Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

For a moment, there were only deafening noises, as if the whole valley was shaking.

Although the shield was extremely strong, it began to tremble slightly under such a fierce attack, and it seemed that it could break at any time.

In this tense moment of confrontation, Lin Ze suddenly felt a new power surge within him. This power was like a long-dormant beast, gradually awakening. With a sudden thought, he quickly closed his eyes, concentrating all his energy on sensing the source of this power.

After some investigation, Lin Ze was surprised to discover that this power was actually the spiritual energy he had accumulated during his cultivation. Because he had never found the right opportunity, this spiritual energy had been suppressed within him. But now, at this critical moment, it finally erupted like a volcano.

Lin Ze suddenly opened his eyes, a flicker of determination in them. The light around him suddenly intensified, like a dazzling sun, instantly breaking through the old man's shield. Then, like a flaming meteor, he rushed towards the mysterious man at astonishing speed.

The mysterious man obviously hadn't expected Lin Ze to suddenly unleash such a powerful force. He didn't even have time to react before he was hit hard by Lin Ze. With a dull thud, the mysterious man's body flew straight out like a kite with a broken string, landing heavily on the ground in the distance.

When his men saw their leader defeated, they were so frightened that they fled in all directions and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Lin Ze looked at the scene in front of him without any joy in his heart. He knew that this was just the beginning, and a bigger conspiracy was waiting for him to uncover.

Lin Ze dragged his somewhat tired body and slowly walked towards the mysterious man.

The mysterious man struggled to get up, his eyes filled with unwillingness and resentment.

"Do you think you won? This is just a little lesson I gave you. The real trouble is yet to come." The mysterious man said gritting his teeth.

A sneer of disdain appeared on Lin Ze's lips. His voice was cold and firm: "No matter what trouble it is, I have the confidence to resolve it one by one. Now, tell me, who is behind you?"

However, in response to Lin Ze's questioning, the mysterious man suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter was particularly harsh in the silent environment, as if mocking Lin Ze. The laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by a dead silence.

Just as Lin Ze was on guard, the mysterious man suddenly pulled out a black bead from his pocket with lightning speed. He crushed it without hesitation, and in an instant, a strange black smoke gushed out like a demon, quickly wrapping him tightly.

Seeing this, Lin Ze's face changed slightly. He wanted to step forward to stop it, but the black smoke was so fast that it completely engulfed the mysterious man in the blink of an eye. When the black smoke gradually dissipated, Lin Ze was shocked to find that the mysterious man who had been standing there had disappeared without a trace, as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth.

Lin Ze's brow furrowed, realizing he'd lost another crucial clue. This frustrated him, but it also fueled his fighting spirit. He clenched his fists, staring in the direction the mysterious man had disappeared, vowing to uncover the mastermind and expose the truth.

Lin Ze was thinking about where to look for clues next when suddenly, the ground began to shake violently.

From the depths of the valley emerged a horde of bizarre-looking monsters, their eyes fierce and emitting a strong murderous aura. Lin Ze's heart trembled, thinking that the mysterious man had left these monsters behind just to hold him back.

He took a deep breath, channeling the spiritual energy that had just erupted within him, and quickly formed seals with his hands. A massive rune materialized before him, blasting towards the herd of monsters. Instantly, several monsters were struck by the rune, screaming and falling to the ground. However, the monsters were numerous, charging forward in wave after wave.

Lin Ze could only fight and retreat, looking for a way to escape. Just when he was about to lose his strength, a clear sound of a phoenix came from the distance.

A huge fire phoenix flew from the sky, with a girl in white standing on its back.

The girl held a long sword in her hand, drawing sharp sword shadows in the air. Wherever she went, the monsters were killed.

Lin Ze took the opportunity to catch his breath, looking at the girl, a glimmer of hope welling in his heart. He shouted, "Thank you for your help, young lady!" The girl smiled and said, "You're welcome. Let's take care of these monsters together." The two fought side by side, quickly repelling the monsters. Lin Ze knew that the road ahead might be different with the addition of this girl.

After repelling the monster, Lin Ze looked at the girl in white and said sincerely, "Miss, I haven't asked for your name yet."

The girl smiled and said, "My name is Su Yao. I came here when I heard there was some unusual movement. I saw you fighting with the mysterious man just now. Are you investigating something?"

Lin Ze told Su Yao everything about his experience. After listening, Su Yao frowned slightly and looked worried.

"The mastermind behind this must be quite powerful. It would be difficult for you to track it down by yourself." Su Yao said after thinking for a moment, "I am willing to investigate this matter with you. I believe that together we can solve this mystery."

Lin Ze was delighted. He had been worrying about how to deal with this complicated situation, but now with a helper like Su Yao, his hope of solving the case was undoubtedly greatly increased.

The two were discussing their next plan of action when suddenly, the Fire Phoenix beside Su Yao let out a sharp cry. The sound was extremely sharp, as if it was foreshadowing that something bad was about to happen.

Su Yao's expression instantly became solemn. She hurriedly took out a communication jade slip from her arms. After injecting spiritual power into it, lines of text appeared on the jade slip.

"Oh no, I received a message from my master. There is an urgent matter that requires me to go back and deal with it immediately." After reading the message, Su Yao said to Lin Ze anxiously.

Although Lin Ze felt a little disappointed, he also understood the urgency of the matter, so he nodded and said, "Miss, go back and deal with the sect's affairs first. When you are done, we will investigate the case together."

Su Yao looked at Lin Ze gratefully and said, "Don't worry, I will come back as soon as possible." After that, she jumped onto the fire phoenix. The fire phoenix spread its huge wings and disappeared into the sky in an instant like a burning flame.

Lin Ze looked at the direction where Su Yao left, and secretly swore in his heart that no matter how difficult and dangerous the road ahead was, he would definitely find out the mastermind behind this.

After calming down a little, Lin Ze began to organize his thoughts and think about how to find new clues next.