The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The entrance to the Rift Canyon is like a hideous scar on the earth, extending into a deep darkness. As you approach, the cloying, decaying stench in the air grows stronger, carrying even a hint of spiritual whispers and allure, attempting to seep into your mind and sow seeds of chaos and despair.

The wizard Walter stopped at the entrance, pressing his hands together and chanting a short, powerful incantation. An invisible wave of magic emanated from him, forming a semi-transparent, oval-shaped shield around the group, shimmering with pale gold runes.

"The group elemental shield is effective against conventional physical attacks and a certain degree of environmental energy erosion, but its specific protection against shadow contamination is limited." Walter's voice sounded somewhat muffled within the shield. "Lilith, continuously monitor the concentration and composition of the internal contamination. Rowe, sense the direction of the contamination flow and changes in the core location. Edgar, scout ahead, watch out for traps and lurking enemies. The rest of you, maintain combat formation and follow!"

The team carefully stepped into the crevice.

The interior was not the narrow passage one might expect, but rather an unusually spacious underground space. The dome soared high, suspended by numerous stalactites emitting a pale, eerie green phosphorescence, providing a faint light source. The ground was covered with twisted, pulsating black fungal carpets, and visible black dust—highly condensed particles of shadow energy—floated in the air.

Under the [Low-Energy Vision], Luo Wei saw that the entire space was filled with a dense negative energy field, and the strongest source came from a black, fleshy structure deep within the space that was constantly expanding and contracting, like a giant heart. Countless thick "blood vessels" made of shadow energy converged on it from all directions.

"High-concentration pollutant aggregate detected, suspected to be the energy core of the stronghold, located about 300 meters directly in front." Luo Wei immediately reported, while feeling waves of nausea and dizziness. Even with the shield filtering it, directly sensing that level of pollution source put immense pressure on his mind.

"It's the 'Shadow Faith Core'!" Lilith stared at the violently trembling detection compass in her hand, her voice tinged with tension. "It's actively absorbing and converting the surrounding energy, expanding the area of ​​contamination, and continuously creating shadow slaves! It must be destroyed!"

"Keep moving forward, stay alert!" Walter ordered.

The team advanced with difficulty through the dark underground space. The fungal carpet underfoot was sticky and uncomfortable, as if they were stepping on some kind of living thing. Occasionally, a few shadow servants would pounce out from the shadows; they were more solid and faster than those outside, but thanks to Walter's precise targeting and Rowe's timely purification of the contamination, they did not pose much of an obstacle.

However, as they went deeper, things began to get tricky.

"Attention! Abnormal energy reaction ahead!" Edgar's voice came from ahead, urgent.

The passage ahead narrowed, and dozens of black cysts resembling silkworm cocoons were embedded in the rock walls on both sides. They pulsated rhythmically, their surfaces covered with distorted human face reliefs, emanating an extremely unsettling mental fluctuation.

"It's a 'Whispering Cyst'!" Lilith's expression changed slightly. "They continuously release psychic interference waves, eroding willpower and inducing inner fear and chaos! Don't stare at them for too long!"

The words had barely left his lips when a cacophony of whispers, like the murmurs of a million people, pierced through the elemental shield and seeped into everyone's minds. Lowe felt his thoughts begin to stagnate; latent worries and negative emotions were amplified. He could almost hear Harris's screams, Field's questions, and the watchful gaze of that shadowy figure…

"Hold your mind!" Walter shouted, a more solid magical aura rising from his body in an attempt to dispel the mental interference, but with limited effect. These whispers were not a direct attack, but rather an insidious form of environmental pollution, like mercury seeping into the ground.

Barton and the other guards also showed signs of pain and struggle, and their movements became noticeably slower. Edgar's figure appeared behind a stalagmite not far away; he was covering his ears and his face was pale.

Lilith quickly took out several bottles of light blue potions and distributed them to everyone: "Calming Potion, it can temporarily increase mental resistance, drink it quickly!"

Upon ingesting the potion, a cooling sensation spread, effectively suppressing the noise in their minds. However, the whispers persisted, continuously draining everyone's mental energy like background noise.

"This won't do!" Barton growled. "We're going to be drained by these bastards before we even see the main character!"

Luo Wei suppressed his discomfort, his mind racing. Whispering cysts…mental interference…they are essentially energy fields, chaotic, negative energy fields targeting the mind.

"A field... I need to create a field... a field that can isolate or neutralize this mental interference..." He recalled the principle of the Soul Amulet, which solidifies the intention of tranquility and protection into a stable protective field. Although he couldn't create a complete amulet right now, could he temporarily construct a simplified, localized "Tranquility Field"?

