We agreed that you, a weak strategist, would fight against three heroes by yourself?

Elder Chen stroked his beard, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he slowly said: "Perhaps, we need to explore further..." After that, he stood up and walked towards the ancient scroll and gemstone, and everyone followed him...

Elder Chen carefully unfolded the ancient scroll. The densely packed runes on the scroll sparkled with strange brilliance under the light of the gems.

Everyone sat around the ancient scroll and gems, holding their breath, their eyes closely following Elder Chen's hand, afraid to miss any details.

"The palace and gems that Miss Xiaohong mentioned, could it be that she is referring to the 'Galaxy Temple' recorded on this scroll?" Elder Chen pointed to a rune on the scroll, his brows furrowed, his tone solemn.

"In my opinion," the man in white said decisively, "this gem is the key. Perhaps it itself is a key that can unlock this seal."

"No, that's not right!" Elder Chen retorted excitedly, "This ancient scroll is the key. It records the method to open the Galaxy Temple. The gem is only a part of it!"

"Nonsense!" Luo Xiaoyu retorted bluntly, "Xiaohong clearly saw that the gem was the brightest, and the palace was also built around the gem!"

Doctor Zhang also shook his head, agreeing with Elder Chen's point of view: "Man in white, your statement is too far-fetched. The runes on this ancient scroll..."

"That's enough!" Granny Lin shouted, "It's already this hour, and you're still arguing! Can't you discuss it properly?"

Everyone then quieted down, but the atmosphere became even more solemn.

At this moment, there was a slight vibration on the ground...

"What's going on?" Blacksmith Zhao stood up alertly, holding his hammer tightly in his hand.

"Not good!" Elder Chen's face changed drastically, "Everyone be careful!"

The ground shook more violently, and cracks spread like a spider web.

Everyone stared at the ground in horror, only to see several hideous gargoyles breaking out of the ground. They had bloodshot eyes, sharp fangs and claws, and they let out creepy roars and pounced on everyone with their fangs and claws bared.

"Monster!" Hunter Li exclaimed and subconsciously took a step back, holding the hunting knife tightly in his hand.

Blacksmith Zhao roared, swung his sledgehammer, and smashed it hard at a gargoyle.

A dull crashing sound was heard, but the gargoyle did not move at all, without even a trace of a crack.

Blacksmith Zhao was stunned. This was the fine steel hammer he had carefully crafted, but it couldn't even break a stone?

Upon seeing this, the man in white immediately made hand gestures and chanted a spell. A dazzling golden light shot out from his fingertips and hit a gargoyle.

The gargoyle let out a painful roar and its movements paused for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal and attacked everyone even more frantically.

Seeing this, the mysterious old man slowly walked to the rune elf, and the two of them chanted ancient spells in a low voice.

The rune elf emanated a soft light all over its body, which intertwined with the mysterious old man's powerful spiritual power, forming a powerful force that swept towards the gargoyle.

The air around seemed to be buzzing due to this force. The gargoyle was hit by this force, and let out a shrill scream, and its body began to slowly turn to stone.

However, the number of gargoyles was too large and the crowd gradually became unable to cope with it.

Luo Xiaoyu was unable to dodge and was scratched by the sharp claws of a gargoyle, and the blood instantly dyed her clothes red.

"Ah!" Luo Xiaoyu screamed in pain. Xiaohong was anxious when she saw this.

Others were also gradually injured, with more and more wounds, bleeding profusely, and their physical strength gradually declined.

A feeling of despair began to spread among the crowd.

Doctor Zhang was busy treating the wounds of the wounded, but he was just an ordinary doctor, and faced with such serious injuries, he was somewhat overwhelmed.

"No, if this goes on we will all die here!" a villager shouted in horror.

Everyone was silent, their faces full of despair.

At this moment, Luo Xiaoyu, who had been making a lot of noise, suddenly calmed down. She stared at the gargoyles with a firm look in her eyes and said slowly, "I... I know how to deal with them..."

