Chapter 118: Setting Out

Cheng Xi charged into the enemy formation, her Long Sword weaving blossoms of sword light; wherever she went, the half-human, half-demon monsters screamed and fell to the ground.

Her sword technique was sharp and ruthless, each strike aimed directly at the monsters' vitals, the blade slicing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

Li Zhi'an was not to be outdone; he quickly formed seals with his hands, and the Spirit Essence around him surged, transforming into golden Runes that flew toward the monsters.

Wherever the Runes touched, the monsters' bodies were instantly scorched, emitting bursts of black smoke as they rolled and struggled on the ground in agony. Seeing this, the disciples' morale soared, and they brandished their weapons to join the battle.

Some cast spells, others engaged in close-quarters combat; for a time, the sounds of battle cries and clashing spells intertwined, echoing across this open ground.

The lead monster saw its subordinates suffering heavy casualties, a flash of ruthlessness in its eyes; it suddenly roared at the sky, the sound causing the surrounding trees to rustle.

Immediately after, its body began to swell, its skin became rougher, and its original features twisted and deformed, taking on an even more hideous and terrifying appearance.

It kicked off with its legs, charging toward Cheng Xi like a cannonball, its massive claws whistling through the air as they aimed straight for Cheng Xi's throat.

Cheng Xi's eyes sharpened; she calmly sidestepped, easily evading the monster's attack. Taking advantage of the monster's momentum being broken, she turned her Long Sword, the blade grazing the monster's arm and instantly leaving a deep wound from which dark green blood gushed out.

The monster roared in pain, its other claw flailing even more frantically, but Cheng Xi was agile, dodging left and right, consistently causing the monster's attacks to miss.

Li Zhi'an observed the battle from the side; seeing Cheng Xi locked in a stalemate with the lead monster, his heart stirred, and he quickly changed his hand seals while chanting. Suddenly, he shouted, "Break!"

A golden light shot from his hands, heading straight for the monster. The monster sensed danger and tried to dodge, only to find its body bound by an invisible force, unable to move.

The light struck the monster instantly; the monster let out a shrill scream as its body was pierced by the light, and it crashed to the ground with a boom.

With the lead monster dealt with, the other underlings lost their footing. Cheng Xi, Li Zhi'an, and the others seized the opportunity to attack, quickly wiping out the entire group of monsters. Everyone looked at the corpses of the monsters covering the ground and let out a sigh of relief.

Cheng Xi sheathed her Long Sword and walked over to the stones emitting a faint glow, observing them carefully. The surfaces of these stones were carved with strange Runes, which flickered with a dim light.

She reached out to touch a stone, a cold sensation traveling up her fingertips; at the same time, she faintly sensed something unusual about the stone, which was extremely similar to the power of the Altar she had felt in the Ancient Tomb before.

"These stones must be related to Ye Wujin's new Altar." Cheng Xi looked up at Li Zhi'an, her expression grave.

Li Zhi'an nodded: "It seems Ye Wujin is already active on Wanxing Mountain; these stones might be the key items he is using to open the Star Gate."

Just then, a disciple found a tattered booklet in the nearby grass. He picked it up and handed it to Cheng Xi: "Miss Cheng, look at this."

Cheng Xi took the booklet and opened it to find information about the Star Gate and parts of Ye Wujin's plan recorded within.

It turned out that Ye Wujin intended to use these stones to build a new Altar deep within Wanxing Mountain and, through some ancient ritual, forcibly open the Star Gate. The time for opening the Star Gate was just three days away.

"Three days? Time is tight!" Li Zhi'an said, frowning. "We must find Ye Wujin's new Altar as soon as possible and stop his plan."

Cheng Xi closed the booklet. "According to the records in this booklet, the new Altar should be in the core area of Wanxing Mountain. The terrain there is complex and fraught with danger, and Ye Wujin must have set up heavy defenses in the surroundings; we need to prepare well."

The group returned to their lodging and shared this news with Jiang Zhongqiao and Dean Yan.

After listening, Jiang Zhongqiao pondered for a moment before saying: "The core area of Wanxing Mountain has always been a forbidden zone; legend has it that powerful Demons are sealed there, and ordinary people have a slim chance of survival if they enter. Ye Wujin chose to build the Altar there precisely because he saw the danger, which can block others' paths."

Although Dean Yan did not like Cheng Xi, this was not the time to act on impulse, so he said: "But we cannot retreat because of the danger; once the Star Gate is opened, the consequences will be unimaginable. We must find a way to break in."

Jiang Weiran rushed back from the Library Pavilion at this moment, holding an ancient book in his hand, and said excitedly: "I found records about the core area of Wanxing Mountain in an ancient book."

"It is said that there is a secret passage in the core area, which can only be opened at a specific time with the help of specific power."

Cheng Xi's eyes lit up: "In that case, the stones we have might be able to open that passage."

After discussing it, the group decided to set off immediately.

The party followed the winding mountain path toward the core area of Wanxing Mountain. Along the way, they were cautious, constantly alert to the dangers around them.

The depths of Wanxing Mountain were filled with thick fog, and strange sounds faintly emanated from within, making one's hair stand on end. Occasionally, powerful Demon Beasts would appear, but they passed through without incident thanks to Cheng Xi's Invisibility Talisman.

After traveling for an entire night, they finally arrived.

This was a steep valley, the peaks on both sides of the valley towering into the clouds, resembling two massive stone gates. At the entrance of the valley stood a huge stone tablet, carved with Runes identical to those on the stones in their hands.

Cheng Xi stepped forward and embedded the stones in her possession one by one into the grooves on the tablet. As the last stone was embedded, the Runes on the tablet began to flicker, emitting a dazzling light.

Immediately after, a dull rumbling sound came from the valley, and the ground began to tremble slightly. The group watched the front nervously, only to see the space at the valley entrance slowly distort, and a faint, shimmering passage appeared before their eyes.

"It worked!" Jiang Weiran shouted excitedly.

Cheng Xi took a deep breath and said: "Everyone, be careful; there is no telling what dangers are hidden behind the passage." With that, she walked into the passage first, and the others followed closely behind her.

The passage was filled with an ancient aura, and the walls flickered with strange light, seemingly guiding their direction. After walking for a while, the passage gradually widened, and a massive cave appeared ahead. The cave was filled with rich Spirit Essence, while also exuding a dangerous aura.

Cheng Xi and the others walked into the cave cautiously, only to see a massive Altar placed in the center of the cave, carved with complex Runes that were of the same lineage as the Runes on the stones and the tablet they had seen earlier.

Standing around the Altar was a group of Ye Wujin's subordinates; seeing Cheng Xi and the others enter, they immediately became alert and drew their weapons.

The leader was a man in black robes who sneered: "You really have some skill to be able to find this place. However, since you've come, don't think about leaving alive." With that, he waved his hand, and his subordinates charged toward Cheng Xi and the others.