Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 165 What kind of monster is this?
Liu Sijun stood up and, based on her understanding of the rune sequence, began to use her spiritual power to trace a route on the yellow sand.

As she sketched, she said, "Everyone, stay close to me and don't get separated. If we follow this route, we might find the key to breaking the formation."

The group followed closely behind Liu Sijun, proceeding along the route she had outlined.

However, the illusion seemed to sense their intentions and began to become even more bizarre.

The once peaceful desert was suddenly swept by a fierce wind, with yellow sand flying everywhere, making it almost impossible to open one's eyes.

Amidst the howling wind, faint, mournful cries could be heard, as if countless wronged souls were weeping in the wind, trying to disturb everyone's peace of mind.

Tong Lei plunged his longsword into the ground, using his powerful late-stage Nascent Soul spiritual energy for support, and shouted loudly, "Everyone, hold on! Don't let the wind distract you!"

At the same time, he transferred some of his spiritual power to those around him to help them resist the effects of the strong winds and strange cries.

Gu Changzhou channeled his stellar power, causing the starlight around him to shine even brighter, illuminating the path ahead for everyone. He called out loudly, "Miss Liu, please continue leading the way. We will protect you with all our might!"

Liu Sijun gritted his teeth and struggled forward against the fierce wind, his eyes fixed on the rune path beneath his feet.

With everyone's combined efforts, they finally followed the rune path to a seemingly ordinary sand dune.

Liu Sijun carefully observed the sand dunes and discovered that the patterns of yellow sand on the dunes echoed the runes he had seen before, forming a complete pattern.

A thought struck her, and she said, "The key to breaking the formation may lie beneath these sand dunes."

Without saying a word, Tong Lei gripped the long sword with both hands, channeled his spiritual power, and slashed fiercely at the sand dune.

With a loud "boom," the sand dune was split open, revealing a stone door hidden underground.

The stone gate was covered with various mysterious runes, which shimmered with a faint light.

Gao Kuo looked at the stone door and said, "It seems we've found the right place. But the runes on this stone door seem to be a kind of seal. How do we open it?"

Liu Sijun stepped forward and carefully studied the runes on the stone gate.

She discovered that these runes belonged to the same system as the runes she had seen in the yellow sand before, but were more complex.

After some thought, she tried to activate certain runes on the stone door with her spiritual power, inputting spiritual power in a specific order.

As Liu Sijun moved, the runes on the stone gate shone brighter and brighter.

The stone door slowly opened, and a sense of antiquity wafted out.

Behind the door was a narrow passage, filled with a faint mist of weapons, the end of which was not visible.

"Everyone be careful, there might be other dangers in this passage."

Gu Changzhou reminded him.

Holding a long sword, Tong Lei took the lead and stepped into the passage: "I'll clear the way!"

The group followed closely behind Tong Lei, carefully stepping into the passage.

The mist that filled the passage carried a damp and cold air, slowly seeping into everyone's clothes, making them shiver involuntarily.

They hadn't gone far when two rows of eerie green flames suddenly lit up on the walls on either side of the passage, making the passage look sinister and terrifying.

The flames moved on their own without wind, casting eerie shadows on the wall, as if countless twisted souls were struggling within them.

"Everyone be careful, this flame is probably not simple."

Min Rui reminded him in a low voice.

Liu Sijun carefully observed the surrounding environment and discovered that the rhythm of the flickering flames seemed to contain some kind of pattern, which was faintly related to the aura he had sensed from the runes earlier.

"Everyone, hold your breath! The rhythm of these flames seems to be conveying some kind of message." Upon hearing this, everyone stopped and stared intently at the eerie green flames.

Liu Sijun channeled his spiritual power, attempting to decipher the message being transmitted by the flames.

About fifteen minutes later, she finally realized something: "This seems to be a warning, telling us not to go any further, or we will face great danger."

Gu Changzhou: "But we have come this far, and we must not back down."

Tong Lei gripped his longsword tightly, a resolute glint in his eyes: "That's right, we've come this far, what danger are we afraid of? Miss Liu, what do you say we should do? We'll do whatever you say."

After a moment's thought, Liu Sijun said, "Although these flames are dangerous, we can try to use their patterns to get through. Everyone, follow me closely and move forward according to the rhythm I indicate. Don't lose your footing."

After saying that, Liu Sijun took the first step, skillfully avoiding the moment when the flames suddenly intensified.

The crowd followed closely behind her, moving forward step by step according to her instructions.

However, as they ventured deeper into the passage, the rhythm of the flames became increasingly complex, with the frequency of the leaps increasing rapidly, creating a dazzling spectacle.

One of the experts in the Nascent Soul stage lost his focus for a moment, his steps faltered, and he was almost burned by the flames.

Fortunately, Tong Lei reacted quickly and pulled him back.

"Everyone, stay calm and don't panic! Focus and follow Miss Liu's rhythm!"

Tong Lei shouted loudly.

Just as everyone was struggling forward, heavy footsteps suddenly came from the end of the passage.

As the footsteps drew closer, the passageway began to tremble slightly, and stones on the walls began to fall.

"Looks like we're in trouble again."

Gu Changzhou gripped his sword tightly, his expression solemn.

Tong Lei held his long sword horizontally in front of him and shouted, "No matter what comes, we'll face it together!"

Everyone nodded in agreement and channeled their spiritual energy.

A moment later, a huge figure appeared at the end of the passage.

This person was humanoid in shape, but over three zhang tall, and covered in a layer of black scales, exuding a cold aura.

Its eyes gleamed with a blood-red light, and it held a huge spiked club in its hand.

The spiked club was dripping with green venom.

Gao Kuo couldn't help but ask, "What kind of monster is this?"

Gu Changzhou: "This is probably a guardian beast set up by Xuanji Hall, specifically to prevent us from passing through. This guardian beast is quite powerful; judging from the aura emanating from it, it probably has the strength of the Integration Stage."

Tong Lei snorted coldly, wielding his longsword with ferocious power, his body surrounded by surging spiritual energy in flames: "So what if it's at the Integration Stage? I'll show it to you!"

After saying that, he charged towards the monster, raising his long sword high and unleashing the "Flame Dragon Slash," a giant dragon formed from flames roaring as it pounced on the monster.

Upon seeing this, the monster let out a deafening roar and brandished its spiked club to meet the Flame Dragon.

The spiked club collided with the Fiery Dragon, unleashing a dazzling light. The powerful impact caused the air inside the passage to vibrate.

Gu Changzhou channeled the power of the stars, causing his sword to shine brightly as it hurtled towards the monster like a meteor, unleashing "Starry Sky Rift," with streaks of starlight sword energy shooting towards the monster's vital points.

Min Rui quickly formed hand seals and chanted, "Wind Spirit Gathers Blade, Transform Blade into Arrow!"