Breaking the Darkness and Forging a New Path
After being engulfed by the dark power, Lu Yao and the others felt their strength draining away as if pulled by countless invisible hands.
Lu Yao tried to struggle, only to find her body growing heavier, weighed down by a boulder of a thousand catties, unable to move even a finger.
Pitch darkness surrounded them, obscuring everything, leaving only the sound of each other's heavy breathing—a wheezing reminiscent of a worn-out bellows struggling in the dark. The air was thick with an oppressive atmosphere, pressing down on everyone like a tangible black fog.
"My... my spiritual power..." Lin Yue's voice carried a trace of a tremor, sounding like the pitiful whine of an injured animal as fear echoed through the dim night.
At that moment, instead of directly attacking the dark power with immortal magic as he usually did, Xuanjizi slowly knelt and swiftly drew a talisman on the ground.
As he squatted, the dust kicked up from the ground slightly pricked everyone's skin.
A resolute look filled his eyes. He knew well that attacking the darkness directly with magic was treating the symptoms rather than the root cause. He had seen similar dark forces in ancient texts; only by combining specific talismans with a mysterious power could the shroud be broken.
Drawing the talisman, he silently chanted an ancient incantation, pouring years of cultivation and wisdom into every stroke. The lines of the talisman emitted a faint glow in the dark—a glimmer of hope—and with each stroke across the ground, a slight tremor could be felt beneath their feet.
The others did not understand his approach, but they asked no questions, simply waiting quietly.
Xuanjizi's movements were swift and powerful, each stroke stirring a breeze that swept across everyone's faces, seemingly pregnant with mighty energy.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Lu Yao's mind. She remembered a magical treasure she had acquired in a previous adventure—Tears of Moonlight.
This treasure might prove useful at a critical moment.
A spark of hope ignited in her heart, feeling like a warm flame glimpsed in a freezing wasteland, bringing a renewed glimmer to everyone's eyes.
"Wait, I have a way!" Lu Yao steeled her voice. Though her body was almost immobile, she managed to fish Tears of Moonlight out from her robes.
The moment her fingers touched the treasure, a refreshing coolness spread from her fingertips throughout her body. The treasure emitted a faint radiance in the dark, shining like a solitary star or a beacon of hope that illuminated their souls.
Seeing this, the Flame Demon let out an angry roar—deafening, like rolling thunder crashing near their ears—and charged straight toward Lu Yao.
Ma Lin, Suyi, and Lin Yue reacted instantly, joining forces to block the Flame Demon's advance.
As Ma Lin parried the Flame Demon's onslaught, the longsword in his hand flashed with a biting cold light, every swing following a unique rhythm born of his self-created swordsmanship. The blade moved like a nimble snake, and each slash produced a sharp whistling sound as it cleaved the air, skillfully neutralizing the demon's ferocious attacks. At the same time, he kept a constant watch on Lu Yao, ready to throw himself recklessly to her defense at the slightest sign of danger.
The battle escalated once more. The surrounding air seemed swallowed by fire and darkness, entangling scorching heat and bone-chilling cold into a potent wave of energy.
The shockwave surged like towering sea waves, slamming into everyone's bodies in successive rolls and inducing bouts of dizziness.
Lu Yao, meanwhile, concentrated hard on activating the treasure.
She felt as though her soul were being yanked through a dark abyss, every flicker of mobilized energy tearing at her consciousness.
Yet a memory flashed through her mind—her master's harsh training sessions of the past, where she had fallen and risen over and over again. Her gaze grew steadfast.
Her spiritual power surged wildly within her, ignoring the suppression of the dark force as it forcibly smashed through barrier after barrier. Sensing her intense will, Tears of Moonlight amplified its radiance at an astonishing speed, as if determined to tear the endless darkness apart completely.
Yet the dark power, sensing a threat, intensified its suppression.
Lu Yao felt her body tightly bound by countless icy ropes, the cords biting into her skin and causing a sharp sting. She could even hear the faint cracking of her bones and skin under the pressure, like dry twigs snapping beneath a foot.
"I cannot give up!" Lu Yao gritted her teeth, reciting the words internally as her teeth ground together with a faint click. The brilliance of Tears of Moonlight in her hand intensified, seemingly resonating with her intent.
Right then, a crack split open across her arm, bleeding a sliver of crimson. A piercing pain shot through her limb, akin to a branding iron, yet her eyes only grew fiercer.
"I... will not lose!" Her words were firm and potent, cutting through the dark to strike at the Flame Demon's core.
No sooner had the words left her lips than a violent backlash surged through her body, and the crack spread rapidly, feeling like countless ants crawling across her arm.
At that critical juncture, the talisman drawn by Xuanjizi suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light. The beam soared toward Tears of Moonlight in Lu Yao's hand like a golden dragon.
When the two forces met, the entire space seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second before unleashing a cataclysmic blast of energy.
Radiance expanded outward from them in a blinding glare that made it nearly impossible to keep one's eyes open. Wherever the light reached, the dark power dissolved like snow under a blazing sun, hissing loudly. The Flame Demon shuddered violently under the impact, emitting a shriek capable of piercing eardrums. Everything around trembled under the mighty force; the ground violently shook, and everyone could distinctly feel the tremor beneath their feet while gorgeous bands of multicolored light danced across the sky like beautiful rainbows.
Reclaiming their strength instantly, Lu Yao and her companions seized the moment to launch a final assault and utterly defeat the Flame Demon.
Cheers erupted all around, filling the air with joy.
Laughter and acclaim intertwined, sounding like a joyous melody playing by their ears.
Ma Lin walked over to Lu Yao and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Looking into her eyes, filled with love and admiration, he said, "You were amazing, Lu Yao!"
Leaning against Ma Lin's chest, Lu Yao blushed slightly as a sweet fragrance, like faint floral notes, lingered around them.
However, just as Lu Yao and the others prepared to leave through the gateway, it suddenly began to shake violently, as if on the verge of collapse.
The tremors emitted a massive roar, reminiscent of a dilapidated cabin battered by a fierce storm.
And beyond the gateway, an even more formidable power seemed to be waiting for them.
Watching the violently shaking and crumbling gateway, Lu Yao and the others wore expressions of deep concern.