Mo Wenjie charged forward first to the puppet, muttering under his breath, printing out spells, charging toward the puppet guards in front of him. But these puppet guards were very tough, ordinary spells could not hurt them a bit. On the side of Jiang Yu Rong, a brilliant idea struck her mind. She took out a spell paper and stuck it on the puppet guard, instantly slowing down the movements of the puppet guard. "Attack its joints quickly!" Jiang Yu Rong shouted loudly. Hearing this, everyone adjusted their tactics and concentrated firepower attacking the joint parts of the puppet guards. While Cao Chunling used ice element magic to freeze some of the puppet guards, creating more attack opportunities for them. With time passing by, each of the puppet guards was defeated one by one. When everyone thought that the crisis was over, the last remaining puppet suddenly mutated and its body size increased several times while its strength became more terrifying. Mo Wenjie took a deep breath and poured all his spiritual power into Xuan Yuan Sword. The sword's glow was greatly enhanced as he flew up and slashed at the core part of the mutated puppet guard with one stroke. Accompanied by a burst of bright light flashing out, finally completely collapsed after he had fallen to his knees, everyone exhaled deeply and continued to explore deeper inwardly.
Tuoba Yingying patted her chest, truly a narrow escape. It seems that these puppets from the four heavens are much more formidable than those from the three heavens. We really need to spend some time and effort to deal with them, or else we might suffer a loss!
Xiao Yawen nodded and said, "What Yingying said is true. The puppets in the four heavens are indeed much more formidable than those in the three heavens. If we encounter such opportunities here, our strength should improve quickly. By that time, we will not be afraid of these puppets. Look at these puppets. We can even cope with them together. If our strength improves further, I think each of us may be able to handle things alone, and we won't be afraid of these puppets!"
After walking a while longer, they discovered a palace emitting an unusual light ahead. The palace gates were tightly closed, and there were faint waves of restrictions around it.
Mo Wenjie approached and examined it carefully, saying, "This restriction is very peculiar, as if it requires a specific spiritual energy fluctuation to open." The group gathered to discuss strategies. Jiang Yu Rong tried various talismans to break it, but none had any effect.
At this time, Cao Chunling suddenly remembered some energy crystal nuclei that she collected during her previous battle against the puppet guards. Perhaps the energy contained in these crystals could be used as a key. She took out the crystal nuclei and placed them in a specific order in the recessed areas around the restriction. To her surprise, the restriction slowly opened a crack, wide enough for one person to pass through.
Mo Wenjie carefully slipped in sideways, making sure there was no danger before inviting others in. The interior of the palace was filled with various magical artifacts and jade boxes, looking like the treasure left behind by a revered master. The group was excited beyond belief and were about to select suitable treasures for themselves when a powerful aura emanated from deep within the palace.
A mysterious voice echoed, "If you want to take my treasures, you first have to pass this test." The group immediately became alert, gripping their weapons and preparing for battle.
A massive figure slowly emerged, revealing a three-headed giant snake. It hissed, its eyes filled with malevolence. Mo Wenjie shouted, "Everyone be careful! This snake seems to be tough to handle." With that said, he charged forward with his Xuan Yuan Sword once again. Jiang Yu Rong quickly placed protective talismans around them to prevent the giant snake from attacking unexpectedly. Cao Chunling formed hand seals and summoned ice darts to shoot at the giant snake. However, the giant snake's tough skin was not easily pierced by these attacks; they only slightly slowed its movements.
Tuoba Yingying seized the moment, flew up into the air, and sprinkled a cloud of phosphorus dust. The dust ignited upon contact with the air, creating flames that surged towards the giant snake. One of the snake's heads spat out venom, which extinguished the flames. Xiao Yawen furrowed his brow, drew the soft whip from his waist, and wrapped it around the middle head of the snake with a forceful pull to try to knock it over. The giant snake in pain lunged with its other two heads towards Xiao Yawen.
Just as the situation was dire, Mo Wenjie focused all of his spiritual power into the tip of his sword and thrust it into the seventh inch of the middle head of the giant snake. The giant snake struggled a few times before collapsing to the ground. The mysterious voice once again spoke, "Very good, you have earned the right to obtain these treasures." After that, the aura disappeared without a trace, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly began selecting their treasures.
Huang Ling'er saw a treasure sword. She ran over to pick it up and examined it closely. The Cheng Ying Sword was a refined and graceful sword, so named because when it was forged, "the dragon's division and the swan's shadow," the name came from this. It was later collected by Kong Zhou, a famous sword collector of the Warring States period in China. One dawn in the outskirts of Wei state, amidst a grove of pine trees, as day and night merged at one moment, a pair of hands slowly raised. Within their grasp was a sword hilt with no visible length of blade attached to it. However, on the north-facing wall, there was an intermittent shadow of a sword flickering; this shadow existed for only an instant before vanishing as daylight arrived. It remained hidden until dusk when twilight began to darken the sky; at the very moment day and night exchanged dominance, that transient sword shadow appeared once more.
