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

The man in Chinese clothes' expression changed slightly when he saw this, but he immediately regained his composure.

He stood up slowly, a cold light flashing in his eyes, "You think you can trap me with these little tricks? You are just daydreaming!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly looked up to the sky and howled. A powerful aura burst out from him, shocking everyone and causing them to retreat...

The whistling sound was like thunder out of nowhere, shaking the entire secret room.

The man in fancy clothes had surging energy all over his body, his robes rustling, and the powerful force spread out in all directions like a substance. Everyone was knocked to the ground and could not stand steadily because of the force.

Master Lu was the first to be hit. He staggered, a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and his face turned pale in an instant.

Leader Lei was a little far away, but he was also shocked and his blood was boiling. His palms were numb and the sword in his hand almost slipped out of his hand.

Ms. Mo and the green-shirted swordsman managed to keep their bodies steady, but they also felt a stuffiness in their chests and a fishy-sweet taste in their throats.

"Puff!" With a muffled sound, several guards with weaker strength vomited blood and fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

The trap set up by Elder Ye was also shaking under the impact of this powerful force and was about to collapse.

Everyone's face changed.

Behind the crowd, Master Xing was so frightened that his face turned pale, his legs were shaking like sieves, and he hid behind everyone, trembling and not daring to even breathe.

Just as everyone was panicking, the man in fancy clothes laughed wildly again, his voice shaking the roof tiles, "Hahaha, you guys think you can capture me? That's just wishful thinking!"

Before his laughter stopped, the ground suddenly began to shake violently, and streams of black air poured out as if from the depths of hell, condensing into human-shaped black shadows around the man in fancy clothes.

These dark shadows were all tall and ferocious-looking, holding weapons of various shapes in their hands, and exuding a terrifying murderous aura.

"This...what is this thing?" Captain Lei exclaimed, his face turned ashen as he looked at those strange black shadows.

"Oh no! These are monsters!" Elder Ye exclaimed, "Everyone be careful!"

As soon as the words fell, the dark shadows rushed towards the crowd, waving their weapons.

Ms. Mo was the first to bear the brunt of the attack, wielding her two swords and engaging in a battle with one of the black shadows.

Captain Lei also roared, swung his sword and slashed at the other black shadow.

For a moment, the secret room was filled with the flashing of swords, sparks flying, and the sound of ping-pong clanging.

However, the number of black shadows was too large, and each one was very powerful, so everyone soon fell into a disadvantage.

Ms. Mo danced with her two swords so skillfully that no one could penetrate her. However, a dark shadow still cut her arm, and the blood instantly dyed her sleeves red.

Although Captain Lei was brave, two fists were no match for four hands. He had several scars on his body and his breathing became heavy.

Even the swordsman in green seemed a little overwhelmed, with several small wounds on his body.

"This...we can't go on like this!" someone shouted in horror.

Just when everyone was about to fall into despair, the man in fancy clothes laughed coldly again, "Give up resistance, you will never be able to defeat me."

At this moment, Pharmacist Zhuo, who had been observing the battle silently, suddenly stepped forward, turned his wrist, and a pill emitting strange light appeared in his hand. He raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said to himself: "It's time..."

Pharmacist Zhuo shook his wrist, and the pill in his hand turned into a stream of light, shooting straight to the top of the secret room.

The pill exploded and turned into a light green powder that spread like smoke and fog.

After inhaling the powder, the black shadow's movements suddenly slowed down, as if it was stuck in a quagmire.

"Now!" Pharmacist Zhuo shouted.

Everyone was excited and seized this fleeting opportunity to display their special skills.

Master Lei swung his broadsword, the blade flashed like snow, splitting a black shadow in half.

Ms. Mo wielded her two swords, and the sword energy was so powerful that it pierced through another black shadow.

The swordsman in green swung his sword like a rainbow, and with a flash of sword light, he beheaded a black shadow.

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen black shadows were completely wiped out.

Everyone was very excited and looked at Pharmacist Zhuo with gratitude in their eyes.

