"Time is of the essence, efficiency is everything!" Lin Yi made a decision immediately. "Chu Yao, you go and cooperate with Aizen, fully support him in his work! Whitebeard, Ryugo, you two keep watch around and ensure their safety!"
Everyone immediately sprang into action, like a highly precise machine, with each person having their own task to complete.
Aizen started fiddling with those strange instruments, while Chu Yao provided technical assistance from the side. Various data streams were running on her virtual screen, creating a scene reminiscent of The Matrix, which was incredibly cool.
However, just when everyone was paying close attention, the surrounding space began to change again.
A chilling sensation, like a venomous snake, quietly spread through the air.
Whitebeard, being a very experienced man, immediately sensed that something was amiss.
He whirled around, his beard and hair standing on end, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Watch out! Something looks like something's happened!"
Unfortunately, his warning came a little too late.
Then we saw a blurry black shadow, like a ghost, appear in front of us in a flash. It was so fast that it was jaw-dropping.
"Hehehe... This teamwork is really heartwarming..."
The sound was eerie, as if it were coming from underground, giving people goosebumps.
Lin Yi narrowed his eyes, staring at the suddenly appearing dark figure, and cursed inwardly: Damn, where did this guy come from?
"Illusion?" Lin Yi asked tentatively, already about 70-80% certain in his mind.
The shadowy figure chuckled, its voice like two pieces of scrap metal rubbing together: "Oh, the master of time and space, you truly live up to your name, guessing who I am so quickly."
"Stop talking nonsense! Are you here to deliver your head to the enemy?" Long Wu had been holding back for a long time. He had awakened the true dragon bloodline and was looking for a place to vent his anger. Now that someone had jumped out, he could use him to practice.
"Feeding kills? Hahaha..." Phantom laughed even harder, his voice practically piercing eardrums. "Just the few of you? You think too highly of yourselves, don't you?"
Whitebeard's expression was solemn. He could sense that this phantom was no ordinary being; its chilling aura made him feel uneasy.
He whispered to Lin Yi, "Be careful, this guy's a bit weird."
Lin Yi nodded. Of course he knew this guy was no ordinary person. He was able to sneak here silently and evade Whitebeard's senses. He was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
"Aizen, be careful, this guy might be after you," Lin Yi warned.
Aizen adjusted his glasses, a glint of light flashing in the lenses. He smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
The phantom seemed quite interested in Aizen. He stared at Aizen and clicked his tongue in amazement: "The power of the Hogyoku is truly fascinating... However, in your hands, it's a complete waste!"
After saying that, the phantom moved, transforming into a wisp of black smoke, and pounced towards Aizen.
"Holy crap! They're serious!" Long Wu roared, about to rush forward to help.
"Don't move!" Lin Yi grabbed him. "Trust Aizen, he can handle it!"
Although Long Wu was anxious, he still obeyed Lin Yi's order, stood still, and kept a close eye on the battle.
Facing the oncoming black smoke, Aizen remained calm and slowly raised his hand, from which a blue light emanated.
"Binding Spell Number Ninety-Nine: The Five Dragons' Annihilation!"
As Aizen spoke, five giant dragons composed of blue light flew out of his hands, roaring as they charged toward the black smoke.
"roar--"
The dragon's roar was deafening, and the entire space seemed to tremble.
The black smoke was struck by the five light dragons, letting out a shrill scream, and was instantly torn into countless pieces.
"Wow! Aizen is awesome!" Ryuu Wu couldn't help but swear. This skill is just too cool!
Lin Yi nodded secretly. Aizen's strength was indeed unfathomable, and the power of the Hogyoku was indeed formidable.
However, the matter did not end there.
The torn black smoke did not disappear, but instead transformed into countless tiny black shadows that scattered and attacked the crowd.
"Watch out! These shadowy figures are poisonous!" the white-bearded man shouted a warning.
These shadowy figures are extremely fast and agile, making them very difficult to catch.
"Holy crap, this guy can create clones?" Long Wu swung his fists, constantly shattering the attacking shadows, but these shadows seemed endless, multiplying with each blow.
Seeing this, Lin Yi frowned. This couldn't go on; he had to find a way to deal with these shadowy figures.
"Chu Yao, analyze the weaknesses of these shadowy figures!" Lin Yi ordered.
"Analyzing... These shadowy figures are composed of a special kind of energy, which is extremely sensitive to light-attribute attacks!" Chu Yao quickly provided the analysis results.
"Light attribute attack? I've got it!" Lin Yi's eyes lit up; he had come up with a solution.
He took a deep breath, mobilized the power of spacetime within his body, and formed a hand seal.
"Space-Time Light Burst!"
A dazzling light burst forth from Lin Yi, instantly illuminating the entire space.
The dark shadows sizzled and began to melt away rapidly under the light.
"ah--"
The phantom let out a scream, and all the shadows gathered together, reforming into his figure.
At this moment, the phantom was weak and its body was swaying precariously, clearly having suffered a severe injury.
