Duan Litang tightly grasped the blood sword, and the sweat beads on his palms slowly slid down the hilt. The cold touch of the sword came from his fingertips, as if a trace of chill went straight into his heart. He raised his eyes and looked at the group of light elves who pulled the bowstrings. He saw the arrows with faint light, as if they would tear the stagnant air in the forest in the next second. Ye Li stood quietly behind him, swinging the long whip in her hand gently, rolling up wisps of misty mist. She approached Duan Litang and said in a low voice: "Litang, these elves' arrows are attached with powerful light elemental power. If we fight hard, I'm afraid we will suffer a great loss."

  Before he finished speaking, the crystal bow in the hands of the elf leader suddenly burst into a dazzling light, and three arrows were shot in a triangular shape, wrapped in a sharp wind, like a meteor. Duan Litang reacted very quickly, grabbing Ye Li's wrist fiercely, and with the help of the surging blood power in his body, he instantly rose from the ground. The three arrows whizzed past their boots and hit the ground heavily, exploding three charred pits with pungent green smoke. Ye Li seized the opportunity and swung out the long whip like a smart snake. The tip of the whip firmly wrapped around a giant tree emitting soft light. The two of them used the force and swung to the side of the tree canopy like flying swallows.

  "Human, leave here quickly!" The elves' crisp yet somewhat harsh shouts echoed in the dense forest. Duan Litang landed on a branch covered with a layer of fluorescent moss. The moss under his feet made a subtle "sizzling" sound, as if protesting discontent. He looked down and saw a dense group of elves below. The transparent wings behind them were shining with colorful rainbow light under the sunlight, but if you look closely, the light also reflected a cold murderous intent.

  Ye Li grabbed Duan Litang's sleeve and shouted hurriedly: "Be careful! It's a sonic attack!" Duan Litang looked up and saw dozens of elves opening their mouths at the same time. Invisible sound waves were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, rippling and spreading in all directions. Duan Litang quickly poured the power of the blood contract into the blood sword, and in an instant, a blood-colored barrier appeared on the sword. The moment the sound wave hit the barrier, a large area of ??dazzling sparks exploded like fireworks. However, this move also exposed their position, and more arrows poured down on them like a torrential rain.

  "If this continues, we'll all die here!" Duan Litang shouted anxiously. He looked around anxiously and suddenly saw a natural barrier made of glowing vines not far away. He suddenly had an idea and shouted to Ye Li, "Lead them there!" Ye Li understood and swung the long whip in his hand like lightning, accurately wrapping around the ankle of an approaching elf. With a strong pull, the elf staggered and fell to the ground. Seeing this, the angry elves' eyes suddenly turned red, and like a surging tide, they rushed towards the vine barrier relentlessly.

  When the first elf stepped into the range of the vines, the seemingly soft vines suddenly rose up, and the glowing tendrils instantly wrapped around her body like thick chains. Seeing this, the other elves realized that something was wrong and retreated in panic. Duan Litang and Ye Li took the opportunity to jump down from a high place, but as soon as they landed, they found that the vines were also hostile to them. Countless tendrils attacked them fiercely like snakes with bared fangs and claws.

  The long whip in Ye Li's hand flew up and down, like a black light curtain, cutting off the approaching vines one by one. Duan Litang wielded the blood sword, the blade flashing with cold light, splitting the tendrils wrapped around him one by one. During the fierce battle, Duan Litang keenly noticed that the attack rhythm of the vines seemed to have some subtle connection with the movements of the elves. "Ye Li, these vines are controlled by the elves!" He shouted at the top of his voice.

  At this moment, the elf leader reappeared. She was wearing a long tulle dress covered with tiny stardust. Every time she took a step, the stardust flickered, like a dream. The crystal bow in her hand was shining even brighter, stinging people's eyes. "Intruders, you have completely angered the forest spirit!" Her voice was crisp but with unquestionable majesty, resounding through the forest like a bell, "Hand over the things with the aura of darkness on you, and perhaps I can leave your bodies intact."

  Duan Litang suddenly realized that it was the black stone that he had accidentally found in Yongye Port. In this forest full of light power, it was as eye-catching as a torch in the dark night. He thought for a moment, slowly took out the stone, and said sincerely: "We really don't mean to offend, but this stone means a lot to us. We do come from a place shrouded in darkness, but we are here to find the stone of light and help a cursed beast relieve its pain."

  The elf leader's eyes moved slightly, and a hint of hesitation flashed across his face, but he quickly regained his indifferent look: "Everyone who breaks in here can make up a plausible excuse. However, if you can pass the test in the forest, I can consider trusting you."

  The trial site is located in a circular open space deep in the forest, surrounded by tall glowing giant trees. The crowns of these giant trees interweave at the top, forming a natural dome. The sun shines through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting tiny golden spots. The elf leader stepped forward and introduced solemnly: "The first trial is to avoid the 'cage of light.'" As soon as he finished speaking, golden runes suddenly lit up on the ground, shining brightly. Then, countless thick pillars of light broke out from the ground, instantly trapping Duan Litang and Ye Li in the center.

