The group successfully broke free from the chains of spiritual energy and continued cautiously forward along the passage. The passage grew increasingly narrow, and although the runes on the walls on both sides no longer attacked, they still exuded a mysterious and dangerous aura.
Lin Yang held the "Starry Golden Sword," its blade trembling slightly as if sensing potential dangers in the surroundings. "Everyone, stay close. Who knows what other traps await us in this passage," he whispered, his voice echoing through the narrow passage.
Suddenly, black holes appeared in the ground ahead of the passage, from which black smoke billowed. The smoke quickly spread, carrying a pungent odor that made people want to vomit. "Oh no, this smoke is poisonous!" a Qingyun Sect disciple shouted. He quickly used his spiritual power to form a shield in front of him to block the smoke's invasion.
The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect circulated their spiritual power, using sword energy to dispel the surrounding smoke. The disciples of the Purple Cloud Palace swiftly retrieved specially crafted "purifying talismans," which shimmered with white light, purifying the surrounding poisonous fog. However, the poisonous fog continued to pour out, and the purification speed could not keep up with the rate at which it emerged.
"This can't go on. We have to find the source of the smoke and block it!" Lin Yang shouted. He used his movement technique to rush towards the place where the smoke was thickest. The other team members followed closely behind, fighting off the poisonous fog as they approached the source.
At the end of the passage, they discovered a massive black vortex, from which poisonous mist continuously spewed forth. Strange runes were inscribed around the vortex, flickering with an eerie light, seemingly maintaining its rotation.
“It seems this is the place. But we don’t understand these runes, and recklessly destroying them could lead to even more serious consequences,” said the disciple from Zixiao Palace who was skilled in runes.
Just as everyone was pondering a solution, the walls on both sides of the passage suddenly opened, and a group of puppets clad in black armor rushed out. The puppets wielded various weapons, their emotionless eyes flashing red light, and they launched an attack on the group.
"Take care of these puppets first!" Lin Yang shouted. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect quickly formed a sword formation, unleashing the "Sword Controlling Heaven and Earth Sword Formation." The sword formation shone brightly, and sword energy crisscrossed, engaging in fierce combat with the puppets. The sword energy of the sword cultivators struck the puppets, producing clanging sounds. The puppets' armor was extremely hard, and ordinary sword energy could only leave shallow marks on it.
The disciples of the Qingyun Sect unleashed the "Qingyun Illusion Spell," creating numerous illusions to confuse the puppet's movements. Simultaneously, they cast the "Qingyun Rock-Shattering Spell," a powerful spell attempting to shatter the puppet's body. The disciples of the Zixiao Palace countered with "Immobilization Talismans" and "Armor-Piercing Talismans." The Immobilization Talismans aimed to restrict the puppet's movements, while the Armor-Piercing Talismans sought to break through the puppet's tough armor.
As everyone battled the puppets, the poisonous fog continued to billow out. A sword cultivator accidentally inhaled some of the fog, immediately feeling his spiritual energy become disordered and his body weaken. "I...I'm poisoned..." the sword cultivator said with difficulty.
"Hold on!" Su Ran quickly came to the sword cultivator's side, fed him an antidote pill, and used her spiritual power to help him suppress the toxins.
Lin Yang watched the situation grow increasingly critical, his heart filled with anxiety. He suddenly remembered that the stellar power contained within the "Starry Golden Sword" might be able to restrain these puppets and runes. He channeled all his spiritual energy into the sword, unleashing a variant of the "Starry Sky-Splitting Slash," called "Starry Evil-Slaying Slash." A golden sword aura, imbued with powerful stellar purification energy, slashed towards the group of puppets and the black vortex.
Wherever the sword energy passed, the puppets were shattered into pieces, turning into piles of scrap metal. The golden sword energy continued its advance, striking the runes surrounding the black vortex. The runes flickered, attempting to resist the sword energy, but under the purification of the stellar power, the runes gradually dimmed, the rotation speed of the black vortex gradually slowed down, and the amount of poisonous mist gushing out decreased accordingly.
"Everyone, give it your all and completely destroy these runes!" Lin Yang shouted. The crowd responded enthusiastically, unleashing their strongest spells and sword energies as they attacked the runes. In an instant, light flashed, and various spells and sword energies intertwined, pouring towards the runes.
With everyone's combined attack, the runes finally shattered, the black vortex slowly disappeared, and the poisonous mist stopped flowing out.
