Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 114 Illusory Figure
Bei Chenyao's expression was serious. He paced back and forth for a moment and said, "If what you say is true, this treasure must not fall into the hands of evil cultivators. If they succeed, it may cause even greater chaos."

After saying that, he looked at Gu Changzhou with a firm gaze: "Lord Molin, I order you to enter this secret realm and retrieve the treasure."

Gu Changzhou knelt on one knee and solemnly accepted the order: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not fail in my mission. However, the treasures in this secret realm are related to elixirs, so I hope Your Majesty will allow Alchemist Lu and Lord Liu to go together."

Bei Chenyao nodded slightly, his gaze turning to Liu Sijun and the person beside her.

"You are Master Lu Dan?"

"it's me."

Liu Sijun stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Master Lu came from Yougu Palace with me, but he is not a member of Yougu Palace, so he has always lived outside the palace."

Bei Chenyao understands this.

"Master Lu, would you be willing to come along?"

When Bei Chenyao asked this question, Liu Sijun felt a certain degree of goodwill towards the emperor.

"it is good."

Liu Sijun couldn't avoid it. He came because he was worried about his disciple, and now that he was going to the secret realm, he felt more at ease keeping an eye on him himself.

Bei Chenyao was very pleased: "This mission is of great importance. I hope you can successfully retrieve the treasure and ensure the peace of Zhongzhou City."

"I will obey Your Majesty's wishes."

Bei Chenyao then looked at Ye Ying and Min Rui and said, "Ye Ying and Min Rui, you two should also go together. Make sure to protect everyone's safety and do not slack off in the slightest."

"Your Majesty, if we all leave, what will happen to the safety of the palace?"

Bei Chenyao: "The evil cultivators suffered considerable losses in this large-scale operation, and they probably won't cause any more big commotion for a while."

He narrowed his eyes as he spoke: "Besides, if you don't leave, certain people in the palace won't have a chance to make a move. They'll just stay hidden in the shadows, which is the most troublesome thing."

"Your Majesty is of noble birth; how can you risk your life?"

"Don't worry, I am protected by the dragon's aura, I won't die so easily."

Those people are afraid of him being the chosen one of Heaven, so they dare not directly attack him, which is why they've caused such a commotion.

If killing him directly could solve the problem, he would have died countless times already.

Ye Ying and Min Rui responded in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

With everything arranged and everyone making some preparations, Master Lu instructed Gu Changzhou to send a message back to the Molin Marquis's residence to inform Li Qing and Liang Feiyu of the situation. Then, led by Gu Changzhou, they arrived at the alchemy furnace in the Longevity Palace.

At this moment, although the alchemy furnace had experienced a fierce battle, it still stood firmly, but the ground around it was covered with cracks, leaving traces of the battle.

Master Lu carefully examined the alchemy furnace, and with his keen perception of spiritual energy fluctuations, he finally discovered a hidden spiritual energy rune at the bottom of the furnace.

He formed a hand seal and slowly poured his spiritual power into the runes.

Runes shimmered, the alchemy furnace slowly rose, revealing a deep passage below, and a mysterious and ancient aura wafted out.

Holding the Star Sword, Gu Changzhou was the first to step into the passage.

The group followed closely behind. A light mist filled the passage, and the light was dim, so they could only sense their surroundings by relying on their own spiritual power. After walking for a while, the passage suddenly opened up, and the group arrived at a huge space.

The walls surrounding the space are inlaid with shimmering gems, making the place appear dreamlike and enchanting.

In the very center, on an ancient stone platform, sits an antique jade box. The jade box emits a soft light, and a powerful spiritual energy fluctuation emanates from it.

"It seems the treasure is inside this jade box."

Gu Changzhou said in a low voice, while cautiously observing his surroundings to guard against any traps or hidden dangers.

Just as the group approached the stone platform, the ground suddenly trembled violently, and countless black vines surged out from all directions, coiling towards them like pythons.

Nightshade reacted swiftly, unleashing "Shadow Annihilation," his figure transforming into a black streak of light. With a flick of his longsword, he severed the approaching vines one by one. Min Rui, on the other hand, unleashed "Nine Suns Sky-Splitting Slash," golden sword light crisscrossing the area, instantly turning vines to ashes wherever it went.

However, the vines kept emerging, seemingly endless.

Seeing this, Master Lu quickly formed hand seals and chanted incantations. White flames flew from his palms, spreading rapidly and igniting a large area of ​​vines. The purifying power caused the vines to sizzle and gradually dissipate.

Liu Sijun carefully observed the growth pattern of the vines and suddenly shouted, "Everyone, pay attention! These vines seem to have grown from a spiritual energy node over there. If we destroy that node, we might be able to stop the vines from growing."

Gu Changzhou looked in the direction Liu Sijun pointed and saw a spiritual energy node emitting black light on the wall not far away.

He flashed forward, unleashing the "Starry Phantom Step," instantly arriving before the node. The Star Sword, imbued with the power of stars, slashed fiercely at the node.

"boom!"

The node was hit, unleashing a powerful surge of spiritual energy before shattering completely.

Without the support of spiritual energy, the black vines withered and disappeared into the air.

The group continued towards the stone platform. Just as Gu Changzhou reached out to pick up the jade box, the jade box suddenly shone brightly, and a phantom figure emerged from the jade box.

The figure was dressed in ancient clothing, with a blurred face, yet exuded a powerful aura.

"Who dares to trespass here and covet the treasure?"

The voice of the illusory figure echoed throughout the space, as if it came from ancient times.

Gu Changzhou bowed and said, "Senior, we are from Zhongzhou City. We have come here to retrieve the treasures of this place because evil cultivators covet them and intend to bring disaster to the world. We are here on His Majesty's orders to ensure the peace of the world."

The illusory figure pondered for a moment, then said, "Central Continent City... Time has passed, and I never imagined it would change so much. However, this treasure is not something that can be easily taken away. If you can pass my test and prove that you have the ability to protect the treasure, I will hand it over to you."

The group exchanged glances, each seeing unwavering resolve in the other's eyes. Gu Changzhou said, "Please enlighten us, senior. We will certainly do our utmost."

With a wave of his hand, the illusory figure conjured five enormous orbs of spiritual energy in the space, each radiating light of one of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

“These five orbs of spiritual energy represent the power of the five elements. You must use your own spiritual energy to resist them within half an hour and place them in the corresponding positions to pass the test.”

They looked at the sphere of light, which was about the size of an adult's fist. Behind the sphere were five holes of light of different depths, and light waves were pulling each other between the five spheres.

If they are not mistaken, no matter which of the light spheres has a different speed than the other four, it will be impossible for it to succeed.

(End of this chapter)