"Pharmacist Zhuo, thank you for your miraculous medicine!" Captain Lei bowed.

"It's just a piece of cake," Pharmacist Zhuo smiled faintly, "Everyone be careful, the enemy may not give up."

Just as he finished speaking, the remaining black shadow suddenly let out a sharp scream, its body suddenly grew in size, and it pounced towards everyone fiercely again.

During the fierce battle, the man in white was as fast as lightning, his sword flashed, and every sword strike was extremely accurate, repelling the enemies approaching Xiaohong one by one.

Xiao Hong followed the man in white with a short knife in her hand.

Elder Ye stood guard beside Master Lu, defending him from the attacks of the black shadow.

Although he is old, he is extremely agile and every move he makes is filled with great power.

"Miss Shen, don't be afraid, your brother will protect you!" Commander Yan encouraged his sister while waving his sword.

Miss Shen held a hidden weapon and kept shooting at the enemy, each time with incredible accuracy.

After a hard fight, everyone finally eliminated all the remaining shadows.

However, just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the man in gorgeous clothes suddenly let out a long roar towards the sky, formed seals with his hands, and muttered something.

A strange aura emanated from him, and the air around him seemed to solidify.

"Oh no! He is going to cast a forbidden spell!" Elder Ye's face changed drastically and he exclaimed.

Everyone's heart shuddered, and as they looked at the man in fancy clothes, an inexplicable sense of fear arose in their hearts.

“Hahahaha…” The man in fancy clothes laughed wildly, “You all must die!” He thrust his hands forward fiercely, and a black energy surged towards everyone like a tide…

"Retreat quickly!" Elder Ye shouted.

Black energy surged out like a tide, and space began to distort and deform, like a piece of crumpled silk.

The trees twisted and groaned in pain, the ground cracked into hideous gaps, and a suffocating feeling of oppression filled the air.

Everyone's face changed drastically, their eyes filled with fear.

Elder Ye gritted his teeth, the sword in his hand trembling, he felt a powerful force eroding his body.

Master Lu’s face turned pale, and his lips trembled slightly. He had never seen such a terrifying spell.

Xiaohong held the dagger tightly, cold sweat oozing from her palms. She felt the breath of death approaching step by step.

The man in white had a frown on his face. Miss Shen tightly grasped Commander Yan's sleeve, her body trembling slightly. She was extremely scared.

Commander Yan tried to remain calm and consoled her, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you."

At this critical moment, a clear voice came from a distance: "Stop!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw an old man with white hair and a youthful face, accompanied by two young people, a man and a woman, riding the wind.

The old man was wearing a green Taoist robe and had an immortal look. He was none other than Master Xiao, the master of magic who had lived in seclusion for many years.

Everyone seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw, and a glimmer of hope ignited in their eyes.

After Master Xiao landed, he quickly observed the surrounding situation and frowned.

"This is an ancient forbidden technique with enormous power. It must be cracked as soon as possible." He said in a deep voice.

Young Master Ling, who was standing aside, was wearing gorgeous clothes and waving a folding fan, looking like a handsome gentleman.

"Master Xiao, in my opinion, the key to this spell lies in the center of the formation. As long as we find the center of the formation, we can break it."

Master Xiao shook his head: "No, this spell is based on life. The center of the formation is just a superficial appearance. The real key lies in how to resolve this evil energy." The two of them insisted on their own opinions and argued endlessly.

Seeing this, Miss Jiang hurried forward and advised: "Master, Master Ling, now is not the time to argue, let's think of a solution first."

"Hmph, this brat is incorrigible!" Master Xiao walked away, walked to the center of the spell cast by the man in fancy clothes, and began to observe carefully.

"This spell..." he muttered to himself, his expression becoming more and more serious.

Master Ling was not to be outdone, so he walked to the other side and started studying it.

"This formation's eye..."

Suddenly, Master Xiao's face changed drastically, and he exclaimed: "Not good! This spell..."

"Not good! This spell is absorbing the vitality of the surrounding!" Before Master Xiao finished his words, the black energy vortex suddenly expanded, and a powerful suction force pulled everything around it towards the center.