"Damn it...you...you actually..." Phantom glared fiercely at Lin Yi,
"Don't glare at me, or I'll gouge your eyes out!" Long Wu retorted without any politeness.
Knowing he was no match for Phantom, he snorted coldly and transformed into a wisp of black smoke once more, attempting to escape.
"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Lin Yi sneered. He had long expected Phantom to escape.
"Time and space imprisonment!"
Lin Yi activated his spacetime power, imprisoning the surrounding space. The phantom's black smoke crashed into the invisible barrier, unable to escape.
"You...you actually have spatial abilities!" Phantom exclaimed in horror.
"Surprised? Unexpected?" Lin Yi's lips curled into a devilish smile. "Now, it's time to settle the score!"
Lin Yi walked step by step toward the phantom, each step feeling like stepping on the phantom's heart, filling him with despair.
"What...what do you want to do? I'm warning you, I am..." Phantom said, his voice trembling with fear.
"I have no interest in knowing who you are," Lin Yi interrupted him. "All I know is that you've crossed me, and there's only one consequence for crossing me!"
Lin Yi raised his hand, and a force of spacetime condensed in his palm, radiating a destructive aura.
"No...don't..." the phantom cried out in terror.
However, Lin Yi didn't give him any chance and slapped him with his palm.
"Bang--"
The phantom's body instantly exploded, turning into countless fragments and disappearing completely from this world.
"Done!" Long Wu excitedly pumped his fist. "Brother Yi is awesome!"
Lin Yi ignored Long Wu's flattery and walked to the place where the phantom disappeared, searching carefully.
"What is he looking for?" Whitebeard asked, puzzled.
“A clue,” Aizen said calmly. “The appearance of the phantom is definitely not accidental; there must be a larger conspiracy behind it.”
Lin Yi found some strange symbols on the ground. These symbols were very well hidden and would be difficult to find without careful searching.
"What is this?" Lin Yi picked up a fragment engraved with symbols and handed it to Chu Yao.
"Analyzing... These symbols are an ancient script, related to the secrets of the 'Forgotten City'," Chu Yao quickly provided the analysis results.
"The secret of the Forgotten City?" Lin Yi frowned, feeling that he was getting closer and closer to the truth.
“These symbols seem to point to a place…” Chu Yao continued, “Deep within the Forgotten City, there is a forgotten temple, where key clues to the conspiracy may be hidden.”
"The forgotten temple..." Lin Yi murmured to himself, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
“It seems we need to make a trip to that forgotten temple,” Lin Yi said.
Aizen adjusted his glasses and said, "I agree, but before that, we need to resolve a few minor issues."
"A minor problem?" Lin Yi asked, puzzled.
Aizen pointed at Su Qing and said, "The power within her seems to be becoming increasingly unstable."
Lin Yi then noticed that Su Qing's face was pale and her body was trembling slightly, clearly indicating that she was being suppressed by some kind of force.
"We must address the underlying issues within her body as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable," Lin Yi said.
However, just when everyone thought they had made some progress, Chu Yao suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, these symbols... something's wrong!" She frantically typed on the keyboard, trying to analyze more information, but her expression grew increasingly grim...
"Damn it, something's wrong with this thing!" Chu Yao slammed her hand on the table, and the symbols on the screen darted around like startled rabbits.
"This is not some ancient script at all, it's encrypted information! Someone is deliberately misleading us!" Lin Yi's heart tightened, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
He grabbed the shards, and they felt icy cold to the touch, as if he were holding a piece of ancient ice.
"A feint attack? A diversionary tactic? These bastards are really playing tricks!" Long Wu watched from the side, scratching his head, feeling like his brain couldn't keep up.
"Old Bai, how are you feeling?" He poked the white-bearded man next to him, trying to get some reliable information out of this old hand.
The white-bearded man stroked his beard, his face as grave as the bottom of a pot: "This feeling... is like falling into a spider web, the more you struggle, the deeper you sink..." He looked up at Lin Yi, his eyes filled with worry.
Su Qing was curled up on the ground, her face pale, her lips bloodless, and her body twitching slightly.
She whimpered helplessly like a wounded little animal, a sound that broke one's heart.
Seeing Su Qing's pained expression, Lin Yi clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, and an unnamed fire burned in his chest.
"Damn it! Who's behind this?!" He turned sharply to Aizen, his eyes sharp as knives. "Aizen, what's your opinion?" Aizen pushed up his glasses, a cold glint flashing in the lenses, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
"It seems... we've all been played..." he said slowly, his voice terrifyingly low. "The real conspiracy has only just begun..." He paused, his gaze falling on the fragment in Lin Yi's hand. "And it's probably far more complex than we imagined..." As soon as he finished speaking, the fragment in Lin Yi's hand suddenly emitted a dazzling light, followed by a violent tremor, and the entire space began to distort... "What's going on?!" Long Wu exclaimed, before he could react, he was sucked in by a powerful force...
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