The raised hands traced an elegant arc, aiming towards a tall and majestic cypress tree. There was a soft "click" sound from the ear, and the tree shook slightly but remained unchanged. However, not long after, the lush cypress canopy swayed gently under the passage of a mild south wind, revealing the round rings of its age. This indicated that time had passed. As twilight deepened, the long sword reverted to invisibility, and the ancient dusk closed silently without a sound. This sword with no physical presence yet shadows as if hovering was known as the Cheng Ying Sword. Historical records left behind by Kong Zhou documented his dance with this sword.
Mo Wenjie looked at the Cheng Ying Sword in Huang Ling'er's hand. He nodded in satisfaction, "Good, very good. This is indeed a fine sword. It ranks tenth on the list of ancient named swords. Ling'er, this sword has another name as well, which is the Sword of Elegance. Therefore, I hope you will cherish this sword!"
Huang Ling'er happily held the Cheng Ying Sword, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at Mo Wenjie. At this moment, everyone had already selected their treasures. Just as they were preparing to leave the palace, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.
"What's going on? Are there still mechanisms?" Tuoba Yingying exclaimed in alarm.
Mo Wenjie's eyes narrowed, and he shouted loudly, "Everyone be careful! There may be a change in situation!"
A stone platform slowly rose in the center of the palace, and an ancient array diagram appeared on it. The array shone with a pale blue light and emitted a chill.
Jiang Yu Rong walked over to examine it. Her face turned pale: "This is a transportation array, but the destination is unknown. If triggered, we might be transported to dangerous places."
But before the group had a chance to discuss a plan of action, a sudden suction force emanated from the array, pulling them in involuntarily. After a whirlwind of dizziness, they found themselves in a misty valley. The valley was filled with a thick mist, permeated with an abundant amount of spiritual energy, but it also harbored unknown dangers.
Mo Wenjie stood firm, holding the Xuan Yuan Sword tightly: "Since we've arrived here, we might as well explore it. Perhaps there are even greater opportunities waiting for us." After hearing this, the others rallied their spirits and followed him into the deeper parts of the valley.
Jiang Yu Rong looked around, everyone must be careful, I feel that something is strange here, there must be danger in it, I hope we can safely get out of here, although we are not afraid of danger, we also need to minimize the risk!
Just as Mo Wenjie was about to speak, he suddenly heard a melodious flute sound. The sound seemed to have a spellbinding effect, causing people to gradually lose their sense of mind. Jiang Yu Rong quickly took out a heart-clearing talisman and distributed it among the group. As the others regained their senses, they followed the direction of the flute sound and saw a white-clad young man sitting on a large rock and playing the flute.
"Who are you? Why have you entered this place?" the young man asked after stopping his playing.
Mo Wenjie stepped forward to explain the reason. The young man smiled, "Ah, I see. This valley is called the Phantom Mist Valley. There are opportunities here, but also great dangers. There are many phantom beasts in that misty area, and it's hard to escape once one falls into a fantasy. However, I know of a safe path that leads to the spiritual spring in the valley. Drinking the spring water can greatly enhance one's power."
After much discussion, the group decided to follow the young man. Along the way, he showcased numerous remarkable skills, easily averting several attacks from the phantom beasts. Upon reaching the spiritual spring, everyone drank the water and felt their spiritual energy surging. Just as they were about to express their gratitude to the young man, he turned into a wisp of green smoke and vanished, leaving behind only one sentence: "I am the guardian of this place. Today's assistance was destined." Afterward, after finding some rare herbs in the valley, everyone successfully found an exit from the valley and left with their full bounty from this mysterious Phantom Mist Valley.
Mo Wenjie and Huang Ling'er and the others arrived in a safe area.
Ding Yan looked at Mo Wenjie and said: "We have faced so many risks and gained so many magical herbs, but we are not familiar with them at all. We don't know what they are used for, and as a alchemist, you should know the uses of these herbs. So, I think you should refine them into pills so that we can take them to enhance our strength. With this, we will be fearless in the Fourth Heaven, right?"
Mo Wenjie scratched his head and said, "These magical herbs are mostly rare, and their refining methods are complex. I will need some time to research." The others understood. In the following days, Mo Wenjie went into seclusion to study, flipping through countless ancient texts. Finally, his eyes lit up as he found the right formula for the pills.
Mo Wenjie summoned the group and set up the furnace outside the cave. He carefully added the magical herbs, controlling the temperature of the fire. For a moment, flames shot up into the sky, and the fragrance of the herbs filled the air. However, just as the pills were about to be formed, the sky suddenly darkened with ominous clouds, and a lightning bolt struck directly at the furnace. Mo Wenjie was startled and panic-stricken, quickly casting a spell to protect the furnace.
It turned out that this was an accident caused by the Pill, and if they couldn't resist it, the Pill would be destroyed. The group worked together to set up a protective array, and Mo Wenjie struggled to keep the furnace stable. After an exciting struggle, the disaster dissipated, and transparent crystal pills began to take shape in the furnace.
The group cheered in joy and couldn't wait to take the pills. In an instant, a surge of spiritual power rushed through their bodies, greatly enhancing their strength. Mo Wenjie felt the change in his own power and confidently said, "Now that our strength has greatly increased, we are indeed unafraid to face challenges in the Fourth Heaven."
