bookcurios Chapter 68 A glimmer of hope
Chapter 68 A glimmer of hope
The stone door trembled violently, and the roar was deafening, as if some ancient beast was about to break out of its cage. Gao Xingchen and others watched all this nervously, their hearts filled with anxiety and fear.
"What are you going to do?!" Lin Feng was shocked and angry, but he didn't dare to act rashly. He could only question in a timid manner.
The mysterious man ignored Lin Feng. He formed seals with his hands, and mysterious runes flew out from his fingertips and merged into the stone door. As the runes merged, the light on the stone door became more and more dazzling, and finally turned into a dazzling white light, covering the entire space.
Gao Xingchen and others subconsciously closed their eyes, and heard buzzing sounds in their ears. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in an unfamiliar environment.
This is a quiet valley, surrounded by towering mountains with clouds and mist lingering between the peaks, like a fairyland.
"Where is this..." Gao Xingchen looked around, his eyes full of confusion.
"This is the deeper part of the illusion." Nan Li observed the surrounding environment vigilantly and said in a deep voice, "It seems that we have been taken to another place by him."
"Who is he? Why does he want to help us?" Ling'er asked puzzledly.
At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in their ears: "Kids, long time no see."
Gao Xingchen and others looked in the direction of the sound and saw a kind figure slowly walking towards them from a distance.
"Grandma Sun?!" Gao Xingchen shouted in surprise. The person who came was none other than Grandma Sun, the beast tamer who had taught him outside the illusion before.
Granny Sun walked up to them with a gratified smile on her face: "Kids, you have done a great job. I have seen your efforts and growth."
"Grandma Sun, why are you here?" Gao Xingchen asked excitedly, "Are you also trapped in the illusion?"
Granny Sun shook her head: "No, I came in on purpose. I know you are in trouble, so I came to help you."
"Help us?" Gao Xingchen asked puzzledly, "Do you know how to get out?"
"If you want to break the barrier of the illusion, you need to find a treasure called the 'Key of the Heart'." Granny Sun said slowly, "It is hidden deep in this illusion. Only by finding it can you completely break the illusion."
"The key to the soul?" Gao Xingchen murmured to himself, his heart full of doubts and expectations.
"My children, this journey is full of unknown dangers. You must be mentally prepared." Grandma Sun said earnestly, "But please believe that as long as you persist, you will be able to find the 'Key to the Heart' and break the shackles of the illusion!"
Gao Xingchen and others looked at each other, their eyes filled with determination.
New clues, new hopes, they decided to follow Granny Sun's guidance, go deep into the illusion, and look for the "key of the heart" that can break everything!
Grandma Sun's words are like a beacon, illuminating the confused road ahead for Gao Xingchen and others. Finding the "key to the soul" is the only hope to break the illusion and escape.
"Granny Sun, do you know what the 'Key to the Heart' is? And where is it?" Gao Xingchen asked impatiently.
A trace of solemnity emerged on Granny Sun's kind face: "I have no idea what the 'Key of the Heart' is. But according to ancient records, it exists in the center of the illusion, which is the area with the strongest power in the illusion, but also full of dangers."
"The center area..." Gao Xingchen muttered to himself, feeling a little uneasy.
"Don't be afraid, kids," Granny Sun seemed to see through their thoughts and encouraged them softly, "I will do my best to help you. Remember, if you unite as one, you can overcome all difficulties."
The group set out on a journey to the center of the fantasy world. The scenery along the way is magnificent and fantastic, but also lurks a murderous plot.
The towering giant trees have intertwined branches and leaves, forming a green ocean that blocks out the sun, but huge poisonous insects lurk among them from time to time, waiting for an opportunity to strike; the crystal clear lake is sparkling and beautiful, but at the bottom of the lake there is a ferocious water monster hidden, which may launch a fatal attack at any time.
Faced with these sudden dangers, Gao Xingchen and others did not dare to slack off at all and remained highly vigilant at all times.
