Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 272 Another Challenge
With her efforts, the light from the mysterious bead became softer, yet also more resolute.

The light from the bead began to merge with Liu Sijun's spiritual power, forming a wondrous force.

Liu Sijun felt as if her consciousness had entered a mysterious space, in which she saw the origin of the bead and the powerful force it possessed.

“I understand. We need to fully integrate our spiritual power with the power of the bead in order to unleash its maximum power.”

Liu Sijun opened her eyes, a determined light shining within them.

She shared her idea with everyone, and they all nodded in agreement, beginning to mobilize their spiritual power to merge with the power of the mysterious bead.

As everyone poured their spiritual energy into it, the mysterious bead became incredibly bright, forming a huge pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.

The beam of light collided with the black vortex, generating a strong energy fluctuation.

The entire hall was shaking, and cracks began to appear in the runes on the walls.

Under the impact of the beam of light, the power of the black vortex gradually weakened and eventually disappeared.

The runes on the wall also lost their luster and became dull and lifeless.

The hall returned to calm, but everyone knew that this was only temporary, and that more unknown dangers lurked within the ruins.

Li Qing breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "We succeeded. The power of this bead is indeed strong."

Gu Changzhou sheathed the Molin Sword and nodded: "But we don't know how many dangers are in these ruins, so we can't let our guard down."

Xu Hechen wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "That's right, and we haven't fully figured out the true power and use of this bead yet. We still need to continue exploring."

Tong Lei looked at the mysterious bead: "I hope this bead can help us completely eliminate the threat of the Demon God and find the Key of Time and Space."

After resting for a while, the group continued along the corridor in the hall.

The passage became increasingly narrow, and the surrounding environment grew increasingly eerie.

Strange patterns began to appear on the wall, as if telling an ancient story, but their meaning was incomprehensible.

Suddenly, a huge stone gate appeared in front of them, with a giant eye carved on it. The eye gleamed with an eerie light, as if it was watching them no matter what angle they stood from.

"Who knows what secrets are hidden behind this stone door?"

Liu Sijun looked at the stone gate, his heart filled with vigilance.

Just then, the stone gate suddenly emitted a deep sound, as if it were a call from ancient times.

"To pass through this door, you must solve my riddle."

The group exchanged glances, knowing that another challenge was about to begin.

Li Qing was eager to try: "What riddle is it? Tell us quickly, we're not afraid."

The eyes on the stone gate flickered a few times, and a beam of light shot out from them, forming a word in the air: "Time and space intertwine, cause and effect cycle, the cause of the past, the effect of the future. Only by finding the forgotten memories can this gate be opened."

"Forgotten memories? What does that mean?"

Tong Lei frowned, looking puzzled.

Xu Hechen lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Perhaps it refers to something we experienced in these ruins, or memories related to this mysterious bead."

Liu Sijun nodded and activated the Eye of the Void, trying to find some clues in the surrounding environment.

However, she found nothing unusual.

Gu Changzhou: "Let's think about it carefully again. Did we encounter anything related to our memories in the ruins before?"

As everyone began to recall their experiences in the ruins, Li Qing's eyes suddenly lit up. "I remember now, those scenes I saw on the stone platform before might be part of a forgotten memory."

“That makes sense. Let’s go take another look at those images; maybe we can find the key to solving the mystery,” Liu Sijun said. The group returned to the stone platform in the center of the hall, and Liu Sijun placed the mysterious bead back on it.

The runes on the stone platform lit up again, and the ancient images reappeared on the light screen.

This time, everyone observed every detail in the picture even more carefully.

Liu Sijun discovered that in one of the images, the mysterious bead was placed in a specific location, surrounded by some strange symbols.

Liu Sijun pointed to the symbols on the light screen and said, "Look everyone, could these symbols be the key to solving the mystery of the stone gate?"

Everyone carefully observed the symbols, and Xu Hechen nodded: "These symbols are similar to the runes we saw on the stone gate before, and they may really be the key."

Gu Changzhou: "Then we'll find the corresponding positions on the stone gate according to the order of these symbols."

The group arrived at the stone gate and began to search for the corresponding positions on the stone gate according to the order of the symbols on the light screen.

However, when they found the last symbol, they discovered that there was no corresponding position on the stone gate.

Li Qing asked anxiously, "How could this be? Did we come to the wrong place?"

Just then, the mysterious bead suddenly shone brightly again, and a beam of light shot towards the top of the stone gate.

Everyone looked up and discovered a hidden symbol above the stone gate, the very one they had been searching for.

Liu Sijun: "So that's where it is. Let's quickly arrange these symbols in order."

The group quickly arranged the symbols on the stone gate in order. The moment the last symbol was in place, the stone gate made a rumbling sound and slowly opened.

Li Qing shouted excitedly, "It's a success!"

The group entered through the stone gate, behind which lay an even more mysterious space, filled with a powerful force of spacetime that made them feel dizzy.

Liu Sijun: "The spacetime power here is much stronger than what we encountered before. We need to be careful."

Just then, a group of phantoms suddenly appeared in the space. These phantoms were people they had known before, but their eyes revealed an evil aura.

"Do you think you can get through here easily? Today is your doomsday," the phantoms said in unison.
Liu Sijun's eyes sharpened, and he quickly activated the Eye of the Void, while simultaneously mobilizing the power of the Void Spirit Crystal to condense a spiritual energy shield in front of him to guard against any unforeseen events.

Gu Changzhou gripped the Molin Sword tightly, the power of the stars flowing across its blade, emitting a cool light.

He flashed forward like a black lightning bolt towards a phantom, his Ink Scale Sword slashing towards the phantom's head with sharp sword energy.

However, the sword energy passed through the phantom's body without causing it any damage.

"These phantoms are formed by the power of spacetime, and ordinary attacks are ineffective against them."

Gu Changzhou frowned and quickly retreated back to the group.

Xu Hechen formed hand seals and chanted incantations, casting a binding spell in an attempt to trap the illusion.

However, the phantoms only paused briefly before easily breaking free of the restraining spell and continuing to approach the group.

Xu Hechen: "This won't do. We need to find their weaknesses."

Li Qing controlled the Fire Phoenix, which cried out and spread its wings, unleashing the Netherworld Purifying Fire as it charged towards the phantoms.

When the flames touched the phantoms, they only caused their bodies to tremble slightly, without causing any real damage.

"Damn it, these flames aren't working either."

Li Qing gritted her teeth and increased the input of spiritual power, trying to make the fire phoenix's flames even stronger.

Tong Lei's golden roc phantom circled in the air, letting out a loud cry, and a huge wind pressure pressed down on the phantoms.