Everyone was caught off guard and thrown to the ground by this force, shouting in fear. Elder Ye was the first to be hit, and was pulled to the edge of the energy vortex by the suction force. His clothes were instantly torn apart, and shocking bloodstains appeared on his skin.

He let out a painful groan, and his body felt as if it was being torn apart.

Master Lu's situation was not much better. He was pulled by the suction force and vomited blood. His face was as pale as paper.

Xiaohong was protected tightly by the man in white, but the strong suction still made her feel difficulty breathing, as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest.

She clutched the sleeve of the man in white tightly, her eyes full of fear.

Miss Shen was held tightly in Commander Yan's arms, but she could still feel the terrible suction and her body trembled.

The folding fan in Master Ling's hand was sucked away by the suction force. He lay on the ground in a mess, his gorgeous clothes covered with dust and his face full of fear.

"Help! Help!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice full of despair.

Miss Jiang was protected by Master Xiao behind her. She clutched her master's sleeve tightly, her eyes full of worry.

Master Xiao tried his best to resist the suction, but he still felt powerless.

He watched as Elder Ye and Master Lu were sucked into the energy vortex, screaming miserably, and then disappeared without a trace.

"Elder Ye! Master Lu!" Everyone was heartbroken. They watched their companions being devoured in front of them, but they were powerless to do anything.

Master Xing couldn't bear the huge pressure and suffered a mental breakdown. He collapsed to the ground and muttered to himself, "It's over, everything is over..."

At this moment, a sharp whistle was heard in the distance. Everyone looked up in horror and saw dozens of black shadows falling from the sky, attacking them like ghosts.

These dark shadows were extremely fast, with strange shapes, holding sharp daggers in their hands, and exuding a terrifying murderous aura.

"Oh no! They are the minions of the mastermind of the conspiracy!" The man in white recognized the identities of these black shadows at a glance. He suddenly drew out his sword and stood in front of everyone.

Ms. Mo also drew out her two swords and fought side by side with the man in white. The two of them joined forces to resist the attack of the black shadow.

The black shadow's attack was fierce and brutal. Although the man in white and Ms. Mo were highly skilled in martial arts, they gradually felt overwhelmed.

The number of black shadows increased, their attacks became more and more fierce, and everyone was gradually forced into a desperate situation.

"Master Xiao, what should we do?" Miss Jiang asked anxiously.

Master Xiao's face was solemn. "Fight to the death!" He said in a deep voice, "Cover me!"

The man in white suddenly shouted, "Be careful!"

There was a gleam of light in Master Xiao's eyes. He finally found the key to cracking the forbidden spell!
"This spell uses blood as a guide. It can reverse yin and yang, and needs to be suppressed with something extremely yang!" He quickly took out a scarlet jade pendant from his arms. The jade pendant exuded a burning breath, as if it contained the power of the sun.

"Everyone, give me a hand and inject my true energy into this jade!"

Upon hearing this, everyone injected their true energy into the jade pendant.

The jade pendant shone brightly, and a powerful masculine force instantly burst out, forming a dazzling beam of light that rushed straight to the center of the black energy vortex.

The black energy began to vibrate violently, making a shrill scream, as if it was struggling in pain.

As the power of the jade pendant continued to grow, the black energy gradually dissipated, the space returned to calm, and everyone was finally freed from their confinement, surviving the calamity and cheering.

Everyone looked at Master Xiao. Master Xiao was like a god descending from heaven, saving them from danger.

Morale was greatly boosted, everyone's hearts were filled with hope and confidence, and the original fear and despair were swept away.

The man in fancy clothes in the distance, the mastermind of the conspiracy, turned pale instantly when he saw that the spell he had painstakingly cast had been broken.
Xiaohong looked at the scars on the white-clothed man's body left by the black shadow with heartache. She carefully bandaged his wounds with a clean cloth.

The man in white looked at Xiaohong's gentle eyes, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised. The feelings between the two became deeper in the test of life and death.

The people around them looked at them and felt the deep affection.

