High-level martial arts: Contract cashback, invincible starting from the Zerg.

The moment the system notification sound ended, Qingtan suddenly trembled violently.

Large patches of dark blue bark peeled off, revealing golden patterns that shimmered wildly. The spirits of order that filled the sky let out mournful screams, half of them turning into specks of light and dissipating, while the other half flew far away from the green sandalwood.

"No... this isn't a real mission!"

For the first time, the voice of the forest guardian, Qingtan, carried a heart-wrenching despair.

The branch that had led Chen Feng to the past withered instantly, its black veins spreading like poisonous vines along its length, almost touching Chen Feng's skin.

Chen Feng quickly shook off the branch.

"He's tampering with the system rules! He already knows you exist..."

The bark of the forest guardian, the Qingtan tree, twisted and tore incessantly, making Chen Feng's scalp tingle.

"Don't try to 'defeat' anyone? The moment you draw your knife, the moment you throw even a single punch at him, you have already violated the core rules of civilized order... Order does not allow violence to be met with violence, nor does it allow the resolution of problems through conquest."

Gray Rock's scheming has probably seeped into the very bones of this forest; he can even easily alter the rules of the forest's guardian, Green Sandalwood.

Only it could instill such fear in the forest guardian, Qingtan.

"Then what is the real way to pass the level?" Chen Feng asked in a deep voice.

"It's about awakening, not defeating."

Qingtan used all her strength to temporarily force the black patterns back into the depths of the tree trunk.

It paused, then raised another branch that hadn't been completely corroded, pointing it towards its heart, where a faint golden light still pulsated stubbornly within the dark energy of the Shadow King.

"Deep in Grayrock's heart... there still remains the last vestige of the guardian's will... that was the vow he made twelve thousand years ago to protect the people of Jueya... something that Shadow Erosion can never completely devour."

"What you need to do... is to remind him who he is."

Just then, a roar came from the depths of the forest.

However, this roar was not a physical sound, but a furious outburst from the level of consciousness!

It was as if a black mist swept in like a tsunami, instantly turning the entire area around the forest guardian Qingtan into ink.

Meanwhile, an evil, chilling voice echoed in Chen Feng's mind, like fingernails scraping against glass.

"Qingtan, you talk too much nonsense."

"I can already smell... the scent of the last prey."

Within the black mist, countless twisted shadows swayed and emitted piercing screams.

The once tranquil illusion surrounding the forest guardian instantly transformed into a purgatory shrouded in malevolent energy.

Qingtan used her immense power to create a golden path leading deep into the forest for Chen Feng. Golden flowers bloomed wildly along the path, temporarily blocking the invasion of the black mist.

However, Qingtan's voice had become weak and intermittent.

"Trial seekers... follow this path... and you will reach the location of the gray rocks... I will be here, using my last strength to buy you time..."

"Remember...keep following the path of light...and never look back..."

"Alright! Xiao Ning, let's go." Chen Feng nodded calmly.

"Um!"

......

The golden wildflowers by the roadside emitted a soft glow, keeping all the distorted shadows at bay. The golden light, like a warm river, cleaved through the boundless black fog, creating the only path.

As Chen Feng walked ahead, he cautiously scanned the darkness beyond the path of light.

The black mist churned like viscous ink, and countless blurry shadows bared their fangs and claws within it, emitting chilling roars.

But as soon as they get close to the golden band of light, they are scorched by the light, let out a mournful scream, and then shrink back into the darkness.

The power of the forest guardian, Qingtan, is indeed formidable.

It's incredible that they were able to carve out such a path for Chen Feng in this forest that was almost entirely occupied by Shadow Eaters.

However, at this moment, Chen Feng suddenly stopped and looked behind him with some confusion.

At this moment, Xiao Ning tilted her head and looked out of the path of light.

"Dad, listen, a Star Velvet Beast is crying," Xiao Ning whispered.

Chen Feng listened intently, but all he heard were the roars of shadows in the black mist and the sound of the wind.

"Xiao Ning, are you sure you heard correctly? That's all an illusion created by the limestone. We need to hurry and move forward."

"No!" Xiao Ning shook her head vigorously. "I really heard it! The dumpling was right there, it was calling for help."

Before Chen Feng could react, Xiao Ning, who was standing at the edge of the light path, had already stretched her hand out of the light path, as if she wanted to touch something!

"Xiao Ning! Come back!"

Chen Feng's expression changed drastically, and without thinking, he ran towards Xiao Ning.

However, the moment Chen Feng turned around, the golden path suddenly flickered, and all the golden flowers along the roadside withered at the same time, turning into specks of golden light and dissipating into the air.

The entire path of light, stretching for miles, vanished without a trace in an instant, like a candle that had been extinguished.

Without the light band blocking their path, the black mist surged towards the two like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, instantly engulfing them.

"Dad!" Xiao Ning screamed in fright.

Starry Sky Demon-Slaying Armor!!

A dazzling light burst forth from Chen Feng's body, like the rising sun breaking through the darkness.

Layers of white diamonds and gilded nail plates covered Chen Feng's entire body, each plate radiating pure starlight power.

In Chen Feng's hands, the Starshine Blade of Destruction, with extremely high destructive power, was formed!

The moment the Starry Sky Demon-Slaying Armor unfolded, a semi-transparent domain force suddenly expanded, directly repelling the surging black mist several meters away.

The menacing shadowy figures lunged forward, only to be scorched by the power of the stars as soon as they touched the shield, screaming in pain.

Chen Feng quickly reached out and grabbed Xiao Ning, pulling her into his arms.

From within the black mist, Gray Rock's chilling laughter rang out again, but this time it carried an undisguised mockery:

"You think wearing this metal suit will protect her? Foolish."

As soon as the words were spoken, countless jet-black vines suddenly emerged from the black mist, lashing fiercely at the protective shield like venomous snakes. With each impact, the Starry Sky Demon-Suppressing Armor's domain rippled violently, and fine black corrosion marks appeared on the armor's surface.

Even more terrifying, those vines seemed to be constantly absorbing the energy protecting the demon slayer!

"Daddy, the armor is turning black..." Xiao Ning nestled in Chen Feng's arms, her little hands gripping his collar tightly, her voice trembling slightly.

"It's alright." Chen Feng's voice came through the helmet, calm and firm. "The more it comes to this, the calmer we need to be. Let your dad think of a solution first."

"good..."

Chen Feng still remembered Qing Tan's advice: Never try to break the rules; defeat Gray Rock within the rules.

Just then, the black mist churned even more violently.

This time, however, the figures that appeared were not blurry shadows, but rather dark figures that looked exactly like Chen Feng. They wielded the same military knives as Chen Feng, their eyes were icy cold, and they were frantically slashing at Chen Feng's Starry Sky Domain.

Under the energy invasion of the Shadow Eater, Chen Feng's domain spread out like a spider web.

Just then, Xiao Ning suddenly looked up, pointed to a withered tree outside the protective barrier, and shouted, "Dad! The dumpling is over there! It really is there!"

Chen Feng was a little surprised and quickly looked in the direction she pointed. He saw a snow-white, fluffy beast curled up among the branches of a dead tree.

One of its wings was tightly bound by black shadow-eroding vines, and pale blue blood dripped down its feathers.

"Is this really not an illusion?" Chen Feng asked, somewhat doubtful.