Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 159 Must Be Taken
"With the help of the Myriad Phenomena Star Chart, I observed the stars and finally determined the approximate location of the entrance to the Blood Spirit Source," the elder said. "However, the place where this location is is an extremely dangerous and perilous place—the Burial Valley of Spirits."

When everyone heard this, they were all shocked.

Although they had never been to the Valley of Burial Spirits, just from the name, they knew it was no place to be trifled with.

Seeing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, the elder slowly said, "The Burial Valley is the site of an ancient battlefield. The spiritual energy in the valley is chaotic, filled with all sorts of strange restrictions and powerful ancient demonic beasts. If you enter it, you will be doomed if you are not careful."

Gu Changzhou frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Even so, we cannot back down. Xuanji Hall must also know that the entrance to the Blood Spirit Source will appear in the Burial Valley. If we don't take the initiative, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Liu Sijun nodded, his expression resolute: "Changzhou is right. I have broken through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, and my strength has improved. I should go with everyone."

Min Rui, Tong Lei, and others also expressed that no matter how dangerous it was, they would fight alongside everyone to stop Xuanji Hall's conspiracy.

Seeing everyone's determination, the elder nodded slightly, his eyes showing approval: "Since you have made up your minds, I will tell you what I know about the Burial Valley. The valley is divided into three levels, and the deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes. According to the Myriad Manifestations Star Chart, the entrance to the Blood Spirit Source is most likely at the bottom of the valley. However, the path to the bottom of the valley is blocked by many restrictions, and only by finding the three ancient keys can the passage be opened."

As he spoke, the elder took out three yellowed parchment sheets from his bosom and handed them to Gu Changzhou: "These are clues about the three keys that I found in ancient books. They record the possible locations where the keys may appear. However, these locations are also fraught with danger, so you must be careful."

Gu Changzhou took the parchment, examined it carefully, and handed one to Min Rui and the other to Tong Lei, saying, "We should not delay. Let's split into three groups, each with our own men, and find the keys as soon as possible. Once we have collected all three keys, we will meet at the entrance of the Burial Valley."

After discussing it, everyone set off on their own journey to find the key.

Liu Sijun, Gu Changzhou, Gao Kuo, and other Wuji Tower experts traveled together along a hidden path in the direction indicated on the parchment.

Along the way, the mountains and forests were quiet, yet there was an indescribable eeriness about them.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and the leaves rustled, as if countless pairs of eyes were peeping at them in the darkness.

Gu Changzhou gripped his sword warily and whispered to Liu Sijun, "Sijun, be careful, something seems to be approaching."

Liu Sijun circulated his spiritual power, keenly sensing the movements around him.

Sure enough, she sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching from not far ahead.

Suddenly, a huge black panther emerged from the forest. Its body was shrouded in black mist, and its eyes gleamed with an eerie green light. It was an ancient black panther monster.

The black panther beast roared and pounced on them like a black lightning bolt.

Gu Changzhou flashed forward and charged at the black panther beast, unleashing streaks of starlight sword energy with each swing of his sword.

Liu Sijun also quickly activated the Taixu Mirror, and several beams of light containing powerful spiritual energy shot out from the mirror to assist Gu Changzhou and the others in their attack.

The black panther beast nimbly dodged the attacks, then opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of black flames that swept towards Liu Sijun.

Hey, in just a short while, you've already figured out she's the weakest one in the group, haven't you?

Liu Sijun quickly used his movement technique to dodge the flames.

Gu Changzhou seized the opportunity and unleashed a move called "Starfall Annihilation." A powerful sword aura, formed from the power of stars, slashed towards the black panther beast with a world-destroying momentum.

Sensing the threat, the black panther beast swiftly dodged, its black mist instantly thickening to form a shield. The sword energy struck the shield, unleashing a dazzling light, but the shield only trembled slightly and did not shatter.

Upon seeing this, Liu Sijun's heart stirred.

She concentrated her mind and pushed the power of the Taixu Mirror to its limit, causing complex runes to appear in the mirror.

She muttered incantations, and a beam of light containing mysterious power shot out from the mirror, heading straight for the black panther beast's shield.

Under the impact of the beam of light, cracks finally appeared in the black panther beast's shield. Gu Changzhou seized the opportunity to launch another attack, his sword piercing the black panther beast's body.

The black panther monster let out a shrill scream, collapsed to the ground, and vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

After defeating the black panther monster, they continued on their way.

Soon after, they arrived at an ancient ruin.

The gate to the ruins was tightly shut, covered with strange runes. Liu Sijun examined the runes closely and discovered that they were similar to those he had seen on the scroll in the hidden compartment of the altar.

She tried to use the knowledge she had learned from the scrolls to decipher the meaning of the runes.

After much effort, she finally found a way to open the door.

As the runes flashed, the gate slowly opened, and an ancient aura wafted out.

Behind the door was a huge hall, in the center of which was a stone platform. On the platform lay a key that exuded an ancient aura, one of the ancient keys they were looking for.

However, just as they were about to step forward to retrieve the key, a sinister laugh suddenly echoed from inside the hall.

The sinister laughter echoed through the hall, like the wailing of countless wronged souls, sending chills down one's spine. Gu Changzhou instantly shielded Liu Sijun behind him, while Gao Kuo and the other seven quickly spread out, forming a defensive formation and vigilantly watching their surroundings.

They were all seasoned veterans, and faced with this sudden turn of events, they remained calm and composed, radiating powerful spiritual energy as they prepared for battle.

"Who's playing tricks here? Show yourself at once!"

Gao Kuo let out a loud shout, his voice as booming as a bell, which shook the dust in the hall and caused it to fall in a flurry.

As the laughter abruptly ceased, a dark figure slowly emerged from the shadows deep within the hall. The figure gradually solidified, revealing itself to be an old man in a black robe, his face withered like decaying wood, his eyes gleaming with an eerie light, like two will-o'-the-wisps leaping in the darkness. "You shouldn't have come here. This key is not something you can touch."

The old man's voice seemed to come from the deepest hell, icy cold and chilling, filled with endless eeriness.

Gu Changzhou frowned and said loudly, "We are here to stop the Xuanji Hall's conspiracy. They are trying to obtain the Blood Spirit Source and bring disaster to the world. We must take this key with us."

The old man sneered, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a knife: "You? Guarding these ruins is the mission of my family for generations. How could I easily hand over the key to you? Even if what you say is true, how can I believe it?"

(End of this chapter)