Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 234 Absorbing the Power of the Stars
The pressure on everyone increased instantly, and the battle became increasingly difficult.

While manipulating the Taixu Mirror to attack the bats, Liu Sijun pondered a countermeasure.

She suddenly remembered that Xu Hechen had said before that these evil creatures were formed from the evil power of Tianxu Palace, and perhaps she could find their weakness.

"Attack their eyes!" Liu Sijun shouted. "This might be their weakness!" Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attacks towards the bats' eyes.

Sure enough, when the attack hit the bats' eyes, they cried out in pain and became sluggish.

With everyone's combined attack, the bats were defeated and fell to the ground, turning into a pool of black sewage.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after the last bat was eliminated.

However, before they could recover, the ground suddenly began to shake, and a huge figure slowly rose from the ruins.

It was a tall monster that exuded a strong aura of evil.

It has a huge head with sharp horns, its body is covered with black scales, and it holds a huge scythe in its hand.

And its eyes were the same red eyes that had been watching everyone from the ruins.

"Do you think you can rest easy after defeating Wan Chongshan and destroying this building? How ridiculous!"

The monster's voice, like a booming bell, echoed through the forest, filled with endless mockery and murderous intent.

"Who are you anyway?"

Gao Yongxiu questioned loudly, gripping the magical artifact in his hand tightly, ready for battle.

"I am the protector of Tianxu Palace. Today, you will all die here!"

The voice of the Heavenly Ruins Palace protector was like rolling thunder, making everyone's eardrums ache, and the surrounding air trembled.

Before anyone could respond, the guardian suddenly swung his huge scythe, and a black, streak of blade energy swept towards the investigation team. Trees were cut in half wherever it passed, and dust flew everywhere.

Gao Yongxiu's expression changed, and he hurriedly brandished his magic weapon, conjuring a shield of light in front of him.

The blade energy slammed into the light shield with a loud bang, and countless cracks instantly appeared on the shield. Gao Yongxiu was forced back several steps by the powerful force, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"This protector's power is so great, we are no match for him!"

One of the disciples cried out in terror, his face filled with fear.

"Don't be afraid, everyone, if we concentrate our efforts, we can definitely defeat him!"

Despite his injuries, Gu Changzhou loudly encouraged everyone. He brandished his Xuan Tie sword, its star-like sword energy crisscrossing, and charged towards the protector first.

Liu Sijun followed closely behind, and the Taixu Mirror shone brightly, shooting out sharp beams of light in an attempt to interfere with the guardian's actions.

Xu Hechen carefully observed the protector's movements, trying to find his weakness.

However, the power of this protector was beyond imagination.

He easily dodged Gu Changzhou's attack, and with a backhand swing of his scythe, forced Gu Changzhou back. Liu Sijun's light struck his scales, only causing some sparks, unable to inflict any real damage on him.

"Hahaha, you ants think you can contend with me? Don't forget what kind of existence Tianxu Palace was back then."

The Dharma Protector laughed arrogantly, his voice filled with disdain.

Just then, Leng Xuan suddenly remembered that there seemed to be records about the guardians of Tianxu Palace in the ancient books of Tianji Pavilion.

He quickly pulled an old-fashioned book from his pocket and began to read it rapidly.

"Found it!" Leng Xuan's eyes lit up. "This guardian is a killing machine forged by the Heavenly Ruins Palace from the blood and essence of countless living beings and evil power. His body is incredibly tough; ordinary attacks cannot harm him in the slightest. But his power comes from the evil runes on his back. As long as we destroy those runes, we can weaken his power!" Hearing this, everyone's hope was rekindled. Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun exchanged a glance and launched their attacks simultaneously to draw the guardian's attention.

Gu Changzhou's Starry Sword Qi shimmered like stars, while Liu Sijun's Taixu Mirror shone like the blazing sun. The two worked together seamlessly, keeping the protectors busy.

Xu Hechen took the opportunity to circle around behind the guardian and carefully observe the evil runes.

These runes emitted an eerie light, and they were interconnected, forming a complex array.

Xu Hechen: "Hold on, everyone! I'll destroy these runes!"

He formed a hand seal and chanted incantations. A golden light shot out from his hands and flew towards the rune.

However, the guardian seemed to have sensed Xu Hechen's intention. He suddenly turned around and swung his scythe at Xu Hechen.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun quickly accelerated their attack in an attempt to stop the protector.

In this tense moment, Gao Yongxiu, despite his pain, once again wielded his magic weapon and unleashed a powerful spell, attacking the guardian.

His magic was like a raging dragon emerging from the sea, striking the guardian's back with a howling wind.

The black scales were cracked like a spiderweb, and the guardian roared angrily, turning his scythe towards Gao Yongxiu.

"careful!"

Liu Sijun exclaimed in surprise as the Taixu Mirror emitted seven beams of light.

Gu Changzhou's Star Sword Qi seized the opportunity to cut into the protector's leg joint, but black mucus seeped out from under the scales, and the wound healed in the blink of an eye.

"His recovery ability is terrifying!"

Xu Hechen's pupils contracted sharply, and he pulled out three jade bottles in the blink of an eye.

The essence blood in the bottle condensed into blood-red runes, which was the forbidden technique "Blood Fiend Demon-Slaying Array" left behind by the former Palace Master of Fengze.

"Leng Xuan, use your Demon-Binding Talisman to restrict his movements!"

Xu Hechen threw the jade bottle into the air, and twelve blood lines instantly wove into a cage.

The guardian's scythe struck the talisman array, producing a crisp sound like metal breaking.

"You think you can trap me with these little tricks?"

The guardian's voice was mocking, and suddenly a cloud of blood mist erupted from his body.

Countless ghostly hands emerged from the blood mist, tearing the talisman array to shreds.

Gu Changzhou's Xuan Tie sword suddenly emitted a dragon's roar, and the Mo Lin mark appeared on his arm.

He bit his tongue and spat out his blood essence. The star sword energy transformed into a tangible galaxy, but it was completely devoured when it touched the guardian.

"Not good, he's absorbing the power of the stars!" Liu Sijun's Void Mirror reflected the starlight flowing beneath the guardian scales. "Changzhou, quickly withdraw your sword energy!"

But it was too late. Gu Changzhou was thrown more than ten feet by the backlash, his back slamming heavily against the rocks, his clothes soaked with blood. When Liu Sijun rushed over, she saw the black jade pendant around his neck shattering; it was his last life-saving artifact.

"General Gu!" Leng Xuan threw out twelve Heavenly Mystery Soul-Locking Nails, forming a star map around the protector. "Hall Master Gao, use your Netherworld Fire!"

Gao Yongxiu reluctantly unleashed his natal magic weapon, the "Xuanming Bone Whip," as black and red flames spread along the nail array.

The guardian let out a shrill scream as its scales began to peel off, but in the blink of an eye, new armor grew back.