They continued on towards the unknown. As they walked, a misty forest suddenly appeared ahead. The forest exuded a chilling atmosphere, with tall and twisted trees that looked like gaping monsters. However, the group showed no fear. Leading the way, Mo Wenjie drew his treasure sword and stepped into it first. Soon after entering the forest, ominous howling sounds began to ring out around them, as if ghosts were wailing. Following that, some black shadows darted through the trees and occasionally launched surprise attacks. The group cast spells, beams of light shooting at the shadows only to realize they were low-level demons.
Although they were low-level spirits, their numbers were extremely numerous, and the crowd found it hard to break through at first. Just then, the team's array master Qin Xiaodie quickly sealed the incantations and laid out a defensive formation to temporarily block the attacks of the spirit beings. Tuo Baoying seized the moment, leaped into the air, and unleashed a powerful sword technique. A stream of sword energy surged towards the spirit group like a rainbow piercing through the sun, instantly clearing a path. Following this route, they rushed forward swiftly and finally escaped from the misty forest to find themselves in a new landscape. In the distance, an ancient city shone with strange brilliance, signaling that a new challenge was about to begin.
Mo Wenjie stood quietly there, gazing at the ancient and mysterious city before him. The walls of the city had been etched with deep and shallow lines by the passage of time, as if telling stories of the past and describing the changes over time. He furrowed his brow, lost in thought.
Should he let Huang Ling'er, Jiang Yurou, Xiao Yawen, Ding Yan, Tuo Baoying, Qin Xiaodie and Cao Chunling stay behind first? After all, the road ahead was full of unknown dangers and challenges. If they blindly took them along with them, it might put them in danger. However, if they were left behind, could their safety be guaranteed?
Mo Wenjie pondered silently over various potential scenarios and their corresponding strategies. He knew that this expedition held significant importance for everyone, but he also understood that protecting his companions' lives was the most crucial matter. After much thought, he finally made a decision—he would go ahead to explore the city first, to gather information about the situation inside before making further arrangements.
Mo Wenjie turned to the women and said, "I will go in first to investigate. You stay here and wait. If there are any abnormal movements, use Qin Xiaodie's array to protect yourselves. There should be no major danger." The women may have worried, but they also knew that this was currently the best solution.
Mo Wenjie slowly approached the ancient city, and as he reached the gate, an invisible force enveloped him. He felt a sudden dizziness, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself inside the city. The city seemed peaceful but carried an underlying sense of oppression. Mo Wenjie explored cautiously when he suddenly heard a melodious flute tune. Following the sound, he saw an old man sitting in the courtyard playing the flute.
The old man showed no surprise at his arrival, put down his flute, and slowly began to speak, "Young man, you have finally arrived. This city was left by an ancient cultivator, containing both opportunities and dangers." Mo Wenjie remained vigilant and asked, "Why are you here, elder?" The old man smiled but did not speak, waving his hand to conjure a map that appeared before him, marking the dangerous areas within the city and the locations of the treasures.
As Mo Wenjie was still speculating on the mysterious old man's intention, a terrifying scream echoed from outside the city. The sound was like the wailing of a night bird or the howling of a ghost, instantly breaking the silence of the night and directly hitting people's eardrums, leaving them with a feeling of chills.
Mo Wenjie's heart tightened as he heard the scream, as if an invisible hand had seized him tightly. His face turned ghostly white, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. At that moment, he no longer cared about the true intentions of the old man. The only thought that occupied his mind was to rush out to the city gates and find out what was happening!
Without hesitation, Mo Wenjie turned around and took off running towards the city gates with determined strides. His steps were swift as a whirlwind, kicking up a trail of dust. The people around were startled by his sudden action, but before they could react, Mo Wenjie's figure had vanished into the vast darkness of the night.
Mo Wenjie's heart was racing like wildfire, and he reached the city gates in a flash. However, an invisible force stopped him from leaving. In his desperation, he activated all his spiritual energy to break through forcefully.
As soon as he stepped out of the city, the scene outside was chaotic. Spirits gathered again, and many high-level ones appeared. The women were struggling to hold their ground, and Qin Xiaodie's array was on the verge of collapse.
Mo Wenjie roared and charges into the group of spirits. The light of his sword blade flared, and with each strike, several spirits disintegrated. He fought while moving closer to the women.
At this moment, the mysterious old man appeared on the city head, looking down and shaking his head gently. With a movement of his fingers, a beam of spiritual energy shot towards the group of spirits. In an instant, some of the spirits seemed to be frightened and stopped attacking.
Taking advantage of the situation, Mo Wenjie retreated to a safe area with the women. He looked up at the old man on the city wall and shouted, "Elder, what's going on?"
The old man spoke softly, "This is a test. The legacy of this city is not granted easily, and only those who have endured numerous hardships can receive it. If you choose to give up now, it is still in time."
Mo Wenjie tightly clenched his fist, the joints turning slightly white from the overuse of force. His gaze was as bright as a torch, unwaveringly declaring, "We will never give up! No matter what difficulties and setbacks we face, we will never abandon our pursuit!" His voice resounded like a bell, echoing through the air and touching people's hearts.
