As soon as I put it on, I met a sickly man

The huge stone gate stands tall and majestic, like a silent giant guarding the secrets of the valley.

The rough lines on its surface are like ancient spells, gleaming with a mysterious luster in the sunlight.

The stone gate is towering into the clouds and is wide enough to accommodate several people walking side by side. It is carved with intricate patterns that resemble dragons, phoenixes, and some unknown creatures, which are daunting.

Ding Chen, Xiaoxuan and Master Murong stood in front of the stone gate, looking up at the majestic boulder, with a hint of confusion on their faces.

Ding Chen stepped forward first, rubbing the patterns on the stone door with his palm, trying to find the mechanism to open it.

He felt carefully along the edge of the stone door, running his fingertips across the cold stone, but found nothing.

Xiaoxuan also joined the search. Her slender fingers gently brushed across the pattern on the stone door, trying to decipher its meaning.

However, these patterns are like incomprehensible scriptures, making them difficult to understand.

"Perhaps, we can try this." Young Master Murong suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the valley.

He pointed to an inconspicuous groove in the center of the stone gate, and said with a hint of joking, "Legend has it that as long as you drip your heart's blood into it, you can open the stone gate."

Ding Chen and Xiaoxuan were stunned when they heard this.

Blood from the heart?

This sounds too ridiculous.

Ding Chen frowned and was about to open his mouth to refute, but was stopped by Xiaoxuan.

"Wait," Xiaoxuan stared at the groove.

Although Ding Chen was full of doubts in his heart, he always trusted Xiaoxuan's judgment unconditionally.

He looked at Xiaoxuan's determined eyes, nodded, and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of Mr. Murong's mouth. He took out a sharp dagger from his bosom, handed it to Xiaoxuan, and said, "Then please do it, young lady."

Xiaoxuan took the dagger, took a deep breath, and looked at Ding Chen with a determined gaze...

Xiaoxuan bit her lower lip and was about to stab the dagger into her chest, but Ding Chen grabbed her wrist.

"I'll do it." He said firmly, leaving no room for doubt.

Ding Chen took the dagger and cut a gash on his fingertip without hesitation. The bright red blood dripped and fell precisely into the groove.

In an instant, the stone gate trembled violently, and a powerful force surged out like a tidal wave, shaking the three people away.

The wind was howling, sand and rocks were flying, as if the whole valley was shaking.

The moment Ding Chen was blown away, he instinctively protected Xiaoxuan under him and used his body to block the impact.

The three men fell heavily to the ground, and dust flew up, obscuring their vision.

Ding Chen groaned, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted, but he still held Xiaoxuan tightly to ensure that she was not hurt.

Xiaoxuan struggled to get up from Ding Chen's arms, coughed a few times, and looked quite embarrassed with her face covered in dust.

Young Master Murong fell even further, his clothes were disheveled, his face was covered in dust, and his former elegance was gone.

"Ahem..." Xiaoxuan stood up with the help of Ding Chen's arm, her eyes falling on the stone gate.

Just at that moment, she noticed the runes flashing on the stone gate, which were extremely similar to the marks she had seen on the white fox before!

Is it...

Xiaoxuan found that these runes were not exactly the same as the marks on the white fox, but were arranged and combined according to a certain pattern.

Xiaoxuan's brain was working rapidly, quickly figuring out the mystery.

"Found it!" Xiaoxuan shouted excitedly. She stretched out her fingers and touched the runes on the stone door one by one according to the order she had calculated.

As the last rune was touched, the stone door made a low roar and slowly opened to both sides, revealing a passage leading to the depths of darkness.

Dazzling light poured out from the door, dispelling the haze in the valley.

Ding Chen and Master Murong both looked at Xiaoxuan in surprise. Master Murong clapped his hands softly and praised, "Young lady, you are truly exceptionally intelligent. I admire you."

Xiaoxuan smiled faintly and was about to speak when suddenly a cold breath came out from the door...

"Be careful!" Ding Chen pulled Xiaoxuan behind him and stared at the dark entrance vigilantly.

A cold breath suddenly surged out from the stone gate, as if an evil spirit crawling out from the dark abyss, which made people shudder.

This breath condensed into a vague phantom in the air. It twisted and deformed in the air, with malicious light flashing in its eyes and a sneer on the corner of its mouth, like a messenger from hell.

"Foolish mortals, do you think you can lift the curse?" The phantom's voice hissed like a poisonous snake, echoing in the valley, creepy.

Ding Chen gripped the dagger tightly in his hand, his eyes as firm as iron, and stood side by side with Master Murong.

Young Master Murong also took out an exquisite long sword from his arms, pointing the tip of the sword at the phantom, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"No matter how powerful the enemy is, we will never retreat!" Ding Chen shouted loudly, exuding a firm aura that seemed to be able to penetrate the darkness.

The phantom sneered and suddenly turned into countless black smoke, rushing towards Ding Chen and Master Murong.

Ding Chen and Master Murong quickly launched a defense, but the phantom was incredibly fast, and the two had to fight hard to resist.

The black smoke continued to erode their vision, and they could feel the evil intent contained in every attack.

"Xiaoxuan, hurry!" Ding Chen shouted loudly. While resisting the phantom's attack, he looked at Xiaoxuan for help.

Xiaoxuan quickly took out a shining pill from her arms, which she had specially prepared for this occasion.

She placed the pill in the palm of her hand and chanted the spell loudly. The pill then emitted a strong light, illuminating the entire valley.

The light shot towards the phantom like an arrow. The phantom let out a painful roar and black smoke began to disperse.

"Found it!" Xiaoxuan shouted loudly. Her fingers quickly ran across the runes on the stone door. Every rune emitted a dazzling light when touched.

As the last rune was touched, the phantom let out an even more shrill cry, and its body began to rapidly dissipate, eventually turning into nothingness and disappearing into the air.

"We won!" Ding Chen and Master Murong shouted at the same time. They smiled at each other, and Xiaoxuan also showed a satisfied smile. She knew that this was not only a victory in a battle, but also the hope for the village's rebirth.

As the phantom dissipated, the haze in the village dissipated.

The villagers' faces regained their long-lost glow, and the village regained its former vitality and vigor.

The villagers cheered and gathered in the center of the village for a grand celebration.

Ding Chen and Xiaoxuan walked hand in hand in the crowd, with happy smiles on their faces.

"Ding Chen, thank you, all this is because of you." Xiaoxuan said softly, her eyes full of gratitude.

"No, it's our joint efforts." Ding Chen responded with a smile, looking at Xiaoxuan tenderly, "In the future, we will protect this beautiful land together."

Young Master Murong also decided to stay in the village and protect this beautiful place with everyone.

He stood at the edge of the crowd, his eyes revealing a hint of determination and warmth.

Just as the celebration reached its climax, suddenly, thick smoke was heard in the distance. The villagers stopped celebrating and looked into the distance.

"What is that?" Ding Chen frowned.