Meng Li's words reignited a glimmer of hope in my heart. Yes, Father would definitely be all right! He had promised to watch me become a grandmaster weapon smith!
"Who saved us?" I asked eagerly, wanting to know the identity of our benefactor so that I could repay this life-saving debt in the future.
Meng Li shook her head, her expression somewhat dazed. "I don't know. I only remember that it was utter chaos at the time, countless flashes of swords and blades, and then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself in this cave, and that senior left only one sentence before departing."
"What sentence?" I pressed.
Meng Li looked out of the cave, her tone deep. "He said, the true weapon is in Sunset Valley."
Sunset Valley? I tried hard to recall, but had no impression whatsoever of this place name. It seemed that if I wanted to find this benefactor and resolve the doubts in my heart, I would simply have to wait for an opportunity in the future.
"Where is Sunset Valley? Let's go find the weapon the senior spoke of!" I struggled to stand up, but was pulled back by Meng Li.
"Your injuries haven't healed yet, don't move around." Meng Li looked at me with worry, and only then did I notice that although the wounds on my body had been simply bandaged, they were still throbbing dully, especially my chest, which burned with a fiery pain.
"I'm fine. We must find the weapon as soon as possible and then go back to save Father and the others!" I insisted on getting up. Unable to win against me, Meng Li had no choice but to agree. She helped me put on my clothes and then supported me as we stepped out of the cave step by step.
Outside the cave was a dense forest. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled patches of light on the ground. The air was filled with the damp scent of earth, and the calls of unknown birds echoed from a distance. Everything appeared quiet and serene, seemingly from two entirely different worlds compared to the fierce and tragic battle before.
Following Meng Li's memory, we walked in the direction of Sunset Valley. Along the way, I kept pondering what the senior had said: the true weapon? Could it be that the weapons we used before were fake? Then what was the true weapon? Could it really help us defeat the enemy and save the Wu Family?
At the mere thought of this, my heart was filled with doubt and anticipation. Meng Li seemed to sense my thoughts, gently holding my hand and saying softly, "Don't worry, we will definitely find the weapon and rescue Father and the others."
I turned to look at Meng Li. Although her face still carried a trace of pallor, her gaze was exceptionally firm, as if filled with a glowing light of hope. I turned my hand over to clasp hers, nodded firmly, and secretly vowed in my heart that no matter what, I would protect her well and get through this crisis together!
We walked unsteadily through the forest, taking deep and shallow steps. The rugged mountain paths and dense vines added no small amount of difficulty to our journey. Meng Li's injuries had not yet fully healed, and every step she took looked exceptionally difficult, but she always gritted her teeth and persisted, without uttering a single word of hardship.
Seeing that the sky was growing dark and we still hadn't found Sunset Valley, we couldn't help feeling a bit anxious. Right at that moment, a beast's roar suddenly came from ahead, filled with anger and threat. Clearly, we had disturbed the master of this forest.
A jolt of shock went through my heart, and I gripped the dagger in my hand tighter. This dagger was something Meng Li had picked up along the road of our escape, barely better than nothing. Meng Li also grew visibly nervous; she gently tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "We need to be careful, there seems to be a big guy in this forest."
The roaring sound grew closer and closer. Daring not to press forward, we could only find a thick, sturdy tree, hide behind it, hold our breath, and observe the surrounding movement.
"Roar!" A huge black bear appeared before us, letting out a deafening roar from its mouth, its scarlet eyes scanning all around in search of the intruders' tracks.
A sense of despair suddenly washed over me; given our current state, it was utterly impossible to defeat this ferocious beast. Meng Li also gripped my hand tightly, her knuckles turning white.
At this critical moment, the black bear seemed to have discovered something. It abruptly turned around, sprinted away in another direction, and its massive body vanished into the dense woods.
Both Meng Li and I breathed a sigh of relief. Before we even had time to celebrate, a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering crash came from the direction the black bear had fled, and immediately afterward, the ground began to vibrate violently, as if an earthquake were happening.
"What's going on?" I asked in bewildered shock.
Meng Li shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either, but a hint of joy appeared on her face as she said, "Let's go take a look and we'll know. Perhaps this is the opportunity the senior mentioned."
Tracing the direction from which the sound came, we stumbled all the way there. Crossing the dense jungle, our view suddenly widened, revealing a huge valley. In the center of the valley stood an ancient stone door, and inscribed above the door were three archaic seal-script characters: Sunset Valley.
"Sunset Valley!" Meng Li and I cried out in simultaneous astonishment, our hearts filled with disbelief. We never expected that the Sunset Valley we had been searching for so bitterly would appear before us in this manner.
With no time for hesitation, we hurried toward the stone door. The moment we approached it, we felt a powerful force surge out from within, sucking us straight inside.
After a dizzying spin, we found ourselves in a massive underground space. In the center of the space stood a huge bronze coffin, and surrounding it burned eternal lamps, illuminating the entire area.
Directly in front of the coffin was placed an archaic treasured sword. The sword lay quietly inside its sheath, yet it emitted a heart-palpitating chill.
"Could this be..." I pointed at the sword, my tone filled with disbelief.
