Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 269 Unfathomable Strength
The other phantoms also unleashed their signature spells, engaging in fierce combat with Liu Sijun and the others.

During the battle, Liu Sijun discovered that although these phantoms were powerful, they seemed to be related to his memories and emotions.

As she cast spells to defend against the phantoms' attacks, she warned, "These phantoms are affected by our emotions. Stay calm and find their weakness!"

Upon hearing this, everyone adjusted their state and stopped being swayed by the memories and emotions brought about by the illusion.

Gu Changzhou's swordplay became increasingly fierce, with the power of the stars perfectly fused with the Ink Scale Sword. Each swing of the sword dealt a heavy blow to the phantom.

Xu Hechen's forbidden technique also unleashed tremendous power, trapping many phantoms in a large net of runes and restricting their movements.

With the blessing of the Netherworld Purifying Flame, Li Qing's Fire Phoenix burned away all the approaching phantoms.

Tong Lei's golden roc phantom circled continuously in the air, waiting for the right moment to launch a fatal blow against the illusion.

With everyone working together, the phantoms gradually became unable to withstand the onslaught and dissipated one after another.

The moment the last phantom disappeared, peace returned to the area around the altar.

Liu Sijun and the others breathed a sigh of relief and slowly walked towards the mysterious box on the altar.

The box emitted a soft light, which seemed to contain a mysterious power of time and space.

"Could this be the Key to Time and Space?"

Li Qing looked at the box, her eyes filled with anticipation, and asked.

Gu Changzhou frowned slightly and said cautiously, "We must not be careless. Let's observe carefully first."

Xu Hechen walked around the box, carefully observing the patterns and aura on it: "This power matches the spacetime power we sensed before, and it may be the location of the Spacetime Key."

Tong Lei: "Open it and you'll know."

Liu Sijun took a deep breath and slowly opened the box.

However, the moment the box was opened, a dazzling light shot out from it, and countless fragments of spacetime seemed to flicker within the light.

Inside the box was not a key, but a bead that emitted a mysterious light.

"This is?"

Liu Sijun looked at the beads, her heart filled with doubt.

Just then, a violent tremor suddenly came from the ruins, and the stone door that had just been opened behind them began to slowly close.

Liu Sijun and the others squinted at the dazzling light emanating from the box. When the light subsided, the bead, radiating a mysterious glow, lay quietly in the box, its surface shimmering with an eerie halo, as if containing countless mysteries of time and space.

Li Qing: "This is completely different from the key to time and space that I imagined. Could it be that we've come to the wrong one?"

Xu Hechen shook his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the bead, his expression solemn: "This bead exudes a rich power of spacetime, and it must be related to the Key of Spacetime, but we have not yet figured out its mysteries."

Gu Changzhou gripped the Molin Sword tightly, its blade trembling slightly. He looked around warily and said, "Regardless of whether this bead is real or not, the stone gate has begun to close, and we need to get out first."

Only then did everyone realize that the heavy stone door behind them was slowly closing, making a dull sound.

Liu Sijun rushed over, trying to stop the stone door from closing, but the stone door seemed to be driven by a mysterious force and remained motionless.

Tong Lei frowned, his spiritual energy surging around him, and the phantom of the Golden Roc appeared and disappeared behind him: "It seems that someone doesn't want us to leave easily. This stone gate is probably protected by a powerful restriction."

Just then, the ground of the ruins suddenly began to shake violently, and cracks spread from the ground, spewing out black mist with a pungent, putrid stench. The black mist quickly spread, enveloping everyone and blurring their vision.

"Watch out, something's wrong with this fog!"

Liu Sijun gave a deep reminder, while simultaneously circulating the power of the Taixu Spirit Crystal to form a protective barrier around his body.

From within the mist, eerie roars could be faintly heard, as if countless evil creatures were awakening from the darkness.

Suddenly, a huge black hand emerged from the mist and reached out to grab Liu Sijun.

With lightning speed, Gu Changzhou wielded the Molin Sword, unleashing a sharp sword aura that struck the black hand. The black hand let out a strange cry and quickly retreated.

“These fogs conceal unknown dangers; we cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom.”

As Xu Hechen spoke, he formed a hand seal and cast a binding spell in an attempt to dispel the fog.

However, the fog only dissipated slightly before quickly gathering again.

Li Qing controlled the Fire Phoenix, which soared through the mist, while the Netherworld Purifying Fire burned fiercely, attempting to incinerate the mist completely.

However, the mist seemed to have some resistance to the flames, so the Fire Phoenix's attack was not very effective.

Tong Lei's voice carried a hint of anxiety: "This can't go on. We need to find a way to break the restrictions on this stone gate and leave this place."

Liu Sijun concentrated his mind, activated the Eye of the Void, and tried to find a flaw in the stone gate's restriction in this chaotic environment.

Through the Eye of the Void, she saw that the restrictions on the stone gate were composed of countless mysterious runes, which intertwined to form a complex network.

“I see the runes on the stone gate’s restriction; we can start from there,” Liu Sijun said. “But these runes are too complex; we’ll need to work together to decipher them.”

Upon hearing this, everyone focused their attention on observing the runes on the stone gate.

Based on his understanding of forbidden runes, Xu Hechen was the first to discover some clues: "These runes seem to be related to the patterns we saw in the ruins before, and may be an ancient spacetime sealing technique."

Gu Changzhou: "Then let's try to crack it based on the previous clues."

Just as everyone was about to begin deciphering the runes, the mysterious bead suddenly shone brightly, and a soft light shone from the bead, illuminating the runes on the stone gate.

The runes began to shimmer under the light, as if they had been activated.

Li Qing exclaimed in surprise, "Could this bead be the key to breaking the seal on the stone gate?"

However, no sooner had the words left his mouth than a huge figure suddenly appeared in the mist. It was indistinct and slowly approached, and a chilling aura swept over them, making it almost impossible for them to breathe.

Liu Sijun's Eye of the Void suddenly shone brightly, attempting to pierce through the mist to see who was coming, but he only saw a blurry black shadow, as if it were formed from thick darkness.

"Be careful, this thing has a strange aura and its strength is unpredictable."

Gu Changzhou whispered a reminder, his hand gripping the Molin Sword turning slightly white, the star power flowing on the blade, emitting a faint light.

Tong Lei's spiritual energy surged, and the phantom of the Golden Roc solidified behind him, its sharp cry echoing throughout the ruins, attempting to dispel the surrounding mist.

"Whatever it is, it won't stop us today!"

The enormous figure let out a deep roar, its voice like muffled thunder, making everyone's eardrums ache.