Desert Palace, Mirror Trial
On the third day after leaving the Ze tribe, the sandstorm became even more intense.
Following the map provided by Yan and the markings left by Sha Sheng, Yun Zhiyu and his group trudged through the boundless sea of sand. The ashen area on his left arm was tightly bound with specially made bandages, but the bone-chilling emptiness still throbbed intermittently, reminding him of the urgency of time. The jade pendant in his arms was much quieter; the tiny vortex of ice and fire swirled steadily, continuously absorbing the remaining power of the Star Tear. Though the soul fluctuations it emitted were weak, they possessed a robust resilience.
"Chief, we're at the main area of the 'Quicksand River' ahead. According to the map, the ruins of Quicksand City are somewhere beneath the riverbed." A soldier in charge of scouting pointed to the huge band of quicksand ahead, which seemed to be boiling and constantly churning, swallowing up light, his voice solemn.
The quicksand river before them was countless times more magnificent and dangerous than the tributaries they had encountered before. As far as the eye could see, the yellow sand surged like a liquid river, forming countless huge whirlpools. The powerful suction even slightly distorted space itself. Occasionally, an unfortunate sand beast would be swept in, disappearing without a trace before it could even let out a scream.
"Chief Yan said that the entrance to Flowing Sand City is hidden in a relatively stable 'sand eye' under the riverbed. It needs to be located precisely, otherwise..." Yun Feng didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the consequences.
Yun Zhiyu closed his eyes and tried to probe the Flowing Sand River with his divine sense. However, the chaotic magnetic field and violent energy turbulence instantly tore his divine sense to shreds, and the backlash caused a sharp pain between his brows.
Just then, the jade pendant in his arms suddenly emitted a clear, guiding wave from the icy sword intent, pointing to a seemingly normal area in the Flowing Sand River.
It's the young master! Yun Zhixue's soul fragments have an instinctive connection to the Star Spirit Clan ruins!
"Follow me!" Yun Zhiyu said without hesitation, following the faint sensation, he urged the sand lizards to cautiously advance in that direction. When they were still a hundred feet from the edge of the Flowing Sand River, he suddenly raised his hand to signal the group to stop.
The seemingly calm sand ahead suddenly collapsed, revealing a deep, downward-facing cave entrance, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. The sand around the entrance flowed like a living thing, yet strangely maintained the shape of the opening. An ancient, desolate wind, carrying a faint scent of starlight, blew out from within the cave.
"This is it! Stay alert and enter one by one!" Yun Zhiyu leaped off the sand lizard first and stepped into the cave entrance without hesitation. Yun Feng followed closely behind, and the other warriors filed in.
The passage was initially extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. After walking several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious area.
Once their eyes adjusted to the dim light, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.
This is not the dilapidated city buried under yellow sand as one might imagine, but a vast and magnificent palace built within a natural underground cavern. The dome hangs high, inlaid with countless crystals, long since faded but still discernible in their outlines, allowing one to imagine the dazzling starlight of its past. Huge stone pillars support the cave ceiling, their surfaces carved with intricate celestial orbits and murals of strange, never-before-seen creatures. The air is thick with the scent of dust and the passage of time, yet strangely, there is no feeling of stuffiness; instead, a faint energy flows through it.
This is one of the trial halls left behind by the Protoss.
“According to the ancient records of the Ze tribe, the Star Key ‘Enlightenment’ is enshrined in the ‘Star Gazing Platform’ at the deepest part of the hall,” Yun Zhiyu said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping warily around him. The hall was empty and silent, but an invisible pressure enveloped everyone’s hearts.
They cautiously advanced along the wide central passageway. On both sides of the passageway stood stone statues clad in star-patterned armor and wielding various strange weapons, silently watching the intruders like loyal guards.
Just as they were about to pass through the passageway and reach the entrance to the inner sanctum—
Buzz!
A deep, resounding boom echoed throughout the hall! The dozens of stone statues lining the passageway suddenly emitted a cold blue light from their empty eye sockets! Then, the dust on their bodies fell in a flurry, their joints creaked, and they seemed to come alive!
The stone statues initially moved somewhat stiffly, but quickly became fluid. With heavy steps and wielding stone weapons, they launched an attack on Yun Zhiyu and the others like a tidal wave!
"Form ranks! Engage the enemy!" Yunfeng shouted, and the warriors immediately tightened their formation, unleashed their demonic power, drew their weapons, and engaged the stone statue guards in battle.
The clang of metal clashing was incessant. These stone statues possessed immense defensive power and extremely high defense; ordinary attacks could only leave shallow white marks on them. What was more troublesome was that they seemed to feel no pain, were tireless, and attacked with mechanical precision and persistence.
A warrior's sword struck the stone statue's arm, sending sparks flying, but he failed to sever it. Instead, he was shaken by the heavy hammer swung by the statue's other arm, causing his blood to churn.
"Attack their joints and eyes!" Yun Zhiyu observed for a moment and immediately found the key. He swiftly pointed his ice crystal longsword in his right hand, and a condensed stream of cold air accurately struck the knee joint of a stone statue.
"Crack!" The rock covering the statue's knees shattered instantly, and its movement abruptly stopped.
Seeing this, the other soldiers followed suit, focusing their attacks on the statue's joints and glowing eyes. The effect was remarkable, and they gradually regained their footing.