Luo Xiaoyu wiped off the sweat mixed with dust and blood on her face and took a deep breath. Her usual aggressiveness miraculously disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented calmness.

She stared at the gargoyles with bared fangs and claws, her amber eyes flashing with a sharp light, like a leopard hunting, keenly capturing every subtle movement of its prey.

"They...their attacks have a pattern!" Luo Xiaoyu's voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone.

Everyone was stunned and looked at this usually reckless girl.

"Their attack interval is three breaths, and there is a brief pause before each attack, and their claws will be slightly raised!" Luo Xiaoyu pointed at one of the gargoyles with a firm tone.

Everyone looked in the direction her finger pointed, and sure enough, before the gargoyle attacked, it would slightly raise its claws before suddenly swinging them down.

"Three breaths... pause..." Doctor Zhang muttered to himself, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "If we can seize this opportunity..."

"That's right!" Luo Xiaoyu took over the conversation, her eyes flashing with excitement, "Dodge the moment their claws are raised, and then take advantage of the gap after their attack to counterattack!"

"Okay!" Blacksmith Zhao was the first to respond. He swung up the hammer, eager to try.

The others also nodded, and the fighting spirit was rekindled in their eyes.

Under Luo Xiaoyu's command, everyone began to fight against the gargoyles in an organized manner.

They no longer dodge and attack blindly, but seize the gaps between the gargoyles' attacks and concentrate their strength to counterattack.

The originally chaotic scene gradually became orderly, and the gargoyles' attacks were gradually curbed.

"Their eyes! Attack their eyes!" Luo Xiaoyu once again keenly discovered the gargoyle's weakness.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately turned their attack targets to the gargoyle's eyes.

The sledgehammer of Zhao the blacksmith, the golden light of the man in white, and even the hunting knife of Li the hunter, all hit the gargoyle's eyes accurately.

The gargoyle let out a series of shrill screams, and its huge body fell to the ground with a loud bang, turning into a pile of rubble.

One, two, three...

More and more gargoyles fell down, the crowd cheered, and the surrounding was filled with the joy of victory.

As the last gargoyle fell, the ground stopped shaking and the cracks gradually closed.

Everyone looked at the rubble on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.

"We...we won!" a villager shouted excitedly.

"Thanks to Xiaoyu!" another villager echoed.

Everyone looked at Luo Xiaoyu with admiration. Even Elder Chen, who had never been very fond of her, couldn't help but nodded.

While cleaning up the battlefield, everyone unexpectedly discovered that the gargoyle's eyes were not made of ordinary stones, but a kind of crystal that emitted a faint light.

Doctor Zhang picked up a crystal and observed it carefully, and found that there seemed to be some mysterious power hidden inside the crystal.

"These crystals... may be the key to unlocking the truth about the treasure!" Doctor Zhang said excitedly.

Xiaohong quickly took out a clean piece of cloth from the medicine box and carefully bandaged Luo Xiaoyu's wound.

Luo Xiaoyu looked at Xiaohong, and a hint of tenderness flashed in her eyes...

"Xiaohong, you..."

Xiaohong bandaged Luo Xiaoyu's wound carefully, "Xiaoyu, you are so awesome! If it weren't for you, we would all be..." Xiaohong's voice was choked with sobs.

Luo Xiaoyu blinked her eyes playfully and said with a nonchalant tone: "Oh, it's no big deal! I'm a genius after all!" She grinned, revealing her white teeth. Her previous calmness and composure disappeared at all, and she returned to her usual liveliness.

The man in white walked up to Xiaohong, gently took her hand and looked at her tenderly. Xiaohong's cheeks flushed slightly, and she snuggled up to him happily, feeling the warmth of his palm.

The people around them looked at them with relieved smiles on their faces. They felt the warmth of friendship and love, and their relationship with each other became more harmonious.