During their previous collaboration, Master Ling developed a deep appreciation for Miss Jiang's cleverness and courage.

Miss Jiang was also attracted by Mr. Ling's profound knowledge, and a subtle feeling was quietly growing between the two.

Commander Yan walked up to the injured soldiers, gently comforted them, asked about their injuries, and demonstrated his responsibility and commitment as a leader.

At this point, everyone focused their anger on the mastermind of the conspiracy and attacked him.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the mastermind of the conspiracy turned around and fled, disappearing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

The crowd searched everywhere but could not find any trace of it. Finally, in a hidden corner, they found a mysterious passage leading to a deeper place.

The passage was pitch black, like a bottomless pit, emitting an unsettling atmosphere, and everyone was shocked.

A deep sense of vigilance arose in everyone's hearts, and they realized that there might be a bigger conspiracy behind this.

"We..." The man in white stared at the dark entrance and was about to say something when he suddenly paused. He slowly drew out the sword in his hand and pointed the tip of the sword straight forward. Everyone subconsciously made a fighting stance and the atmosphere became tense again.

The entrance to the deep passage was like a huge mouth ready to devour anyone. The darkness was so deep that it seemed to swallow up all light.

Waves of chilly air surged out from the depths of the cave, like an invisible hand, brushing across everyone's faces and bringing a bone-chilling shiver.

Everyone stood in front of the passage, looking at the bottomless darkness, with hesitant expressions on their faces.

Their hearts are full of contradictions. They want to find out the truth, but they are also afraid of unknown dangers.

"What...what is down there?" A young soldier's voice trembled, breaking the silence around him.

The man in white tightly grasped the sword in his hand, his brows furrowed, and he stared at the entrance of the passage with sharp eyes, as if he was thinking about something.

Just as everyone was hesitating, an old and steady voice sounded, "I know a thing or two about this passage, and I am willing to lead the way for you."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw an ancient elder in a plain robe with white hair and beard, slowly walking out of the crowd.

There was a barely perceptible mysterious smile on his weather-beaten face.

Elder Gu's words were like a huge rock thrown into everyone's hearts, causing ripples.

People looked at each other, with surprise and expectation in their eyes.

"This..." The man in white hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, "In that case, please let Elder Gu lead the way."

So, everyone followed Elder Gu and carefully stepped into the dark passage.

The passage was pitch black, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you. You could only vaguely hear your own breathing and footsteps.

The crowd groped their way forward along the passage, as if they were in a huge maze.

"I think we should go left." Suddenly, a slightly questioning voice sounded, breaking the silence in the passage.

"No, I think Elder Gu is on the right track," another voice retorted.

"We can't trust him completely."

"He is an elder after all, he won't harm us, right?"

"That's not certain!"

Everyone began to discuss the matter. Some believed in Elder Gu, while others insisted on their own judgment. The arguments echoed in the narrow passage, sounding particularly harsh and causing people to feel tense.

"Enough!" A loud voice sounded like thunder, shaking the entire passage.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a burly, resolute-looking man standing in front of the team. It was none other than Hero Tan.

"I believe in Elder Gu!" Hero Tan's voice was resounding. "He knows this place better than any of us. We should listen to him."

Mr. Tan's words were like the final word, causing the originally noisy debate to gradually subside.

Everyone looked at each other and finally chose to remain silent.

Everyone followed Elder Gu deeper into the passage. Apart from the rustling of their footsteps, there was no other sound in the passage. It was so quiet that it was depressing.

Suddenly, Elder Gu, who was walking in the front, stopped. He slowly turned around and faced the crowd.

In the passage, there were gusts of cold wind, like ghosts whispering, which made people shudder.

The flickering firelight illuminated the mottled marks on the stone wall, adding a bit of weirdness.

Elder Gu, who was walking in front of the team, walked steadily, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of something strange that was hard to detect.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the darkness, like the howl of a ghost, echoing in the narrow passage.

Then, countless distorted human faces appeared on the stone wall, with their fangs and claws bared and making creepy roars.

The phantom was fleeting, but it left a deep fear in everyone's heart. (End of this chapter)