After the cultivation exchange conference concluded, the various sects of the Demon-Slaying Alliance were immersed in an atmosphere of active cultivation and strengthening friendships. However, deep within the Spirit Illusion Mountains, a mysterious disturbance was quietly unfolding.
In a region of the Spirit Illusion Mountains perpetually shrouded in mist, the once tranquil ground suddenly began to tremble violently. Black cracks spread from the ground, as if the earth were being torn apart. Dense dark energy surged from the cracks, accompanied by low, guttural roars, as if some terrifying being was about to awaken.
The nearby demonic beasts sensed this terrifying aura and fled in panic. Some weaker beasts were even directly corrupted by the dark energy and instantly collapsed and died. This anomaly attracted the attention of various sects, with Lin Yang's sect being the first to notice the unusual change in the aura within the Spirit Illusion Mountain Range.
The sect leader immediately summoned Lin Yang and the other core disciples, and said solemnly, "Extremely strange disturbances have occurred in the Linghuan Mountains, with a dark aura permeating the area. This is very likely related to a mysterious force. Lin Yang, you will lead a team of elite disciples to investigate. Be sure to act with caution and find out the cause of the disturbances."
After receiving the order, Lin Yang quickly selected a group of highly skilled disciples, including Su Ran and Ling Feng. The group prepared their magical artifacts and elixirs, and then rushed towards the location of the anomaly in the Linghuan Mountains.
When they arrived at the misty area of the Spirit Illusion Mountains, they found the darkness there to be far more intense than they had imagined. The black mist churned and surged, seemingly alive, constantly twisting and shifting. Lin Yang channeled his Star Power, attempting to penetrate the mist and see what lay within, but the dark power contained within was exceptionally strong; his Star Power could only barely perceive a radius of a dozen meters around him.
"Everyone be careful, this fog is strange. Keep your formation tight and don't separate easily," Lin Yang whispered. Everyone nodded, weapons in hand, and cautiously advanced into the depths of the fog.
Suddenly, a gigantic dark beast burst forth from the mist. This beast resembled a black panther, but was several times larger than an ordinary black panther. Its entire body was covered in black scales, its eyes gleamed with blood-red light, and it spewed black flames from its mouth.
"It's a Dark Flame Leopard! Be careful of its flames, they're highly corrosive!" Ling Feng shouted a warning. The Dark Flame Leopard roared and pounced on the group, its black flames sweeping over them like a torrent.
Lin Yang swiftly activated "Star Shield," and a golden shield reappeared, enveloping everyone within it. Black flames struck the shield, producing a sizzling sound, and ripples spread across its surface, as if it might shatter at any moment.
Seeing this, Su Ran immediately cast the ice spell "Ice Spirit Frost," and crystalline snowflakes fell, attempting to lower the temperature of the Dark Flame Leopard's flames and weaken its power. At the same time, Ling Feng, wielding his longsword, unleashed the Spirit Sword Sect's ultimate technique, "Spirit Shadow Sword Art," his figure as swift as lightning as he charged towards the Dark Flame Leopard, attempting to attack its vitals.
The other disciples also unleashed their respective spells. The Xuanfeng Sect disciples cast the "Gentle Wind Binding Spell," sending forth cyan wind ropes from all directions, attempting to entangle the Dark Flame Leopard's limbs and restrict its movement. The Yanshen Sect disciples, on the other hand, cast the "Flame Burst Technique," launching fireballs at the Dark Flame Leopard, which collided with its black flames, erupting in dazzling light.
Although the Dark Flame Leopard was powerful, it gradually began to falter under the combined attack of the group. It struggled incessantly, trying to break free of the wind ropes, while simultaneously increasing the force of its black flames. Under the continuous impact of the flames, the Star Shield finally began to crack.
Lin Yang gritted his teeth and channeled his stellar power to its limit, strengthening the stellar shield. At the same time, he shouted to Ling Feng, "Ling Feng, I'll distract it. You take the opportunity to attack its eyes; that might be its weak point!"
Ling Feng nodded, seizing the opportunity. Lin Yang unleashed the "Starry Sky-Splitting Slash" from the "Starry Sky Sword Manual," a sword aura imbued with the power of stars shooting towards the Dark Flame Leopard. Sensing the threat of the sword aura, the Dark Flame Leopard temporarily stopped spewing flames and turned to defend itself.
Just then, Ling Feng pounced like a ghost, his longsword gleaming coldly, aiming straight for the Dark Flame Leopard's eye. Sensing danger, the Dark Flame Leopard tried to dodge, but its limbs were bound by wind ropes, hindering its movement. Ling Feng's longsword successfully pierced one of the Dark Flame Leopard's eyes, and the leopard let out a painful roar, its body trembling violently.
The Dark Flame Leopard, now missing an eye, became even more frenzied. Its dark aura intensified, and it forcefully broke free from the wind ropes. With a powerful leap, it pounced on Ling Feng, its massive claws gleaming coldly, attempting to tear him to shreds.