Everyone picked up the crystals on the ground, sat around the ancient scroll, and continued to study the treasure.

Elder Chen placed the crystal on the ancient scroll, and the crystal emitted a soft light, illuminating a section of text on the scroll.

"The legendary 'Galaxy Temple' actually exists!" Elder Chen's tone was filled with excitement.

"Galaxy Temple?" Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

"What is that?" Luo Xiaoyu asked curiously.

Elder Chen pointed to the words on the scroll and explained: "Legend has it that the Galaxy Temple contains enormous energy that can fulfill any wish, but it is also full of dangers." His"

At this moment, a melodious flute sound suddenly came from the distance. The sound was clear and pleasant, but also carried a hint of mystery and weirdness.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened attentively.

"This flute sound..." Granny Lin showed a puzzled look on her face, "Where did it come from?"

Everyone looked at each other, their hearts filled with confusion and anxiety.

The sound of the flute was getting closer and closer, as if echoing in my ears.

"Who is playing the flute?" Xiaohong held the white-clothed man's hand tightly, feeling a little uneasy in her heart.

The man in white gently patted Xiaohong's hand, signaling her not to be afraid.

He looked up in the direction where the flute sound came from.

"Let's go and take a look." The man in white said in a firm tone.

The melodious flute music wrapped around everyone like a silk thread, so sweet that it made people dizzy.

They all had confusion on their faces, but they couldn't help but walk towards the direction where the flute sound came from.

The surrounding trees seemed to sway with the sound of the flute. The light and shadows between the branches and leaves became mottled and unreal like a dream.

There was a strange fragrance in the air, so sweet that it made people feel dizzy if they smelled it for a long time.

Xiaohong felt a palpitation and subconsciously grabbed the hand of the man in white, feeling a cold touch on her fingertips.

She wanted to speak, but found her throat dry, as if blocked by something.

Her body seemed to no longer be under her control, and she could only move forward step by step, guided by the sound of the flute.

The sound of the flute became more and more urgent, and everyone's expressions became more and more confused.

Suddenly, the man in white pulled out the long sword from his waist and stabbed towards Li the Hunter!

Li the Hunter was unable to dodge and his arm was cut with a bloody mark. He roared angrily and fought back, waving the hunting knife in his hand.

Seeing this, Luo Xiaoyu wanted to step forward to stop it, but was pushed away by Doctor Zhang and fell heavily to the ground.

Doctor Zhang's eyes were red, and he punched and kicked Luo Xiaoyu as if he was possessed.

"Stop! What's wrong with you?!" Grandma Lin shouted at the top of her lungs, but no one could hear her.

The sound of the flute is like an invisible barrier, separating everyone's consciousness from reality.

They were immersed in hallucinations and attacked each other like crazy wild beasts.

At this moment, a figure in black appeared in front of everyone.

He stood on a towering rock, holding a jade flute in his hand, with a sinister smile on his lips.

He looked down at the chaotic scene below, with a strange light flashing in his eyes...

The man in black stood on a high rock, twirling the jade flute in his hand, and the sound of the flute became increasingly sharp and piercing.

He looked down at the people below who were roaring like trapped beasts, with a bloodthirsty smile on his face.

Those villagers who were kind and simple on weekdays were now fighting each other like puppets, with blood splattering and staining the ground red.

The distorted expressions on their faces and their screams of pain were like a wonderful piece of music to him. He appreciated this farce of human nature as if he were a god who controlled everything.

However, when everyone was mesmerized by the flute sound, an old figure slowly opened his eyes.

The mysterious old man narrowed his cloudy eyes, his gaze as sharp as torches, shooting directly at the man in black on the high rock.

He raised his hand slightly, and an invisible energy wave instantly attacked the man in black.

The man in black sneered, leaped lightly, and dodged the fatal blow.

He increased the output of the flute, and the sharp sound waves pierced everyone's eardrums like a sharp blade.

