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

To make matters worse, the worms heard the noise and gathered towards Zhang Shi and others again. Through the fog, Zhang Shi could see some hazy blue lights approaching them, and there were quite a few of them.

Zhang Shi's heart sank, and he shouted loudly: "Everyone, don't worry about the runes and crystal balls for now. The worm monsters are surrounding us again. We have to solve the current dilemma first!" Upon hearing this, everyone quickly adjusted their positions and formed a defensive circle with their backs to back.

Zhao Feng swung his great axe, slashing at the first worm monsters to approach. Despite his furious attacks, the small worms nimbly dodged, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Ge Dalong continuously condensed ice cones and fired them at the insect swarm, but the monsters were too numerous. While the ice cones could temporarily block some of them, they couldn't stop their entire advance.

Huo Xiuxiu swung the bell in her hand, and the sound waves spread out in all directions, disrupting the worms' movements. At the same time, she said anxiously, "This won't work. We need to come up with a more thorough solution."

Zhang Shi watched the approaching worms and the giant beast still attacking the water wall in the distance, his mind racing. Suddenly, he thought of the ice layer on the giant beast's body, and perhaps he could use it to his advantage.

"Old Ge, can you break the ice on the giant beast and then lead the broken ice to these worms?" Zhang Shi asked.

Ge Dalong's eyes lit up and he said, "We can give it a try, but we need someone to attract the beast's attention and buy me some time."

Zhao Feng stepped forward and said, "I'll attract its attention. You guys hurry!" With a loud shout, he rushed towards the beast, repeatedly attacking its head with his giant axe. The beast was enraged by Zhao Feng's provocation and turned to attack him.

Ge Dalong seized the opportunity and unleashed his full magical power, shattering the ice layer on the beast's body. Under his control, countless sharp shards of ice shot towards the worms like sharp blades. The ice shards pierced the worms' bodies, splashing black slime. The worms hissed in pain and their movements became sluggish.

"Now, everyone, attack!" Zhang Shi shouted. He gripped Old Duan tightly, unleashed Shadow Slash, and charged at the worm swarm. Each swing of his sword killed several worms, and at the same time, his evil thoughts triggered a rapid increase in the number of shadows, quickly inflicting heavy casualties on the worms.

Huo Xiuxiu also increased the intensity of the shaking of the bells, coordinating the sound waves and cyclones with the attacks of the crowd. From time to time, she also used her ghost hand to interfere with the giant beast fighting Zhao Feng.

However, the worms were not completely repelled. They were still resisting stubbornly and seemed to be adjusting their tactics. Some of the worms began to make a detour and encircle Ge Dalong and Huo Xiuxiu.

"They want to disperse our forces. Don't panic, maintain the defensive circle!" Zhang Shi reminded loudly.

Just as everyone was locked in a bitter battle, Huo Xiuxiu suddenly sensed a change in the crystal ball's spiritual energy. She wondered if the battle around her had triggered some kind of reaction in the crystal ball.

"Zhang Shi, I think the crystal ball may be the key. I'll go and see if I can activate it with the help of this change. You guys hold on a little longer!" Huo Xiuxiu said.

Zhang Shi nodded and said, "Okay, go quickly, we will do our best to hold these monsters back!"

Huo Xiuxiu quickly rushed to the stone platform and attempted to communicate with the crystal ball again. She concentrated on adjusting the frequency of the bell's spiritual energy, attempting to align it with the crystal ball's fluctuations. Meanwhile, Zhang Shi, Zhao Feng, and Ge Dalong struggled to hold on under the assault of the insect swarm and the behemoths. Their strength was constantly depleting, but the number of monsters remained undiminished, seemingly endless.

Zhang Shi's eyes became more determined, and the old Duan in his hand flashed with cold light. Every time he swung it, it brought up a bloody rain. While killing the worms that kept pouring in, he shouted loudly: "Everyone hold on! Miss Huo will definitely find a solution!" Sweat soaked his back, but his movements did not slow down at all. He secretly prayed in his heart that Huo Xiuxiu could activate the crystal ball as soon as possible.

The battle between Zhao Feng and the beast reached a fever pitch. The beast's attacks grew increasingly fierce, each swing of its massive claws creating a gust of wind. Zhao Feng dodged nimbly, searching for the beast's weakness. His axe was smeared with black slime, and his body was battered by the beast's blows. But he gritted his teeth and resisted stubbornly, creating openings for Ge Dalong to attack.

Ge Dalong continued to condense ice cones and attack the worm swarms and giant beasts. His magic power was consumed greatly and his face was slightly pale, but his eyes were firm and he did not dare to stop for a moment.

Huo Xiuxiu stood beside the stone platform, eyes closed, concentrating on sensing the crystal ball's spiritual energy fluctuations. Her bell rang crisply and rapidly, echoing with the crystal ball's light. Suddenly, the crystal ball's light shone brightly, and a powerful column of energy shot up into the sky, illuminating the entire valley.

Wherever the light reached, the worms seemed to be suppressed by some powerful force, their movements becoming sluggish, and some even collapsed to the ground. The behemoth also stopped attacking, seemingly frightened by the light, and let out a series of low roars.

Huo Xiuxiu exclaimed in surprise, "I succeeded! The power of this crystal ball seems to be able to temporarily control these monsters!"

Zhang Shi was delighted when he saw this and shouted, "Great! Miss Huo, let's see if we can guide this power to completely destroy them!"

Huo Xiuxiu nodded, concentrating on controlling the power of the crystal ball. The light gradually spread, forming a huge spiritual vortex that drew the surrounding monsters in. In the vortex, the monsters' bodies were gradually disintegrated, turning into tiny points of light that dissipated into the air.

As the last worm disappeared, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground exhausted. But they knew that the danger was not completely over and that this mysterious valley still hid many unknown secrets.

Zhang Shi stood up, looked at the crystal ball and said, "What is the origin of this crystal ball? Why does it have such powerful power?"

Huo Xiuxiu came over and said, "I don't know either, but judging by the image in the crystal ball, it seems to be a tool used to control the number of monsters in the fog. Perhaps if we continue to explore deeper, we can find more clues."

Zhao Feng dusted himself off, picked up the great axe, and said, "Whatever it is, as long as it can help us complete this mission, it's a good thing. Let's go, let's keep moving forward!"

However, just as he finished speaking, a shadowy figure darted past and snatched the crystal ball away. The shadowy figure was so fast, and coupled with the limited vision in the fog, Zhang Shi couldn't even see its figure clearly.

By the time everyone reacted, the shadow had already disappeared into the fog.

Huo Xiuxiu hurriedly tried to dispel the fog, but there was nothing around her, without any extra traces.

Zhao Feng slammed the ground angrily and asked Huo Xiuxiu.

"Is that the three-headed monster?"

Huo Xiuxiu's face also looked unhappy. She gritted her teeth and shook her head.

"That shouldn't be the case. My mark is still quite a distance away from here. The shadow just now must have used a buff-type skill. I can feel a slight fluctuation of magic in the air."

Ge Dalong narrowed his eyes and asked in confusion.

"Are you saying that the person just now was also trapped in the fog like us?"