I walk sideways in the game world

A dazzling beam of light shot straight into the sky, illuminating the previously peaceful and tranquil Weapon Refining Valley like daylight. Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin were stunned by this sudden change. Before they could react, a deafening roar echoed from the depths of the valley again, accompanied by waves of echoes, as if the entire valley was shaking.

"What's going on?" Xia Lin exclaimed and subconsciously grabbed Ren Xiaoyao's arm.

Ren Xiaoyao frowned, scanning the surroundings with a sharp gaze, and said in a deep voice, "I don't know. Let's wait and see what happens."

They retreated cautiously, away from the center of the light column. As the roar gradually subsided, a strange energy wave filled the valley, carrying a hint of violence and destructive aura, making people's hearts flutter.

"Let's go over there and take a look," Ren Xiaoyao said, pointing to a rocky area not far away. The rocks there formed a natural barrier, allowing them to temporarily hide and observe the situation.

The two men bent over, using the strange rocks as cover as they swiftly moved through the valley. The deeper they went, the richer the spiritual energy became. Various strange-looking plants emitted colorful lights, adorning the entire valley like a dream.

"Xiaoyao, look what that is?" Xia Lin exclaimed, pointing to a huge green rock not far away.

Ren Xiaoyao looked in the direction Xia Lin pointed, and saw that the surface of the green rock was covered with strange lines and emitted a faint halo. A pure energy wave emanated from the rock, which was refreshing.

"What a powerful energy fluctuation!" Ren Xiaoyao sighed in his heart. This rock was definitely not an ordinary thing. It might be some kind of treasure from heaven and earth.

He pulled Charlene towards the cyan rock, wanting to take a closer look. However, when they were less than ten steps away from the rock, something strange happened.

"Hehe, it's true that after searching for a needle in a haystack, it finally comes to you without any effort!" A rough voice came from behind them, with undisguised greed and malice.

Ren Xiaoyao's heart was filled with alarm. He turned around suddenly and saw that they were surrounded by more than a dozen strong men in black clothes and holding sharp blades. The leader was a burly man with a face full of flesh and a hideous scar on his left cheek. He was the second in command of the Black Wind Village - Tielang!

"Who are you? What do you want to do?" Xia Lin's pretty face turned cold as she asked sternly.

Iron Wolf grinned fiercely, his eyes greedily sweeping over the two men before finally settling on the green rock emitting a strange glow. He said in a sinister tone, "If you know what's good for you, surrender obediently. Hand over your belongings and the rock, and perhaps I'll spare your lives..."

Before he could finish his words, his expression suddenly changed and he shouted sternly, "Oh no! There's an ambush!"

Charlene's expression suddenly changed. She had keenly sensed something strange. The surrounding woods seemed too quiet, so quiet that even the birdsong had vanished. Only the rustling of leaves in the wind seemed particularly abrupt.

"Xiaoyao, be careful!" Xia Lin warned in a low voice, with a barely perceptible tremor in her tone.

Ren Xiaoyao's heart trembled. Xia Lin was always very alert. Since she had spoken up, it meant that there must be danger lurking nearby. He calmly gripped the longsword in his hand, his eyes like lightning, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

"Haha, the girl is quite smart, but it's too late!" Tielang laughed wildly and waved his hand suddenly. The bandits who were ambushing in the woods rushed out like a tide and surrounded Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin.

"You... are despicable!" Charlene said gritting her teeth, her pretty face full of anger.

"The victor becomes the king and the loser becomes the bandit. He who knows the current situation is a hero. Just surrender!" Tielang grinned, with greed flashing in his eyes, as if he had already seen victory waving to him.

"You want us to surrender? Dream on!" Ren Xiaoyao snorted coldly, unsheathed his sword, and with a flash of cold light, a sharp sword energy broke through the air and headed straight for Tielang.

Tielang's face changed slightly. He obviously didn't expect Ren Xiaoyao to be so powerful. He hurriedly raised his knife to block, but there was a loud "clang" sound, and the sword energy collided with the blade, sparking a dazzling spark.

"Brothers, come on, kill them!" Tielang roared, rushed forward first, waving the big knife in his hand, and launched a violent attack on Ren Xiaoyao.

