Time Travel: Ancient Martial Arts Chronicles

The afterglow of the setting sun shone like blood across the ancient temple. Mysterious runes on the walls flickered with an eerie light, as if telling of ancient secrets. Black smoke continuously poured out from the cracks in the ground, carrying a pungent odor, quickly filling the air. The entire space was shrouded in the shadow of death.

"Everyone be careful!" Ye Wuhen held the Soul-Breaking Sword in his hand and scanned the surroundings vigilantly. The determination in his eyes was like a burning flame. "These monsters are not easy to deal with. Don't disperse yet."

Lin Yu stood close to Ye Wuhen and nodded slightly, "I understand, Brother Ye. We have to find their weaknesses first." He gripped the weapon in his hand tightly, his muscles tense, ready to fight at any time.

Su Yao cast a purification spell to try to dispel the smoke. She frowned, "This smoke is poisonous. We can't let it spread any further."

Mo Yu instructed the Yuhun Sect disciples to release their soul power to interfere with the monsters, and said calmly: "Pay attention to defense, don't be hit by the monster's attack."

Ling Jian of Tianjian Sect waved his sword and shouted heroically: "Brothers of Tianjian Sect, charge!" The disciples shouted in unison and rushed towards the monster.

Bai Zhi and Lin Xiaoxiao hid behind the spiritual shield. Lin Xiaoxiao was a little scared, "Sister Bai Zhi, these monsters are so scary." Bai Zhi held her hand and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, we can find a solution together."

The monsters were enormous, like giants made of steel and rock. They swung their massive arms and smashed down on the crowd. Each attack brought with it a gust of wind that shook the ground.

Ye Wuhen seized the opportunity and, with lightning speed, rushed towards a monster. He dodged the monster's attack, leaped onto its arm, and ran along it, stabbing the monster's shoulder joint with his Soul-Breaking Sword. "Dang!" The sword collided with the monster's hide, sparks flying, but the monster only swayed slightly. Ye Wuhen used the rebound force to leap back to the ground, cursing under his breath, "So tough!"

Lin Yu attacked the monster from the side. His weapon chopped off the monster's leg, leaving only a shallow mark. "Brother Ye, this thing's skin is too strong!"

Su Yao shouted, "Let me try to use my spiritual power to detect their weaknesses." She concentrated her mind, and her spiritual power turned into threads and spread towards the monsters. After a moment, she shouted, "Their eyes and joints are relatively weak!"

"Okay! Everyone attack the eyes and joints!" Ye Wuhen shouted.

Upon hearing this, Ling Jian shouted, "Heavenly Sword Sect, attack the joints!" He leaped high, his sword dancing as he slashed at the monster's knee joints. The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples followed suit, their swords flashing in a flash.

Mo Yu of the Yuhun Sect ordered his disciples to use soul power to attack the monsters' eyes, trying to interfere with their vision.

The monsters became even more violent as they were attacked, roaring and waving their arms wildly, some even stomping their feet on the ground, shaking the entire hall.

A monster rushed towards Bai Zhi and Lin Xiaoxiao. Bai Zhi's face was pale, but she still firmly maintained her shield. "Xiaoxiao, don't be afraid." Lin Xiaoxiao bit her lip, pulled out a talisman from her bosom, and threw it at the monster. The talisman exploded, and the monster paused for a moment. Bai Zhi took the opportunity to pull Lin Xiaoxiao away.

Ye Wuhen charged at the monster once more, his form nimbly weaving between its attacks. As he neared the monster, he unleashed his ultimate move, the Soul-Breaking Sword blazing brightly. "Night Shadow Break!" The sword pierced the monster's eyes accurately, causing it to scream and cover its eyes. Seizing the opportunity, Ye Wuhen swung his sword at its leg joints, sending the monster crashing to the ground.

"Good job, Brother Ye!" Lin Yu shouted excitedly. At the same time, he rushed towards another monster and attacked its joints together with Ling Jian.

"Come on, everyone. We can defeat them!" Ye Wuhen encouraged everyone.

Everyone was encouraged and attacked even harder. Su Yao also joined the battle, using her spiritual power to strengthen her weapon, making each attack more powerful. Mo Yu led the disciples of the Yuhun Sect to continue using their soul power to disrupt the monsters, confusing their attacks.

However, the monsters weren't defeated. They began to coordinate with each other, some attacking while others used their massive bodies to shield their companions. The battle intensified, and everyone gradually grew tired, with many suffering wounds.

"We can't let them organize, we have to disrupt them!" Ye Wuhen shouted, he rushed towards the center of the monster group, trying to break their defenses.

Lin Yu followed closely behind, "Brother Ye, let me help you!" The two fought back to back in the monster swarm. They were surrounded by whistling attacks and deafening roars, but they did not retreat.

