Headmaster Xu took out a tattered map from his pocket, glancing at the compass from time to time and comparing it with the surrounding environment.
Qin Xiaolin: "Headmaster, I'm so sorry to have troubled you this time, all because of Xiaoxi."
"It's alright, Xiaoxi is also an acquaintance of mine." Headmaster Xu waved his hand, his gaze still focused on the map.
As the sun was about to set, they still hadn't found their way.
At this moment, Xu Shanzhang, who had been calm and composed all along, couldn't help but frown, and his originally peaceful face now showed a solemn expression.
His lips moved slightly as he muttered to himself, "How strange! This forest is truly bizarre, with such an ingenious illusion. If we can't break through it, we'll likely find it difficult to escape..."
Although he knew many spells, due to his lack of spiritual power, those seemingly profound spells were now nothing but illusions, mere shells of their true nature.
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaolin leaped to the top of a tree and looked out into the distance. He saw ancient trees towering in the sky, their branches and leaves lush and verdant.
As darkness fell, the three decided to spend the night in a nearby cave.
Inside the cave, the candlelight flickered, illuminating the three men's tired yet resolute faces. Qin Xiaolin took out some dry rations from his pack and shared them with the other two.
"Headmaster, who set up this illusion? Why is it so complicated?" Qin Xiaolin asked while eating, his mind full of questions.
Master Xu stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before saying, "Such methods are not something an ordinary person could do. Perhaps there really was a cultivator who set this up to protect something important. Or perhaps we accidentally triggered some mechanism and ended up here."
Li Xi sat silently to the side the whole time.
She lowered her head, her eyes fixed on the ground, as if she were thinking about something important.
The tranquility of the night enveloped the entire cave, with only the faint, even breathing sounds echoing gently in the air.
After a long day of running around and working hard, the three of them were exhausted, as if all their strength had been drained from their bodies.
Before long, their heavy eyelids could no longer hold them up, and they fell into a deep sleep one after another.
However, in the midst of this tranquility, a dark figure quietly left the cave.
After emerging from the cave, the dark figure did not pause at all, but instead sped straight ahead.
The moonlight, like water, fell upon him, illuminating his hurried figure as he walked away.
He came to the foot of a rock wall, rubbed it for a while, and then chuckled softly, as if he had found something.
"What, did you find something good?" Li Xi walked towards the dark figure.
The man was startled by her. "You... how did you get out here?"
"Red Flame, you're still dishonest even after you've become a human." She approached him step by step.
Chi Yan trembled slightly, but quickly calmed down, hid the things in his hands behind his back, and said in a forced composure, "I just came out to get some fresh air, and by the way... to see if there's anything we can use to prepare for our journey tomorrow."
"Breathing in? Getting ready?" Li Xi raised an eyebrow, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "In the middle of the night, your way of getting some fresh air is quite unique. Also, what are you hiding in your hand? Take it out."
Now we are at the mercy of others...
Chi Yan hesitated for a moment, then slowly extended his hand.
In the palm of my hand lay a stone that shimmered with a faint light. The stone's surface was engraved with intricate patterns, seemingly containing some kind of power.
“This is… a ‘spirit pattern stone’ that I found in a crevice in the rock wall. There must be a spiritual vein here!” he exclaimed excitedly.
No wonder they were so confused by their surroundings during the day that they couldn't find their way out.
Li Xi gazed at the spirit-patterned stone, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes before he regained his composure. "Once you help me complete my grand plan of transforming my core, I will certainly not treat you unfairly. At that time, the entire world will be ours!"
After saying that, her eyes revealed a confident and determined look.
If she successfully obtains that person's inner core and absorbs all that spiritual power into her body, she will be invincible.
Open the passage to the demon realm, lead the demon race back to the human world, and restore their former glory.
Chi Yan had no choice but to obey, and replied, "Then I will. Ling Xi, I knew you were always magnanimous."
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and the sun had not yet fully risen.
In a tranquil mountain forest, a thin layer of mist hangs in the air, enveloping the world like a veil.
The fog made the surrounding scenery appear hazy and mysterious, as if one were in a fairyland.
"Keep close, the terrain here is complicated and it's easy to get lost." As he spoke, Xu Shanzhang carefully navigated the winding path, his voice particularly clear in the quiet of the morning.
With the help of the spirit stone he found last night, he discovered a way out of the maze.
Soon, the three of them emerged from the maze and arrived at a wide valley.
This valley is very strange, surrounded by towering stone walls that reach into the clouds.
Ancient totems are carved on the stone wall, and the marks of time have made these totems appear mottled and profound.
Sunlight filtered through the thin mist, dappling the totems and adding to their mystique and solemnity.
"Look, that's..." Xu Shanzhang, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped and pointed to a strange scene not far away.
In the center of the valley, there was a crystal-clear lake. The water shimmered with a silvery light in the morning sun, like a bright pearl embedded in the earth.
Even more surprisingly, slight ripples appeared on the surface of the lake from time to time, as if something was gently moving underwater, yet its form could not be seen.
Qin Xiaolin: "Is this the place we're looking for?"
Master Xu nodded, his expression grave: "Indeed, ancient texts do record this, but there must be mechanisms guarding the spirit spring; we must proceed with caution. Looking at the ripples on the lake, perhaps it's a sign that some mechanism is being activated, or perhaps..."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the lake.
Legend has it that beneath the spring lies another world, a secret realm where the essence of the sun and moon, and the spirit of heaven and earth converge. It is said to hold unparalleled treasures left behind from ancient times.
“We need to find the mechanism to open the secret realm,” Headmaster Xu said in a deep voice. “An ancient book mentions a key clue—'The sun and moon shine together, and the totems are activated.' Perhaps the totems on these stone walls are closely related to the mechanism we are looking for.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaolin looked around and carefully examined the totems on the stone wall.
Each totem is exceptionally complex; some resemble dragons soaring through the clouds, others phoenixes dancing in the heavens, and still others are patterns interwoven with the sun, moon, and stars, all exuding an ancient and powerful sense of strength.
“Look at the layout of these totems,” Qin Xiaolin suddenly said, pointing to a corner of the stone wall, “they seem to be arranged according to a certain pattern. If we consider these totems as stars, then…”
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