Chapter 1073
A Slight Sign of Joy
"Hmph, a mere demon wolf dares to block our way?" Master Qingyang sneered, sheathed his longsword, and turned to continue forward.
The four traveled swiftly and finally arrived at the entrance to the ancient ruins. Before them stood a massive stone gate, its surface covered with ancient runes that shimmered with a faint light.
“This is our destination.” Bai Yunzi stared at the runes on the stone gate. “These runes seem to be a kind of seal, used to prevent outsiders from entering.”
"Then how do we get in?" Dan Yan asked, frowning.
“Let me try,” Bai Yunzi said, stepping forward and gently touching the runes on the stone door with both hands. He closed his eyes and muttered incantations, as if communicating with the runes.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, a hint of joy on his face: "I understand, these runes are an ancient locking array, which can only be unlocked by those who know specific incantations."
"Then hurry up and untie it," Yang Ling urged.
Bai Yunzi nodded, took a deep breath, and began chanting the incantation. As his incantation rang out, the runes on the stone gate began to flash with an even brighter light.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from the stone gate, pointing straight to the sky. Then, the stone gate slowly opened, revealing a deep passage.
Bai Yunzi said happily, "Let's go in quickly."
The four exchanged a smile and stepped into the passage without hesitation. The stone walls on both sides of the passage were also covered with ancient runes, shimmering with a faint light, as if telling a story.
They proceeded cautiously when suddenly, a strange fluctuation arose ahead. Master Qingyang frowned: "Everyone be careful, there might be a trap ahead."
As soon as he finished speaking, countless sharp arrows suddenly shot out from the stone walls on both sides of the passage, heading straight for the four of them.
"Get out of the way!" Yang Ling shouted, his figure moving like lightning, instantly dodging the attack of the sharp arrow.
Dan Yan then formed hand seals, his body surrounded by flames, burning away all the arrows shot at him.
Master Qingyang and Master Baiyunzi were equally swift, using their movement techniques to escape unscathed. However, the arrows seemed endless, continuously shooting out from the stone wall.
"This won't do; we must find the location of the mechanism!" Master Qingyang shouted as he dodged the arrows.
A glint of light flashed in Bai Yunzi's eyes: "These arrows seem to have been shot from a specific location. Let's split up and search."
The four immediately split up and carefully searched for the location of the mechanism. Suddenly, Yang Ling's eyes lit up: "I found it!" He reached out and pressed his hand on a protrusion on the stone wall, and the runes on the stone wall suddenly flashed with an even brighter light.
Immediately afterward, the arrow attack ceased abruptly. The four continued onward. They passed through a passage and arrived at a huge stone chamber. In the center of the chamber was an ancient magic circle, and in the very center of the circle sat a longsword gleaming with golden light.
"Is that the legendary divine sword?" A burning light flashed in Dan Yan's eyes.
“That’s right, that’s what we’re looking for.” Master Qingyang stared at the divine sword. “However, obtaining it won’t be so easy.”
As soon as he finished speaking, beams of light suddenly lit up the stone chamber, and then four huge stone statues rose from the ground, surrounding the four of them.
"This is a gargoyle guarding the Divine Sword; we must be careful," Bai Yunzi warned.
Suddenly, the four gargoyles came to life, wielding enormous weapons and launching a fierce attack on the four. Master Qingyang took the lead, wielding his longsword as he fought the gargoyles.
Yang Ling and Dan Yan each faced a gargoyle, engaging in fierce combat. Bai Yunzi silently chanted incantations, his hands forming hand seals, ready to support his teammates at any moment. The battle was exceptionally intense, with sword energy crisscrossing and flames surging within the stone chamber. Although the four gargoyles were powerful, they gradually became overwhelmed by the combined attacks of the four.
Finally, with a deafening roar, the last gargoyle was struck down. The four exchanged a smile and walked towards the location of the divine sword.
Master Qingyang reached out to touch the hilt of the divine sword, but at that moment, a sudden change occurred. The divine sword suddenly burst forth with intense light, enveloping the entire stone chamber in golden light.
"What's going on?" Yang Ling exclaimed.
Bai Yunzi frowned: "This divine sword seems to have a spirit; it is choosing its own master."
A burning desire flashed in Dan Yan's eyes: "Then let's each rely on our own abilities and see who can gain the divine sword's approval!"
The four exchanged glances and reached out to touch the divine sword. However, the sword seemed to possess a spirit; after spinning once in their hands, it finally flew towards Qingyang Zhenren.
Master Qingyang was taken aback, then a look of joy appeared on his face: "Thank you for the recognition of the divine sword!" He gripped the hilt of the divine sword tightly and felt a powerful force surge into his body.
Seeing this, the other three also congratulated Master Qingyang on obtaining the divine sword. They knew that this divine sword was extraordinary, and with it, Master Qingyang's strength would reach a new level.
"What should we do next?" Yang Ling asked.
Master Qingyang took a deep breath: "Now that we have obtained the divine sword, we can say that we have completed half of our mission. However, it seems that there are still more secrets hidden in this ruin. We might as well continue to explore."
"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Bai Yunzi nodded in agreement. "We might even find other treasures."
So the four of them continued on their journey, exploring the ruins. They encountered all sorts of challenges and traps, but they overcame them all through teamwork.
Soon after, they arrived at a huge basement. In the center of the basement was an ancient stone platform, on which sat a tattered book.
"What kind of book is this?" Dan Yan walked forward curiously, wanting to open it and take a look.
However, the moment he touched the book, the entire basement suddenly shook, and mysterious lights lit up on the surrounding walls.
"Oh no! We've triggered some kind of mechanism!" Bai Yunzi exclaimed.
The four of them immediately looked around warily, only to see the light on the wall growing brighter and brighter until it finally converged into a beam of light that shot straight up to the ceiling.
Immediately afterwards, a huge crack appeared in the ceiling, and a massive figure flew out and rushed straight at the four of them!
The four looked up and saw a huge figure circling in the air. It was an ancient phoenix, its feathers shimmering with a crimson-gold light, and its eyes like blazing flames, revealing majesty and power.
"This is... a phoenix?" Yang Ling said in astonishment, his eyes filled with awe.
“No, this is a phantom of the phoenix, the guardian of this ruin,” Bai Yunzi said in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on the phoenix in the sky, as if searching for a way to break the illusion.
The phoenix let out a deafening cry, and with a flap of its wings, flames surged and heat waves rolled through the stone chamber. The four had no choice but to use their internal energy to resist the scorching temperature.
"We must defeat it to continue exploring this ruin," said Master Qingyang, gripping his divine sword tightly, his expression resolute. (End of Chapter)