Atkin

Chapter 554: Stone Gate Forbidden Land

As Xing'e stepped into that mysterious place, a chill ran up his spine.

Before their eyes, Li Ying and some of Xiu Yanxu's disciples formed a semi-moon shape and surrounded them tightly.

These disciples had different expressions. Some had evasive eyes and guilt written all over their faces, and it was obvious that they were still struggling inside; some had fanatical eyes and were completely bewitched by Li Ying and had already become his vassals.

Xing'e took a deep breath, suppressed the shock and anger in her heart, opened her eyes wide, stared at Li Ying, and asked word by word: "Li Ying, what do you want to do? Why are you guarding here with so many people?"

At this moment, countless thoughts seemed to be spinning rapidly in her mind. She was full of worries about the future of Xiu Yanxu and tried desperately to guess Li Ying's sinister conspiracy.

Li Ying raised his lips in a smile, tilted his head slightly to one side, and responded sarcastically: "Hey, it should be me who asked you, how come you got there first?"

He folded his hands over his chest, raised his chin slightly, and glanced proudly at the disciples around him, as if showing off his "great achievements" to the whole world.

He knew in his heart that with these followers backing him up, he could act without scruples and did not take Qiao Zhou and Xing E seriously at all.

Qiao Zhou's face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it. A cold light flashed in his eyes, like a sharp blade unsheathed in the cold night.

He took a step forward, and the ground beneath his feet seemed to be unable to bear the weight and trembled slightly. The spiritual energy around him was like a turbulent undercurrent, surging wildly.

The friendship of many years turned into endless disappointment and anger at this moment. He clenched his teeth and squeezed out every word: "Li Ying, you betrayed Xiuyanxu and trespassed into the forbidden area. Today is the day you die!"

Every word seemed to be wrapped in ice, filled with his loyalty to Xiu Yanxu and his deep hatred for traitors.

He knew in his heart that if Li Ying was not dealt with today, Xiuyanxu would fall into an abyss from which there would be no escape.

Li Ying raised his head and laughed. The laughter was sharp and piercing, and it kept echoing in the cave, revealing endless arrogance and disdain: "Death date? Don't joke. Now I have many followers, and I have the final say in this forbidden land of Shimen!"

He waved his hand violently, and the ghostly spirit crystal in his hand instantly burst out with a strange light, like an evil eye opened in the darkness.

The disciples around him understood what he meant and quickly drew out their Lingxi Blades. The blades flashed coldly under the dim light, and everyone assumed attacking stances in unison.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the cave was extremely tense, as if it was a string stretched to the extreme and could break at any time.

At the critical moment, Xing'e quickly moved closer to Qiao Zhou and said in a low voice, "Elder Qiao Zhou, don't be anxious yet. Let's see what they are going to do."

Qiao Zhou nodded slightly, but his eyes were still fixed on Li Ying, without any slackness in his eyes, like a cheetah staring at its prey.

Seeing this, Li Ying laughed even more wildly, and the muscles on his face were twisted and looked a little ferocious: "Why, are you scared? It's too late! Today, none of you will leave alive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he danced his hands quickly, his ten fingers changing complex gestures like nimble snakes, and a beam of spiritual power wrapped in black mist shot towards Qiao Zhou at lightning speed, like an arrow from a bow.

Qiao Zhou's eyes flashed, his pupils shrank instantly, and his whole body was like a black lightning. He quickly dodged sideways and raised his arms. Spiritual power quickly condensed in his palms, forming a light blue shield to resist.

The beam of spiritual energy hit the wall of the cave with a deafening sound, and gravel flew like raindrops. One of the gravel brushed Qiao Zhou's cheek, leaving a shallow blood mark.

Inside the cave, it was dead silent as ink. The oppressive atmosphere was like an invisible hammer, striking hard at everyone's hearts.

Xing'e's chest heaved violently, and every breath was filled with strong anger. She stared at Li Ying, and the burning hatred in her eyes seemed to be able to ignite the air.

"Li Ying, you betrayed Xiu Yanxu, today is your end!" Xing'e clenched his teeth and spoke word by word. His voice was low but revealed his unquestionable determination.

Xiu Yanxu is her faith and her roots. Li Ying's betrayal has made the anger in her heart surge like a flood. At this moment, only bringing the traitor to justice can calm her inner anger.

