A magical journey of a sharp-tongued woman and a goofy man

Before the abyss of fate, the wind sweeps away the clouds and dust flies.

Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye stood side by side, gazing in the direction where the afterimage disappeared. Their clothes fluttered in the strong wind, like two eagles ready to take flight at any moment.

Jiang Ye chuckled, breaking the somewhat oppressive silence: "Looks like we're about to embark on another round of 'suicide missions'."

His words carried his usual playful tone, but Ye Shuli detected a hint of hidden helplessness.

She rolled her eyes and retorted irritably, "If you're afraid of dying, then don't come along. Nobody's forcing you."

Although the words were harsh, there was a subtle tenderness in the tone, like a faint ray of sunshine in the cold winter.

Jiang Ye shrugged, completely unfazed by her sharp tongue, and instead grinned as he leaned closer: "Afraid of death? You're kidding! I'm the man who's supposed to protect you, Sister Li. How could I desert my post? Besides, if I die following you, Sister Li, I can at least be considered a martyr, and maybe even make it onto the list of heroes!"

Ye Shuli was amused by him, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a faint smile: "You're such a smooth talker!"

The two quickly tidied up their equipment. Ye Shuli took out several bottles of recovery potions from her spatial ring and handed them to Jiang Ye: "Take these, they could save your life in a critical moment."

Jiang Ye didn't stand on ceremony and took it directly, putting it in his pocket: "Sister Li is so thoughtful. Unlike me, I'm dirt poor and can only make a living by selling my looks."

Ye Shuli ignored him and directly activated tracking mode.

She closed her eyes, carefully sensing the lingering power of fate in the air, trying to capture the aura of that afterimage.

"Let's go, it can't go far." Ye Shuli opened her eyes, her gaze sharp, like a cheetah locking onto its prey.

The two figures moved swiftly, transforming into two streaks of light, following the faint aura and tracking it all the way.

Several days later, they arrived at a desolate ruin.

Looking around, the place was a mess, with broken walls and scorched earth everywhere, and a nauseating smell of decay permeating the air.

This is an ancient battlefield left behind from the great war between gods and demons. Countless gods and demons perished here, and their resentment and unwillingness, after being settled over the years, eventually formed this desolate land.

A lingering chill of killing intent still hung in the air, as if one could still hear the sounds of battle and wails from the battlefield.

The ground was littered with broken weapons and charred runes, all testifying to the brutality of that great battle.

Jiang Ye frowned, looked around, and said somewhat uneasily, "This place is a bit eerie... It feels gloomy and makes people very uncomfortable."

Ye Shuli didn't speak, but looked thoughtfully at a broken stone tablet.

The stone tablet was covered with ancient runes, and although most of them had weathered away, one could still feel the powerful energy contained within them.

"This place was once one of the places where the power of destiny was strongest," Ye Shuli said slowly, her tone tinged with solemnity.

"The place where the power of fate is strongest?" Jiang Ye asked with some doubt. "You mean, this place is related to that afterimage of fate?"

Ye Shuli nodded: "Very likely. This battlefield was once the main battlefield where gods and demons fought for the power of destiny. Countless gods and demons fought here to fight for that elusive destiny, and eventually perished. Their resentment and unwillingness may be used by the remnants of destiny to become nourishment for its own growth."

"Damn it, haven't we just walked right into a trap?" Jiang Ye couldn't help but swear. "I should have just stayed home and grown some vegetables and raised some chickens!"

Ye Shuli rolled her eyes at him: "What's the use of saying all this now? We're already here, we can't just give up halfway, can we? Besides, even if you hadn't come, Fate's Shadow wouldn't have let us off the hook. Rather than being passively beaten, we might as well take the initiative!"

"Fine, fine, I can't argue with you anyway." Jiang Ye shrugged helplessly. "So what do we do next? Just charge in?"

Ye Shuli shook her head: "No, it's not that simple. This battlefield is full of various restrictions and traps. A slight mistake could lead to utter destruction. We must be careful and proceed with caution."

As they ventured deeper into the ruins, they encountered a group of ghostly soldiers affected by afterimages.

These soldiers wore tattered armor, held rusty weapons, had empty eyes, and ferocious faces, like demons crawling out of hell.

They were all loyal ministers and generals in life, fighting bravely to protect their country and people, and ultimately dying on the battlefield.

However, their souls were twisted by the power of fate, turning them into immortal beings, forever trapped on this battlefield, repeating the battles of their previous lives.

"Holy crap, what's going on? Have they come back to life?" Jiang Ye exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the ghostly soldiers.

Ye Shuli did not act rashly, but carefully observed the movement of the ghost soldiers, trying to find their weaknesses.

“These ghostly soldiers are controlled by a special kind of rune. As long as we find the rune node that controls them, we can break free from their control,” Ye Shuli said slowly.

"Rune nodes? Where are they?" Jiang Ye asked, somewhat puzzled.

