"They are here!" Senior Qingyunzi's words exploded in our ears like a thunderclap.
My heart trembled, and an unspeakable terror spread through me. "They" referred to those heinous Demonic Cultivators and the Demon Beasts under their control.
"Let's go!" Without time for hesitation, I drew the sword at my waist and rushed out of the tent alongside Xuanfeng and Linger.
Outside the tent, battle cries shook the heavens, and the once-serene valley had now turned into a Shura battlefield. My heart sank lower and lower with every sight of the slaughter before me.
"Lier, watch out!" Xuanfeng's voice rang in my ears as he swung his sword to parry a Demon Beast that lunged at me.
I waved the sword in my hand, mechanically fending off attacks while my mind was in complete chaos. Going on like this was no solution—we had no way of defeating them!
"We must find a way to break through!" Linger's anxious voice came from not far away, but the next second, she was forced back a few steps by a massive black bear Demon Beast.
I was burning with anxiety yet felt utterly helpless. Could it be that we were really going to die here?
In the depths of despair, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind: the Divine Artifact!
I closed my eyes, concentrated, and tried to establish a connection with the Divine Artifact in my hand. A warm power surged from my palm, and I felt as though I were immersed in a warm radiance.
Amidst the void, I seemed to hear a whisper by my ear: "Child, you have finally come..."
I snapped my eyes open, and the sight before me left me utterly astonished. The Divine Artifact emitted a dazzling light, and the surrounding Spiritual Energy seemed to be drawn in, frantically pouring into the artifact. Even more unbelievably, I felt that besides Spiritual Energy, an even more formidable energy was continuously pouring into the Divine Artifact from an unknown dimension!
Could this... could this be the true power of the Divine Artifact?
An unprecedented hope welled up in my heart; perhaps we still had a chance!
I opened my eyes wide and looked at my companions not far away, my mind already made up. I took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing my inner agitation, and shouted to my companions, "I have a way!"
Hearing my voice, Linger and Xuanfeng abruptly turned back, their faces filled with shock and hope. Fighting as they retreated, they closed in toward me.
"Lier, what did you say?" Linger asked eagerly, a trace of tremor in her tone.
"I have a way to deal with them!" I repeated, holding the Divine Artifact up before them. "I can feel that it possesses incomparable power and can help us!"
The gazes of Xuanfeng and Linger fell upon the Divine Artifact, their eyes filled with curiosity and awe. The light emitted by the artifact seemed even brighter now, illuminating the chaotic battlefield around us.
"Is this... is this the key you mentioned earlier that can turn the tide?" Xuanfeng murmured, hope flickering in his eyes.
"That's right!" I nodded. "I can feel that not only can it absorb the surrounding Spiritual Energy, but it can also draw energy from a much more powerful source. If we can use it properly, we might just turn the battle around!"
Linger's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "That's wonderful! I knew you'd find a way!"
Looking at them, a warm current surged through my heart. At this juncture of life and death, we still trusted and supported each other; this bond was stronger than any power.
"There's no time to lose, let's act now!" I said, turning my gaze to Senior Qingyunzi. "Senior, we need your help! We need to repair the Teleportation Array and leave here as soon as possible!"
Senior Qingyunzi nodded and said in a deep voice, "Very well! This old man will go gather the disciples right now and repair the Teleportation Array with all our might! You must all be very careful!"
We agreed that Linger and Xuanfeng would be responsible for gathering the materials needed to repair the Teleportation Array, while Qu Chen and I would seize the time to figure out how to command the Divine Artifact to absorb energy.
With everything arranged, the four of us split up. Qu Chen and I found a relatively safe spot and began to concentrate on studying the Divine Artifact in our hands.
"This power..." Qu Chen held my hand, feeling the energy fluctuations emanating from the Divine Artifact, his brow furrowing slightly. "So vast and majestic, yet so elusive..."
I nodded in agreement. I tried various methods to communicate with the Divine Artifact, but to no avail. The artifact was like a slumbering giant; no matter how hard I tried, I could not awaken its true power.
"Could our previous guess have been wrong?" I said with some discouragement. "Perhaps it isn't as powerful as we imagined..."
"No, I believe in you!" Qu Chen said firmly, "And I believe in it! We just haven't found the right method yet!"
He paused, his gaze falling upon the Divine Artifact, determination flashing in his eyes. "Let's try again. There has to be a way!"
I looked at him, and a spark of hope ignited in my heart. Indeed, no matter what difficulties we encountered, we could never give up!
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, focused all my attention on the Divine Artifact in my hand, and once again tried to establish a connection with it...
Time ticked away second by second, and fine beads of sweat seeped onto my forehead. The Divine Artifact still showed no reaction; it lay quietly in the palm of my hand like a stubborn stone, without the slightest ripple.
"Lier, why don't we take a rest?" Qu Chen said softly, his eyes filled with heartache.
