Carrying the magical artifact, the group carefully embarked on their journey home.
The return journey was still arduous; the harsh weather on the ice field seemed even more severe than on the way there, and every step was fraught with unknown dangers.
In a valley, they encountered a sudden ice storm.
The gale-force winds carried huge chunks of ice, which came crashing down like cannonballs.
Xu Ruyu hurriedly directed everyone to find shelter from the wind, while Feng Yichen used all his wind magic to try to withstand the impact of the ice storm, but the power of the storm was too great and the magic had little effect.
Su Yao tightly protected the box containing the divine artifact. In the chaos, she suddenly discovered a strange energy vortex at the center of the ice storm, which seemed to have some connection with the divine artifact.
Ignoring the danger, she shouted to Xu Ruyu and Feng Yichen, "This storm might be related to the divine artifact. I'll try to use magic to guide the power of the artifact and see if I can quell this storm!"
Although Xu Ruyu and Feng Yichen were worried about Su Yao's safety, they had no other choice but to do their best to protect her.
Su Yao closed her eyes, concentrated her mind, and slowly mobilized the power of the divine artifact.
As she moved, the artifact emitted a faint light, resonating with the energy vortex at the center of the ice storm.
The light grew brighter, the vortex's rotation slowed, and the power of the ice storm gradually diminished.
However, just as the storm was about to subside, a mysterious force suddenly surged out from the depths of the valley, attempting to interfere with the power of the artifact.
This power was strong and evil, and everyone instantly felt a chill rise from the bottom of their hearts.
Feng Yichen sensed the danger of this power. He drew his longsword, the blade glowing with a blue light, and rushed towards the source of the mysterious power.
Deep in the valley, he discovered a cave hidden beneath the ice, its interior glowing with an eerie red light.
Seeing this, Xu Ruyu also led his soldiers to follow.
Upon entering the cave, they discovered it was filled with strange ice pillars, covered in ancient runes, exuding an eerie atmosphere.
At the end of the cave, a huge ice coffin exudes a strong evil aura, which is the source of that mysterious power.
Su Yao arrived at this moment, and looking at the ice coffin, an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.
She carefully examined the runes on the ice coffin and found that they were similar to those on the artifact, but contained completely different powers.
Just as everyone was wondering, the ice coffin suddenly began to shake violently, and a dark shadow slowly rose from the coffin.
The shadowy figure coalesced into a human form, emanating a chilling aura and filled with boundless resentment in his eyes.
The shadowy figure spoke: "You foolish humans, how dare you trespass into my territory and attempt to take the divine artifact! Today, you will all die here!"
With that, he waved his hands, and countless ice spikes shot towards the crowd.
Feng Yichen and Xu Ruyu immediately used magic to defend themselves, while Su Yao once again mobilized the power of the divine artifact in an attempt to fight against the shadow.
During the fierce battle, Su Yao discovered that the power of the shadow was closely related to the environment of the ice field. As long as the power of the ice field was weakened, the shadow could be weakened as well.
She told Feng Yichen and Xu Ruyu about her discovery, and the three of them decided to join forces.
Feng Yichen used wind magic to disperse the cold air on the icy plain; Xu Ruyu wielded her longsword to sever the ice pillars connected to the power of the shadow; Su Yao then focused all her efforts on manipulating the divine artifact, drawing the power of the shadow into it.
After a fierce battle, the shadow's power was gradually weakened and eventually dissipated into the air.
The ice coffin slowly shattered, and the evil aura in the cave gradually disappeared.
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, and carrying the divine artifact, they continued their journey home.
After a long journey, they finally returned to the capital.
After learning about their experiences, Chen Xiao was deeply moved.
He summoned the wise men of the Night Dynasty to study together how to use the divine artifact, hoping that it could bring true blessings to the Night Dynasty.
Inside the palace of the capital city of Yechao, wise men sat in a circle, studying the divine artifact that emitted a faint light day and night.
During this time, various ancient books were consulted, and mysterious symbols and obscure records were deciphered one by one under the candlelight.
Although Xu Ruyu, Feng Yichen, and Su Yao had finished their journey, they remained by their side to assist them because of their concern for the divine artifact.
One day, an elderly sage discovered a crucial clue in an ancient parchment scroll—the use of the artifact required a specific celestial alignment as guidance, otherwise it would trigger an immeasurable disaster.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked up at the night sky, calculating the trajectories of the stars and predicting the right time.
Meanwhile, unsettling news came from the border of the Night Dynasty. A neighboring country, having heard that the Night Dynasty had found a divine artifact, was stirring with ambition, secretly gathering troops, intending to launch a surprise attack and seize the artifact while the Night Dynasty was busy with its research.
Upon learning this, Chen Xiao's expression turned solemn. On the one hand, he needed to ensure the smooth progress of the artifact research, and on the other hand, he needed to guard against foreign invasion. He quickly dispatched troops to strengthen border defenses and arranged for secret agents to closely monitor the movements of neighboring countries.
Xu Ruyu volunteered to lead a portion of elite troops to the border as a precaution.
He knew that this mission was arduous; he not only had to defend against foreign enemies, but also prevent the secret of the artifact from being revealed.
In the border camp, Xu Ruyu patrolled day and night, holding the line with the soldiers.
Feng Yichen and Su Yao stayed in the capital to assist the wise men in continuing their research on the artifact.
As the day of the celestial alignment drew closer, the research reached a stalemate. No matter how they tried, they could not pinpoint the key steps to activate the artifact.
The situation at the border is becoming increasingly tense, with provocations from neighboring countries escalating and small-scale clashes occurring frequently.
At this critical moment, Su Yao suddenly remembered a cryptic mural she had seen in the ruins, which seemed to depict the connection between stars and divine artifacts.
Using her memory, she re-reconstructed the outline of the mural on the palace wall. The wise men engaged in a heated discussion about the painting and finally found a way to decipher it.
Just as everyone was preparing to activate the artifact according to the established plan, Xu Ruyu sent an urgent military report from the front line: the neighboring country's army was pressing in, and a major battle was about to break out.
Chen Xiao urgently convened a meeting of the imperial court to discuss countermeasures.
The final decision was that Feng Yichen would lead a surprise force to flank the enemy and disrupt their formation, relieving pressure on Xu Ruyu's frontal defense; Su Yao would remain in the capital to ensure the artifact's successful activation, and once successful, use its power to turn the tide of battle.
After receiving the order, Feng Yichen led his elite troops out quietly under the cover of night.
He used wind magic to create chaos behind enemy lines. In an instant, the enemy camp was ablaze with flames and filled with shouts of battle.
Upon seeing this, Xu Ruyu immediately led his soldiers in a charge, engaging in fierce fighting with the enemy.
Inside the capital city, Su Yao and the wise men stood on the enormous altar, slowly activating the divine artifact according to the established procedures.
As the divine artifact shone brightly, the stars in the sky shone even more brilliantly, and a mysterious power surged between heaven and earth.
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