The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

There was a slight tremor in his voice, and he was obviously close to his limit.

Although Luo Xiaoyu is reckless, she is full of passion.

She saw that Granny Lin was moving slowly and would be hit by the beast's tail if she wasn't paying attention. Her heart tightened and she pounced over and knocked Granny Lin away.

He was unable to dodge and was hit hard in the chest by the beast's sharp claws.

"Puff!" Luo Xiaoyu flew backwards like a kite with a broken string and fell heavily to the ground. A mouthful of blood spurted out, staining the collar of her clothes red.

"Xiao Yu!" Grandma Lin exclaimed, crawled over tremblingly, and hugged Luo Xiaoyu, her eyes full of sadness and worry.

Doctor Zhang also hurried forward and anxiously checked Luo Xiaoyu's injuries with a frown on his face.

People gathered around and the atmosphere became extremely depressing.

Xiaohong looked at Luo Xiaoyu lying on the ground, her face pale and blood oozing from the corners of her mouth. She could no longer hold back her tears and they welled up in her eyes.

She bit her lips tightly, her heart filled with powerlessness and pain.

She knew that if this continued, everyone would die here.

Just when everyone thought that they were at the end of the road and were about to face a catastrophic disaster, a mysterious old man slowly stood up.

He was not as panicked as the others. Instead, his eyes were calm, with a sense of indifference as if he had seen through everything.

He carefully observed the beast's attack methods, as if he was looking for some pattern.

Suddenly, the old man whispered an ancient spell, his voice low and rhythmic.

His hands drew strange symbols one after another in the air, and these symbols flashed a faint light.

Then, in a peculiar way, he seemed to be communicating with the giant beast.

Everyone was surprised to find that the originally furious beast slowly stopped attacking, and its scarlet eyes gradually returned to calm.

It let out a low roar, as if responding to the old man's call.

Everyone's eyes widened, unable to believe what was happening before their eyes.

How could the beast that was so ferocious just now suddenly become so docile?
Could it be that this mysterious old man really possesses some unknown abilities?
“It…” Elder Chen looked at the scene in front of him, his tone full of uncertainty, even a little confused.

The mysterious old man smiled slightly and did not answer. He just looked at the giant beast deeply, then slowly turned around and looked at everyone.

"Now, it's time to move on..." he said softly.

After the giant beast stopped attacking, it actually let out a long roar. Its huge body gradually became transparent, and finally turned into a dazzling light, merging into everyone's body.

Everyone only felt a warm current surging through their bodies, a sense of strength filling their limbs and bones, the original fatigue was swept away, replaced by unprecedented strength.

"This...what's going on?" Blacksmith Zhao clenched his fists, feeling the surging power in his body, his face full of shock.

"We... seem to have become stronger!" Although Luo Xiaoyu's injuries had not healed, he was extremely excited, with excitement flashing in his eyes.

Elder Chen closed his eyes and carefully felt the power surging in his body. After a long time, he slowly opened his eyes, with a wise light flashing in his eyes: "This giant beast is not trying to hurt us, but... it is giving us strength! It is not guarding this portal, but us explorers!"

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on, and with confident smiles on their faces, they celebrated this unexpected gain with each other.

The surrounding space seemed to brighten up because of their joy, and the air was filled with a vigorous and positive atmosphere.

The man in white gently wiped the tears from the corners of Xiaohong's eyes, and Xiaohong snuggled in his arms. Grandma Lin looked at them with a gratified smile on her face, and everyone also cast their blessing glances. The whole scene was filled with a warm atmosphere.

"Okay, let's move on!" The mysterious old man broke the brief silence, his voice full of encouragement and expectation.

Everyone calmed down and continued to move forward with high morale. They knew that there were more challenges waiting for them ahead, but they were ready to face all unknown adventures.

Suddenly, a magnificent palace appeared in front of us, magnificent and majestic...