"Damn it!" With a roar, Blacksmith Zhao clenched his iron fist tightly, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

He watched helplessly as his former neighbors were controlled by the sound of the flute and killed each other, and the anger in his heart erupted like a volcano.

At this moment, two soft lights lit up among the crowd.

The Rune Elf spread its light wings, mysterious runes shone all over its body, and it chanted ancient spells together with the Scroll Elf.

Their powers intertwined to form a barrier, trying to resist the erosion of the flute sound.

The surrounding air began to vibrate, and energy fluctuations spread out like ripples, counteracting the flute music of the man in black.

On the battlefield, the blood was like blooming red plums, shocking to the eye.

The man in white was pierced in the chest by Li the Hunter's hunting knife. The blood dyed the white clothes on his chest red. He fell to the ground weakly, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.

When Xiaohong saw this scene, she was instantly panicked. She struggled hard to rush to the man in white, but was firmly restrained by the invisible flute sound.

Luo Xiaoyu was nearly dead from the beating from Doctor Zhang's fist. The blood from her mouth mixed with her tears, and her originally lively eyes became dull.

The friends who were close to each other in the past now attacked each other like enemies, and trust and friendship completely collapsed at this moment.

The air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which was so oppressive that it was suffocating.

"What...what did I do?" Doctor Zhang suddenly came to mind. He looked at his bloody hands, and then looked at Luo Xiaoyu lying in a pool of blood. He knelt on the ground in pain, holding his head and crying. His eyes were blurred by tears of self-blame.

At this moment, Elder Chen slowly stood up. He usually had a hunched back, but now he stood up straight. His originally cloudy eyes became unusually bright, as if they contained some powerful power.

He muttered to himself, his tone firm.

Elder Chen's hunched back slowly straightened up like an old tree that had been weathered but still stood tall.

His usually cloudy eyes now emitted a terrifying light, like two burning flames.

He walked unsteadily but firmly towards the man in black on the high rock. Every step he took hit the ground like a heavy hammer, making a dull sound.

Everyone looked at him in astonishment, completely unable to connect the aggressive old man in front of them with the usually timid Elder Chen.

The sound of the flute was like countless sharp needles, piercing his eardrums, but he seemed not to feel it.

He clenched his teeth, the wrinkles on his face were as deep as if carved by a knife, and every step seemed extremely difficult.

When he was only a few steps away from the man in black, a low chant suddenly came out of his mouth.

The sound was ancient and mysterious, as if it came from an ancient sacrificial ceremony, and a strange vibration filled the air.

He formed a strange mark with his hands in front of his chest, and a golden light burst out from his body, forming a large rune, which slammed towards the man in black.

The black-clothed man's face suddenly changed. He didn't expect that this usually inconspicuous old man actually hid such powerful strength.

The rune streaked across the sky like a meteor and hit him instantly. He fell from the high rock like a kite with a broken string.

The jade flute in his hand also flew out, making a crisp sound.

The sound of the flute stopped abruptly, like a beast with its throat strangled, and the fragrance in the air also dissipated.

Everyone's minds became clear, and they gradually woke up from the hallucinations and regained consciousness.

The man in white staggered to his feet. The wound on his chest was still bleeding, but the light in his eyes was extremely sharp.

He held a long sword and stood side by side with the mysterious old man. Rune elves were also flying in the air, emitting dazzling light.

The three of them attacked the man in black at the same time. The sword lights flickered like cold stars and the energy fluctuations surged like the tide. The man in black was defeated under their attacks and his body was shaking.

The man in black roared angrily. He knew that the situation was hopeless and tried to turn around and escape.

However, a huge rune array suddenly appeared under his feet, trapping him inside. It was a trap set by the scroll elves.

He struggled to escape, but found that he could not move at all.

Everyone cheered excitedly, the joy of victory surged into their hearts like a tide. (End of this chapter)