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  The light column continued to shrink, while releasing a blazing light that was almost scorching. Duan Litang felt his skin was burning, as if it was about to catch fire. He and Ye Li stood back to back, constantly changing positions, trying to avoid the light column that was getting closer and closer. The long whip in Ye Li's hand drew beautiful arcs in the air, trying to wrap around the light column to use the force to jump up, but every time the long whip touched the light column, it was instantly bounced back by the strong current, and the tip of the whip was slightly burned.

  "If this continues, we will be roasted into charcoal!" Ye Li shouted anxiously. Duan Litang stared at the approaching light column. Suddenly, his mind flashed with the profound understanding of the light element when fighting with the divine beast. He gritted his teeth and madly merged the power of the blood contract with the spiritual power in his body. In an instant, a blood-colored protective shield slowly formed on his body surface. When the light column touched the protective shield, a deafening roar broke out, and the blood-colored and golden lights intertwined, forming a gorgeous and thrilling scene.

  With this protective shield, they barely withstood the attack of the beam of light. However, before they could catch their breath, the second trial came like a surging tide - a desperate fight with the most powerful beast of light in the forest. A giant wolf with a dazzling light all over its body walked out of the woods slowly with steady and majestic steps. Its hair was like flowing golden sunlight, shining brightly, and its eyes were shining with wisdom, like bright stars in the night sky.

  The giant wolf let out a deep roar, as loud as a bell, and instantly turned into a dazzling arrow of light, rushing towards Duan Litang and Ye Li. Duan Litang quickly raised his blood sword to block, but the huge impact force was like a surging wave, pushing him back several steps, and his feet drew two deep grooves on the ground. Ye Li took the opportunity to swing out his long whip, and the tip of the whip wrapped around the giant wolf's hind legs like a spirit snake, trying to trip it up. But the giant wolf suddenly swung its body, and its strength was so great that it almost tore the long whip in Ye Li's hand apart.

  In the fierce battle, Duan Litang keenly discovered that every time the giant wolf launched an attack, there would be a subtle change in its eyes. He firmly grasped this flaw, and when the giant wolf launched another attack, he suddenly dodged to the side, and at the same time, the blood sword in his hand stabbed the giant wolf's flank like lightning. The giant wolf felt pain and let out a shrill whine, then turned into a ball of light and dissipated in the air.

  After two rounds of brutal trials, Duan Litang and Ye Li were already exhausted. Their clothes were torn and ripped, with wounds of varying depths all over their bodies, and blood stained their clothes red. But their eyes were still as firm as iron, revealing a determination not to give up. The elf leader slowly stepped forward, with a rare look of admiration in his eyes: "You have passed the trial, but the Stone of Light is a sacred object that we guard, and we cannot give it to you easily. However, if you can solve the mystery of the heart of the forest, you may be recognized by it."

  Under the guidance of the elves, they came to a lake deep in the forest. The lake was like a huge mirror, and the calm lake surface reflected the glowing trees and sky around it. In the center of the lake, an altar made of glowing crystals stood quietly. In the center of the altar, a beating ball of light was suspended, emitting a warm and mysterious light, as if telling an ancient story. This was the heart of the forest.

  The altar was surrounded by ancient and mysterious runes, which seemed to be traces left by the years, revealing a sense of vicissitudes. Ye Li squatted down and studied the arrangement of the runes with full concentration, her eyes revealing concentration and persistence. Duan Litang held the blood sword and looked around vigilantly to prevent any unexpected situation. As time passed, Ye Li's forehead was gradually covered with sweat. She sometimes frowned and fell into deep thought, and sometimes gestured on the ground with her fingers, trying to decipher the mystery of the runes.

  Suddenly, Ye Li's eyes lit up and she said excitedly: "Litang, these runes record the origin story of the forest. It is mentioned that only those with pure light in their hearts can awaken the heart of the forest." Duan Litang thought for a moment and said firmly: "Although we have experienced countless darkness along the way, our original intention has never changed. Perhaps this is the key to solving the mystery."

  The two calmed down, condensed their ardent desire for peace and pure goodwill into a powerful force, and slowly injected it into the altar. As they worked hard, the light of the heart of the forest became brighter and brighter, like a rising sun, and the runes around the altar began to flicker, as if responding to their power. Finally, a dazzling beam of light shot up into the sky, and the light was so bright that people couldn't open their eyes. After the light dissipated, a stone emitting a soft light quietly floated above the altar - it was the stone of light they had been looking for.

  However, just as they were full of joy and ready to take the Light Stone, a chilling wind whistled past, and the light in the heart of the forest instantly became dim. Thick black fog rushed in from all directions like a surging tide. A familiar and eerie voice sounded faintly in the thick black fog: "Do you think it's so easy to get the treasure?" The figure of the black-robed man slowly emerged. In his hand, he had a staff inlaid with black gems, and the staff was flashing with a strange light. "Let me give this Light Stone a 'new mission'!"

  Upon seeing this, Duan Litang and Ye Li tightened their weapons without hesitation, standing in front of the Stone of Light like a pair of loyal guards.