Xuanfeng said, "Stay close to me and don't wander off. The traps in this passage are extremely dangerous; a slight mistake could result in your death." Su Ran, Lin Feng, and the Blood Shadow Sect woman all nodded solemnly and followed closely behind Xuanfeng into the passage.
The passage was dimly lit, with only the faint glow from the gem on the Xuanfeng Staff illuminating their path. They proceeded cautiously, the surroundings eerily quiet, save for the soft sounds of their footsteps and the clicking of mechanisms at work.
Suddenly, countless sharp stone spikes sprang from the ground ahead. Xuan Feng reacted swiftly, waving his staff to create a golden light barrier that enveloped the group. The stone spikes struck the barrier with loud bangs, but fortunately, the barrier was sturdy, and the group was unharmed.
"Everyone be careful, this is just the beginning," Xuanfeng warned solemnly. Sure enough, immediately afterward, a dense barrage of arrows shot out from the walls on both sides of the passage. These arrows were extremely fast, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.
Lin Feng hurriedly twirled his spear in a flurry of motion, attempting to deflect the arrows aimed at him and his companions. The Blood Shadow Sect woman was equally determined, her scimitar spinning to form a blood-red shield, blocking some of the arrows. However, there were simply too many arrows, and many still managed to break through the defenses and hurtle towards Su Ran.
Although Su Ran's spiritual energy was depleted and she had not yet recovered, in this critical moment, she forcefully summoned her spiritual energy and cast the Ice Spirit Clan's Ice Shield Technique. A crystal-clear ice shield appeared in front of her, and the arrows that struck the ice shield were instantly frozen and fell to the ground.
After a fierce battle, the group managed to temporarily withstand the attack. But before they could catch their breath, a wall of fire suddenly appeared in front of the passage, and raging flames swept towards them, distorting the air wherever they went.
“This wall of fire contains powerful flames; we can’t force our way through,” Xuanfeng said. He looked around and noticed a row of small holes at the top of the passage, guessing that these might be the mechanism controlling the wall of fire.
Xuanfeng pointed his staff at the small hole, releasing a golden beam of light. As the light struck the hole, the wall of fire began to weaken slowly. Just when everyone thought the crisis was over, a gigantic fire beast burst forth from the wall of fire. The beast, engulfed in raging flames, opened its gaping maw and lunged at the group.
Without hesitation, Lin Feng gathered his ice spirit power and once again conjured an ice dragon on his spear. The ice dragon roared and charged towards the fire beast, colliding with it. In an instant, ice and fire clashed, generating a massive energy fluctuation. The Blood Shadow Sect woman seized the opportunity, transforming into a streak of blood light and circling behind the fire beast, her curved blade stabbing fiercely at its hind leg.
The Flame Beast, in pain, turned to attack the Blood Shadow Sect woman. Taking advantage of the moment, Su Ran cast an ice spell, conjuring a thick layer of ice beneath the Flame Beast's feet, attempting to make it slip. The Flame Beast struggled on the ice, but its massive size made it difficult to maintain its balance, and it fell heavily to the ground.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xuanfeng waved his staff, and a golden binding rune shot towards the fire beast, firmly fixing it in place. The fire beast roared angrily, but it was unable to break free from the rune's restraint.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the subdued fire beast. However, before they could even rejoice, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from behind the passage, as if something enormous was approaching them.
"Oh no, more trouble is coming." Xuan Feng's expression changed, and he gripped his staff tightly. Su Ran and the others also immediately became alert, re-assuming their fighting stances, ready to face the new challenge. As the footsteps grew closer, a huge black shadow appeared at the end of the passage. The shadow exuded a powerful and evil aura, sending chills down their spines.
"What on earth is this thing?" Lin Feng gripped his spear tightly, his palms sweating. The Blood Shadow Sect woman gritted her teeth, her eyes revealing a resolute determination. Su Ran continuously gathered her spiritual energy; although her body was still very weak, she knew she could not back down now.
Xuanfeng stared at the dark figure and slowly said, "It seems that the dangers in this passage are far more complex than we imagined. This aura... seems to be an evil puppet from ancient times, possessing great power and a sturdy body. We must deal with it carefully."
