The dark barrier covering the valley was like an old curtain pierced by countless steel needles. The cracks were like a spider web spreading wildly, expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye, making an overwhelmed "crackling" sound, as if announcing its impending breakage. The woman in black robe had been hiding in the dark, watching all this closely. When she saw the cracks appear, a trace of panic flashed across her eyes. She suddenly pulled off her hood, revealing a bloodless, pale face. The inverted bat totem unique to the Dark Palace between her eyebrows was particularly hideous, as if telling her unknown past. ?
"You two mortals who don't know your own strength, do you really think you can easily shake the forbidden technique that the Dark Palace has spent countless efforts to create? It's just a foolish dream!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, and the sharp and piercing sound echoed in the valley, making people shudder. As soon as the voice fell, her fingertips seemed to be torn apart by an invisible force, and thick black blood oozed out. The blood twisted and swirled strangely in the air, gradually condensing into a blood-colored spell that exuded an evil aura. "Open your eyes and see for yourself what kind of destructive power this curse has!"?
As the spell was completely formed, the dark power in the originally oppressive barrier surged wildly like an enraged flood beast. In the blink of an eye, these darkness condensed into countless ferocious ghosts with bared fangs and claws. They roared and rushed towards Duan Litang and Ye Li. Duan Litang looked solemn, and quickly protected the Stone of Light tightly in front of his chest. The power of the blood contract in his body and the power of light of the Stone of Light instantly merged, forming a dazzling golden light shield around him, like the first ray of sunlight penetrating the clouds at dawn. ?
The first ghost that pounced on the light shield hit it hard, as if it hit an indestructible wall of iron and steel, and let out a shrill scream, then turned into wisps of black smoke and dissipated in the air. But this was just the beginning, more ghosts came like a surging tide, one after another. Under their continuous impact, the light shield began to show tiny dents, as if it would break at any time. ?
The long whip in Ye Li's hand had been broken after the previous battle, and the whip was full of holes and cracks, like an abandoned and shabby weapon. She bit her lower lip tightly, her white teeth almost embedded in her lips, and pulled off the collar of her clothes, and struggled to wrap around the broken part. At this moment, her eyes accidentally swept across the pile of white bones on the ground. Suddenly, a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes, as if she had found a ray of light in the darkness. "Litang, look! The glowing patterns on these bones may be the key to solving the current dilemma!" She squatted down eagerly, the broken whip in her hand trembling slightly, and carefully picked up a piece of bone engraved with runes and stretched it in front of Duan Litang, "Look carefully, the arrangement of these runes is very similar to the frequency of fluctuations emitted by the Stone of Light!"?
Duan Litang understood immediately, and without hesitation, he aimed the Stone of Light at the bones, and used all his strength to activate its light. In an instant, the originally dead ground seemed to be injected with a powerful vitality, and the bones began to tremble violently. Those originally isolated luminous lines, as if being pulled by an invisible big hand, gradually connected into one, and finally formed a huge and mysterious light formation. The light of the formation was like the rising sun, emitting warm and powerful power, and violently collided with the dark power like the abyss in the barrier. ?
This collision was like two stars colliding, and the whole valley was shaken violently. The broken rocks on the cliff rolled down like raindrops, "crackling" and hitting the ground, splashing a cloud of dust. The black-robed woman was shaken by this sudden change and staggered back a few steps. In panic, she reached out to hold a huge stone beside her, her eyes full of disbelief, and she muttered to herself: "How is this possible. This ancient light formation was obviously lost thousands of years ago, how could they know it!"?
Just when the situation was at a stalemate, the beast that had been struggling in pain in the barrier suddenly let out a deafening roar. This roar seemed to have crossed the boundaries of time and space, carrying endless anger and power. A golden beam of light surged out of its body, instantly breaking through the barrier and rushing straight into the sky, like a sharp sword, cutting a hole in the dark sky. Duan Litang seized this perfect opportunity and suddenly raised the Stone of Light high above his head, using all his strength to activate the power in it. The Stone of Light seemed to have sensed the determination of its owner, and its light suddenly soared, turning into an extremely bright beam of light, with a destructive momentum, shooting straight at the black-robed woman. ?
Seeing that the situation was not good, the black-robed woman showed a look of fear on her face, and waved her hands in panic in the air, trying to gather the last defensive power. In the blink of an eye, a shield made of black energy appeared in front of her. However, the light column of the Light Stone was unstoppable, and it collided with the black shield with a loud bang, bursting out a dazzling light. The powerful impact was like a magnitude 10 earthquake, and the black-robed woman was blown away. She fell heavily on the mountain wall like a kite with a broken string, making a dull crash, and then slowly slid down, leaving a long blood mark on the mountain wall. ?
"Ahem." The black-robed woman struggled to get up, black blood oozing from the corners of her mouth, dripping down her chin onto the ground, staining the ground red. She raised her head, her eyes flashing with madness, and said viciously: "Do you think you've won like this? You're so naive." As she spoke, she suddenly stretched out her hands and tore open her clothes, revealing a black curse mark on her chest that was constantly wriggling. The curse mark was like a living thing, emitting a disgusting evil breath, "You can see clearly, this curse has long been integrated with my soul. As long as I have a breath left, this beast will never be freed!"?