The crowd continued to move forward, passing through a long corridor, and suddenly the view in front of them opened up and a magnificent palace appeared before them.

The entire palace is made of an unknown golden material, emitting dazzling light in the dim cave, like a huge sun that makes it impossible to look directly at it.

The walls of the palace are carved with all kinds of strange patterns, with smooth lines, lifelike and full of mystery.

Everyone was deeply attracted by this sudden magnificent sight, and the excitement in their hearts erupted like a volcano, but at the same time, an inexplicable sense of tension also quietly rose.

They approached the palace cautiously, taking every step with extreme caution.

The gates of the palace were open, as if welcoming their arrival.

Everyone looked at each other and saw desire and curiosity in each other's eyes.

They took a deep breath and stepped into the palace.

The scene inside the palace is even more shocking.

There are all kinds of strange and bizarre treasures, emitting a soft light.

The walls were covered with dense runes, which were beating like living things.

There is a faint fragrance in the air, refreshing the heart.

Everyone felt like they had entered a huge treasure trove, with greed and curiosity flashing in their eyes.

They couldn't wait to take these treasures for themselves, but they were also full of doubts about the mysterious runes.

The atmosphere gradually became tense and restless, like the calm before the storm.

Just when everyone was excited, a strange light suddenly flashed in the depths of the palace.

Countless phantoms appeared out of thin air. They had various shapes, some were like ferocious demons, some were like ethereal ghosts, and some were like strange plants. Each one exuded a heart-pounding breath.

The phantom floated in the palace like a ghost, making low hissing sounds that made people shudder.

These phantoms began to attack everyone. They were extremely fast, like ghosts, and it was hard to defend against them.

Everyone was caught off guard and could only fight hastily, with fear on their faces.

The power of the phantom seems endless, and every attack carries a strong impact, making people feel desperate.

They were like being stuck in a quagmire; the more they struggled, the deeper they sank.

"Ah!" Li the Hunter let out a scream as he was hit hard in the chest by a phantom's claw. He flew backwards and spit out blood.

He struggled to get up, but found that he could not move.

Everyone watched helplessly as their former companion fell to the ground injured, but they were unable to do anything, and their hearts were filled with powerlessness and despair.

The phantom's attacks became more and more fierce, and everyone was gradually at a disadvantage.

Their counterattack seemed pale and powerless, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

The phantoms came like a tide, surrounding them and almost suffocating them.

Just when everyone thought they were about to suffer a devastating disaster, the phantom's attack suddenly stopped.

The mysterious old man slowly raised his head and looked into the depths of the palace. His eyes were filled with solemnity. He murmured in a low voice: "Next, I'm afraid it will be a fierce battle..."

As soon as the old man finished speaking, phantoms came like a tide, with deafening screams.

Everyone dodged in panic, and the clanging of weapons and people's screams of fear echoed in the palace.

Luo Xiaoyu waved the sword in his hand, but it seemed like he was cutting in the air, and the phantom was illusory and elusive.

Xiaohong turned pale with fright. She hid tightly behind the man in white, clutching the corner of his clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Everyone fled around the palace like headless flies.

The magnificent palace is now like a maze, with danger lurking everywhere.

They looked around, desperately searching for any glimmer of hope for escape, but they saw nothing but cold walls and dark corridors.

Fear and anxiety entangled their hearts like poisonous snakes, and their breathing became rapid.

Doctor Zhang took out some herbs from his medicine bag and lit them, which gave off a pungent smell.

He hoped to use this method to disrupt the phantom and buy time for everyone to escape.

However, these smells seemed to have no effect on the phantoms, they continued to move forward and attack more fiercely.

Seeing this, everyone became even more panicked. The tense atmosphere was like a taut string that could break at any time.

The phantom warriors' attacks became more and more fierce. They were no longer single individuals, but formed a circle, trapping everyone in the center. Everyone stood back to back, watching the movements around them vigilantly, and a feeling of despair rose in their hearts.

