As soon as Xuanmingzi finished speaking, Lin Yi's eyes sharpened like a drawn sword.
"The Forgotten City"!
The key to breaking through to mythical status!
He knew that facing potentially even more terrifying enemies in the future, improving his strength was the only way out.
Su Qing's situation is certainly thorny, but compared to the safety of the entire planet and the need to uncover the truth of the world, he must make a choice.
Lin Yi took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and his voice was resolute: "Get ready, we're setting off immediately, destination—the Forgotten City!"
He didn't mention Su Qing again, nor did he try to forcefully reconcile the team members' emotions.
He knew that some cracks would take time to heal, and more importantly, they would require going through new trials together.
Upon hearing this, the team members reacted in various ways.
The yearning for the "Forgotten City" and the desire for power temporarily overshadowed the internal conflicts.
But everyone knew in their hearts that Su Qing's identity was like a thorn that could not be removed, deeply embedded in the heart of the team.
The team finally set off.
However, the atmosphere on the way to the "Forgotten City" was terrifyingly oppressive.
Everyone fell silent; the laughter and chatter of the past had vanished, replaced by a suffocating oppression.
Beneath the calm surface, undercurrents surge and churn.
Lin Yi walked at the front, his back still upright, but he could clearly feel the invisible barrier and suspicion behind him.
This path of exploration into the unknown was shrouded in a heavy shadow from the very beginning.
The desolate ruins stretched endlessly, with strange energy fluctuations occasionally emanating from the broken walls.
A faint, nauseating smell of sulfur and decay filled the air.
Long Wu crossed his arms, deliberately keeping a distance of seven or eight meters from Su Qing. Several of his trusted team members followed suit, their gazes toward Su Qing filled with undisguised hostility and disdain.
It was as if Su Qing carried some kind of plague, and everyone avoided her like the plague.
"Hmph, some people are really a burden. I wonder what they're up to by sneaking into the team." A team member named Zhao San, with a pointed face and a monkey-like appearance, said sarcastically, his voice just loud enough for Su Qing to hear.
Su Qing's body trembled slightly. She bit her lower lip and silently followed at the back of the group with her head down. Her once clear eyes were now filled with disappointment and helplessness.
She wanted to explain, but didn't know where to begin; any explanation seemed pale and powerless in the face of preconceived prejudice.
Lin Yi frowned, his frustration growing wildly like weeds on the ruins.
He turned and gave Zhao San a cold glance, and Zhao San immediately shrank back, not daring to say another word.
But the distrust that permeated the group did not dissipate in the slightest.
"Everyone be on guard. The energy fluctuations here are abnormal; there may be extradimensional creatures lurking here," Lin Yi warned in a deep voice, trying to shift everyone's attention to vigilance.
Before the words were even finished, a sickening scraping sound suddenly came from the shadows of the ruins!
"Hiss—!"
Dozens of dark figures rushed out from all directions!
These creatures were distorted in form, covered in dark purple scales, dripping foul-smelling saliva from their mouths, and their sharp claws and teeth gleamed coldly in the dim light.
Each creature possessed the aura of a lord at its peak, with three elite individuals radiating the pressure of a quasi-king!
"It's a Shadow Lurker! Be careful of their shadow attacks!" Chu Yao's clear voice rang in Lin Yi's mind, and at the same time, a data stream entered Lin Yi's field of vision, marking the enemy's weaknesses.
"Form ranks! Defend!" Lin Yi roared, and the [Space-Time Barrier] instantly deployed, blocking the first wave of the most intense impact.
However, the cracks within the team were exposed as soon as the battle began.
Long Wu roared, his body flashing with golden light as his "True Dragon Bloodline" was activated. He transformed into a golden afterimage and charged into the enemy ranks, his attacks powerful and unparalleled.
However, his teammates were fighting their own battles, completely ignoring the direction Su Qing was in.
Su Qing conjured an ice spell in her hand, attempting to support the flank, but was roughly shoved by one of Long Wu's trusted members: "Don't get in the way! Who knows if you're helping those monsters!"
"I..." Su Qing's face turned pale. Her spell was interrupted, and she was almost scratched by the claws of a Shadow Lurker.
"Bang!" Lin Yi fired a [Spear of Time and Space] in time, accurately piercing the head of the lurker and pinning it to the broken wall.
"Focus on the battle! Stop fighting amongst yourselves!" Lin Yi roared, his voice filled with barely suppressed rage.
But on the battlefield, things can change in an instant.
Because Long Wu and others deliberately ostracized Su Qing, a significant gap appeared in the team's defensive formation.
The three-headed, near-king level Shadow Lurker seized the opportunity and launched a fierce attack!