The rest of the bandits also joined the battle. For a while, the sound of swords and sabers flashed and the shouts of killing shook the sky. Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin were surrounded and engaged in a bitter battle.

Ren Xiaoyao's swordsmanship was sharp, his figure elusive, weaving through the crowd like a ghost, each strike a life. Xia Lin, on the other hand, wielded a long whip, her whipping movements agile and ruthless, repelling each approaching bandit.

However, two fists are no match for four hands. The number of robbers is too large, and Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin gradually find it difficult.

"Haha, boy, I wonder how long you can hold on!" Tielang was angry when he saw that he couldn't defeat Ren Xiaoyao after a long time. He seized a flaw in Ren Xiaoyao and slashed at his chest with a knife.

Ren Xiaoyao couldn't dodge in time, and with a "hiss", his clothes were cut open, and blood instantly dyed the collar red...

Bright red blood trickled down the wound on Ren Xiaoyao's arm, staining his shirt. Seeing this, Xia Lin was terrified, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. With a delicate cry, she whipped her whip even more swiftly, forcing back several bandits who had attempted to finish him off.

"Xiaoyao, how are you?" Xia Lin asked anxiously, waving a long whip while vigilantly observing the movements around her.

"I'm fine, just a minor injury." Ren Xiaoyao endured the pain and said in a relaxed tone, but his pale face betrayed his true condition.

"Don't be so stubborn, treat the wound first!" Xia Lin said, taking out a bottle of medicine from her waist and carefully pouring it on Ren Xiaoyao's wound.

"Hiss..." Ren Xiaoyao took a breath and felt a burning pain in the wound.

"Bear with it, it will be fine soon." Xia Lin comforted softly, her eyes full of heartache.

After simply bandaging their wounds, Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin stood back to back, warily watching the surrounding bandits. They had been cornered, their physical and spiritual energy drained, and their situation was precarious.

"Haha, come on, kill them!" Tielang was overjoyed when he saw Ren Xiaoyao injured, and ordered an attack again.

The robbers rushed towards Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin frantically as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

At this critical moment, an old and majestic voice suddenly sounded: "Stop!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an old man in a crimson robe appeared out of thin air. His hair and beard were all white, but his face was rosy and shiny, and his eyes were bright and lively, as if he could see through everything.

"Yan... Elder Yan!" When Xia Lin saw who it was, she was overjoyed, as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw.

Elder Yan is the guardian of the Weapon Refining Valley and a highly respected weapon refining master with unfathomable strength.

When Tielang saw Elder Yan, his expression suddenly turned extremely ugly. He suppressed his fear and said with a stiff upper lip, "Elder Yan, these two people have trespassed into the Weapon Refining Valley. We are only enforcing the valley rules!"

"Valley Rules?" Elder Yan sneered, "How could I not know when the Valley Rules became an excuse for murder and robbery!"

After saying that, Elder Yan no longer paid attention to Tielang. He formed seals with his hands and muttered something. A terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire venue.

"Weapon Refining Technique, Earth Fire Burns the Sky!"

Following Elder Yan's roar, a huge crack suddenly appeared in the ground, and raging flames gushed out from the crack, turning into fire dragons that roared and rushed towards the bandits.

"what……"

The bandits had never seen such a horrific scene before, and were instantly terrified and fled in all directions. However, in the face of Elder Yan's overwhelming strength, their resistance seemed so pale and powerless, and in the blink of an eye, they were engulfed by the flames and reduced to ash.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Tielang turned around and tried to escape, but was slapped away by Elder Yan. He fell heavily to the ground, spitting blood and dying.

Elder Yan ignored Tielang. He walked up to Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

"Thank you, Elder Yan, for your help. We are fine." Xia Lin said gratefully.

"Yes." Elder Yan nodded, his eyes fell on Ren Xiaoyao, and he frowned slightly, "Your injury..."

Ren Xiaoyao quickly said, "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

"The Equipment Refining Valley is not a good place. What brings you here?" Elder Yan asked, with a hint of inquiry in his tone.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin exchanged a glance. Xia Lin took a deep breath and said slowly, "We came here to find..."

Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Elder Yan: "Are you looking for the meteorite iron?"

Xia Lin was stunned and looked at Elder Yan in surprise, wondering how he knew their purpose.

