As they advanced deeper into the palace, the air grew colder and a faint mist began to envelop them. Mowen Jie could barely make out a powerful and malevolent aura flickering in and out. Suddenly, a black shadow flashed by at great speed in front of them. Ding Qing Yao became vigilant, summoning her artifact. Mowen Jie also channeled his spiritual energy within his body, eyes locked on the direction where the black shadow disappeared.
Just as they were tensely awaiting the situation, the ground beneath their feet began to shake and a series of cracks began to spread outwards. Out of these cracks, many monstrous creatures similar in appearance to skeletons but emitting a faint glow emerged, snarling and charging towards them. Mowen Jie quickly formed hand seals and shot out several streaks of spiritual energy towards the monsters, sending a few of them flying. Ding Qing Yao swung her artifact, releasing a series of light circles that temporarily halted the monsters' advance.
However, the terrifying creatures seemed to be endless, like a tidal wave surging towards them one wave after another with no sign of stopping. Facing such an overwhelming number and ferocious enemies, even though they both possessed considerable strength, they began to feel strain over time.
At this moment, Mowen Jie suddenly noticed that there were strange and cryptic inscriptions carved on the wall beside him. These inscriptions emitted a faint glow, as if concealing something.
Mowen Jie's heart stirred. He remembered that there were ancient constraints inscriptions recorded in ancient books. Perhaps the inscriptions on the wall beside him were the key. Ignoring the danger, he approached the wall and carefully examined the inscriptions. Ding Qing Yao saw his action, though not quite understanding why, she still tried her best to resist the monsters while giving Mowen Jie time. After a moment's study, Mowen Jie found that it was indeed an ancient defense constraint inscription from ancient times. Following his memory of the method, he bit his finger and dripped blood onto the inscription. Instantly, the inscription radiated brilliantly, forming a transparent barrier that spread outward rapidly. The monstrous creatures surging forward were bounced back like hitting a copper wall, emitting cries of pain. As the power of these inscriptions continued to be released, the monsters gradually retreated into underground cracks.
Mowen Jie sighed with relief, and Ding Qing Yao sheathed her artifact. They exchanged a glance, each seeing a mixture of relief and gratitude in the other's eyes, a survival after the storm. They knew there were still many secrets in the palace waiting to be discovered, so they took a brief rest and continued deeper into the palace corridors, vigilant for the next unknown crisis.
Not long after, the two of them arrived at a large stone door. The door was tightly shut, and the patterns carved on it looked like they were telling an ancient legend. Mowen Jie reached out to touch the stone door, suddenly feeling a sharp pain. He quickly pulled his hand back, and blood from his fingertip oozed out. Ding Qing Yao was shocked, just about to check Mo Wen Jie's injury when the stone door slowly opened. Inside, golden light was shining, blinding them. After adjusting to the light, they saw a glowing pearl suspended in the center of the room. As they approached curiously, suddenly the space around them twisted, and multiple copies of themselves appeared, all with malicious intent towards them.
Mowen Jie and Ding Qing Yao stood back to back, defending themselves. They realized that these were illusion traps. Mowen Jie concentrated his mind and executed a unique martial art that could discern truth from falsehood. He found the real self's location and pulled Ding Qing Yao through the phantom encirclement, rushing towards the mysterious pearl. As soon as they touched the pearl, everything around them returned to normal, while the pearl turned into a beam of light penetrating Mowen Jie's body. He felt his cultivation base suddenly surge up significantly, and they exchanged a smile before preparing to explore the remaining parts of the palace.
They continued forward and found a stone dais ahead. A simple but ancient box was placed on it. Just as Mowen Jie was about to approach to examine it, he suddenly heard a melodious flute playing. Accompanied by the flute's music, the surrounding area appeared filled with beautiful women dancing gracefully.
Ding Qing Yao was captivated by the scene, her eyes became lifeless. Mowen Jie knew something was wrong and quickly used his spiritual energy to protect his mind. He then slapped Ding Qing Yao to snap her out of it. The women transformed into ghostly beings and charged towards them. Mowen Jie rapidly formed hand seals and recited incantations, releasing a stream of fire from his palms. The fire dispersed the ghosts, but as he just finished dealing with this group, the ground shook again, and a massive three-headed turtle emerged from the ground. It opened its three mouths and attacked simultaneously with its three heads. Mowen Jie and Ding Qing Yao worked together, with Ding Qing Yao using her artifact to restrain two of the heads, while Mowen Jie used his most powerful spell to hit the third head. The turtle let out a painful roar in anger.
At that moment, Mowen Jie vanished from the scene in a flash, like a bolt of lightning soaring into the air. He extended his arms and clenched them tightly together as if channeling all his power into this single strike. With a roar of fury, he struck the massive turtle's body with such ferocity that it seemed to have immense strength and force.
With a resounding "thud," as if the earth itself were splitting open, the ferocious three-headed turtle, unable to withstand such a powerful blow, crashed to the ground. It landed heavily, sending up a cloud of dust. And in that moment of impact, the turtle's body suddenly transformed into a dense black smoke, which rapidly dispersed into thin air, leaving no trace behind.