As they spoke, the evil puppet rapidly approached. It was enormous, more than two people tall, its entire body crafted from black metal, gleaming with a cold light. The puppet's eyes flashed with an eerie red light, and it gripped a massive battle axe, its blade shrouded in black mist.
The evil puppet appeared before the group and, without a word, raised its battle axe and swung it at Xuanfeng. The axe whistled through the air, its power astonishing. Xuanfeng quickly used his staff to block, and with a loud clang, the powerful impact forced him back several steps.
"You all assist from the side, attack its joints!" Xuanfeng shouted. Lin Feng took the lead, using his movement technique to circle around to the puppet's side like a ghost.
Lin Feng took the lead, using his movement technique to circle around to the puppet's side like a ghost, and thrust his spear fiercely at the puppet's knee joint. However, the puppet's body was incredibly hard, and the spear only produced a string of sparks and left a shallow mark.
The Blood Shadow Sect woman was not to be outdone. She transformed into a streak of blood and charged towards the puppet, her curved blade aimed at its neck. The attack was incredibly fast, and the puppet seemed unable to dodge in time. But just as the blade was about to strike, a burst of black energy suddenly erupted from the puppet, forcefully blasting the Blood Shadow Sect woman away.
Despite his weakness, Su Ran swiftly formed hand seals and unleashed the Ice Spirit Clan's high-level spell, "Ice Prison Storm." The temperature within the passage plummeted, and countless ice spikes materialized out of thin air, raining down on the puppet. The ice spikes struck the puppet, producing a dense "clanging" sound, but failed to inflict any real damage.
Xuanfeng knew this couldn't go on. He channeled all his spiritual power into his staff, causing the gem at the tip to shine brightly and radiate golden ripples. "It seems I have no choice but to use this move!" Xuanfeng's expression turned solemn as he chanted incantations. With his incantation, the golden ripples transformed into golden chains that coiled around the puppet.
Sensing danger, the puppet swung its battle axe, attempting to cut the chains. But the golden chains were incredibly strong; the axe struck them, sending sparks flying. The chains quickly wrapped around the puppet's limbs and body, binding it firmly.
"Attack its core now!" Xuanfeng shouted. Lin Feng seized the opportunity, gathering all his ice spirit power into his spear. The spear tip burst forth with dazzling blue light, shooting like a meteor towards the core of the puppet's chest, which was emitting a strange red light.
Ignoring her injuries, the Blood Shadow Sect woman forcefully channeled her spiritual power, transforming her scimitar into a streak of blood-red light, shooting it close behind the spear towards the puppet's core. Meanwhile, Su Ran cast a spell, creating an ice prison around the puppet to prevent it from breaking free of its chains and escaping the attack.
Lin Feng's spear struck the core first, producing a loud bang. The core flickered with light, seemingly loosening. Immediately afterward, the Blood Shadow Sect woman's scimitar pierced deep into the core, and with a "crack," a clear crack appeared in the puppet's core.
The puppet let out a muffled roar, its body enveloped in surging black energy as it tried to break free of the golden chains. Its strength was astonishing; the chains creaked and groaned as if they were about to snap at any moment.
"Give it another push, we can't let it break free!" Xuan Feng strained to maintain the stability of the golden chains, his forehead beaded with sweat. Su Ran continuously channeled spiritual energy into the ice prison, reinforcing it. Lin Feng and the Blood Shadow Sect woman gathered their power once more, preparing to deliver the final blow to the puppet.
Just as the golden chains were about to give way, Lin Feng and the Blood Shadow Sect woman attacked simultaneously. Lin Feng's spear and the Blood Shadow Sect woman's scimitar, imbued with their last strength, pierced fiercely into the puppet's core. With a deafening boom, the puppet's core shattered completely, the black aura instantly dissipated, and the puppet's massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they looked at the fallen puppet. They were all exhausted after this series of battles. Xuanfeng wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Alright, we've finally passed this stage. However, the further we go in this passage, the more dangerous it might become. Let's rest for a while, recover our spiritual energy, and then continue our journey."
Su Ran and the others nodded, found places to sit down, and began to meditate. The passage became quiet, with only the soft breathing of the group. After resting for a while, feeling their spiritual energy recover slightly, they continued cautiously along the passage, led by Xuan Feng, unaware of what dangers awaited them ahead.
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