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Seeing this, Ye Li was filled with anger. She tightly grasped the broken whip in her hand and slowly approached the woman in black robe, taking each step steadily and powerfully. "Why are you so stubborn? What kind of shocking secret is this beast guarding that is worth you risking everything for it?" Her voice was firm and powerful, echoing in the valley. ?
When the black-robed woman heard this, a trace of miserable smile appeared on her face, and a trace of unconcealable pain flashed in her eyes, as if the deepest scar in her heart had been revealed. "Because. I am the poor person whose everything was completely destroyed by this secret." Her voice gradually became low, with endless sorrow, as if she was telling a long-forgotten sad story, "Once, like you, I was also the most devout believer of light, guarding this mysterious space with this divine beast, and living a peaceful and tranquil life. Until one day, the evil forces of the Dark Palace suddenly invaded here like a surging tide, and they discovered a shocking secret - according to legend, as long as the three holy objects of the Stone of Light, the Fountain of Life and the Sword of Soul are collected, the door to the 'Source of All Worlds' can be opened. That is a terrifying power that is enough to reshape the world and control the life and death of all things. The greedy guys in the Dark Palace have coveted it for a long time."?
She paused, clenched her fists tightly, her nails dug deep into her palms, and blood dripped slowly from her fingers. "They captured me, and used those cruel and evil forbidden techniques to plant this terrible curse in my body, which made me lose my mind and betray the beast that once fought side by side with me. I watched my hands covered in blood, but I was powerless. Now, if this curse is lifted, the secret of the 'Source of All Worlds' will inevitably be exposed, and the demons in the Dark Palace will surely set off an unprecedented bloody storm, and the whole world will fall into an abyss of no return. So, I would rather bear this eternal infamy forever, and do my best to keep this secret, even if it means being the enemy of the whole world!"?
After listening to this, Duan Litang felt mixed emotions. He turned to look at the beast still struggling in pain in the barrier, and then looked at the stone of light in his hand that was emitting warm light. His eyes gradually became firm, as if he had made an unshakable decision. "It is precisely because the greedy guys in the Dark Palace covet this power that we must do everything we can to lift the curse of the beast. Only by protecting every bit of light in the world and completely dispelling the darkness can we truly stop their conspiracy and restore peace to the world." His voice was firm and powerful, echoing in the valley like a huge bell. ?
However, before Duan Litang finished speaking, the black-robed woman suddenly attacked like a wild beast that was completely enraged. No one noticed that she had a black dagger emitting a cold light in her hand. The dagger flashed a strange light in the darkness, as if it was a messenger from hell. Her eyes were full of madness and determination. She rushed towards Duan Litang at a very fast speed, and the dagger in her hand stabbed straight into his heart. ?
Ye Li reacted very quickly, with a cold light flashing in her eyes, and the long whip in her hand was like a black lightning, swung out instantly. The tip of the whip drew a beautiful arc in the air, and accurately wrapped around the wrist of the woman in black robe. But the woman in black robe had fallen into a crazy state at this moment, completely ignoring the bleeding wrist, and actually backhanded and stabbed the dagger into her chest fiercely. At the same time, she muttered something in a low and strange voice: "Since we can't stop you, let's all die together!" As her voice fell, the black curse mark on her chest expanded rapidly like ignited gunpowder, and the evil breath it exuded became stronger and stronger. ?
The whole valley seemed to be held by an invisible giant hand and began to shake violently. Huge cracks appeared on the ground, and the ground was bottomless. The huge rocks on the cliff kept rolling down and hitting the ground with a deafening sound. At this critical moment, the illusory figure of the beast appeared in front of everyone again. Its body exuded a soft golden light, like a warm sun. The beast opened its huge mouth, and a more dazzling golden light surged out, instantly covering Duan Litang and Ye Li. "Take the Stone of Light and leave here immediately!" The beast's voice was deafening, with unquestionable majesty, "I will use my last strength to temporarily suppress this curse. You must race against time to find the Fountain of Life and the Sword of Soul as soon as possible. Only in this way can you completely lift the curse and save the world!"?
Duan Litang wanted to say something, but the light was too strong for him to speak. Then, he felt his body lighten, and was forcibly transported by the light. When the light gradually dissipated, he and Ye Li found themselves in a completely unfamiliar forest. It was quiet and silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects breaking the tranquility. In the distance, a lake emitting soft green light was shining mysteriously under the bright moonlight. Perhaps that was the fountain of life they were looking for. ?
Ye Li slowly lowered her head, looking at the long whip in her hand that had long been broken into pieces, and then looked at Duan Litang's scarred but still resolute face, with a complex look in her eyes. She sighed softly, and said in a slightly tired but firm voice: "Let's keep moving forward. This time, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles there are ahead, we must uncover all the secrets and give the world the truth."?
Duan Litang tightly grasped the light stone in his hand, and the warm light passed through his palm and spread to his whole body. He nodded slightly, looking into the distance with a firm gaze. Under the moonlight, the figures of the two gradually blended into the dark night, and walked towards the new challenge step by step. Behind them, the valley that had been cursed for a long time was slowly collapsing, raising dust all over the sky. The figure of the woman in black robe also completely disappeared in the dust, leaving only one unsolved mystery after another, quietly waiting for Duan Litang and Ye Li to explore the truth.
