Xuanfeng breathed a sigh of relief, a smile of satisfaction spreading across his face. However, before the group could even bask in the joy of successfully controlling the monster, the entire ruins suddenly began to shake violently. Debris began to fall from the ceiling of the passage, and cracks rapidly spread across the walls, emitting a chilling "crackling" sound.
"Oh no! It seems we've triggered some kind of mechanism or restriction on the ruins!" Xuanfeng's expression changed, and he shouted loudly.
The monster that had been under control let out a low roar, and its body began to swell, with a powerful force surging beneath its black scales.
"Why is this monster acting strangely again?" The female general gripped her halberd tightly, staring warily at the monster.
Lin Feng frowned and quickly analyzed, "While the rune breaking may have temporarily controlled it, it may have also triggered a backlash from an even stronger force within the ruins. Everyone be careful, this monster might become even stronger!"
Before the words were even finished, the monster suddenly stood up. Its body was a whole size larger than before, and its eyes burned with an even more intense ghostly fire. It swung its battle axe, this time with even more terrifying power, and a black axe beam swept towards the group.
Lin Feng hurriedly cast an Ice Spirit Shield, protecting everyone inside. The axe blade struck the shield, producing a deafening sound, and countless cracks instantly appeared on the shield's surface. Under everyone's tense gaze, the shield shattered with a "bang," and the powerful impact sent everyone staggering back several steps.
Feng Wu immediately summoned a five-colored phoenix, attempting to restrain the monster once more. The phoenix charged at the monster, its claws reaching for its arms. The monster, however, showed no fear, and swung its axe at the phoenix in return. The phoenix could not dodge in time, and was grazed by the axe blade, its feathers falling as it let out a mournful cry.
"No, this monster's strength has increased too much!" Feng Wu said through gritted teeth.
The Blood Shadow Sect woman moved swiftly, searching for an opening in the monster's attack. She seized a moment when the monster was attacking the phoenix and thrust her scimitar towards its waist. The monster sensed the attack and slightly shifted its body, avoiding a vital area, but the scimitar still left a wound, from which black blood flowed.
The monster roared angrily and turned to attack the Blood Shadow Sect woman. The battle axe crashed down like a small mountain. The Blood Shadow Sect woman used all her strength to dodge, but she was still hit by the axe's wind. Her body flew out like a kite with a broken string and crashed heavily into the wall.
"Senior Sister!" The woman in white was frantic with worry upon seeing this. She used her fastest movement technique to reach the Blood Shadow Sect woman's side and helped her up. At this moment, the Blood Shadow Sect woman had blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and her face was as pale as paper.
"Don't worry about me, watch out for the monster!" the Blood Shadow Sect woman said weakly.
Despite their fear, the soldiers of the Zhengyang Army held their ground. They fired wave after wave of arrows at the monster, but the arrows were like tickles to it, easily deflected by its hard scales.
Su Ran conjured countless ice spikes and shot them at the monster. The ice spikes rained down on the monster, but it only frowned slightly and continued to approach the group.
Lin Feng knew this couldn't go on, so he looked at Xuan Feng and asked, "Senior Xuan Feng, is there any way to control this monster again or to deactivate the restrictions it has triggered?"
As Xuanfeng dodged the falling rubble, he shook his head and said, "Deciphering the runes is the limit of what I can do. The restrictions in this ruin are too complex, and I have no clue about them in a short time."
Just when everyone was in dire straits, Lin Feng suddenly remembered the runes he had seen on the token and the murals. A thought struck him: perhaps there was some deeper connection between these runes that could help them resolve their current crisis.
Lin Feng quickly took out the token from his pocket, carefully examining the runes on it while recalling the arrangement of runes on the mural. In this critical moment, his mind raced, trying to find the key.
"Found it!" Lin Feng's eyes suddenly lit up. He noticed that the combination of the runes on the token and the mural seemed to form a new runic pattern. He guessed that this new runic pattern might be the key to closing the restriction or regaining control of the monster.
Without a second thought, Lin Feng immediately used his ice elemental power to draw the new rune pattern in the air, based on his deduction. The rune pattern shimmered with a faint blue light and gradually took shape.
As the rune patterns appeared, the monster's movements seemed to be restrained by some force, and its attack rhythm slowed down significantly. But the monster continued to struggle, trying to break free from this restraint.
"Everyone, let's help strengthen the runes!" Lin Feng shouted.
Everyone responded immediately, pouring their spiritual power into the rune patterns Lin Feng had drawn. Feng Wu manipulated the five-colored phoenix, infusing the runes with the power of fire; Xuan Feng cast wind magic, causing the air around the runes to circulate, enhancing their stability; Su Ran continuously gathered ice spirit power to reinforce the runes' structure; the woman in white and the woman from the Blood Shadow Sect also contributed their spiritual power; although the soldiers of the Zheng Yang Army had limited spiritual power, they moved in unison...