Meng Li nodded, an unusual light flashing in her eyes as she said, "That's right, this is the true weapon the senior spoke of!"
I took a deep breath, walked slowly to the sword, and reached out to grasp the hilt. A freezing sensation instantly spread through my entire body, as if I were holding not a treasured sword, but a piece of ten-thousand-year-old ice.
"Hum!" The moment I grasped the sword, it suddenly let out a crisp ring. Immediately after, a powerful force surged out from the sword, instantly filling my entire body. I felt as if I were being lifted by an invisible force, my body feeling light and buoyant, as though I were about to fly.
A thought stirred in my heart, and I bit my finger, letting a drop of fresh blood fall onto the sword body. The blood was instantly absorbed by the sword, which then emitted a dazzling radiance that lit up the entire ancient tomb. An even more formidable power poured into me, and I felt as if I had transformed into an invincible god of war, filled with boundless strength!
"This..." I looked at the sword in my hand, my heart filled with shock.
Meng Li also stared at me in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief. She never could have imagined that this seemingly ordinary treasured sword would possess such a formidable power!
Holding this treasured sword containing mighty power, an unprecedented hope ignited in my heart. Meng Li also seemed to sense my change; she held my hand, her eyes filled with determination: "Let's go back and save them!"
Carrying this light of hope, we returned by the way we came and rushed out of Sunset Valley. Along the way, Meng Li told me that during the time we left the Wu Family to search for the weapon, another faction had seized the opportunity, and by now the Wu Family was completely surrounded.
Our hearts sank instantly, and an ominous premonition enveloped us. We quickened our pace and finally returned to the Wu Family. The scene before our eyes made our eyes split with anger: the main gates of the Wu Family had been breached, courtyard walls had collapsed, buildings were burned, thick smoke billowed, and the sounds of screams and clashing weapons were incessant.
"Dad! Uncle Fang!" Wherever my eyes reached, there were figures of Wu Family disciples fighting bloody battles. They were clearly outnumbered, but every single one of them showed no fear, resisting to the death.
"Let's go!" I gripped the treasured sword in my hand tightly, and a powerful force surged through my entire body. I felt as if I had turned into a god of war, fearless. Meng Li also drew the soft whip from her waist and closely followed behind me.
The enemy clearly had not expected us to suddenly appear, and the treasured sword in my hand radiated a powerful aura that chilled their hearts. Seizing this opportunity, I brandished the sword, a dazzling flash of sword light swept across, and several enemies right before me were instantly cleaved in two.
The sword seemed to possess a life of its own, moving fluidly in my hand, every strike carrying a force that could topple mountains and overturn seas. Wherever it went, enemies fell one after another. I was like a killing machine, harvesting the lives of the enemies.
Yet I did not lose my rationality; in my heart there was only a single conviction: rescue the people of the Wu Family! Meng Li also displayed her extraordinary medical skill, shuttling back and forth across the battlefield to treat the wounded Wu Family disciples.
"It's the Young Master! The Young Master is back!"
"We're saved! The Young Master is back!"
My appearance brought hope to the people of the Wu Family, boosting their morale greatly and making their attacks even more ferocious. However, the number of enemies was simply too great, and I sensed that hiding in the dark, another powerful force was still watching us...
Meng Li stayed by my side. Instead of choosing to hide as she usually did, she chose to fight shoulder to shoulder with me. Her slender fingers moved nimbly, and silver needles flew like rain, landing with precision on the wounded Wu Family disciples. Under her miraculous hands, those clan members who had been on the verge of death miraculously recovered their combat strength and rejoined the fray.
"Meng Li, you're amazing!" I couldn't help praising, my eyes filled with admiration.
Meng Li gave me a slight smile, carrying a trace of fatigue in it, yet the movements of her hands did not pause in the slightest. I knew that she, just like me, was giving her all to protect the Wu Family, to protect our shared home.
My sword technique was expansive and uninhibited, every move carrying an unstoppable momentum. The radiance on the treasured sword grew increasingly brilliant, as if merging with my will. I was like a wild beast driven to a desperate corner, tearing savagely at the enemies before me.
"Kill!" The angry roars of the Wu Family disciples shook the heavens. Encouraged by me, their morale soared, and the situation where they had been steadily retreating was gradually reversed.
"Young Master, we are here!" Uncle Fang led a troop of men charging in from the rear. They were all elite forces of the Wu Family, every single one of them a skilled warrior capable of fighting a hundred opponents alone.
"Uncle Fang!" Joy surged in my heart; the arrival of reinforcements undoubtedly injected a strong shot of adrenaline into us.
"Young Master, you and the Young Miss go first, leave this place to us!" Uncle Fang roared, leading his men to charge into the enemy formation and engage the enemy in a life-or-death struggle.
I knew that now was not the time to relax. Although the enemies had been beaten back, they were not completely routed, and that powerful hidden force in the dark had not yet shown itself. We had to end this battle as quickly as possible, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.
Meng Li and I exchanged a glance, both of us seeing the exact same worry in each other's eyes. Right at that moment, a powerful oppressive force descended from the sky, enveloping the entire Wu Family...