Amidst the chaotic scene of the stone chamber shaking violently and the skeleton warriors attacking frantically, the expedition leader was extremely anxious. He knew that if the Dark Alliance broke the seal on the altar, the consequences would be unimaginable. Watching the new leader of the Dark Alliance pouring spiritual power into the runes with all his might, the leader steeled himself and unleashed the Spirit Sword Sect's top-tier movement technique, "Spirit Shadow Illusion Step."
The captain moved with ghostly speed, instantly breaking through the skeleton warriors' encirclement and charging towards the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" once more. The new leader of the "Dark Alliance" noticed the captain's actions, his eyes narrowing. While continuing to maintain the infusion of spiritual energy into the runes, he also diverted some of his spiritual energy to cast a defensive spell. A black spiritual energy shield formed in front of him, its surface swirling with eerie runes.
Without the slightest hesitation, the captain channeled all his spiritual power into his sword and unleashed "Sword Shattering Stars." This was an extremely powerful sword technique of the Spirit Sword Sect. The sword emitted a dazzling light, and the power, like shattering stars, slammed into the black shield. With a deafening boom, the shield trembled violently, and cracks appeared on its surface.
"You..." The new leader of the "Dark Alliance" was both shocked and furious, never expecting that his captain could launch such a powerful attack in such a chaotic situation. He had no choice but to temporarily stop channeling the spiritual power into the runes and focus all his efforts on reinforcing the shield.
Taking advantage of this lull, the other members of the reconnaissance team also struggled to break through the skeleton warriors' obstruction and approach the altar. One member seized the opportunity and threw out a "Breaking Seal Talisman." The talisman burned in the air, releasing a powerful surge of spiritual energy that flew directly towards the runes on the altar. The runes flickered erratically under the impact of the spiritual energy, disrupting the spiritual connection that the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" had painstakingly established.
"Damn it! You ruined my plans!" roared the new leader of the "Dark Alliance." He turned and launched an attack on the charging reconnaissance team members, his crimson spiritual energy surging towards them like a tidal wave. The team members quickly formed a sword formation, the "Spirit Concealing Ice-Breaking Sword Formation" shining brightly, desperately resisting the attack. The spiritual energy collided with the sword formation, unleashing a deafening sound, the powerful impact causing the blood and qi of the team members within the formation to surge.
At this moment, the shaking of the stone chamber became more and more violent, and stones began to fall from the ceiling. "If this continues, the stone chamber will collapse. We must finish this quickly!" shouted the leader of the exploration team.
The members of the "Dark Alliance" realized the critical situation, but they were unwilling to give up. The Bloodblade Sect expert wielded his bloodblade, unleashing "Bloodblade Storm." Countless crimson sword energies swirled and spread out from him, shredding skeleton warriors into dust wherever they went, and sweeping towards the reconnaissance team.
"Strengthen the sword formation's defense!" the reconnaissance team leader shouted. The team members gritted their teeth, channeling their spiritual energy to its limit. The sword formation shone brightly, forming a five-colored light screen that barely blocked the storm of blood blades. However, the light screen teetered precariously under the impact of the sword energy, and it was in danger of shattering at any moment.
Taking advantage of the stalemate, the elder of the "Netherworld Palace" once again cast the "Netherworld Soul-Seizing Curse." Black runes drifted towards the reconnaissance team like ghosts, attempting to erode their souls and plunge them into chaos. The team members felt a chilling coldness invade their minds; their souls seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and their consciousness began to blur.
"Everyone, concentrate! Don't let the spell affect you!" The captain noticed his team members' unusual behavior and shouted a reminder. He circulated his spiritual power to forcefully dispel the chill that had invaded their minds, and then cast a "Heart-Cleansing Spell" to help his team members regain their senses.
Just as the situation reached a stalemate, one of the team members suddenly discovered the source of the skeleton warrior's spiritual power—a crystal emitting a ghostly green light beneath the altar. "Captain, look there! It might be the key to controlling the skeleton warrior!" the team member shouted, pointing at the crystal.
The captain looked in the direction his teammate was pointing and a thought struck him: "Attacking that crystal might be the solution to the skeleton warrior!"
