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

A low roar came from deep in the cave, as if a sleeping giant beast was about to wake up.

The old man's face was solemn, and his tone was slow but filled with unquestionable majesty: "This village... is sealed beneath the ancient evil god. Now that the seal is loose, the evil god is about to resurrect!"

"What?!" Ah Hu exclaimed, his strong body couldn't help but tremble.

"There are only two ways to save the village," the old man held up two fingers. "One is to sacrifice a person and use the power of their soul to strengthen the seal. The other is to find the legendary 'Purifying Sword' and use the power of the artifact to completely destroy the evil god."

Silence, deathly silence.

Sacrifice one person?

Who is willing to sacrifice themselves?

Looking for an artifact?

It's easier said than done!

The air seemed to freeze, making it hard for everyone to breathe.

Ding Chen broke the silence, his tone firm: "We can't sacrifice anyone! I'm going to find the 'Purifying Sword'!"

General Lin frowned. "The 'Purifying Sword' is just a legend. No one knows if it exists, let alone where it is! Furthermore, the journey to find the artifact will be extremely dangerous. We might be wiped out!"

"Even if there's only a glimmer of hope, we must try!" Ding Chen refused to back down. "Are we supposed to watch helplessly as the villagers are sacrificed?!"

"You're acting on impulse!" General Lin shouted, "You're responsible for the entire team!"

"I acted impulsively?" Ding Chen sneered. "General Lin, are you scared?"

"You..." General Lin was speechless for a moment. He was not a coward, but he had to consider the entire team and he could not take everyone on the risk.

Just as the two were arguing, a deafening roar came from deep in the cave, the ground shook violently, and gravel kept falling.

"There's no time!" the old man shouted, "You must make a decision quickly!"

Xiaoxuan looked at Ding Chen's determined eyes, her heart full of admiration.

She gently held Ding Chen's hand, looked at him with gentle eyes and said, "I believe you, and I support whatever decision you make." Ding Chen felt Xiaoxuan's trust, shook her hand back, and gave her a firm look.

Just as everyone was arguing, a loud noise suddenly came from the cave entrance.

A group of villagers who had been controlled by the old man in black robes rushed into the cave with farm tools in their hands and dull eyes.

They muttered something and walked towards the crowd mechanically like puppets.

"Not good!" General Lin shouted, "Protect the old man!"

Yingfeng's figure flashed and appeared in front of the villagers like a ghost.

He moved as fast as lightning, subduing several villagers in just a few moves, and his clean and neat skills shocked the others.

The other villagers stopped hesitantly when they saw how powerful Yingfeng was.

Ding Chen took the opportunity to command Ah Hu and the others to form a defensive formation to protect Xiaoxuan and the old man.

He calmly analyzed the situation. These villagers had their minds controlled and he couldn't kill them easily.

"Yingfeng, try not to hurt them!" Ding Chen reminded loudly.

Yingfeng nodded, and his figure shuttled among the villagers. His acupoint-pressing technique was extremely precise, subduing each villager one by one.

Just when the situation was about to be under control, suddenly, something strange happened.

The originally dazed villagers suddenly roared, with red light flashing in their eyes.

They broke free from Yingfeng's control and rushed towards the crowd even more frantically, with strength several times greater than before.

"What's going on?" Ding Chen was shocked. The power of these villagers suddenly increased, as if they were blessed by some kind of power.

He felt an ominous premonition and looked up at the old man, only to find that the old man was staring into the depths of the cave. His face was pale, and his lips were trembling as he said, "It... is coming out..."

A creepy roar came from the depths of the cave, the ground shook violently, and gravel fell.

The villagers, controlled by some mysterious force, had red light flashing in their eyes, their strength surged, and they rushed towards everyone madly.

Even though Yingfeng was agile, he could not cope with this sudden change.

He was entangled by several villagers and was nearly injured.

General Lin roared and swung the long sword in his hand. The sword light was like snow, forcing back the approaching villagers one by one.

Ah Hu also roared and joined the battle. His strong body was like a solid wall, blocking the villagers' crazy attack.

The white-haired wise man muttered something, and the magic gestures in his hands changed. Rays of white light shot out, freezing some villagers and temporarily losing their ability to move.

Upon seeing this, Xiaoxuan immediately took out the herbs she had with her and quickly mixed a calming incense.

As the fragrance spread, the originally frantic villagers gradually calmed down, the red light in their eyes faded, and their vision became clear again.

They looked at the farm tools in their hands and the people around them, with expressions of confusion and guilt on their faces.

"What's wrong with me?" a villager muttered to himself, and the hoe in his hand fell to the ground.

"We...we seem to be controlled..." Another villager also came to his senses, his eyes full of horror.

The villagers dropped their weapons, knelt on the ground and apologized to everyone.

Xiaoxuan helped an old woman up and comforted her softly, "It's okay, you are safe now."

The crisis was temporarily resolved and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the old man's face showed no sign of anxiety. He pointed deep into the cave and said in a trembling voice, "Time is running out... The seal is growing weaker..."

Ding Chen took a deep breath and said to everyone with a firm look in his eyes, "We must act immediately! Xiaoxuan, you continue to take care of the villagers, and everyone else follow me!"

General Lin glanced into the depths of the cave, then looked at Ding Chen, and finally nodded: "Okay! I'll go with you!"

Yingfeng, Ahu and others also expressed their willingness to follow Ding Chen.

They knew that they didn't have much time left.

"Wait!" the white-haired wise man suddenly said, "I observed the sky at night and found that purple air was coming from the west, indicating that the artifact is in the west!"

Taoist Qinglian also calculated with his fingers and nodded, saying, "Yes, the Gengjin energy in the west is strong, which is exactly where the 'World-Purifying Divine Sword' is!"

Ding Chen was delighted and immediately gave the order: "Everyone, prepare to set off, target - the west!"

Everyone immediately took action, packed their bags, and prepared to embark on the journey to find the "Purifying Sword".

At this moment, the mysterious old man grabbed Ding Chen and said in a hoarse voice: "Child... be careful... there... is..."

Before the old man could finish his words, his eyes suddenly widened and he fell straight down...