Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

After a bloody battle, they finally approached the stone platform. At this moment, the surrounding ghosts seemed to have sensed their intentions and rushed over frantically, trying to stop them from approaching the crystal ball.

Zhao Feng roared, channeling all his strength into his axe. A dense glow emanated from the blade, and with overwhelming force, he temporarily forced back the ghosts in front of him. "Quick, I'll hold them off. You guys figure out how to activate the crystal ball!"

As Ge Dalong condensed more ice cones and shot them at the ghost, he shouted, "This crystal ball seems to require a specific spiritual energy injection to activate it. Miss Huo, do you have any ideas?"

Huo Xiuxiu's expression was solemn, the bell in her hand shaking continuously. She closed her eyes, trying to sense the fluctuations of the crystal ball's spiritual energy. After a moment, she opened her eyes and said, "I can sense that the crystal ball is in tune with an ancient musical spiritual energy, but I need some time to adjust the frequency of the bell's spiritual energy. You guys hold on!"

Zhang Shi took a deep breath and rushed into the group of ghosts like a whirlwind. Every swing of his sword could disperse a group of ghosts. "Okay, Miss Huo, hurry up! We will hold on!"

Despite everyone's fierce resistance, Huo Xiuxiu finally found the right spiritual frequency. She gently touched the bell to the crystal ball, and a strange rhythm sounded. The crystal ball began to tremble violently, emitting bright rays of light. These rays seemed to have life, shooting towards the surrounding ghosts.

The ghosts struck by the light let out sharp screams, and their bodies began to gradually dissipate. As the light spread, more and more ghosts were eliminated, and the mysterious atmosphere in the valley gradually dissipated.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and as they watched the valley gradually calm down, their hearts were filled with gratitude for having survived the disaster.

Zhang Shi stepped onto the stone platform and carefully examined the crystal ball. He noticed some blurry images moving inside. "This crystal ball seems to be hiding some secrets, perhaps related to our goal this time."

Huo Xiuxiu also came closer. She looked at the images in the crystal ball and said, "These images look like some ancient rituals or the inheritance of some kind of power. Could they be the key clues to the treasure or power guarded here?"

Ge Dalong scratched his head and said, "No matter what, now that we've found this place, we can't give up easily. Perhaps if we explore deeper, we can find the answers we're looking for."

Zhao Feng gripped the great axe tightly and said, "Indeed, we've come a long way and have endured so many hardships and dangers. We can't retreat now."

Zhang Shi nodded and said, "Then let's look around here to see if there are any other clues or entrances. Perhaps we can further understand the secret of this crystal ball."

So, everyone began a thorough search around the stone platform, leaving no corner unturned, hoping to find the key to the puzzle. During their search, Zhang Shi discovered a faint rune pattern on one side of the stone platform. This pattern looked very ancient and emitted a faint spiritual energy fluctuation.

"Come and look, there is a rune pattern here, maybe it is related to the crystal ball." Zhang Shi shouted.

Everyone gathered around, and Huo Xiuxiu carefully studied the rune pattern, her brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed. "I think I've seen this rune pattern mentioned in ancient books. It seems to be an ancient sealing rune, but I still need to recall the specific method to decipher it."

Zhao Feng said jokingly.

"Are there any ancient books in Huojia Village?"

Huo Xiuxiu ignored it and focused her attention on the crystal ball.

Just as Huo Xiuxiu was trying hard to recall the solution, a dull roar suddenly came from outside the valley, as if a huge monster was approaching.

"Oh no, there's danger again! We have to speed up!" Zhao Feng said vigilantly, looking outside the valley.

Everyone's hearts tightened, knowing full well that at this crucial moment, they couldn't let any new threats disrupt their progress. Zhang Shi made a quick decision: "Ge Dalong, join me in exploring the area surrounding this rune, to see if we can find any clues to a solution. Ms. Huo, continue to monitor the connection between the crystal ball and the rune, and let us know if you find anything. Zhao Feng, guard the edge of the stone platform, blocking any incoming attacks and buying us time."

Everyone responded in unison, quickly taking up their respective positions. Zhao Feng gripped his great axe tightly, ready for battle. His heavy breathing was audible in the silent valley, and his eyes revealed a determination and fearlessness, like an insurmountable fortress.

Ge Dalong and Zhang Shi carefully explored the rune pattern. Ge Dalong reached out, feeling the faint fluctuations of spiritual energy emanating from the rune, muttering to himself, "This spiritual energy seems to flow in a pattern, as if guiding something." Zhang Shi squatted down, carefully observing the lines and textures of the rune, trying to decipher the hidden message. "Look, the lines here echo those over there. Could this be the trigger point of some mechanism?"

Huo Xiuxiu stared intently at the crystal ball, beads of sweat gradually forming on her forehead. Her bell trembled slightly in her hand, echoing the crystal ball's spiritual energy fluctuations. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "I think I have a clue! The connection between this rune and the crystal ball's spiritual energy might require a specific spiritual energy sequence to activate."

At that moment, the roar outside the valley grew louder, and a massive rock monster slowly emerged. With every step it took, the ground shook, and the rocks on its body rubbed against each other, sending up showers of sparks. Zhao Feng, fearless, charged forward. He leaped high, his great axe whistling and slashing down at the monster. However, the axe blade struck the monster's solid rock shell, sending only a few sparks flying, leaving the beast unscathed.

"This shell is too hard, ordinary attacks are unlikely to be effective!" Zhao Feng shouted.

Hearing the shout, Ge Dalong turned and condensed a massive ice spike. It shimmered with a faint blue light, imbued with powerful spiritual energy. With a loud shout, he launched the spike toward the beast. The spike struck the beast, instantly forming a thick layer of ice around it, slowing its movements.

"Take advantage of now and attack its joints!" Ge Dalong shouted.

Zhang Shi immediately understood. He concentrated all his strength to the utmost, and Old Duan's blade shone brightly. Like a ghost, he moved to the beast's side and thrust hard at the joint in its leg. Old Duan's thrust penetrated the beast's joint, and the beast roared in pain, its massive body trembling.

Huo Xiuxiu was also busy, adjusting the frequency of the spiritual power in the bell, sending out waves of sound towards the beast. The sound waves interfered with the beast's movements, making it difficult for it to concentrate on attacking everyone.

With everyone's joint efforts, the giant beast gradually fell into trouble. But it was obvious that it would not be defeated easily. Suddenly, the giant beast opened its huge mouth and spewed out a stream of hot magma, sweeping towards everyone.

"Be careful!" Zhang Shi exclaimed. Fortunately, Ge Dalong released a water wall to cover everyone. The magma hit the water wall, splashing a burst of fire.

"This is not a solution. We must find a way to crack the rune as soon as possible and activate the power of the crystal ball to fight it!" Huo Xiuxiu said anxiously.

Knowing time was running out, everyone once again focused their attention on the runes and crystal ball. While fending off the behemoth's attacks, Zhao Feng would periodically turn back to monitor their progress, silently praying that he could quickly find the key to resolving the crisis.