Elder Yan did not explain, but said meaningfully: "Heavenly Star Meteorite Iron is not that easy to obtain..."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the depths of the Weapon Refining Valley, leaving behind only an old and mysterious figure.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin looked at each other, their hearts filled with confusion and anxiety. Although they were temporarily out of danger, Ren Xiaoyao knew that this was only the beginning of their search for materials, and more dangers would await them. He looked into the depths of the Refining Valley, his heart filled with worry... "We..."

"We..." Ren Xiaoyao was about to speak, but saw Xia Lin looking at the direction where Elder Yan left with a serious expression, and he stopped talking.

"What's wrong?" He followed Xia Lin's gaze and saw that Elder Yan's figure had disappeared in the mist. The depths of the weapon refining valley were still bottomlessly dark.

"Elder Yan... seems to know why we're here," Xia Lin said in a low voice, a hint of uneasiness in her tone. "Also, I feel like he seems to be hiding something from us."

Ren Xiaoyao frowned slightly. He also felt that Elder Yan's appearance was too coincidental. Moreover, his attitude towards them was quite strange, like a test and also like a warning.

"If an enemy comes, we will fight him; if a flood comes, we will block it with earth." Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, his eyes determined. "Now that we have come here, we must find the Tianxing Meteorite. We can't waste this opportunity in vain."

Xia Lin nodded. She also understood that it was meaningless to think about these things now. The most urgent thing was to find the Tianxing Meteorite and complete the mission.

"Let's go, let's follow and take a look." Ren Xiaoyao said, and walked towards the direction where Elder Yan disappeared.

Charlene followed closely behind, and the two of them passed through a dense forest. Suddenly, the view in front of them opened up and a wide valley appeared.

In the center of the valley, a huge volcano stands tall, with thick smoke billowing from the crater, red magma rolling, and emitting suffocating heat waves.

At the foot of the volcano, there are a number of scattered buildings. These buildings are all built of black volcanic rocks, appearing ancient and mysterious.

"This is the central area of the Refining Valley," Xia Lin said, pointing to the buildings. "Those buildings are where the refiners work and live."

Ren Xiaoyao nodded. He noticed that between the buildings, there were some people in different clothes walking around. Some of these people were holding weapons, and some were carrying various materials. It was obvious at a glance that they were all skilled weapon refiners.

At this moment, Elder Yan returned. He walked up to Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin, his eyes swept over them, and he slowly said, "Follow me."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the volcano.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin looked at each other and saw a hint of solemnity in each other's eyes. They knew that the real test had just begun.

The three of them walked in silence along a rugged mountain road towards the crater.

The higher they went, the higher the temperature became and the thinner the air became. Ren Xiaoyao could even feel that his breathing was becoming a little difficult.

After walking for about half an hour, the three finally reached the edge of the crater.

Standing here, you can clearly see the magma roiling in the crater, as well as the thick smoke and sparks constantly spewing out of the magma.

Elder Yan pointed to a cave opposite the crater and said, "The Heavenly Star Meteorite is in there. If you want to get it, go in."

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin looked in the direction of Elder Yan's finger, and saw a pitch-black cave entrance opposite the crater. The cave entrance was shrouded in a layer of light mist and could not be seen clearly.

"Remember, be careful after you go in." Elder Yan reminded in a serious tone.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin nodded without saying anything more. They took a deep breath, adjusted their state, and then walked towards the cave.

However, just as they were about to step into the cave, Elder Yan's voice sounded again behind them: "Wait."

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin stopped and looked back at Elder Yan in confusion.

Elder Yan took out a black token from his bosom, handed it to Ren Xiaoyao, and said, "Take this, it can help you resist some of the erosion of the fire poison."

Ren Xiaoyao took the token and it felt cold to the touch. There were complex patterns carved on the token, exuding a mysterious aura.

"Thank you, Elder Yan." Ren Xiaoyao thanked Elder Yan solemnly.

Elder Yan nodded without saying anything, but just looked deeply in the direction of the cave, wondering what he was thinking.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin turned around again and walked towards the cave. This time, they did not hesitate, but stepped into the cave without hesitation.

It was pitch black inside the cave, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you. Only a faint light coming in from the cave entrance could vaguely make out the road ahead.

"Follow me." Ren Xiaoyao whispered, and then took the lead and walked towards the depths of the cave...