The Land of the Earth

The old man spoke slowly, his voice like the tolling of an ancient bell, echoing through the valley. Every word struck everyone's heart like a hammer: "I am the caretaker of the Reimu Herb. I have watched over it for tens of thousands of years. Has the destined one finally arrived? Accept my test."

His tone was calm, but the majesty contained in it was like an invisible mountain, pressing down on everyone's hearts, as if even breathing became heavy.

The test began, and the first test was a question of wisdom. The old man waved his cane, and the space around him instantly changed. Everyone seemed to be in a vast starry sky.

Countless stars are twinkling, their light is strong or weak, and of different colors. The red ones are like burning flames, the blue ones are like the deep ocean, and the purple ones are like mysterious magic light.

There is an ancient symbol on each star. Some of those symbols look like flying birds, some like walking beasts, and some like mysterious runes, which are intricately intertwined with each other.

The old man's voice resounded in the starry sky, like an oracle from the depths of the universe: "Unlock the secret of the Star Talisman and find the path to the Immortal Grass."

Everyone fell into deep thought, Song Chaoming frowned, like two caterpillars fighting.

His eyes were fixed on the stars, his eyes revealing concentration and thought, as if he wanted to see through the stars.

Sometimes he lowered his head in thought, and sometimes he looked up to observe the arrangement of the stars, muttering to himself as if he was talking to the stars.

His mind was racing, recalling the various symbolic knowledge recorded in ancient books, and that knowledge flashed through his mind like slides.

His fingers kept gesturing in the air, trying to find the connection between the symbols.

Tianyuan held his chin with his hand, and his thick fingers left deep marks on his chin.

His eyes were as deep as the starry sky, trying to find clues from the arrangement of the stars.

He stood there like a sculpture, only his eyes kept moving, observing the changes in the stars.

Various possibilities kept emerging in his mind, and then he denied them one by one. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and those beads of sweat sparkled in the starlight, just like the stars he was deciphering.

He Jiaojiao closed her eyes and tried to feel the energy fluctuations between the stars.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, and the expression on her face was sometimes relaxed and sometimes tense.

Her body trembled slightly, as if resonating with the energy of the stars.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, slid down her cheeks, dripped into the void, and disappeared.

Her lips moved slightly, as if she was having a silent communication with the stars, trying to find the key to solve the mystery from the fluctuations of energy.

Chaoyun paced back and forth among the stars, his steps hurried and flustered.

His eyes were wide open, filled with anxiety and confusion.

Sometimes he stopped to carefully observe the symbols on a star, and sometimes he walked quickly to another star, like a little mouse lost in a maze.

His hands kept scratching his head, and his hair was scratched like a bird's nest, but he was completely unaware of it. His heart was only filled with the desire to solve the mystery.

Although Feng Qi was injured, he endured the pain and participated in solving the problem.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, holding the magic formula in his hands, trying to use the power of fire to sense the mysteries of the stars.

His face was still pale, but his eyes were determined.

His lips trembled slightly due to the exertion, and he silently chanted a spell. Faint fluctuations of fire power surrounded him, echoing with the light of the stars.

After some deep thought, Song Chaoming's eyes suddenly lit up. He seemed to have seen the dawn in the darkness, and his eyes flashed with excitement.

He found that the arrangement of the stars had some similarities with the ancient Bagua diagram. The stars were like the points on the Bagua diagram, and the symbols were the lines between the points.

He shouted excitedly: "According to the directions of the Bagua, find the corresponding combination of symbols." His voice echoed in the starry sky, like a horn of victory.

Everyone immediately took action and began to crack the Star Talisman according to Song Chaoming's instructions.

Tian Yuan's movements were swift and powerful. He quickly shuttled between the stars according to the directions of the Eight Trigrams, looking for corresponding symbols.

His figure flashed across the starry sky like a flash of lightning.

He Jiaojiao, relying on her perception of energy fluctuations, guided everyone to find the correct symbols.

She waved her hands in the air as if she was conducting a grand concert.

Chaoyun was no longer panicking. He followed Tianyuan closely, carefully observing every symbol, exclaiming from time to time, excited about the new discovery.

Feng Qi also held on, using the power of fire to illuminate the road ahead for everyone, ensuring that no symbol was missed.

As the last symbol was lit, a dazzling light like a sun explosion flashed, the starry sky disappeared, and they returned to the valley. The first test was passed.

Everyone smiled at each other tiredly but excitedly, their eyes full of anticipation for the next test.

The second test is a test of courage.

The surrounding environment changed again, and countless ferocious phantom beasts appeared.

The beasts had different shapes. Some looked like huge lions with manes burning like flames, pouncing on the crowd with their fangs and claws bared, and every roar made the ground tremble slightly; some looked like winged pythons, their bodies winding and swimming in the air.

They spewed black venom from their mouths, which dripped onto the ground, making a sizzling corrosive sound; some looked like three vicious dogs, with their three heads opening their bloody mouths at the same time, revealing fangs as sharp as daggers, and their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light.

Tianyuan shouted loudly, and the sound exploded in the valley like thunder.

He rushed forward first, holding the Fire Sword high in his hand, and the Fire Sword flashed coldly in the sunlight.

His muscles were tense and hard as steel, and every step he took raised dust on the ground.

He brandished the flaming sword in his hand and fought fiercely with the beast.

Every time he swung his sword, it brought up a gust of wind, which whistled as if cheering him on.

His figure shuttled through the group of beasts as if he was in an empty space. Wherever his sword reached, the bodies of the phantom beasts were pierced with rays of light, and then dissipated in the air.

He roared as he fought: "Come on, you beasts, don't even think about stopping us!"

Song Chaoming cast a spell. He quickly formed seals with his hands and muttered something.

Rays of light shot out from his hands, some as straight as swords, some as entwined as ropes, and some burning like flames.

The light hit the beast and made a roaring sound, echoing in the valley like firecrackers.

His eyes were determined, and beads of sweat covered his forehead, but he showed no sign of retreating. He shouted, "Everyone hold on, we will definitely defeat them!"