrier.
"This is an ancient sealing barrier. It can only be opened by injecting spiritual power into the runes in a specific order. Everyone, listen to my command and inject spiritual power together," said the leader of the exploration team.
Following their captain's instructions, the team members channeled their spiritual energy into the runes. The runes shimmered, and the barrier's power gradually weakened. Finally, through everyone's efforts, the barrier was successfully broken.
After passing through the barrier, they continued onward. In a valley, they discovered traces of the "Dark Alliance." The members of the "Dark Alliance" were searching for something in the valley, their expressions extremely anxious.
"It seems they haven't found the ancient altar yet. Let's follow them quietly and see what they're up to," the reconnaissance team leader whispered.
The group followed cautiously behind the "Dark Alliance," not daring to make a sound. The "Dark Alliance" searched the valley, seemingly looking for some crucial clue. Suddenly, the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" stopped in front of a boulder. He carefully examined the patterns on the rock, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"This is it! The altar should be right below here," the new leader of the Dark Alliance said excitedly.
Then, the members of the "Dark Alliance" began digging around the boulder. They used magic to move the surrounding rocks and soil. Before long, a huge opening appeared before them. The opening exuded a mysterious aura, seemingly leading to an unknown world.
Without hesitation, the members of the "Dark Alliance" stepped into the cave. Seeing this, the reconnaissance team quietly followed them in. The cave was dark and damp, with faint light flickering on the walls, as if countless eyes were watching them.
"Everyone be careful, there might be danger lurking here," the reconnaissance team leader whispered a warning.
They proceeded along the narrow passage, which led to a vast stone chamber. In the center of the chamber stood an ancient altar, radiating powerful spiritual energy. The members of the Dark Alliance gathered around the altar, studying how to break its seal.
“The seal on this altar looks very complex; we must proceed with caution,” said the elder of the Netherworld Palace.
Just then, the floor of the stone chamber suddenly trembled, and a group of skeleton warriors surged out from all directions. These skeleton warriors, wielding weapons and exuding a sinister aura, charged towards the "Dark Alliance" and the reconnaissance team.
"Prepare for battle!" shouted the new leader of the "Dark Alliance".
The members of the "Dark Alliance" swiftly unleashed their spells, engaging the skeleton warriors in battle. A Bloodblade Sect expert wielded his blood blade, unleashing the "Blood Shadow Thousandfold Slash," a crimson sword aura shooting towards the skeleton warriors, slicing some to pieces. An elder from the "Netherworld Palace" cast sinister spells, black mist spreading out, eroding the skeleton warriors' spiritual power.
On the reconnaissance team's side, the members quickly formed a sword formation to fight the skeleton warriors. The sword formation shone brightly, and sword energy crisscrossed, repelling the approaching skeleton warriors. However, the skeleton warriors were numerous, wave after wave, seemingly endless.
Can the Dark Alliance and the exploration team successfully defeat the skeleton warriors and break the seal on the altar? How can the exploration team stop the Dark Alliance from regaining its strength? The situation becomes increasingly tense, and a fierce battle unfolds in the stone chamber.
In the cramped stone chamber, the Dark Alliance and the exploration team faced a tidal wave of skeleton warriors, and the battle reached its climax. The new leader of the Dark Alliance, while brandishing his weapon to fend off the skeleton warriors' attacks, anxiously pondered how to break the altar's seal. He knew that only by quickly breaking the seal and gaining power could they escape their current predicament.
"Everyone, hold your ground! Don't panic! Concentrate your attacks on the skeleton warriors' heads; that's their weak point!" the new leader of the Dark Alliance shouted. Upon hearing this, the Bloodblade Sect experts moved like lightning, weaving through the horde of skeleton warriors. Each swing of their bloodblades precisely struck the skulls, and skulls began to fall. But there were simply too many skeleton warriors; as soon as one cleared a space, new ones would appear to fill it.
