Taking the opportunity of traveling through books

The dangerous road hinders the dream from moving forward

My heart sank. Damn it! The trap was so well-laid, even I almost missed it. Hao Yang's cries for help echoed from the bottom of the pit, tinged with pain and panic. "Wei Yao! Help me!" I ran to the edge of the pit and looked down. The bottom was filled with sharpened wooden stakes, a shocking sight. Fortunately, Hao Yang fell in a relatively safe place, only scraping his arm, no vital injuries.

"Hold on!" I suppressed my panic, quickly took out the rope from the storage bag, and threw it down. "Hold on!"

Hao Yang grabbed the rope, and I gritted my teeth and pulled hard. Just as Hao Yang was about to be pulled up, the surrounding branches suddenly moved, like poisonous snakes, attacking us with a "kaka" sound.

"Damn Wei Xue!" I cursed softly, holding the rope with one hand and wielding the dagger with the other, cutting off the branches one by one. Sweat streamed down my forehead, and I felt my arms ache more and more, while those branches seemed endless, one wave after another.

Finally, I pulled Hao Yang up. He was pale, and the wound on his arm was still bleeding. Without even taking a breath, I immediately helped him hide behind a boulder, temporarily avoiding the branches.

"Are you okay?" I asked anxiously.

Hao Yang shook his head and said, "I'm fine, just some minor injuries. How about you?" He looked at me, his eyes full of worry.

I gave a forced smile and said, "I'm fine. This little trick can't faze me."

At that moment, a powerful aura suddenly enveloped us. Startled, I quickly looked up. A tall figure had appeared before us, shrouded in a black cloak. My features were obscured, but the exposed eyes shone with a chilling light.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into the forbidden area!" His voice was low and hoarse, like a demon from hell.

"Forbidden area?" I wondered in my heart, is there any secret here?

"We..." I was about to explain, but was interrupted by his cold voice.

"Those who trespass into forbidden areas will die!"

His tone was unquestionable and filled with murderous intent. Hao Yang stood in front of me, staring at him warily.

A chill spread from the depths of my heart, and the air seemed to freeze, oppressive and suffocating. I tightly grasped the spirit pearl in my hand, praying silently in my heart, hoping to find a way to break it. This mysterious guardian has unfathomable strength. We...

He slowly raised his hand...

He slowly raised his hand, and a powerful wave of spiritual energy emanated from him, almost suffocating me. I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Senior, we didn't mean to trespass. We came here to..."

I briefly recounted our search for the elixir and our efforts to save our people, hoping to impress him. However, the mysterious guardian remained unmoved; instead, the light in his eyes grew even colder. "No excuse can justify trespassing into forbidden territory!"

Before he could finish his words, he launched his attack. A black blade of light hurtled towards us like lightning, at astonishing speed. Hao Yang reacted quickly, pushing me away, but he himself took the blow. "Hao Yang!" I exclaimed, only to see him groan and a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

"How are you?" I held him anxiously.

He shook his head, forced himself to stand up, and looked at the mysterious guardian with a determined look. "Wei Yao, stand back, I'll deal with him!"

I know Hao Yang was trying to protect me, but in his current state he was no match for the mysterious guardian. The mysterious guardian swung his palm again, and Hao Yang barely managed to block it, but was knocked back by the powerful force and fell heavily to the ground, gushing out a mouthful of blood.

"Hao Yang!" My heart was broken and my eyes instantly became wet.

"You are overestimating yourself!" The mysterious guardian snorted coldly and raised his hand again.

I can't wait any longer! I gritted my teeth and poured my spiritual energy into the spirit pearl. The spirit pearl shone brightly, and a strong beam of light shot towards the mysterious guardian.

The mysterious guardian was momentarily stunned, seemingly unprepared for my sudden counterattack. He took a step back, but quickly regained his composure, the murderous intent in his eyes growing even stronger. "A trifle!" he roared, launching another, even more ferocious attack.

I tried my best to dodge his attacks, but his powerful strength still made my blood boil. Hao Yang also struggled to stand up and joined the battle, but his injuries were serious and he couldn't exert his full strength.

We were in a desperate situation, as if we were in the middle of a violent storm and could be swallowed up at any time.

In the fierce battle, I accidentally caught a glimpse of a glimmering mark on the mysterious guardian. That mark... was exactly the same as the pattern on my spirit pearl! Could it be...

Before I could even consider it, the mysterious guardian's attack came again. I instinctively raised my spirit pearl to block it, but the pearl collided with his power, making a sharp sound. I was shocked and stepped back, nearly dropping the pearl from my hand.

"Wei Yao!" Seeing this, Hao Yang rushed over recklessly and stood in front of me... The broken sword in his hand fell limply...