I shook my head and said firmly, "No, I cannot give up! I believe there is a way!"
I closed my eyes once more and sank my consciousness deep into the Divine Artifact. This time, I seemed to enter an entirely new world. This world was filled with bizarre energy fluctuations that surged endlessly like rivers yet remained as distant and unreachable as the stars. I struggled to feel them, to understand them, trying to find a way to resonate with them.
Suddenly, I sensed a trace of a faint fluctuation. This fluctuation was so weak, like a tiny spark in the darkness, vanishing in a flash. Yet I clearly felt its existence, and it acted like a key, unlocking the gate to the core of the Divine Artifact.
I concentrated all my mental energy, grasped this fluctuation tightly, and guided and controlled it bit by bit. As time passed, the fluctuation grew stronger and clearer, eventually transforming into a powerful torrent of energy surging within my body.
I opened my eyes, a radiant surprise filling them. I had succeeded! I had finally found the method to control the Divine Artifact!
"Chen, I've found the way!" I said to Qu Chen excitedly, eager to share this good news with him.
However, before I could finish speaking, I sensed a formidable spiritual pressure approaching from afar. This spiritual pressure was immense, carrying a heavy murderous intent and oppression that shook my heart.
"Not good! Someone is coming!" Qu Chen's expression shifted, and he spoke in a low voice.
Feeling that the situation was dire as well, I hurriedly put the Divine Artifact away.
"They've found us!" Linger's voice came from a distance, filled with anxiety. "They've sent more people!"
No sooner had her voice fallen than several figures appeared within our field of vision. Dressed in black martial attire, holding sharp blades, and wearing cold expressions, they exuded a murderous aura.
"Hand over the Divine Artifact, and we will spare your lives!" one of them said coldly, his voice thick with threat.
Qu Chen and I exchanged a glance, our eyes resolute.
"In your dreams!" Qu Chen let out a cold snort, his longsword flashing out of its scabbard and pointing directly at the intruders. "If you want the Divine Artifact, you'll have to get past me first!"
I gripped the Divine Artifact in my hand, and a surging power rushed to my heart, making me feel full of strength.
Bring it on! I wanted to see just how capable you really were!
Qu Chen took the lead, his longsword dancing like a silver snake, sword Qi crisscrossing to force back the two men at the front. Xuanfeng and Linger also displayed their respective skills, engaging the men in black in chaotic combat.
I channeled Spiritual Power into the Divine Artifact, causing it to emit a dazzling light. A warm current rapidly coursed through my whole body, and my strength felt infinitely amplified. I brandished the sword in my hand, moving with greater speed and ferocity than ever before; wherever the sword Qi reached, the men in black were forced back.
"This power..." I was immensely surprised. This strength was several times greater than what I had felt earlier!
"Lier, the Divine Artifact is absorbing their attack energy!" Qu Chen noticed the anomaly with sharp eyes and shouted, "It can not only repair the Teleportation Array, but also enhance our combat prowess!"
My heart skipped a beat—what an unexpected stroke of luck! I hastily poured even more Spiritual Power into the Divine Artifact, its radiance flared brilliantly, and my power surged along with it.
"Damn it! How did this girl suddenly become so powerful?" The leader of the men in black wore an ugly expression as he brandished his long saber and charged toward me.
I met him without fear. My sword collided with his saber, producing a harsh metallic screech. I felt a tremendous force transmit from the saber, making my arm go numb.
"Lier, be careful!" Qu Chen shouted with worry.
I took a deep breath, gathered all my Spiritual Power onto the sword, and slashed forward fiercely.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, the powerful sword Qi blasted the leader of the men in black backward, and he crashed heavily to the ground, vomiting a mouthful of blood.
"Boss!" the other men in black exclaimed upon seeing this.
"Now's our chance!" Seizing the moment, Qu Chen swung his longsword, and a fierce blade of Qi cleaved one of the men in black in two.
"Let's go!" I shouted. Taking advantage of the enemy's disorder, we fought while retreating, breaking through toward the direction of the Teleportation Array.
"Want to leave? Not that easy!" The leader of the men in black struggled to his feet, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. "Kill them all!"
The men in black swarmed us once again, and we pressed our backs together, resisting with all our might.
Right at that moment, I sensed that the energy absorbed by the Divine Artifact had reached a critical threshold. A formidable surge of power erupted from the artifact, blasting all the surrounding men in black backward.
I turned my gaze toward the Teleportation Array, only to see that the previously dim runes upon it were now glowing with a dazzling light—the Teleportation Array had been repaired!
"Quick! Let's go!" I shouted, taking the lead and charging toward the Teleportation Array...
Suddenly, a powerful suction force pulled at me, lifting my body into the air uncontrollably as Qu Chen's anxious cry echoed in my ear: "Lier—!"