The elders of the "Netherworld Palace" continued to cast sinister spells, attempting to fundamentally undermine the skeleton warriors' spiritual power. Black mist spread among the skeleton warriors, visibly slowing their movements and dimming their spiritual aura. However, driven by some mysterious force, these skeleton warriors, despite their hindered movements, relentlessly charged towards the group.
On the Lingxu Market exploration team's side, the captain knew their mission wasn't just to deal with the current battle, but more importantly, to prevent the "Dark Alliance" from breaking the altar's seal. "While fighting, everyone, keep an eye on the 'Dark Alliance's' movements. We absolutely cannot let them succeed," the captain instructed his team members via spiritual transmission while using his sword to parry the skeleton warriors' attacks.
The sword cultivators worked in close coordination, their sword formations constantly shifting to deflect the skeleton warriors' attacks one by one. One sword cultivator seized the opportunity, unleashing his ultimate technique, "Sword Piercing the Void." A sharp sword aura shot out from the sword formation, instantly piercing through the bodies of several skeleton warriors, leaving holes in them. But this did not stop the skeleton warriors' attack; instead, it seemed to enrage them, making their attacks even more frenzied.
During the fierce exchange, the reconnaissance team leader discovered that the skeleton warriors seemed to be controlled by some kind of spiritual energy fluctuation around the altar. "If we can sever this connection, perhaps the skeleton warriors will stop attacking," the leader thought to himself, his eyes searching for crucial clues around the altar.
Meanwhile, a member of the "Dark Alliance" accidentally discovered a hidden rune on the altar during a battle with a skeleton warrior. "Leader, there's a rune here that might be related to the seal!" the member shouted excitedly.
Upon hearing this, the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" immediately approached the location of the rune. He carefully observed the rune, trying to find a way to activate it. Just as he was about to infuse it with spiritual power, the reconnaissance team leader realized the urgency of the situation. Disregarding the danger, he used his movement technique to rush towards the new leader of the "Dark Alliance."
"I won't let you succeed!" the captain shouted, thrusting his sword at the new leader of the "Dark Alliance." Sensing the danger, the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" quickly turned around and blocked the captain's attack with his weapon.
"Hmph, you people from the Spirit Ruins Market are really persistent! Today, no one will stop me from breaking the altar seal!" the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" roared.
The two engaged in a fierce battle beside the altar. The surrounding skeleton warriors seemed to have noticed the commotion, and some of them abandoned their attacks on the others and instead surrounded them.
"Captain, we're here to help you!" Seeing their captain in danger, the members of the reconnaissance team rushed towards the altar to try and support him. However, the skeleton warriors fought desperately to block their way, preventing them from getting close for the time being.
"You bastards, die!" The Bloodblade Sect expert was enraged when he saw the reconnaissance team interfere with their efforts to break the altar's seal. He unleashed the "Blood Shadow Sky-Splitting Slash," a massive crimson sword aura slashing towards the reconnaissance team members. Wherever the sword aura passed, the skeleton warriors were shattered, but it also posed a significant threat to the reconnaissance team.
"Get out of the way!" the team members exclaimed, each using their movement techniques to dodge the sword energy. One team member was unable to dodge in time and was grazed on the arm by the sword energy, leaving a deep wound from which blood flowed freely.
Taking advantage of the moment when the reconnaissance team members were dodging the sword energy, the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" focused his attention once again on the altar runes. He gritted his teeth and poured his spiritual power into the runes. The runes shone brightly, and a powerful surge of spiritual energy emanated from the altar.
As the runes were activated, the skeleton warriors became even more frenzied, attacking the group recklessly. The spiritual energy around the altar also became increasingly chaotic, and the stone chamber began to shake violently, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.
"Oh no! The altar seal has been triggered, which could lead to even greater danger!" The exploration team leader thought to himself, realizing the situation was dire.
The members of the Dark Alliance also sensed the danger, but they were still unwilling to give up the opportunity to break the seal on the altar. "Continue to inject spiritual power and speed up the breaking of the seal!" shouted the new leader of the Dark Alliance.
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