Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

"That trick again!" Li Si roared, a flash of resentment in his eyes. This wasn't the first time they'd faced the Snow Wolf's tactic, but each time it had put them in a difficult position. "We can't let it succeed this time!" he said firmly.

Yang Ling nodded in agreement, “Everyone, don’t scatter. Form a circle and work together to withstand this storm!” His voice sounded exceptionally firm and powerful in the wind and snow.

Everyone responded to Yang Ling's call, quickly adjusting their positions to form a circle around the snow wolf. The blizzard raged, threatening to engulf the entire world. But Yang Ling and his companions stood firm as a rock, using their swordsmanship and magic to build a solid defensive line.

As time passed, the power of the snowstorm gradually weakened. When the last wisp of snow dissipated into the air, everyone found that the once ferocious snow wolf had collapsed to the ground, barely breathing. Its eyes revealed fear and helplessness, as if it had given up resisting.

"We've succeeded!" Xu Fu cheered, a victorious smile spreading across his face. "We've finally defeated this vicious wolf!"

Ying Zheng also breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward, pointed his sword at the snow wolf, and said, "I have finally subdued you!" His tone revealed undisguised joy and pride.

But at that moment, a sudden change occurred—the snow wolf, which had been lying paralyzed on the ground, abruptly opened its eyes and let out a deafening roar in response. Immediately afterward, its body began to transform: its snow-white fur gradually turned jet black, its eyes flashed with a scarlet light, and its physique became even more robust and powerful—as if a demon from hell had descended upon the world!

"This is... a demonic transformation?" Li Si exclaimed, his face grave. "Everyone, be careful! This snow wolf has transformed into a demonic beast, its strength has increased dramatically, we must not let our guard down!"

The demonized snow wolf, now greatly stronger, leaped up and pounced on Yang Ling and his companions, attempting to annihilate them in one fell swoop to vent its hatred. The group dodged and attacked simultaneously, trying to stop the beast's frenzied onslaught. However, the demonized snow wolf possessed extremely strong defenses, and neither Yang Ling's swordsmanship nor Li Si's magic could inflict any damage on it.

"This can't go on!" Yang Ling shouted as he parried the snow wolf's attacks with his sword. "We must find a way to break its demonic state, otherwise we'll all die from exhaustion if we keep going like this!"

"Let me try!" Ziya stepped forward and said, "I've observed its attack patterns before, perhaps I can find a way to counter it!" As he spoke, he swung his long whip and charged towards the snow wolf, engaging the magical beast in fierce combat. Ziya's long whip danced in the air, tracing complex trajectories, each attack skillfully avoiding the snow wolf's defenses and striking its weak points.

As time passed, Ziya realized that the snow wolf's demonic state seemed to be related to its heart—that heart seemed to be the source of this evil power, constantly providing the snow wolf with energy. So he shouted, "Cover me, everyone! I'm going to try to attack its heart!" With that, he aimed at the snow wolf's heart and swung his whip with all his might! A golden light flashed, and the snow wolf's heart was struck hard!

With a mournful howl, the snow wolf's body gradually returned to normal—the ferocious beast had transformed back into the barely alive snow wolf, its attack power greatly reduced. Taking advantage of this, the group launched a fierce attack and quickly defeated the vicious wolf. As the final sword light flashed, the snow wolf collapsed heavily to the ground, motionless.

"We succeeded!" Yang Ling cheered, a victorious smile spreading across his face. "Thanks to everyone's concerted efforts! We finally defeated this vicious wolf and retrieved the 'Heart of Heaven'!" As he spoke, he took the gem that shimmered with mysterious light from the snow wolf and held it high for everyone to see.

The "Heart of Heaven" in Yang Ling's hand shimmered with a mysterious light, as if it contained a profound power. Although they had successfully obtained the treasure, their adventure was far from over.

"Look! There's a teleportation portal over there!" Xu Fu suddenly pointed to a spot not far away. Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw a portal shimmering with light faintly visible in the snow and ice.

"That must be a portal to the outside world!" Li Si's eyes gleamed with excitement. "We must hurry over there!"

Ying Zheng frowned. "Don't act rashly. What if it's a trap?"

Yang Ling pondered for a moment, "We have no better choice. This door may be our only chance to leave this place." He looked up at the crowd, "Is everyone ready?"

The group exchanged smiles, their eyes filled with determination. Having fought side by side for so long, they had developed a deep understanding and tacit agreement. "Ready!" Ziya gripped his long whip tightly, his expression resolute.

Xu Fu nodded, "Whatever lies ahead, we will face it together!"

Li Si silently chanted an incantation, casting a protective spell on himself and his companions.

Ying Zheng took a deep breath and gripped his longsword tightly. "Alright, then let's try to break through this teleportation portal together!"

The group cautiously approached the portal, and light gradually enveloped them. In an instant, they felt their bodies being pulled by a tremendous force, as if they had traveled through a time tunnel.

When they regained their footing, they found themselves in a completely different world. Here they were in a dense forest, ancient trees reaching for the sky, filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

"Where...is this place?" Xu Fu looked around, his face full of surprise.

"Unclear, but it doesn't seem to be the world we were in before." Yang Ling frowned as he observed the surroundings. "Everyone be careful, there may be unknown dangers lurking here."

As soon as they finished speaking, a strange flute melody rang out in the forest. The sound was melodious yet eerie, as if it possessed a mysterious magic that was drawing them in.

"This flute music...something's strange!" Li Si's expression suddenly changed. "Everyone, quickly cover your ears! Don't be fooled by this sound!"

However, some people were already affected. Xu Fu's eyes gradually became vacant. As if controlled by the sound of the flute, he slowly walked into the depths of the forest.

“Xu Fu!” Ziya shouted, trying to stop him, but Xu Fu seemed not to hear him and continued on his way.

A resolute glint flashed in Yang Ling's eyes. "We can't let him face this danger alone! We'll follow him!"

Everyone nodded and followed. They moved through the dense forest, carefully avoiding various traps and attacks from monsters. The eerie sound of the flute lingered in their ears, as if an invisible force was drawing them in.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance to a mysterious cave. Strange totems and runes were carved on the stone walls on both sides of the cave, shimmering with a faint light. And it was from here that the eerie flute music came.

"Xu Fu!" Ying Zheng shouted, but Xu Fu seemed not to hear him and walked straight into the cave.

Yang Ling frowned. "There must be something strange in here! We must go in and take a look!" He said, taking the lead into the cave, and the others followed. (End of Chapter)