Qiao Zhou stood straight, like a pine tree. In this tense situation, he looked calm, but his eyes hid deep regret. He gently raised his hand, placed it on Xing'e's shoulder, and said calmly: "Xing'e, don't be anxious, impulse can't solve the problem."

Years of practice have enabled him to develop a calm character in the face of danger, but how could he remain calm when faced with betrayal by his fellow disciples?

But he knew very well that only by staying calm could he find a chance of survival in this desperate situation.

When Li Ying heard Xing'e's angry rebuke, he was not afraid. Instead, he raised his head and laughed wildly. His laughter was sharp and piercing, echoing in the cave, just like the cry of a night owl, which made people's backs cold.

"Doomsday? Just the two of you? This is ridiculous! Today, this is where you will be buried!" Li Ying laughed wildly and took a step forward with his arms folded across his chest. The pride and arrogance on his face spread wantonly, and his eyes were full of fierceness, as if he had already regarded Qiao Zhou and Xing E as his possessions and did not take them seriously at all.

Following Li Ying's movements, the disciples behind him quickly clenched the glowing Lingxi Blade in their hands. The blade flashed a cold light in the darkness, and the temperature in the cave seemed to drop to freezing point in an instant.

They were like hungry beasts, waiting for Li Ying's order and then pouncing on their prey.

At this moment, a low humming sound came from the depths of the cave. The sound seemed to come from the depths of endless time and space. It brought with it an ancient and powerful force, instantly breaking the tense confrontation and attracting everyone's attention.

Everyone's eyes were directed towards the depths of the cave, adding a bit of tension and curiosity to the already tense atmosphere.

Li Ying's smile froze instantly, and a barely perceptible panic flashed across his eyes, but he quickly put on a show of calmness and snorted coldly: "They're just some little tricks, you want to scare me? Not that easy!" Although he spoke tough, his body tensed up unconsciously, and he secretly gathered his spiritual power, just in case.

Qiao Zhou and Xing'e looked at each other and saw confusion and vigilance in each other's eyes.

Xing'e lowered her voice, her eyes full of vigilance: "What's that sound?"

Qiao Zhou frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the direction where the sound came from, and said in a deep voice: "I don't know, but this power should not be underestimated, so be careful." As the buzzing sound got closer, the air in the cave seemed to be stirred by an invisible pair of big hands, and everyone's clothes rustled.

Suddenly, a dazzling light shot out from the depths of the cave, blinding everyone.

As the light gradually dissipated, a figure emitting a soft halo slowly emerged.

This person was holding a glowing spirit feather staff, with strange patterns carved on the staff, each of which seemed to be telling an ancient story. He had a gentle face, but exuded an elusive aura.

"This is where spiritual energy gathers. How can we allow you to fight here at will!" The voice of the person who came was calm, but it carried unquestionable majesty and echoed in the cave for a long time.

Li Ying's face darkened, and he wondered in his heart whether this person who suddenly appeared was an enemy or a friend. If he acted rashly, the situation would be unclear and it might be disadvantageous to him.

But he was unwilling to give up the advantage in front of him so easily, so he pretended to be calm and sneered: "Who are you? Mind your own business!"

The visitor ignored Li Ying's provocation, and his eyes slowly swept over the crowd, finally landing on Qiao Zhou and Xing E. He nodded slightly and said, "The inheritance of Xiuyanxu cannot be destroyed by civil strife. I came here today to quell this dispute."

Qiao Zhou's heart moved, and he intuitively felt that this person might be the key to resolving this crisis, so he bowed and said, "I hope that senior can give me some advice."

Just when everyone was in a stalemate, the spiritual energy in the cave suddenly fluctuated violently. The originally calm ground began to tremble slightly, and gravel fell from the top of the cave.

Some of the disciples behind Li Ying showed fear on their faces and unconsciously took a few steps back.

Xing'e and Qiao Zhou quickly adjusted their states, with spiritual energy circulating throughout their bodies, ready to deal with any emergency at any time.

Seeing this, the mysterious man frowned slightly, and gently waved the spirit feather staff in his hand. A soft light spread out, temporarily stabilizing the fluctuations of the spiritual energy.