The women standing beside him nodded heavily after hearing his words, expressing agreement and support. The determination shone on their beautiful faces, as if they were already prepared to face all the hardships and dangers.
At that moment, the mysterious old man who had been silently observing them smiled faintly. There seemed to be a deep meaning in his smile, but at the same time, it was perplexing!
Although Mo Wenjie was filled with doubts, he knew that the situation required immediate attention. The old man slowly descended from the city wall and landed before the group. "In that case, let's follow me," the old man said, leading them into the depths of the city.
They reached a secluded chamber where a large stone platform stood in the center. Upon the platform lay an ancient scroll glowing faintly and a brilliant jade essence. The old man pointed at them and said, "This ancient scroll contains superior martial arts, and the jade essence can aid practitioners in breaking through bottlenecks. Both require trials to be earned."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, numerous phantoms surged out from all around, all of them fallen cultivators who had perished here in the past. They attacked the group, and Mo Wenjie and the others had to struggle to defend themselves. Mo Wenjie fought with fierce swordsmanship, and the women also displayed their unique abilities. After a fierce battle, the group gradually discerned the patterns of the phantoms' attacks and began to counterattack.
Spotting an opportunity, Mo Wenjie charged towards the stone platform, but a barrier emerged. The old man said, "Only those who are truly united can break through this obstacle." Hearing this, the group gathered together and linked hands, injecting their combined spiritual energy. The barrier finally crumbled, and Mo Wenjie picked up the ancient scroll while Huang Ling'er took the jade essence.
The old man with white hair and a scholarly demeanor smiled benevolently and slightly nodded, indicating approval. With his gesture, an astonishing sight unfolded before their eyes—his physical form began to gradually become transparent and ethereal, as if he was about to merge seamlessly into the surrounding environment.
The old man spoke slowly, "Congratulations to all of you for successfully passing this trial. I hope you will cherish what you have obtained and use them wisely. Now, you may go to the mysterious cave beneath the ancient city to uncover its secrets!" With these words, the old man's figure had vanished completely, as if he had dispersed into a wisp of smoke, leaving not a trace behind.
At this moment, everyone in the crowd unconsciously turned their gaze towards Mo Wenjie, who stood in the center of the group. They were all curious about what thoughts he might be having at this moment, given his outstanding performance. As the center of attention, Mo Wenjie stood quietly in place, his deep eyes gazing intently at the direction from which the old man had vanished, lost in thought……
Mo Wenjie took a deep breath and broke the silence, saying, "This journey has been challenging, but we have gained opportunities. More precious than that is the trust and unity among us." The women nodded in agreement. Afterward, they set off towards the cave of the immortal.
As they approached the cave of the immortal, a chill wind gushed out from the cave mouth. Mo Wenjie stepped in first, and inside it was dark and deep, with only a few faint glimmers of light. Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a huge shadowy beast emerged. It exuded an evil aura, with its eyes bloodshot red.
Mo Wenjie shouted, "Be careful! Follow the previous coordination." The crowd quickly positioned themselves. Qin Xiaodie cast a spell to slow down the beast's movements, while Tuo Bai Yingying and Mo Wenjie focused on the main attack, with the others providing support.
In the fierce battle, Mo Wenjie discovered the beast's weakness was its top horn. With the help of the women, he jumped high in the air and delivered a full force blow to the horn. The beast collapsed with a thunderous roar and dissolved into streams of light.
The crowd cautiously continued along the winding channels of the cave, the ground beneath their feet becoming increasingly damp. A fresh and mysterious scent filled the air. Suddenly, a faint light appeared up ahead, prompting them to quicken their pace and explore further.
When they finally reached the light, the scene before them was breathtaking—a massive cave chamber emerged, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling, emitting a myriad of oddly luminous glow, like a dream-like beauty. In the center of the cave, there was a pool of clear spring water that glimmered faintly with spiritual essence.
Mo Wenjie gazed at the pool of spiritual spring water, his eyes revealing a trace of excitement. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying, "Hahaha, it seems like our adventure has been worth it! This is indeed an opportunity we don't want to miss." Upon hearing these words, the others also revealed happy expressions and quickly gathered around the pool.
Everyone looked somewhat eager and couldn't wait to absorb the spiritual power from the spring to enhance their skills. Thus, they each adjusted their posture, closed their eyes, activated their internal martial arts, and slowly extended their hands into the pool. In an instant, as if attracted by some force, the spiritual power within the spring flowed continuously through their arms into their bodies.
As time passed, a faint spiritual glow emanated from each person, and the surrounding air rippled slightly with the fluctuations of the spiritual energy. At this moment, the entire cave was filled with tranquility and harmony, only the steady and deep breathing of the group and the subtle sounds of the spring water flowing intertwined to compose a beautiful melody of cultivation.
In this way, the group immersed themselves in their cultivation, starting a new journey...
