The princess arrives and the prosperous Tang Dynasty begins

After leaving Yueying Village, Lin Xiao and Li Xuan continued their fantasy journey. This time, their goal was to cross the legendary Dark Forest. It is said that this forest hides many ancient secrets and mysterious creatures, and many adventurers have disappeared here and never returned. Lin Xiao and Li Xuan decided to uncover the secrets of the Dark Forest and find answers for those who have disappeared.

The Dark Forest is located in a vast plain, surrounded by tall mountains, and looks particularly mysterious and dangerous. Lin Xiao and Li Xuan walked carefully through the dense woods, feeling a strong sense of oppression around them. There was an ancient atmosphere in the air, as if the entire forest was guarding some secret.

They walked along a path, and the trees around them became taller and taller, with leaves blocking out the sun, making it difficult for sunlight to penetrate, making the entire forest look eerie and terrifying. After walking for a while, Lin Xiao and Li Xuan found a clearing in front of them. In the middle of the clearing was an ancient well, and next to the well stood a stone tablet, which was engraved with mysterious runes.

Li Xuan carefully studied the runes and found that they were somewhat similar to the runes in Yueying Village. He speculated that this well might be the entrance to the core of the Dark Forest. Lin Xiao agreed with Li Xuan's speculation, and they decided to go down to the well to explore the secrets.

They slowly descended with ropes. The walls of the well were covered with thick moss and vines, and the air was filled with a damp smell. After descending for a distance, they found that the bottom of the well was a narrow tunnel, with some glowing crystals dotted on both sides of the tunnel, illuminating the way forward.

Lin Xiao and Li Xuan walked along the tunnel, which gradually became wider and brighter. When they walked out of the tunnel, they saw a strange scene: an underground world, full of strange plants and glowing minerals, and the whole space was shrouded in a soft light.

In the center of the underground world, there is an ancient altar, on which is placed a huge crystal ball, which is gleaming with countless lights, as if it contains infinite power. Lin Xiao and Li Xuan approached the altar and felt the powerful energy coming from the crystal ball.

At this moment, the air around the altar began to distort, and a dark shadow emerged from the crystal ball and gradually turned into a tall man in a black robe. The black-robed man wore a silver mask on his face, and his eyes flashed with a cold light.

The man in black robe said in a low and majestic voice: "How dare you enter the forbidden area of ​​the Dark Forest! This is a challenge to us!"

Lin Xiao and Li Xuan did not back down. Lin Xiao said, "We are not here to challenge, but to find the secret of the Dark Forest. Many people have disappeared here, and we hope to find the answer and help them."

The man in black robe smiled coldly and said, "Your courage is commendable, but the secret of the Dark Forest is not so easy to uncover. There are countless dangers and tests hidden here. You must prove your strength and wisdom."

After that, the man in black robe waved his hand and pointed, and the space around him began to distort, and lightning and flames appeared. Lin Xiao and Li Xuan felt a strong pressure, but they did not retreat. They concentrated their energy and prepared to meet the challenge.

They used the Taoist and dragon arts they had learned to skillfully dodge lightning and fire, gradually approaching the black-robed man. Seeing this, the black-robed man began to cast more powerful spells, and dark energy attacked them one after another.

Lin Xiao used the Moonlight Mirror in his hand to reflect the dark energy, while Li Xuan used the Silver Moon Sword to cut off the incoming energy waves. Their cooperation became more and more tacit, and they gradually gained the upper hand.

Finally, the black-robed man was overwhelmed by their strength and stopped attacking. He said, "Your strength and wisdom are indeed extraordinary. It seems that you are qualified to know the secrets of the Dark Forest."

The black-robed man waved his hand, and the illusion around him disappeared. The crystal ball on the altar began to glow, projecting a ray of light, forming a picture. An ancient city appeared in the picture, and the city was prosperous and bustling, with people living and working in peace and contentment.

The man in black robes explained: "A long time ago, this forest was a prosperous city, but due to a disaster, the city was destroyed and turned into the dark forest it is today. Many people disappeared here because they were attracted by the power of this forest and could not find their way back."