The team members immediately diverted some of their forces to attack the crystal. Various spiritual spells were fired at the crystal, causing it to flicker with light as it withstood the powerful attack. The members of the "Dark Alliance" also realized the danger and tried to stop the reconnaissance team from attacking the crystal.
"We can't let them destroy the crystal!" shouted the new leader of the Dark Alliance. The Bloodblade Sect experts and the Netherworld Palace elders abandoned their attacks on the reconnaissance team and rushed towards the crystal to protect it.
Instantly, a fiercer struggle erupted between the two sides over the crystal. The exploration team members, well aware of its importance, disregarded the attacks from the "Dark Alliance" and focused all their efforts on the crystal. The members of the "Dark Alliance" fought desperately to stop them, and the two sides were locked in a heated battle.
To obstruct the reconnaissance team, a member of the "Dark Alliance" self-destructed his spiritual power, the powerful shockwave sending nearby team members flying backward. "No!" the captain cried out in anguish.
However, the team members did not back down; they continued their attack on the crystal. Finally, with everyone's combined efforts, a crack appeared in the crystal. As the crack widened, the crystal shattered with a "bang."
The moment the crystal shattered, the skeleton warriors seemed to lose control, ceasing their attacks and collapsing to the ground, turning into piles of bones. The members of the Dark Alliance were greatly alarmed by this sight.
"Oh no! The skeleton warriors have gone out of control! We must break the seal faster!" shouted the new leader of the Dark Alliance. Ignoring the reconnaissance team's attacks, he once again poured all his spiritual power into the altar runes. The runes on the altar shone brightly; the seal was about to be broken.
The reconnaissance team leader, witnessing the actions of the new leader of the "Dark Alliance," was frantic. He knew he had to make a final push. He retrieved the "Star Guardian Armor," a treasure obtained from the ruins, and infused it with spiritual power. The "Star Guardian Armor" shone brightly, radiating powerful defensive capabilities. The leader donned the armor and unleashed his strongest sword technique, "Sword Overlord."
A massive, multicolored sword aura shot into the sky, slashing towards the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" and the altar runes with a destructive force. The new leader of the "Dark Alliance" sensed a deadly threat and tried to dodge, but he was currently focused on breaking the seal and could not escape.
The sword energy instantly struck the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" and the altar runes. "Ah!" The new leader of the "Dark Alliance" screamed in agony, struck by the sword energy, spitting out blood as his body flew backward. The altar runes flickered erratically, severely hindering the unsealing process.
"No!" The members of the Dark Alliance cried out in alarm when they saw their leader injured and the seal failing to be broken.
Just then, the top of the stone chamber suddenly collapsed, and a large number of stones rained down on the group. "Run!" the exploration team leader shouted.
The fighting ceased, and everyone rushed towards the exit of the stone chamber. The members of the "Dark Alliance" dared not linger either, knowing that survival was paramount at this moment.
Amidst the chaos of falling stones, will the group be able to escape the stone chamber? Will the "Dark Alliance" give up on breaking the altar's seal? And how will the exploration team bring back information about what happened here to the Spirit Ruins Market? Everything is shrouded in uncertainty, and a tense atmosphere permeates the entire underground stone chamber of the Western Wilderness.
The group sprinted for their lives through the collapsed stone chamber, the thunderous sound of falling rocks echoing behind them. The reconnaissance team leader, while running, kept a close eye on the movements of the "Dark Alliance," knowing full well that they wouldn't give up easily and that constant vigilance was essential.
Supported by several members, the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" fled in a disheveled state, his heart filled with resentment and anger. "We can't let them get away with this. Once we get out, we must find a way to break the seal again!" he said through gritted teeth.
The Bloodblade Sect expert said with a gloomy face: "Don't worry, leader. The people from the Spirit Ruins Market ruined our plans. We will definitely get our revenge."
In the chaotic escape, a huge boulder hurled at a member of the "Dark Alliance." Unable to dodge, the member was struck by the boulder, letting out a scream before being instantly buried.
"Forget about him, let's go!" shouted the new leader of the "Dark Alliance," a resolute glint in his eyes. They knew that if they stopped to rescue him now, everyone would likely perish.