The group breathed a sigh of relief, but they knew that there might be even more dangerous traps and restrictions in the ruins ahead. After a short rest, they continued towards the ruins in the center of the island.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the ruins. The gates were tightly shut, covered with exquisite carvings depicting what appeared to be an ancient war, with immortals and demons clashing on the battlefield in a gruesome scene.
"These ruins look ancient; who knows what secrets they hold?" said an elder from the Qingyun Sect.
The disciples of Zixiao Palace stepped forward again to study the runes on the door, trying to find a way to open it. Just then, dark clouds suddenly filled the sky, and a huge bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, heading straight for them.
"Watch out!" Lin Yang shouted, quickly casting the "Starlight Protection Technique," a layer of golden light enveloping everyone. Lightning struck the golden light, erupting with dazzling light and a deafening sound.
After the lightning, the dark clouds did not disperse; instead, they grew even thicker. Then, countless bolts of lightning rained down upon the crowd.
"Everyone, scatter and take cover! Cast defensive spells!" Lin Yang shouted. The crowd quickly dispersed, each casting their own defensive spells. The Spirit Sword Sect sword cultivators formed a multicolored light screen with their sword formations, the Azure Cloud Sect disciples' azure shields reappeared, and the Purple Cloud Palace disciples threw out defensive talismans. In an instant, various defensive lights flashed, resisting the lightning's attack.
However, the lightning was incredibly powerful. The defensive light barrier and shield trembled under its attack, cracks appearing everywhere. "At this rate, the defenses won't hold! We must find the source of the lightning and destroy it!" Lin Yang shouted.
The group struggled to find the source of the lightning strikes. Finally, a disciple of Zixiao Palace discovered a small lightning array above the gate of the ruins, continuously releasing lightning.
"That's it! Everyone attack together and destroy the lightning formation!" Lin Yang shouted. Everyone turned their attacks towards the lightning formation, and spells and sword energy shot towards it like meteors.
The lightning array flickered under the combined attack, attempting to defend itself. However, the array gradually showed weaknesses under their combined assault. "Give it your all!" Lin Yang shouted, unleashing his "Starlight Shattering Void Slash," a powerful golden sword aura slashing towards the core of the array.
"Boom!" With a loud bang, the lightning array was finally destroyed, the dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the sunlight shone on everyone again.
They successfully withstood the lightning attack, but the gates of the ruins remained tightly shut. After much effort, the disciples of Zixiao Palace finally deciphered the runic code to open the gates. They activated the runes in a specific order, and with a rumble, the gates slowly opened, releasing an ancient and mysterious aura.
What secrets lie hidden behind the door? Is it a crucial clue to a divine artifact, or something more unknown and dangerous? With a mix of tension and anticipation, the exploration team slowly stepped into the ruins. They knew that their journey had reached a critical juncture, and the fate of the cultivation world might depend on their discoveries within these ruins.
Stepping into the ruins, an ancient and rustic atmosphere immediately greets you. The interior is dimly lit, with only a few luminous pearls embedded in the walls emitting a faint glow, barely illuminating the path ahead.
"Everyone be careful, there might be more dangers inside these ruins," Lin Yang warned in a low voice, his "Starry Golden Sword" remaining ever vigilant.
The group walked along the narrow passage, the surroundings eerily quiet except for the faint echoes of their footsteps. Suddenly, a huge circular hall appeared before them, with a massive stone platform in the center, upon which rested an ancient book that emitted a faint glow.
“That ancient book doesn’t seem simple; it might be related to clues about the divine artifact,” said a disciple of the Qingyun Sect.
Just as the group approached the stone platform, countless stone figures suddenly surged forth from all around the hall. These towering, imposing figures, wielding stone axes, swords, and other weapons, charged towards the group. "Another enemy!" The Spirit Sword Sect sword cultivators quickly formed a sword formation, preparing to meet the attack.
"These stone figures are slow-moving but incredibly strong. Everyone, be careful to avoid their attacks and find their weaknesses," Su Ran shouted. The sword cultivators unleashed their exquisite sword techniques, their sword energy constantly striking the stone figures, sending stone chips flying. But the stone figures seemed tireless, continuing their frenzied attacks.
