Chapter 292: Stop!

Wang Zhenqiu's situation was not optimistic either, as he faced two opponents attacking simultaneously. But he seemed long accustomed to such scenes; there was not the slightest panic on his face. His fists struck out like a violent storm, every move filled with power and precision, forcing those two to retreat repeatedly.

Across the entire battlefield, the sounds of various weapons clashing and the vibrations caused by the unleashing of skills echoed from all directions. Although the opposing side was more numerous and each possessed a set of special attack methods, by relying on years of tacit cooperation and an extremely high degree of familiarity with each other's abilities, these three young warriors still firmly controlled the key points of the shifting situation.

Just as the fierce battle between the two sides reached a white-hot stage, a shout suddenly came from not far away, "Stop! What are you doing?" A deep, powerful voice interrupted the melee. Everyone was stunned and turned to look toward the source of the sound—only to see another group of people wearing similar attire and carrying gentle smiles appearing before them...

Hearing this voice, Xiao Qing, who had been preparing to strike again, stopped her movements abruptly and turned to look. "It really is Master!" she said, almost shouting, her face full of surprise. The others also ceased their offensives, looking suspiciously at the newly appeared figures.

It was indeed none other than Master Lao Li, whom they respected deeply in their hearts. And following beside him were several familiar faces, the very good friends they trained with every day. This scene caught everyone on the field off guard.

"Ma... Master?" Wang Zhenqiu asked, stuttering, "Why..."

Lao Li smiled, "Oh, that's a long story. Actually, I came out this time to carry out a secret mission, and I didn't expect to run into you on the way. It's a good thing I arrived in time, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Lin Xuan frowned and said, "Then who are these people...?"

"Hehe, these are all my old friends. Because of some misunderstandings, a needless fight almost broke out," Lao Li explained.

At this moment, the thin old man who had previously led the attacking team stepped forward and said in a sincere tone, "It is good that the misunderstanding with you young heroes has been resolved. To tell the truth, we were forced by circumstances just now and had to resort to such a measure. I hope you all will be magnanimous and not take offense."

Upon hearing this, although a trace of confusion still remained in their hearts, since their Master had said so, Xiao Qing and the others did not dwell on it any further. After all, compared to investigating the past, what was more worthy of attention was how to solve the problem at hand.

"Hmm, let's put that aside for now. Hurry and take us to see the mission!" Xiao Qing urged eagerly, a glimmer of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

"Alright, then let's set off," Lao Li nodded and turned to walk toward the depths of the forest.

"Wait a minute," Wang Zhenqiu suddenly called out, looking at his old friend beside him, "What exactly is the content of the mission you mentioned? How come even I didn't know about it beforehand?"

Lin Xuan chimed in from the side, "That's right, I always feel like there are quite a few hidden details in this."

Lao Li smiled slightly but did not answer, only continuing to walk forward: "Follow me and you'll know. Trust me, this will be a very special mission."

Watching their Master's figure gradually moving away, Xiao Qing excitedly nudged her companions: "How about it? Shall we speed up and catch up? I feel like there must be many interesting adventures waiting for us!"

The three of them shared a smile, then strode off in pursuit of Lao Li's figure, disappearing into the dense forest.

Following Lao Li's footsteps, the three passed through the lush jungle and finally arrived at an Ancient Altar hidden under the cover of trees. This place seemed to have long been forgotten by time; the stone-carved pillars were covered in moss, and the surroundings were permeated with a mysterious aura.

"Why did we come here?" Wang Zhenqiu asked suspiciously, his voice revealing a hint of worry.

Lin Xuan looked around: "There must be a special reason. Lao Li never acts without cause."

At this moment, Xiao Qing became excited: "Look at this altar, it's so beautiful! I think there must be many interesting things here waiting for us to discover!" Saying this, she walked quickly toward the center.

Just as everyone was focusing their attention on exploring this ancient ruin, a piercing scream suddenly broke the silence. Several Poison Rats, several times larger than ordinary rats, rushed out from the darkness, their eyes flashing with a ghostly light.

"Ah!" Xiao Qing exclaimed and took a few steps back, "What are these things?"

Wang Zhenqiu immediately blocked the front, "Don't be afraid, leave these things to me!" After saying that, he brandished the weapon in his hand, attempting to drive away these uninvited guests. However, the Poison Rats did not seem to fear ordinary attacks; instead, they swarmed in even more crazily.

Seeing this, Lin Xuan calmly analyzed the situation: "We must find a way to repel these Poison Rats. Xiao Qing, Wang Zhenqiu, protect yourselves and don't get hurt; I will go check if the altar has any mechanisms or clues we can use."

After saying this, he quickly moved to the side of the altar to look for clues. Soon, he discovered a few lines of blurred text and patterns composed of strange symbols in a corner. After a brief moment of thought, Lin Xuan guessed that these might be the key to controlling the entire scene.

Meanwhile, the situation on the other side was not very optimistic. Despite having strong martial power as support, facing the endless stream of highly aggressive enemies, Wang Zhenqiu also began to feel overwhelmed. "This won't do!" he said, gritting his teeth, "Xiao Qing, use your skills to see if you can create some obstacles to block them!"

Receiving the order, Xiao Qing immediately took action, unleashing the ability to generate illusions to confuse the enemy. Sure enough, in front of the phantoms she meticulously constructed, the group of Poison Rats, which had originally had clear targets, suddenly fell into a state of chaos.

Seeing this scene, Lin Xuan seized the opportunity to return to the center of the team: "I think I know what to do! But it requires everyone to cooperate to complete it." He then informed his partners of the information he had just found and proposed the subsequent strategic plan.

"Listen to my arrangements, start acting now! Xiao Qing, continue to use your ability to maintain the status quo; and Wang Zhenqiu, get ready for close-range attacks. As for myself, I will be responsible for operating the mechanism here... Ready?" After receiving an affirmative answer from the two, Lin Xuan decisively activated the device that had been hidden behind the stone pillar and appeared unremarkable.

Instantly, a violent tremor spread throughout the entire area. Immediately following, the underground fissure that had been tightly closed suddenly opened, releasing bursts of thick smoke and a pungent odor. Just as everyone thought this was another wave of danger, the unexpected happened—all the Poison Rats that had been rampaging seemed to have been greatly terrified and scattered in all directions.