The collective spiritual energy flowed continuously into the rune pattern, causing its light to grow ever stronger, its power counteracting the monster's ferocious energy. The monster's struggles intensified, its roars echoing through the swaying passage, making everyone's eardrums ache.
Lin Feng gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, as he did his utmost to maintain the stability of the runes. "Everyone, hold on! We can't let the power of the runes weaken!" he shouted, his voice filled with an unwavering determination.
A five-colored phoenix circled and danced around the runes, its flames merging into them like flowing ribbons. With each infusion of fiery power, the runes' light flickered, as if infused with new vitality. Xuanfeng's hands moved rapidly, wind magic transforming into streams of azure energy that coiled around the runes, stabilizing their shape and preventing them from distorting due to the monster's resistance.
Su Ran stood a short distance away, her hands constantly forming hand seals. Countless tiny icicles condensed from the surrounding air, converging towards the runes. These icicles melted like snowflakes upon approaching the runes, replenishing them with icy spiritual power. The woman in white and the woman from the Blood Shadow Sect stood side by side, their spiritual power merging seamlessly, transforming into a soft light that flowed into the runes. Although the soldiers of the Zheng Yang Army possessed weak spiritual power, they shouted in unison, transferring their own power of conviction to the runes.
As the power of the runes increased, the black, ferocious aura emanating from the monster gradually weakened. Its movements became increasingly sluggish, and its eyes, which had been burning with ghostly flames, gradually dimmed. Just when everyone thought the crisis was about to pass, the monster suddenly let out a deafening roar. Its black scales instantly stood on end, and an even more powerful black energy erupted from its body, surging towards the rune pattern.
"Not good!" Lin Feng exclaimed inwardly. The intensity of this energy far exceeded everyone's expectations. The rune light flickered violently under the impact of the black energy, teetering on the verge of collapse.
"Hold on! Don't give up!" The female general brandished her halberd, loudly encouraging the soldiers. A resolute light rekindled in their eyes; disregarding their own safety, they continued to channel their spiritual energy into the runes.
Feng Wu bit her lip, a resolute glint in her eyes. She formed a hand seal, and the flames on the five-colored phoenix instantly surged several meters high before the phoenix plunged headfirst into the runes. As the phoenix merged with the runes, their light intensified, actually managing to withstand the black energy erupting from the monster.
"Feng Wu!" the woman in white exclaimed in surprise. She had not expected Feng Wu to make such a resolute move.
"We can't give up, this is our only chance!" Feng Wu's voice came from the rune light, though it was somewhat weak, it was still full of determination.
With Feng Wu's sacrifice, the power of the runes gradually gained the upper hand. The black energy was suppressed bit by bit, the monster's body began to tremble, and its resistance became increasingly futile. Finally, with a muffled roar, the black energy on the monster's body completely dissipated, and its massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The shaking in the passage gradually stopped, and the falling rubble also ceased. The group looked wearily at the fallen monster, their hearts filled with relief at having survived such a catastrophe.
"Feng Wu, how are you?" The woman in white rushed to the source of the rune's light and asked anxiously.
The rune light slowly dissipated, and Feng Wu appeared weakly before everyone. Her face was as pale as paper, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, but she still managed to force a smile: "I'm fine, I just need to rest for a bit."
Lin Feng stepped forward and looked at Feng Wu gratefully: "Thanks to you this time, otherwise we would all be in danger."
Feng Wu shook her head slightly: "Everyone contributed; we are a team."
Xuanfeng looked at the fallen monster and said thoughtfully, "The monster's sudden increase in strength and the changes in the ruins are probably related to the secrets hidden within these ruins. Perhaps we are getting closer and closer to the truth."
Following Xuanfeng's gaze, everyone discovered that new runes had appeared on the ground where the monster had fallen. These runes emitted a soft light and seemed to have some subtle connection with the runes on the walls previously.
Lin Feng crouched down and carefully examined the runes. He discovered that the runes formed a simple pattern, which seemed to depict an ancient ritual scene. In the center of the scene, there was a stone platform radiating a mysterious light, and on the platform was an object that shimmered with an odd light.
"Could something important be hidden down there?" the Blood Shadow Sect woman wondered.
"It's very possible. Let's clear this place out and see if we can find an entrance," Lin Feng said.
The group immediately sprang into action, clearing away the rubble and dust around the monster. After some effort, they indeed discovered a hidden door beneath the ground. The door was made of an unknown black stone, covered with various runes.
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