Seeing this, Lin Yang immediately used the "Starry Sky Instantaneous Step," instantly appearing in front of Ling Feng, his Starry Sky Golden Sword blocking the Dark Flame Leopard's attack. "Ling Feng, run!" Lin Yang shouted. Ling Feng quickly retreated and reorganized the attack with the other disciples.
Su Ran unleashed an upgraded version of "Ice Prison Technique," "Extreme Frost Prison," instantly enveloping the surrounding space in frigid air. The Dark Flame Leopard was frozen in place, its body covered in a thick layer of ice. Lin Yang seized this opportunity, unleashing "Starry Sky Annihilation Judgment," a massive golden sword shadow containing world-destroying power soaring into the sky and slashing towards the Dark Flame Leopard.
"Boom!" The golden sword shadow struck the Dark Flame Leopard, shattering the ice layer. The Dark Flame Leopard's massive body was cleaved in two by the sword shadow, turning into a cloud of black smoke and dissipating into the air.
The group breathed a sigh of relief, but before they could rest, they sensed the growing darkness ahead, as if an even more powerful being was lurking within. They continued forward and discovered a massive black vortex, from which dark power continuously surged.
At the center of the vortex, an ancient ruin could be faintly seen. This ruin was similar in style to the mysterious ruins they had entered before, but it exuded a more powerful and malevolent aura.
"It seems this is the source of the anomaly; this ruin appears to hold a great secret," Lin Yang said. The group cautiously approached the black vortex, attempting to uncover the mysteries of the ruin.
As they approached the vortex, an ancient and mysterious voice suddenly emanated from the ruins: "Outsiders, trespassing on this land will surely suffer endless dark curses..." The voice echoed all around, sending chills down their spines.
Lin Yang took a deep breath and shouted back, "No matter what you are, we will never back down. If you collude with mysterious forces and endanger the cultivation world, we will definitely eliminate you!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a group of dark puppets surged out of the ruins. These puppets were tall and formed from dark energy, wielding black spears as they charged towards the group.
"Prepare for battle!" Lin Yang shouted. The group quickly formed battle formation, and a fierce battle against the dark puppet began. Lin Yang unleashed sword techniques from the "Starry Sky Sword Manual," his sword energy crisscrossing as it clashed with the dark puppet's spear, sparks flying everywhere.
Su Ran used ice magic to try and freeze the dark puppets, but the puppets seemed to have some resistance to ice magic; the ice could only temporarily slow them down. Ling Feng, on the other hand, used his sharp swordsmanship to weave through the puppet horde, looking for opportunities to attack their vital points.
However, the dark puppets were numerous, pouring out of the ruins in an endless stream. The group gradually found themselves in a fierce battle, each sustaining injuries to varying degrees. Looking at the predicament before him, Lin Yang understood that he must find the source controlling these dark puppets to completely resolve the crisis.
During the battle, Lin Yang noticed that whenever the dark puppets emerged from the ruins, a black rune on the ruins' gate would flash. A thought struck him, and he shouted to the others, "Attack the black rune on the ruins' gate! That might be the key!"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attacks towards the black runes. The Xuanfeng Sect disciples unleashed the "Gentle Breeze Splitting Stone Spell," sending a powerful gentle breeze towards the runes; the Yanshen Sect disciples unleashed the "Flame Dragon Burning the Heavens," sending a massive fiery dragon charging towards the runes.
Lin Yang then unleashed "Star Shattering the Void," sending a massive golden sword aura slashing towards the rune. Under the combined attack of the group, the black rune flickered erratically before finally shattering with a "bang."
As the runes shattered, the dark puppets ceased their movements and dissipated into wisps of black smoke. Peace finally returned to the ruins.
Lin Yang and the others walked into the ruins. The interior was dark and damp, and the walls were covered with strange runes and patterns. These runes and patterns seemed to be telling an ancient and evil story.
Deep within the ruins, they discovered a massive black stone platform. On the platform lay an ancient book radiating a dark light, surrounded by a ring of black flames.
"What kind of ancient book is this? Why does it possess such powerful dark energy?" Su Ran asked疑惑地. Lin Yang frowned. He sensed an extremely dangerous aura contained within this ancient book, but at the same time, it also possessed a mysterious attraction.
Just as Lin Yang was about to approach the stone platform to examine the ancient texts, a black-robed figure suddenly emerged from the shadows of the ruins. This black-robed figure was tall, with his face hidden under a hood, making it impossible to see his features, but the dark aura emanating from him was far stronger than any of the black-robed figures he had encountered before.
"You fools who dare to trespass and damage my puppet runes! Today, you will all die here!" the black-robed man said coldly. With that, he waved his hands, and the black flames on the stone platform instantly surged, sweeping towards Lin Yang and the others.
Lin Yang and the others quickly cast defensive spells, including Star Shield, Ice Wall, and Gentle Breeze Guardian Array, in an attempt to withstand the black flames' attack. However, the black flames were extremely hot and contained powerful dark energy, and the defensive spells gradually became unable to hold up against them.
"Hold on, everyone! Don't let these flames defeat us!" Lin Yang shouted.
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