With his ability to communicate with the fantasy beasts' minds, Gao Xingchen can always sense the approaching danger in advance and command his fantasy beast companions to fight bravely.
Ling'er uses her flexible body movements and exquisite hidden weapon skills to give the enemy unexpected blows in battle.
Nan Li, this seemingly weak woman, showed amazing strength in the battle. She was agile and ruthless, and every move hit the vital points, like a soul-seeking Shura walking out of hell.
The dagger in her hand turned into silver light, moving between the phantom beasts, causing bursts of blood. Those phantom beasts that were originally extremely ferocious were like lambs to be slaughtered, unable to fight back in front of her.
"Nanli, you are so awesome!" Ling'er couldn't help but exclaimed, her eyes full of admiration.
"It's just some trifling tricks." Nanli said lightly, but there was a barely perceptible arrogance in her tone.
Gao Xingchen looked at the heroic woman in front of him, his heart full of curiosity. He felt that Nan Li seemed to be hiding many unknown secrets.
After overcoming all obstacles along the way, Gao Xingchen and his companions finally reached the center of the illusion. However, the scene before them made everyone gasp.
The center of the illusion was not the paradise that one had imagined, but a dead and desolate black desert. The sky was shrouded in thick black fog, without a single ray of light, and the cold wind and sand whistled past, rolling up waves of creepy whimpering sounds.
"Is this... the center of the illusion?" Ling'er's voice trembled a little. She subconsciously moved closer to Nanli, seeking a sense of security.
Nan Li looked around with vigilant eyes and said in a deep voice, "Be careful, it's dangerous here."
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge sandworm broke out of the sand and pounced towards everyone with its bloody mouth wide open.
"Be careful!" Gao Xingchen shouted, commanding the golden-winged eagle to swoop down, and its sharp claws grabbed the sandworm's eyes fiercely.
The sandworm felt the pain and twisted its body wildly, raising a cloud of dust.
"Its weakness is in the head!" Nan Li's figure flashed and turned into a residual shadow. The dagger in his hand pierced the sandworm's eyes like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
"Puchi!" The sound of a sharp blade entering flesh was heard, and the sandworm let out a shrill scream. Its huge body fell to the ground with a bang, stirring up dust all over the sky.
"So awesome!" Ling'er couldn't help but exclaim. She was amazed by Nan Li's agility and ruthlessness.
Nan Li, however, looked indifferent, as if she had only done something insignificant.
"Keep going, be careful and alert."
Gao Xingchen and his companions continued to go deeper into the black desert and encountered attacks from various bizarre beasts along the way, but they were all resolved one by one.
Although Ling'er is not as strong as Nanli and Gao Xingchen, she is meticulous and observant. She can always find some clues in battle and remind her companions in time.
"Look, the attack methods of these phantom beasts seem to have some pattern, as if they are controlled by some kind of force." Ling'er said, pointing at the corpses of the phantom beasts on the ground.
"You mean, someone is controlling these phantom beasts?" Gao Xingchen asked.
"It's very likely," Nan Li nodded, "The ability to control fantasy beasts is only possessed by the Dark Alliance."
"'Dark Alliance'..." A cold light flashed in Gao Xingchen's eyes. If it was really them, then things would be troublesome.
"It seems that we are getting closer and closer to the truth." Nanli said in a low voice, with a hint of solemnity in his tone.
After several days of arduous trekking in the black desert, Gao Xingchen and his companions finally found a place that was out of tune with the surrounding environment.
It was an ancient altar, built entirely of black boulders, exuding a gloomy and terrifying atmosphere. In the center of the altar, a crystal stone emitting colorful light was suspended, which was the "Key to the Heart" they had been looking for!
"Found it!" Gao Xingchen was delighted and was about to step forward, but was stopped by Nan Li.
"Be careful, there might be a trap!" Nan Li said in a deep voice.
Almost at the same time, a powerful pressure descended from the sky, covering the entire altar.
"Who is it?!" Gao Xingchen was startled and looked up, only to see a mysterious figure in a black robe and a mask slowly descending from the sky...