Rebirth of the Scumbag and the Retribution of the White Lotus

The three stood outside the ruins, the sight before them still shocking. The once-grand palace ruins were now reduced to rubble. Dust and black mist still filled the air, and occasionally broken stones fell from the sky with a dull sound. Although they had successfully broken the crystal ball and destroyed the dark power within, the battle was far from over.

"Yunxiao, are you sure this is the end?" Zhao Shufang looked at the collapsed ruins with a frown and doubt in her eyes.

Yunxiao lowered his head slightly, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly, "This time, the crystal ball was indeed destroyed, and the power of darkness was temporarily suppressed, but the problem is not completely solved. The crystal ball is only one of the core elements of the entire dark formation, and there is still a greater conspiracy behind it."

"A bigger conspiracy?" Lu Lingyuan frowned and tightened his grip on the sword. "Then what should we do next?"

"We need to find the source of this dark power." Yun Xiao's voice was filled with calm determination. "Over the years, the dark power has been continuously infiltrating, affecting both this ruin and other places. We must track it down and prevent it from spreading freely."

Zhao Shufang looked at the ruins before her, a sudden surge of unease welling up in her heart. "Yunxiao, you're right. The power of darkness seems to be everywhere. We've defeated one of its sources, but there are still many hiding. Can we really find the source and destroy it completely?"

"If we don't look for it, we'll never know," Yun Xiao replied firmly, his eyes gleaming with determination. "We have no choice."

Lu Lingyuan nodded silently, the sharpness and determination in his eyes as always. He knew that only by moving forward could he truly break through all obstacles.

Just as they were about to leave the ruins, faint vibrations came from underground. The ground seemed to be shaking, as if something was trying to break out of the ground.

"What happened?" Zhao Shufang's face suddenly changed. She quickly grabbed Yunxiao's arm and stared at the movements around her.

"This vibration..." Yunxiao frowned slightly, "No, it seems like something is about to emerge from the ground!"

"Retreat quickly!" Lu Lingyuan drew his sword and rushed into the distance first, signaling the two to follow quickly.

However, just as the three were preparing to evacuate quickly, a deafening roar suddenly came from underground, and then a huge black shadow broke out from the ruins, like a huge monster. Black light spread around its body, emitting a strong sense of oppression.

"This...what is this?" Zhao Shufang's face turned pale in an instant, and the whisk in her hand almost lost control.

"We are trapped!" Lu Lingyuan roared in a low voice and swung his sword at the black shadow, but the moment the sword energy touched the black shadow, it was swallowed up by the black power and there was no reaction.

"What is that?" Zhao Shufang suppressed the fear in her heart and grabbed Yunxiao's sleeve tightly.

Yunxiao didn't respond immediately, but instead stared intently at the monster emerging from the ground. He said gravely, "This is the other core of the dark formation. It's buried here to ensure that if the formation is destroyed, the dark forces can be revived in time."

"How do we break it?" Lu Lingyuan turned around suddenly, his eyes full of anxiety, "Its power is too strong, we can't resist it at all!"

"Don't panic!" Yunxiao said calmly, his fingers quickly forming seals. Runes suddenly appeared in the air and attacked the huge black shadow. The runes pierced the black shadow's body like sharp swords, but were easily blocked by the black light, and there was no reaction.

"Its defense is too strong, the runes can't penetrate it at all!" Yunxiao's face became solemn, obviously he didn't expect the other party to be so powerful.

Zhao Shufang quickly came up with an idea. Her eyes lit up and she grabbed Yunxiao's hand. "Yunxiao, we can try this! I've seen similar formations in books before. They have a strong inhibitory effect on darkness!"

"The formation you mentioned?" Yun Xiao's eyes flashed with doubt, but he didn't have time to think about it. "Then let's give it a try!"

Zhao Shufang quickly pulled an ancient tome from her bosom, flipped open the pages, and quickly searched for the formation within. Meanwhile, Lu Lingyuan had already leaped into the air, swiftly bypassing the shadow and launching a fierce attack from behind. The sword energy surged, and while it didn't cause much damage, it at least temporarily distracted the shadow.

"Hurry!" Lu Lingyuan shouted, "It's getting stronger!"

Finally, Zhao Shufang found the right formation in the book. She swiped her finger in the air, and suddenly, a strong light burst out from her hand, attacking the shadow. This light contained a powerful force. It was a reversal formation she had constructed based on the book, specifically to fight against the forces of darkness.

The light struck the black shadow, and suddenly, the black light fluctuated violently, as if it was somewhat suppressed by the power of the formation. However, the black shadow was not completely broken, but instead began to struggle violently, and the surrounding space became increasingly distorted.

"It hasn't been completely suppressed yet!" Zhao Shufang shouted, "We must intensify our efforts!"

A cold light flashed in Yunxiao's eyes, and he quickly formed a seal, "You guys step back first!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he completely released the spiritual power in his hands. The entire space was instantly filled with a strong white light, and the elements between heaven and earth began to fluctuate violently. Yunxiao's aura surged, and his eyes revealed a terrifying pressure.

"Break it for me!" Yunxiao roared, and the runes in the air poured towards the black shadow like a tide. The dark power began to gradually dissipate under the suppression of the runes.

At this moment, the black shadow finally let out a deafening roar, and suddenly erupted with a powerful energy wave that swept around. Yun Xiao, Zhao Shufang, and Lu Lingyuan were immediately thrown back several steps and nearly fell.

"It seems that it has reached a critical point!" Yun Xiao gritted his teeth, "This battle has just begun!"

Zhao Shufang took a deep breath, gripped her whisk tightly, and looked determined: "No matter what kind of dark force it is, we must destroy it!"

"That's right!" Lu Lingyuan's voice was filled with unshakable determination. "We've come this far. There's no way we can retreat!"

The three gathered their strength again, ready for the next battle. The shadow was still struggling fiercely, but this time, there was no way out for the three.