On the reconnaissance team's side, the members looked out for each other, using their agility and teamwork to weave through the gaps between the rocks. One member accidentally fell, but the captain quickly turned around, helped him up, and continued rushing towards the exit.
Finally, everyone saw a glimmer of light at the exit. "The exit is just ahead, everyone give it your all!" shouted the reconnaissance team leader.
Just as they were about to rush out of the exit, the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" had a sudden thought. He stopped abruptly, turned around, and launched an attack on the reconnaissance team. "Trying to escape? Not so easy!" He unleashed "Dark Rift Wave," a black wave of spiritual energy shooting towards the reconnaissance team.
The reconnaissance team leader sensed the attack from behind and inwardly cursed. He quickly activated the defensive skill of his "Star Guardian Armor," and a shield formed from stellar power appeared behind them. The black spiritual energy wave struck the shield, unleashing a dazzling light, and the shield trembled violently.
"Go! I'll hold him off!" the captain shouted. Without hesitation, the team rushed out of the exit. Just before the shield shattered, the captain turned and sprinted away.
After escaping the stone chamber, the group discovered that the valley outside had also undergone tremendous changes due to the collapse of the chamber. The once peaceful valley was now shaking violently, the surrounding peaks began to collapse, and large amounts of rocks tumbled down.
"We can't stay here any longer, we need to leave immediately!" shouted the reconnaissance team leader.
The group quickly fled out of the valley. During their escape, the Dark Alliance continued to launch attacks from time to time, attempting to hinder the reconnaissance team. However, the reconnaissance team, thanks to their "cloak of invisibility" and agile tactics, evaded the attacks time and time again.
Finally, they shook off the pursuit of the "Dark Alliance" and left the dangerous valley. The reconnaissance team leader looked at his exhausted but determined team members and said, "You all did a great job. Let's find a safe place to rest first, and then report the situation here back to the Spirit Ruins Market."
The team members nodded in agreement. They found a secluded cave nearby, rested briefly, and regained some strength. Afterward, the captain took out a communication artifact specially made by the Linghe Merchant Guild and sent a detailed account of what he had seen and heard in the Western Wilderness, including the "Dark Alliance's" attempt to break the altar seal, back to the Lingxu Market.
Inside the Lingxu Market, after receiving the message from the reconnaissance team, Lin Yang immediately convened the leaders of various factions to discuss countermeasures.
"I never expected the 'Dark Alliance' to have such a conspiracy in the Western Wilderness. Once the seal on this altar is broken, the consequences will be unimaginable," Lin Yang said solemnly.
The Pavilion Master of Wanbaoge frowned: "We must come up with a way to stop them as soon as possible. Perhaps we can start by finding a way to break the seal on the altar and prepare in advance."
The elder of the Spirit Sword Sect stroked his beard: "Indeed, we still need to strengthen our own power, organize elite forces, and be ready to go to the Western Wilderness at any time to completely stop the evil deeds of the 'Dark Alliance'."
Everyone offered their opinions, and after a heated discussion, it was finally decided that Wanbaoge would develop a magic weapon to break the seal on the altar as soon as possible, Lingjian Sect would select elite sword cultivators to form combat teams, strengthen their training, and prepare to deal with possible battles, while Linghe Chamber of Commerce would continue to closely monitor the movements of the "Dark Alliance" to ensure that it could obtain the latest intelligence in a timely manner.
Meanwhile, in the Western Wilderness, the members of the "Dark Alliance" were also discussing their next plan in a secluded place.
"Although we failed this time, we cannot give up. The altar seal contains immense power. If we can break it, we can make the Spirit Ruins Market pay a heavy price," said the new leader of the "Dark Alliance," his eyes flashing with a fierce light.
“But leader, the people in the Spirit Ruins Market will definitely strengthen their defenses. It won’t be so easy for us to get close to the altar again,” a member said worriedly.
"Hmph, we can find other ways to break the seal, or try to divert the attention of the Spirit Ruins Market. In short, we will not give up until we achieve our goal!" the new leader of the "Dark Alliance" said through gritted teeth.
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