The disciples of the Qingyun Sect unleashed the "Qingyun Entangling Spell," causing azure vines to surge from the ground, attempting to entangle the stone figures' legs and slow their movement. Meanwhile, the disciples of the Zixiao Palace threw out "Stone-Shattering Talismans," which, upon striking the stone figures, unleashed tremendous power, shattering their bodies.
Lin Yang observed the stone golems' movements within the sword formation, discovering that while their outer shells were hard, their joints were relatively vulnerable. "Attack their joints!" he shouted, simultaneously unleashing the "Starburst Sky-Splitting Slash." The golden sword energy precisely struck one of the stone golems' joints, instantly severing its arm.
Upon hearing this, everyone focused their attacks on the stone golem's joints. In an instant, the golem's arms and legs broke off, and its movements became even slower. Under the combined assault of the group, the stone golem was gradually destroyed.
After dealing with the stone figure, the group arrived at the stone platform. Lin Yang reached out and picked up the ancient book. The moment he touched it, the book shone brightly, and an image emerged from it. The image showed an elderly man with white hair, who slowly said, "To find the divine artifact, you must solve three riddles. The first riddle: Within these ruins, there is a secret chamber. The door to the chamber is hidden where light and shadow intertwine. Only by finding the chamber can you enter the next level."
After the image disappeared, the light from the ancient book dimmed. "It seems we need to find the secret chamber first. Everyone, spread out and search for the places where the light and shadow intersect," Lin Yang said.
The group searched the hall thoroughly, carefully examining every corner. However, after a long search, they found no clues. "Where exactly is this place where the light and shadow intertwine?" a disciple of Zixiao Palace asked疑惑地.
Just when everyone was at a loss, a sword cultivator from the Spirit Sword Sect noticed that as the light from the luminous pearl flickered, the shadows on the wall seemed to be acting strangely. "Look everyone, these shadows seem a bit odd," the sword cultivator said, pointing to the wall.
Everyone crowded around to observe closely. Sure enough, under the specific flashing frequency of the luminous pearl, the shadow on the wall formed a blurry pattern, pointing to a corner of the hall.
The group reached a corner and discovered a stone on the wall that was different from the others. Lin Yang tried to push the stone, and with a "rumble," the wall slowly opened, revealing a narrow passage.
"It seems this is the passage to the secret chamber. Everyone, proceed with caution," Lin Yang said.
The group proceeded along the passage, which was filled with a faint mist, within which shimmering lights flickered. Suddenly, a huge lake appeared ahead, its water a strange purple, exuding a mysterious aura.
"This lake doesn't look ordinary; everyone should not approach it lightly," said the Qingyun Sect elder.
Just then, a gigantic octopus-like monster suddenly emerged from the lake. Its tentacles were like thick ropes, covered in suckers, and its eyes gleamed with an eerie light. "This is the Amethyst Illusion Octopus! Everyone be careful of its illusions and tentacle attacks!" shouted a disciple of Zixiao Palace who was knowledgeable about monsters.
The Amethyst Illusion Octopus let out a sharp cry, then lashed out at the group with its tentacles. The tentacles moved with incredible speed, like countless sharp arrows. The sword cultivators of the Spirit Sword Sect quickly deployed their sword formation to defend, and the multicolored light barrier trembled violently under the attack of the tentacles.
The disciples of the Qingyun Sect unleashed the "Qingyun Blazing Flame Spell," sending billowing flames towards the Amethyst Illusion Octopus. The Amethyst Illusion Octopus's body flickered in and out of existence within the flames; it seemed unafraid of the fire, instead taking the opportunity to spew out a cloud of purple smoke. The smoke rapidly spread, and everyone felt the scene before them shift, trapped in an illusion.
"Not good, it's an illusion! Everyone, calm yourselves and circulate your spiritual energy to resist!" Lin Yang shouted. He cast "Starlight Requiem," the sound of swords echoing in the mist, trying to awaken everyone's minds.
Under the influence of the sword's cry, everyone gradually regained their senses. "We can't let it cast any more illusions! Attack its eyes!" Lin Yang shouted. Everyone turned their attacks towards the eyes of the Amethyst Illusion Octopus, unleashing spells and sword energy towards them.
Sensing the threat, the Amethyst Illusion Octopus waved its tentacles, attempting to block the attacks. However, the attacks grew increasingly fierce, and finally, a sword aura struck one of its eyes. The Amethyst Illusion Octopus let out a painful roar, its body writhing violently.
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