"roar!"
Their target was none other than the isolated and helpless Su Qing!
"Watch out!" Lin Yi's heart tightened. He wanted to help, but he was held back by several other lord-level monsters.
Seeing this, Long Wu's eyes flashed with a hint of pleasure. Instead of helping, he deliberately led the enemy in front of him toward Su Qing, and sneered, "Let's see what kind of skills this 'mysterious man' really has!"
At this moment, Su Qing felt the chilling presence of death.
"boom--!"
At this critical moment, an unprecedented and immense power suddenly erupted within Lin Yi's body!
As if a sleeping dragon were awakening, the power of time and space surged wildly through his limbs and bones, and a profound understanding welled up in his mind.
"The power of spacetime... so this is how it can be used!"
Lin Yi's eyes suddenly lit up with a dazzling silver light. He abruptly raised his hand, his palm facing the three quasi-king-level infiltrators that were pouncing on Su Qing, as well as the dozens of lord-level monsters around him.
"The profound mystery of spacetime—the spacetime vortex!"
With a low shout, an invisible and terrifying force suddenly spread out from Lin Yi!
The space in front of him began to violently distort and collapse, forming a deep, bottomless silver vortex.
Within the vortex, the flow of time became chaotic, and the structure of space shattered!
"Hiss—Aww!"
Those arrogant Shadow Lurkers, whether they are Lords or Quasi-Kings, once they are caught at the edge of the vortex, their bodies are uncontrollably pulled in.
Their scales were torn apart piece by piece by the spatial fragments, and their life force vanished rapidly in the chaotic flow of time.
The piercing screams rose and fell, only to be swallowed up by the vortex in an instant and vanished without a trace.
In just a few breaths, the originally surging beast tide was completely wiped out!
On the battlefield, only Lin Yi stood proudly, the slowly dissipating silver vortex in front of him exuding a terrifying aura of destruction.
Everyone was stunned!
Long Wu's mouth dropped open, his smugness and mockery freezing on his face, replaced by disbelief and horror.
He prided himself on his strength, but in the face of Lin Yi's earth-shattering move, he felt as insignificant as an ant!
The other team members were even more astonished, their gazes towards Lin Yi filled with awe and fervor.
Is this the true power of the [Master of Time and Space]? In the blink of an eye, the world can be reversed!
Su Qing stared blankly at Lin Yi's retreating figure, a mix of relief at surviving the ordeal and inexplicable emotions welling up in her heart, her eyes slightly reddening.
Lin Yi slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling the lingering power within his body.
This move, "Space-Time Vortex," represents a deeper understanding and application of the power of space-time, far surpassing any of his previous skills in power.
He turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over Long Wu and the others: "Now, do we still need to discuss Su Qing's issue? If it weren't for internal discord within the team, why would we be in such a sorry state? Next time, if personal grudges affect the team again, don't blame me for being impolite!"
The cold words struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.
Long Wu's face turned pale and then red. He opened his mouth, but ultimately did not utter a word of rebuttal.
The strength Lin Yi had just displayed completely shocked him.
However, just when Lin Yi thought he could temporarily suppress the conflict, Long Wu suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Lin Yi, I admit you are very strong! But her origins are unknown, and she is always a hidden danger! I still insist that she must be expelled from the team! Otherwise, I, Long Wu, will withdraw!" He actually threatened to withdraw!
The atmosphere became tense again.
Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate and tensions were about to escalate, a phantom voice suddenly rang in everyone's minds—it was Xuan Mingzi!
"The 'Misty Swamp' ahead is the only way to the 'Forgotten City,' but the space there is extremely unstable, and the erosion from extradimensional energy is the most severe. You must pass through within three hours, otherwise the entrance will close completely, and you will be trapped in the distorted spatial turbulence forever! Remember, that place... is more than ten times more dangerous than what you just encountered!"
Xuanmingzi's voice carried an unprecedented solemnity.
Misty Swamp! Three hours! Ten times more dangerous!
Everyone's expression changed drastically, and they no longer cared about the internal disputes.
Lin Yi made a decisive decision: "Let's settle all grudges after we get through the Misty Swamp! Now, full speed ahead!"
The team set off again, but this time, everyone's hearts were in their throats.
Although Long Wu no longer openly provoked her, his gaze toward Su Qing remained icy.
Ahead, a thick, grayish-white fog churned, like the gaping maw of a giant beast ready to devour its prey, exuding an ominous aura.
They had just stepped onto the edge of the mist when the ground beneath their feet collapsed without warning!
"Ah!" Several exclamations rang out at the same time, and several team members instantly lost their balance and fell into the bottomless darkness!
A crisis suddenly struck!
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