Lin Xiao asked: "What can we do to help these missing people?"

The man in black robe said: "You need to find the core of the city. The power there can break the curse of the dark forest and let the missing people see the light of day again."

Lin Xiao and Li Xuan thanked the black-robed man for his guidance and decided to continue moving forward to find the core of the city. They left the underground world, returned to the ground, and followed the direction indicated by the black-robed man, going deep into the heart of the dark forest.

In the process of moving forward, they encountered various challenges and dangers, sometimes it was a beast that suddenly appeared, sometimes it was a trap hidden in the bushes, but they resolved them one by one with wisdom and courage.

Once, they lost their way in a swamp. The swamp was filled with thick fog, and the vision was extremely limited. If they were not careful, they would fall into the quagmire. Lin Xiao took out the crystal ball and used the light from it to guide them. Finally, they found the right direction and escaped from danger smoothly.

After countless hardships and dangers, they finally came to the depths of the dark forest. There, they saw an ancient ruins with a huge stone door in it. The stone door was engraved with mysterious runes and emitted a faint light.

Lin Xiao and Li Xuan approached the stone gate and found that there was a complex mechanism on it that needed to be activated at the same time to open. Following the instructions of the runes, they stood on both sides of the stone gate and activated the mechanism using Taoist and dragon magic.

The stone door slowly opened, and a dazzling light shone out from the door, illuminating the surrounding darkness. Lin Xiao and Li Xuan walked into the stone door and found a huge underground palace inside, which was filled with all kinds of strange decorations and treasures.

In the center of the palace, they saw an altar with a huge gem on it. The gem was shining with countless lights, as if it contained infinite power. Lin Xiao and Li Xuan felt the powerful energy coming from the gem and knew that this was the key to unlocking the curse of the dark forest.

Just as they were about to take down the gem, a dark shadow suddenly appeared in the palace. It was a tall black dragon with a cold light flashing in its eyes. The black dragon said in a low voice: "How dare you break in here and try to take away the gem!"

Lin Xiao and Li Xuan did not back down. Li Xuan said, "We are not here to seize the gems, but to break the curse of the dark forest and save those who are missing."

The black dragon sneered: "If you want to break the curse, you must prove your strength and determination."

After saying that, the black dragon flapped its huge wings and attacked them. Lin Xiao and Li Xuan concentrated their energy and used the Taoist and dragon arts they had learned to start a fierce battle with the black dragon.

The black dragon's attack was swift and powerful, but Lin Xiao and Li Xuan cooperated well and evaded and counterattacked skillfully. Lin Xiao used the Moonlight Mirror to reflect the black dragon's flames, while Li Xuan used the Silver Moon Sword to cut off the black dragon's tail. Their attacks gradually took effect, and the black dragon's power began to weaken.

Finally, the black dragon was overwhelmed by their power and stopped attacking. It said: "Your courage and determination moved me. The power of the gem now belongs to you. I hope you can use it to break the curse of the dark forest."

Lin Xiao and Li Xuan thanked the black dragon gratefully, walked to the altar, and carefully took out the gem. They felt the powerful energy contained in the gem and knew that it was the key to unlocking the curse.

They brought the gem back to an ancient altar in the forest and activated the power of the gem according to the ancient ritual. Suddenly, a powerful light shot out from the gem, covering the entire dark forest.

The haze in the dark forest began to dissipate, and the surrounding trees and plants gradually regained vitality. Lin Xiao and Li Xuan felt an incomparable force surging from the ground and gradually spreading to the entire forest.

Suddenly, a huge crack appeared in the sky, and a beam of dazzling light shot out from the crack, illuminating the entire forest. Lin Xiao and Li Xuan saw the missing people walking out of the light one by one, their faces full of joy and hope.

The missing people thanked Lin Xiao and Li Xuan gratefully, telling them that they were attracted by the dark forest and could not find the way back. Now, with the power of the gem, they can finally see the light of day and return to their homes.