Witnessing this, everyone let out a long breath, but they did not let their guard down. In fact, the fierce battle just concluded had made them realize that the path ahead might be filled with even more unknown dangers and obstacles.
At this moment, Mowen Jie, Ding Qing Yao, Huang Ling'er, Jiang Yu Rou, Xiao Ya Wen, Ding Yan, Tuoba Ying Ying, Qin Xia Die, Cao Chun Ling, Jin Cao Jue Zi and the spirit fox with a lively look gathered their gazes together. They could see determination and courage in their eyes despite a trace of tension. After nodding slightly to each other in acknowledgement, they took light yet careful steps as they slowly advanced deeper into the palace.
Throughout this journey, everyone's hearts were hanging by a thread. Their steps were exceedingly careful, as if they feared waking a sleeping demon. With every step, a faint sound echoed beneath their feet, making it particularly clear in the silent palace. Along with their heartbeat, their vigilance grew increasingly intense.
Because no one could guess what hideous challenge awaited them in the endless darkness ahead. Perhaps ferocious beasts, perhaps cunning traps, or perhaps enigmatic magical restrictions... but whatever it was, they had prepared themselves for any challenge that lay ahead.
As they walked, a brilliant light curtain appeared ahead. Mowen Jie and the others cautiously approached, but before they could investigate, they were sucked into the light curtain. Inside was an extraordinary space, with various glowing crystals floating in the sky. Suddenly, the crystals flashed and projected beams of light that connected into a net around them. Mowen Jie roared and unleashed a powerful burst of spiritual energy to disperse the light net. However, puppets rose from the ground holding weapons and charging at them next. The group used their ultimate techniques to counter, creating a dazzling display of light and shadow.
In the midst of the battle, Mowen Jie noticed that the puppets had energy sources at their joints, which could be shattered to render them immobile. He shared this discovery with everyone, and they began to focus their attacks on the joints of the puppets. Soon, the puppets fell one by one. As the space shook, a magnificent building appeared in the distance, its main gate opening slowly, emitting a sense of sanctity. The group exchanged a glance and decided to enter.
Just as they stepped into the magnificent and ancient door, a low, somewhat melancholic voice suddenly echoed, "You have finally arrived..." This voice seemed to have traveled through a long tunnel of time, carrying with it the accumulated wisdom of the ages and a mysterious aura, resonating in everyone's ears.
Mowen Jie and his companions couldn't help but exchange glances, their faces revealing a mix of astonishment and confusion. They nervously surveyed their surroundings, trying to locate the source of the voice, but before them stood only the tightly closed door and the dark, dim passageway beyond.
An indescribable atmosphere enveloped them instantly, and each person inwardly pondered what kind of heritage they were about to face. Just how many unknown secrets did this so-called "last heritage" hold? How would it alter their paths in life? In this realm of the unknown, everything was full of changes and challenges.
At this very moment, Mowen Jie, Ding Qing Yao, Huang Ling'er, Jiang Yu Rou, Xiao Ya Wen, Ding Yan, Tuoba Ying Ying, Qin Xia Die, Cao Chun Ling, Jin Cao Jue Zi and the lively and cunning spirit fox all felt as if they had a live rabbit in their hearts. They were filled with nervousness and apprehension.
They took heavy steps, one after another, towards the front. Each step seemed to require every bit of their strength, as they had no idea what lay ahead. The truth hidden behind the mysterious veil was like a giant puzzle, drawing them closer but also instilling a sense of fear within them.
Mowen Jie's hands were tightly clenched into fists, and due to the excessive force, his knuckles were faintly white. Even the palm of his hand started to sweat with tension, and the sweat dripped down his fingers, falling onto the ground drop by drop. At this moment, his forehead was already drenched with fine beads of sweat, as if he had just undergone an intense workout.
Ding Qing Yao's lips were clenched so tightly that the normally rosy color was lost. Her beautiful big eyes showed a trace of undeniable tension, and her gaze would occasionally sweep around, as if on alert for any potential danger.
Huang Ling'er was in no better condition. Her chest was heaving violently as she took deep breaths of air, trying to calm the heart that was racing like a wild horse. But no matter how hard she tried, the sound of her heartbeat continued to resound like drumbeats in her ears.
Similarly, everyone else looked just as uneasy and frightened. Some had weak legs and walked unsteadily, while others had their hands tremble uncontrollably, almost dropping their weapons. Meanwhile, some had pale faces like tissue paper and sweat drops on their forehead from nervousness.
But even though they were filled with endless fear and anxiety, they didn't stop their steps. Instead, they took firm strides, one after another, towards the front.
For deep in their hearts, Mowen Jie and his companions shared a common belief—they must uncover the truth hidden behind the mysterious veil! No matter how perilous the path ahead or the countless unknown dangers they might encounter, they would not back down.
