Chapter 273: The Shadow's Delivery, Mysterious Ruins

Only then was it seen!

A massive pillar of white light, like a sword of the heavenly gods, slashed straight down, instantly piercing the mysterious figure's defensive light barrier and engulfing a large number of mysterious figures within it.

Wherever the light reached, the mysterious figures let out wretched cries as their bodies gradually dissolved.

Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the mysterious figure leader turned to flee.

How could Lianzen Society give him a chance? His figure flashed, appearing before the leader like a phantom.

"You want to leave? Not so easily."

Li An's eyes were cold as he pressed his long sword against the leader's throat.

"You... you cannot kill me, or you will be trapped in this Shadow Realm forever," the leader shouted in terror.

"Oh? Then tell me, how does one leave?" Li An narrowed his eyes slightly but did not lower his guard.

"The... the exit of this Shadow Realm is protected by a powerful seal. Only by collecting all five Shadow Stones can the seal be opened," the leader said, trembling.

"Where are the Shadow Stones?" Li An pressed.

"They are scattered across five mysterious ruins in this land, but each ruin has a powerful guardian and is full of dangers," the leader answered truthfully.

Li An pondered for a moment, then sheathed his sword: "I will spare your life for now. If you dare to deceive me, I will not show mercy."

The leader, as if granted a great reprieve, scrambled away on hands and knees.

Li An turned to face the women: "We must go seek the Shadow Stones. Though it is dangerous, we cannot retreat."

"My lord Li An, as long as you are with us, we fear nothing," Yuigahama Yui said firmly.

Thus, the group set out on their journey to find the Shadow Stones.

The first ruin was an ancient ghost castle, with dark clouds gathering overhead and lightning flashing amidst thunder.

Before even drawing near, a powerful, eerie aura rushed toward them.

Li An stepped into the castle first; inside, thick fog filled the air, reducing visibility to almost nothing.

Suddenly, a group of ghost soldiers surged out from all directions. Their forms were illusory, yet they wielded sharp blades and let out chilling whistles.

Li An swung his long sword with both hands, chanting a Cursed Technique. Beams of purifying light shot toward the ghost soldiers. Struck by the light, the ghost soldiers let out pained wails but still threw themselves forward relentlessly.

The women also unleashed their Cursed Techniques, engaging the ghost soldiers in fierce battle.

Hiratsuka Shizuka charged into the crowd of ghosts, her fist winds howling; every punch scattered a group of ghosts!

Yukinoshita Haruno's mental attacks precisely sought out the weaknesses of the ghost soldiers, causing them to dissipate even faster.

Yuigahama Yui's Cursed Technique caused thorns to grow on the castle walls, blocking the ghosts' movements.

Xiang Xiang Monan kept watch over everyone's condition from the rear, promptly restoring the stamina and mana of the injured.

After a hard-fought battle, they finally eliminated the ghost soldiers and found the first Shadow Stone deep within the castle.

The Shadow Stone emitted a ghostly blue glow, as if containing endless mysterious power.

Li An picked up the Shadow Stone and felt the powerful mana fluctuations within: "This is only the beginning. Let us press on."

Next, they arrived at a scorching land of magma, the location of the second ruin. Huge columns of fire erupted intermittently from the magma, the heat unbearable.

In the center of the magma stood a massive beast made of flames.

The beast opened its fiery red eyes, saw Li An and the others, let out a thunderous roar, and immediately swung its huge flame claws at them.

Li An quickly unleashed an ice-type Cursed Technique, attempting to lower the surrounding temperature and block the beast's attacks.

Ice and fire collided, hissing loudly and producing vast amounts of steam.

The women were not to be outdone; Yuigahama Yui summoned cool water streams to counter the magma, carving out a path for everyone.

Hiratsuka Shizuka, using the power of the water streams, charged at the beast, her fists carrying tremendous impact as she struck the beast's body again and again.

Yukinoshita Haruno's mental power, like countless sharp blades, pierced into the beast's consciousness, disrupting its movements.

Xiang Xiang Monan anxiously cast healing Cursed Techniques from the rear, ensuring no one was harmed by the extreme heat or the beast's attacks.

Through everyone's combined efforts, the beast was gradually weakened.

Li An seized the moment, fused mysterious power with Cursed Power, and unleashed his strongest strike. A blinding beam of light struck the beast's core.

Roar!

The beast let out a shriek, then collapsed with a boom, dissolving into countless sparks that vanished in the air.

They found the second Shadow Stone amidst the beast's remains.

Afterwards, they successively entered the forest ruin filled with illusions and the abyss ruin shrouded in dark power.

In the forest ruin, they encountered various Illusion Technique traps and fierce demonic beasts. Relying on Li An's wisdom and the women's close cooperation, they turned danger into safety time and again, successfully obtaining the third Shadow Stone.

In the abyss ruin, facing endless dark creatures and powerful dark curses, Li An, with his indomitable will and immense power, broke the curses. Fighting side by side with the women, they defeated the leader of the dark creatures and obtained the fourth Shadow Stone.

At this point, only the last Shadow Stone remained.

They arrived at a mysterious temple floating in the sky. The temple emitted a dazzling light yet also radiated an aura that inspired awe.

When they stepped into the temple, they found it empty.

Only a huge stone platform stood there, covered with intricate runes.

"What is going on?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked in confusion.

Li An examined the runes closely. Suddenly, the runes around the stone platform blazed with intense light, enveloping them.

"No good, it's a trap!" Li An shouted.

Just then, countless mechanical puppets surged out from all directions.

These puppets had hard bodies, sharp weapons, and agile movements.