Su Yao looked at the situation of the battle and had an idea in her mind, "We can try to use a combined spell to concentrate the attack on one point." She shouted to the masters of other sects.

Mo Yu nodded, "This method is feasible. We need a guiding point."

Ling Jian stepped forward and said, "I will attract their attention, you guys prepare your spells." After that, he rushed towards the place where the monsters were most concentrated. The swordsmanship of Tianjian Sect was displayed to the fullest in his hands, and every sword could repel the monsters.

Su Yao, Mo Yu, and other masters from other sects quickly gathered together. They combined their spiritual and soul powers to form a huge energy ball. "Get ready, attack the monster on Ling Jian's side!" Su Yao shouted.

Bai Zhi and Lin Xiaoxiao also joined in, injecting spiritual power into the energy ball. When the energy ball was strong enough, Su Yao shouted, "Release!"

The energy ball flew towards the monsters like a meteor, dispersing the smoke wherever it passed, and illuminating the entire hall. The energy ball struck the monsters, and a massive explosion erupted, scattering the monsters. Some were shattered, while others were severely injured.

"Good!" Everyone cheered, but before the cheers died down, a roar came from the depths of the hall again, louder than before.

"What else?" Lin Yu frowned.

Ye Wuhen looked into the depths of the hall and said, "No matter what it is, we must face it. For the Tears of the Stars, we cannot stop."

Everyone gathered themselves together and headed deeper into the hall. Their figures appeared incredibly resolute in the smoke and afterglow. The battle continued, and their mission drove them forward into unknown danger.

As they entered the hall, the surroundings grew increasingly eerie. The runes on the walls flickered more intensely, as if warning of impending danger. More cracks began to appear in the ground beneath their feet, from which a dark red liquid oozed, emitting a pungent, bloody odor that made them nauseous.

"This place is getting more and more weird." Lin Yu said with a frown. He carefully avoided the dark red liquid and looked around vigilantly.

Ye Wuhen didn't say anything. His eyes were always fixed on the front. The Soul-Breaking Sword in his hand trembled slightly, as if responding to the danger hidden around him.

Suddenly, countless black vines dangled from the ceiling, covered in sharp thorns, like black blades. They quickly spread towards everyone, moving so fast that it caught everyone off guard.

"Be careful!" Ye Wuhen shouted, swinging his sword to cut off several vines that attacked him. But the vines continued to come, as if endless.

Su Yao hurriedly cast a spell, trying to burn the vines with fireballs. The flames burned on the vines, making crackling sounds, but the vines only retreated slightly and soon continued to attack.

"These vines are not afraid of fire!" Su Yao exclaimed.

Mo Yu calmly commanded the disciples of the Yuhun Sect, "Use the power of your soul to cut off their source of energy!" The disciples of the Yuhun Sect used their soul techniques one after another, trying to find the energy core of the vines.

Ling Jian and the Tianjian Sect disciples wielded their swords, cutting off the approaching vines. "Damn, why are these things so difficult to deal with!" Ling Jian cursed as he chopped.

Bai Zhi and Lin Xiaoxiao hid in a corner. Lin Xiaoxiao looked around nervously, "Sister Bai Zhi, what should we do?" Bai Zhi bit her lip and thought for a moment. "We'll use the spiritual shield to protect everyone. You try to use the talisman to see if it has any effect on the vines."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded. She took out several talismans of different attributes and threw them at the vines. A lightning talisman hit the vines, causing them to twitch instantly, but they quickly recovered.

"It has some effect, but it's not enough." Lin Xiaoxiao said anxiously.

Ye Wuhen continued to move forward amidst the vines' attack. He discovered that the vines seemed to be spreading out from a certain central location in the hall. "Everyone, concentrate your attacks in that direction!" He shouted, pointing to a corner deep in the hall.

After hearing this, everyone attacked in that direction. With everyone's combined attack, the vines' offensive power was slightly weakened.

"Keep going! Don't stop!" Ye Wuhen shouted, speeding up and rushing towards the source of the vines.

Lin Yu followed closely behind him, "Brother Ye, here I come!" The two of them advanced quickly through the gaps in the vines, cutting off countless vines along the way.

When they approached the source, they found it was a huge black crystal ball covered with intricate lines, and the vines grew out of these lines.

"This is the thing controlling the vines, destroy it!" Ye Wuhen shouted.

The two attacked the crystal ball at the same time. The Soul-Breaking Sword and Lin Yu's weapon slashed at the crystal ball, emitting a dazzling light. However, the crystal ball was extremely solid, with only a few tiny cracks appearing on the surface.

"Attack together!" Ye Wuhen shouted, swinging his sword again while unleashing his own spiritual power. Lin Yu also went all out, their attacks converging and slamming heavily into the crystal ball.