However, these stone statues seemed endless, surging in from all directions. In the midst of the fierce battle, Yun Zhiyu suddenly noticed that on the outer edge of the battle circle, several stone statues were not participating in the attack, but instead had their hands forming some kind of strange mudra in front of their chests. The blue light in their eye sockets rippled like water, sweeping over Yun Zhiyu and his warriors who were fighting.
A bad feeling welled up in Yun Zhiyu's heart.
Sure enough, the next moment, another unexpected change occurred!
The stone statues that had previously maintained a fixed attack pattern suddenly became several times more agile! Even more chillingly, the moves they unleashed began to mimic the combat techniques of Yun Zhiyu and the warriors!
The fist shadow thrown by one of the stone statues actually carried the icy demonic power of the Snow Owl Clan! The dodging technique of the other stone statue was exactly the same as that of a warrior known for his agility!
They are learning! They are copying their opponents' abilities!
The pressure suddenly increased dramatically! The enemy easily imitated and even cracked the combat methods that the soldiers were familiar with, and they were immediately plunged into a fierce battle, with casualties beginning to appear!
"It's the 'Mirror Guardians'!" Yun Zhiyu was horrified, recalling the few words High Priest Xi had once spoken. These guardians could reflect and replicate the power and skills of intruders; the stronger the opponent, the more terrifying their imitations would be!
A stone statue, clearly replicating the essence of Yun Zhiyu's ice-style swordsmanship, wielded a giant ice crystal sword and slashed fiercely at him with unparalleled sword intent! This sword strike, in terms of speed, power, and the sword intent it contained, was seven or eight parts similar to the moves Yun Zhiyu had used before!
Yun Zhiyu parried with his sword, and the two swords clashed, unleashing a piercing roar! He was already injured and unable to exert any force in his left arm. Now, facing this sword that "copied" part of his power, he was so shocked that his blood and qi surged, and he retreated repeatedly, his right arm feeling sore and numb!
The mirror-image guard pressed its advantage, raising its ice crystal greatsword once more, its sword aura even more ferocious!
It seemed that Yun Zhiyu was about to be driven into a corner by her own "copy"—
The steadily rotating vortex of ice and fire within the jade pendant in his bosom suddenly stopped spinning, as if drawn by the extreme crisis from the outside world and the power of the same origin!
The next instant, a cold sword intent that was not Yun Zhiyu's demonic power but was more ancient and pure, mixed with a lively and leaping glassy fire, suddenly burst out from the jade pendant, like a flood breaking through a dam, and instantly rushed into Yun Zhiyu's limbs and bones!
At this moment, Yun Zhiyu's body seemed to no longer belong to him.
His gaze suddenly became incredibly sharp and aloof, like the ice and snow atop a mountain peak—that was Xie Yunzhi's gaze! He subtly adjusted the posture of his right hand holding the sword, and a profound and mysterious sword technique was naturally unleashed. The ice crystal longsword emitted a clear and melodious dragon's roar, and as the tip of the sword trembled, sparks of glass-like light flickered in the cold air!
It is no longer a simple ice-based sword technique, but an interweaving of ice and fire, a resonance of protection and agility!
"break."
A cold word, with a double echo (neither male nor female), spilled from Yun Zhiyu's throat.
The sword flashed, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, beautiful yet deadly.
The mirror-image guardian, which had copied his previous swordsmanship, froze abruptly, its massive ice crystal sword hovering in mid-air. Then, starting from the core of its copied sword technique, a spark of crystalline fire ignited, instantly spreading across its entire body, while its exterior was frozen by extreme cold!
"Crack... Bang!"
Like a piece of glass caught in a pincer attack, the Mirror Guardian shattered instantly into countless fragments of ice and sparks, vanishing completely!
This sudden, exquisite, and incomprehensible sword strike not only instantly killed the strongest Mirror Guardian, but the strange Daoist charm of ice and fire it contained also caused all the Mirror Guardian systems around it that were trying to imitate and learn to overload instantly!
The blue light in their eye sockets flickered wildly, their movements became chaotic, and the power they had imitated clashed and collapsed within their bodies. Many of the stone statues stood frozen in place, emitting blue smoke, and some even shattered on the spot!
The pressure has suddenly decreased!
Yun Zhiyu swayed, the external sense of control receding like a tide, replaced by a strong feeling of weakness that made him almost unable to stand. The ice and fire vortex within the jade pendant began to spin again, but its light was noticeably dimmer, and the soul fluctuations it emitted carried a deep weariness, as if the previous attack had exhausted all the power they had accumulated.
"Quick! Charge over there!" Yun Zhiyu shouted hoarsely, trying to muster his strength.
The surviving warriors seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, fought their way through the chaotic mirror-like defenses, and stormed into the entrance to the inner sanctum.
Looking back at the chaotic, blue-glowing passageway behind them, everyone felt a lingering fear.
Yun Zhiyu stroked the slightly warm jade pendant in his arms, feeling the two remnant souls that, though exhausted, were clearer than before and even carried a trace of "joy" after completing their cooperation. His heart was filled with shock and hope.
Young Master and Miss Mo... their consciousness is returning step by step in this way.
And at the observatory ahead, the star key "Qiming" seems to be in sight.
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