This is more difficult than an "energy flow field" targeting a single source of pollution, as it requires covering a wider area and has more specific requirements—it must be for "tranquility" on a spiritual level.

He closed his eyes and activated the Book of Truth with all his might, frantically deducing the possibilities by combining the optimized plan of the Soul Amulet blueprint with his rudimentary understanding of the "Constant Energy Field Foundation".

[Based on the 'Tranquility' fundamental field model... attempting to expand its scope... combining environmental energy particles for resonance amplification... requiring stable mental energy output as a foundation...]

An extremely complex and unstable temporary force field construction scheme took shape in his mind.

"Master Walter! Captain Patton! Please buy me some time and get as close to me as possible!" Lowe suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse from intense concentration. "I'm trying to create a temporary mental protective zone!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Walter's eyes, but he didn't hesitate: "Barton, tighten the defensive perimeter! Everyone, move towards Rowe!"

The group quickly rallied around Rowe. With a wave of his hand, Walter conjured several walls of flames, temporarily blocking any attacks that might come from other directions.

Luo Wei took a deep breath and poured all his mental energy into this attempt. He no longer tried to fight against the chaotic whispering fields, but focused on recalling the energy frequencies of "tranquility" and "protection" in the soul amulet blueprint, recalling the purity of the moon mushroom, recalling the freshness of the morning dew... He fused these positive and peaceful thoughts with his own mental energy, carefully spreading them outward, trying to form a weak but stable "tranquility" field.

This was an extremely difficult process. The whispers from the outside world relentlessly assaulted the domain he had constructed, like a small boat adrift in a storm. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and a trickle of blood even seeped from his nose. His spiritual energy poured forth like a floodgate bursting.

"Hold on!" Barton growled, raising his shield to shield Rowe's side, as if to share the burden. Lilith then produced an even more precious golden potion, hesitated for a moment, and then held it to Rowe's lips: "A potent mental restoration potion, drink it quickly!"

Luo Wei didn't even have time to thank him before swallowing it whole. An even stronger surge of spiritual energy rushed in, barely managing to keep the domain from collapsing.

Finally, just before Luo Wei was about to collapse, a spherical force field about five meters in diameter, emitting a soft milky white halo, painstakingly took shape!

The moment the force field took shape, the omnipresent, maddening whispers seemed to be isolated by a thick glass dome. Although they could still be heard, their power to strike the soul and disturb the mind was greatly weakened!

Everyone in the field felt refreshed, as if they had been pulled out of the mire and their minds had become clear again.

"It works!" Edgar exclaimed in surprise, his gaze towards Rowe completely changing, now filled with admiration.

Wizard Walter gave Rowe a deep look, his usually stern face betraying his shock: "A range of mental protection... even if it's temporary, this..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear. This had already touched upon the edge of domain-type abilities that only formal wizards could reliably master!

"Maintaining this domain is extremely costly, I can't hold on for much longer!" Lowe said urgently, his body swaying slightly.

"That's enough!" Walter's eyes sharpened. "Barton, Edgar, clean out those cysts! Lilith, prepare the potent purification agent; there might be a high concentration of contaminants leaking after the cysts are destroyed!"

Protected by Rowe's "Silent Barrier," the team's efficiency increased dramatically. Barton and Edgar, like tigers unleashed, swiftly cleared the Whispering Cysts from both sides of the passage. Lilith, meanwhile, precisely tossed vials of holy-glowing potions onto the damaged cysts, thoroughly purifying them of any remaining contamination.

The passage was quickly cleaned up.

Lowe had also reached his limit; the milky-white force field flickered a few times before shattering abruptly. He staggered a step and was supported by Barton beside him.

"Well done, kid!" Patton praised sincerely, handing him a piece of energy rations. "Get back to full strength."

Just then, the massive "Shadow Faith Core" deep within seemed to sense a threat and began to throb violently! An even larger, more malevolent mental shock swept in like a tsunami!

At the same time, a figure dressed in a tattered black robe, wielding a bone staff, and with a distorted shadow mask covering his face, slowly emerged before the core of faith. He was surrounded by a tangible darkness, and the energy fluctuations he emitted had reached the peak of a high-level apprentice, even touching the threshold of a formal wizard!

"Intruders...Defilers of the Holy Land...Die!" A hoarse, overlapping voice came from beneath the mask, filled with fanatical faith and murderous intent.

The Shadow Priest has appeared!

Wizard Walter stepped forward, shielding the weakened Luo behind him, his gaze coldly fixed on the other: "You heretics, your farce should end now."