Are they really going to die here?

Seeing this, the man in white's eyes became stern, and he gathered his true energy, trying to force his way out of the encirclement.

His body was as fast as lightning, turning into a streak of white light and rushing towards the phantom warrior.

However, the phantom warriors seemed to have anticipated this and worked together to resist the attack from the man in white.

With a muffled groan, the man in white was pushed back several steps, a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

Upon seeing this, everyone quickly surrounded him and asked about his injuries with concern.

Elder Chen frowned and carefully observed the attack patterns of the phantom warriors, trying to find their weaknesses.

The people around him held their breath, nervously awaiting his conclusion.

Time passed by minute by minute, and the atmosphere in the palace was so oppressive that it made people breathless.

Finally, Elder Chen spoke slowly: "Although the attacks of these phantom warriors are fierce, they seem to have a certain pattern..." He pointed at the runes on the palace wall, "Perhaps, the solution to cracking them lies in these runes."

"Water..." Xiaohong's weak voice broke the tense atmosphere. Her lips were cracked and her face was pale.

Everyone then realized that they had been trapped in this maze for a long time, and their food and water were almost exhausted...

The man in white looked at her, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes, and then turned to look at Elder Chen, "Elder Chen, we..."

Sweat soaked through the clothes, sticking tightly to the body, bringing a sticky and uncomfortable feeling.

The air was thick and humid, and every breath was like inhaling a ball of cotton wool, making one feel suffocated.

Everyone's steps were extremely heavy, as if they were filled with lead, and every step exhausted all the strength in the body.

The pangs of hunger gnawed at their internal organs, their stomachs cramped, and their throats felt dry as if they were burning.

Luo Xiaoyu's face turned pale and her body was shaking. Finally, she could not hold on any longer. Her eyes went dark and she fainted on the ground.

"Xiao Yu!" Xiao Hong exclaimed, threw herself beside Luo Xiaoyu, tears welling up in her eyes.

Everyone quickly gathered around, helped Luo Xiaoyu up, and fed her the last bit of water.

Water flowed down the corners of Luo Xiaoyu's mouth and dripped onto her dusty face like silent tears.

Looking at the unconscious Luo Xiaoyu, Xiaohong's heart felt as if it was being tightly grasped by an invisible big hand. She was in so much pain that she couldn't breathe.

The companions were weak and powerless, with empty eyes, and despair spread like a plague.

Are they really going to be trapped and die in this damn place?
A sense of despair rose in everyone's hearts, and the current predicament seemed to have no solution.

Breaking through with force seems to be the only way out, but what can they do facing the illusory phantom warriors?
"Wait..." Granny Lin's weak voice suddenly sounded, like a glimmer of light in the darkness, attracting everyone's attention.

"I... I seem to have discovered something..." She raised her finger tremblingly and pointed at the runes on the palace wall. "Look... those phantoms... they seem... afraid of light..."

Everyone looked in the direction of Grandma Lin's finger, and saw that the runes were flashing strangely under the light.

When the Phantom Warrior approaches these lights, his figure becomes blurry and he seems a little afraid.

This discovery ignited a glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts. Could this be the key to cracking the phantom maze?

"Mother-in-law, you mean..." Doctor Zhang
Granny Lin took a deep breath and said slowly, "Perhaps... we can use the intersection of light and shadow..." Her eyes fell on a burnt-out torch in the hall, "Put the torch..."

Xiaohong grabbed the torch, her eyes flashing with determination, "I know!" She stood up suddenly and ran towards the depths of the palace...

Xiaohong held the torch high, like a bright light in the darkness, and ran towards the depths of the palace.

She followed Granny Lin's instructions and projected the torchlight onto the runes on the wall.

A magical thing happened. The originally illusory phantom warrior began to twist and deform after coming into contact with the light, letting out a shrill roar, and finally turned into a wisp of green smoke and dissipated.