"Boom!" The crystal ball finally couldn't bear it anymore and exploded. The vines instantly lost their vitality and withered and fell off.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but before they could recover, a sharp laugh rang out from the hall. The laugh seemed to come from hell, making people's hair stand on end.

"Who? Come out!" Ye Wuhen shouted loudly. He gripped the Soul-Breaking Sword tightly and looked around.

A figure emerged from the darkness, shrouded in a black robe, its face obscured. "You think you can easily obtain the Tears of the Stars? You are so naive." The black-robed figure's voice was low and hoarse, full of mockery.

"Who are you? Why are you stopping us?" Ye Wuhen asked.

The man in black robe sneered, "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you will all die here." After saying that, the man in black robe stretched out his hands, and a powerful dark force surged out from him.

Everyone felt the power of this force and prepared for battle. The battle entered a more intense phase, and the enemies they faced seemed even more terrifying than the monsters and vines before.

The dark power of the black-robed man surged towards the crowd like a tide, as if countless invisible hands were trying to grab everyone in the darkness. Ye Wuhen rushed forward first, unleashing his sword skills. The light from the Soul-Breaking Sword drew a bright trail in the darkness, trying to dispel the dark power.

"Hmph, you overestimate your abilities." The man in black robe said contemptuously. He waved his sleeve lightly, and the dark power became more violent and rushed directly towards Ye Wuhen.

Seeing this, Lin Yu hurriedly attacked from the side. His weapon was imbued with spiritual power and he stabbed at the black-robed man. "Don't hurt Brother Ye!"

The black-robed man slightly turned sideways and easily avoided Lin Yu's attack. "You ants, you also want to challenge me?"

Su Yao, Mo Yu, and other masters from other sects also joined the battle. Su Yao cast a large spiritual shield to protect everyone from the erosion of the dark forces. Mo Yu led the disciples of the Yuhun Sect to use the power of the soul to find the flaws of the black-robed man.

Ling Jian led the disciples of the Tianjian Sect and launched round after round of attacks at the black-robed man. Their sword lights flickered in the darkness, but each attack was easily deflected by the black-robed man.

Bai Zhi and Lin Xiaoxiao provided support to the others from the rear. Lin Xiaoxiao continuously cast spells, some of which could temporarily dispel the darkness, while others could cause minor disturbances to the black-robed figures.

"Everyone, calm down, let's attack together!" Ye Wuhen shouted. He used his ultimate move again, and the light on the Soul-Breaking Sword became brighter. "Night Shadow Dawn!" He slashed at the black-robed man with all his strength.

This time, the black-robed man felt threatened. He formed seals with his hands, and a dark force formed a barrier in front of him. Ye Wuhen's attack hit the barrier, causing a powerful explosion. The dark force and sword light intertwined, illuminating the entire hall.

"You have some skills, but not enough." The man in black robe said, he increased the output of dark power, and the barrier began to advance towards everyone.

The crowd was forced to retreat continuously by the dark force, and many people began to lose strength. But they did not give up and continued to resist tenaciously.

"We can't be defeated, we must find his weakness!" Su Yao shouted. She tried hard to maintain the spiritual shield, and sweat soaked her forehead.

Mo Yu carefully observed the black-robed figure in the darkness and discovered that his dark power seemed to be connected to the surrounding environment. "Everyone, pay attention! The source of his power may be related to this temple. Let's try to destroy the surrounding runes!"

After hearing this, everyone began to attack the runes on the wall. When the runes were destroyed, the dark power of the black-robed man showed a slight fluctuation.

"It works! Keep going!" Ye Wuhen shouted. He rushed towards the man in black robe again, while attracting his attention, giving others more time to destroy the rune.

With everyone's efforts, the black-robed man's dark power gradually weakened, and he began to panic. "You guys actually found my weakness."

"We won't let you succeed!" Lin Yu shouted, and he and Ling Jian launched a more fierce attack on the man in black robe.

Seeing the situation was not good, the black-robed man tried to escape. But Ye Wuhen would not give him the chance. He used his body skills to quickly stop the black-robed man. "Want to run? Not that easy!"

The crowd surrounded the black-robed man, ready to deliver the final blow. Knowing he couldn't escape, he roared, ready to fight to the death.

At this moment, a mysterious light shot out from the depths of the hall, directly enveloping the black-robed man. The black-robed man struggled in the light, but soon disappeared without a trace.

Everyone looked at this scene in surprise, not knowing what was happening.

"What's going on?" Lin Yu asked.

Ye Wuhen looked at the direction where the light disappeared. "No matter what, the danger is temporarily lifted. Let's keep moving forward. The Tears of the Stars is just ahead."

Everyone nodded, and with their tired bodies, they walked towards the depths of the hall. They knew that the final challenge was still waiting for them.