"It works!" Doctor Zhang shouted excitedly. Seeing this, everyone followed Xiaohong's method and aimed the torches in their hands at the runes on the wall.

For a moment, the palace was ablaze with flames, and the originally gloomy and terrifying atmosphere was dispelled a lot.

The number of phantom warriors decreased dramatically, and the encirclement gradually disintegrated.

Everyone felt they saw hope and were very excited.

With the help of Li the Hunter, Luo Xiaoyu weakly opened her eyes. When she saw the scene in front of her, a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes.

The man in white fed the little water he had left to Luo Xiaoyu. Xiaohong watched the man in white's actions.

"We succeeded!" Luo Xiaoyu said excitedly, a confident smile on her face again.

"Yes, we finally found a solution!" Doctor Zhang also said with a smile.

Everyone encouraged each other, and the space around them became brighter because of their emotions.

They began to fight back, using torches as weapons to continuously attack the remaining phantom warriors.

Li the Hunter helped the weak Luo Xiaoyu up and cared for her like a sister, full of tenderness.

The whole scene is filled with an atmosphere of mutual help and friendship, and everyone’s relationship is closer.

"Everyone be careful, there are still a few phantom warriors left!" Elder Chen reminded.

Everyone held their breath and carefully approached the last few phantom warriors...

Suddenly, a low roar came from deep within the palace, and the ground began to shake violently.

"What's going on?" Xiaohong asked in horror.

"Oh no, this palace..." Elder Chen's face changed drastically, "It's going to collapse!"

Everyone worked together to force the last few phantom warriors into a desperate situation.

With a shrill roar, the phantom warrior turned into smoke and disappeared, and peace returned to the palace.

Before the joy of surviving the disaster could fully bloom on everyone's faces, Xiao Hong exclaimed: "Look! There is a passage over there!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that at the end of the palace, a stone door had opened at some point, revealing a deep passage.

The light of hope once again ignited everyone's enthusiasm, and they approached the passage excitedly and nervously.

At the entrance of the passage, an ancient and mysterious atmosphere blows towards you, which makes people feel awe.

Stepping into the passage, the walls on both sides were engraved with dense runes, flashing with faint blue light.

These runes seemed to contain some mysterious power, attracting everyone's attention.

Elder Chen walked forward and carefully observed the runes, frowning as he muttered to himself, "These runes... seem to have been seen somewhere before..."

Luo Xiaoyu curiously stretched out her hand, wanting to touch the runes, but was pulled back by Xiaohong: "Be careful! These runes look dangerous!"

Just as everyone was studying the runes, a powerful suction force suddenly came from the depths of the passage, like a huge whirlpool, pulling everyone into the depths.

Everyone was caught off guard, their bodies flew forward uncontrollably, expressions of fear frozen on their faces.

"Ah!" Luo Xiaoyu screamed and was pulled by the suction force to fly deeper into the passage.

Others were not spared either. They were sucked in by the suction and drifted into the unknown abyss like fallen leaves.

It was pitch black deep in the passage, as if some huge danger was hidden. Everyone could only leave it to fate and pray that they could survive this crisis safely.

"Hold on to me!" The man in white grabbed Xiaohong's hand with a firm tone.

The powerful suction force threw everyone to the end of the passage. After a dizzying spin, everyone fell heavily to the ground.

Xiaohong only felt her head buzzing and everything in front of her eyes was blurry.

She shook her head, trying to wake herself up, and struggled to get up.

It was dark all around, with only the faint blue light emitted by the runes on the wall barely illuminating the surrounding environment.

Luo Xiaoyu rubbed her sore butt and complained, "Ouch, what a hell of a place! I'm dying of the fall!"

Everyone stood up slowly and looked around at the surrounding environment, their hearts full of curiosity and vigilance.

At the end of the passage is a wide cave. In the center of the cave, there is a huge stone platform. Above the stone platform, there is a golden orb floating. (End of this chapter)