Ye Shuli closed her eyes and, using her modern knowledge combined with the principles of ancient formations, began to deduce the specific locations of those rune nodes.

"Found it!" A moment later, Ye Shuli suddenly opened her eyes and pointed to several hidden locations on the ground, saying, "They're right there! As long as we detonate those places, we can break the control of these ghost soldiers."

"No problem, leave it to me!" Jiang Ye said confidently.

He took out several specially made gunpowder pellets from his spatial ring and carefully buried them at the locations of the rune nodes.

"Detonate!" Jiang Ye shouted, igniting the fuse of the gunpowder.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Several loud explosions rang out, the ground shook violently, and countless pieces of debris flew everywhere.

The rune nodes were shattered by the gunpowder, and the power controlling the ghost soldiers instantly collapsed.

The ghostly soldiers let out a painful wail, their bodies gradually becoming transparent, and finally turning into wisps of black smoke that dissipated into the air.

"Done!" Jiang Ye clapped his hands and said proudly, "How about that? Sister Li, wasn't I amazing?"

Ye Shuli nodded and said approvingly, "Not bad, it seems your strength has improved quite a bit."

"That's right, don't you know whose man I am!" Jiang Ye smiled smugly.

After dealing with the ghost soldiers, the two continued deeper into the ruins.

Finally, they arrived at the core area of ​​the battlefield and discovered a sealed altar.

The altar was made entirely of black stone and exuded a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere.

The altar was surrounded by various complex runes, forming a powerful sealing barrier that prevented anyone from getting close.

A wisp of fate floats in the center of the altar, slowly absorbing the surrounding resentment to strengthen itself.

That lingering shadow of fate presented an eerie blackness, like a constantly writhing blob of ink, exuding an unsettling aura.

"Is it planning to set up a training camp for vengeful spirits?" Jiang Ye couldn't help but tease, looking at the wisp of fate's afterimage.

Ye Shuli's expression was solemn, her brows furrowed: "It is regaining consciousness... perhaps it still carries the memories of the previous Lord of Destiny."

"Memories of the previous Lord of Destiny?" Jiang Ye asked in surprise. "You mean, it might know how to completely control the power of destiny?"

Ye Shuli nodded: "Very likely. If that's the case, then we must stop it from growing any further, or the consequences will be unimaginable."

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing solemnity and determination in each other's eyes.

To stop the afterimage from growing stronger, Ye Shuli plans to suppress it using the power of her own destiny...

Ye Shuli slowly walked towards the altar, her eyes firm and resolute.

She took a deep breath, and the power of destiny instantly surged from her fingertips, forming a dazzling light that pointed directly at the black afterimage of destiny.

The light was like the first rays of dawn, incredibly powerful, enough to shatter all darkness.

However, just as the light was about to touch the afterimage, an invisible force suddenly rebounded, like an invisible barrier that blocked her back.

Ye Shuli was jolted back several steps by the force, her blood surging and she almost lost her balance.

She gritted her teeth, suppressing the shock in her heart, and her eyes became even more determined.

"How is this possible?!" Jiang Ye exclaimed anxiously upon seeing this. "Shuli, are you alright?"

Ye Shuli shook her head, her face somewhat pale, but she still said firmly, "It's nothing, just a slight bounce. This altar must be supported by a stronger formation; we must find a way to break it."

Jiang Ye quickly looked around, his sharp gaze sweeping over the bottom of the altar.

His eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed to a black stone slab at the bottom of the altar, saying, "Look, the array structure here seems different!"

The two quickly approached the stone slab, and Jiang Ye began to observe it carefully, his fingers gliding lightly in the air as if drawing something.

As he drew, he complained, "The ancients really liked to hide things in such a complicated way, with all those circles and dots..."

Ye Shuli smiled slightly. Although the situation was tense, Jiang Ye's rants always made her feel a little more relaxed.

She took the paintbrush from Jiang Ye and quickly drew a diagram to decipher the problem at the bottom of the altar.

The complex runes gradually became clearer under her pen, eventually forming a complete array diagram.

"Now!" Ye Shuli shouted, injecting the power of destiny into the formation, while Jiang Ye quickly sprinkled specially made gunpowder on the key nodes of the formation.

"Detonate!" Jiang Ye shouted, and the gunpowder was instantly ignited. A deafening explosion rang out, and the entire altar was shattered in an instant.

The complex runes turned to ashes in the explosion, and the wisp of black fate's afterimage let out a shrill scream, forced to retreat temporarily and disappear into the air.

Ye Shuli nodded, a slight smile appearing on her lips: "Not bad, the coordination is seamless."

Just then, the sealed afterimage suddenly whispered, its voice deep and ancient, as if it came from the distant past: "The wheel of fate has turned, and you will eventually return..." The voice echoed among the ruins, like a curse, sending chills down one's spine.

Ye Shuli glanced back, a sense of unease rising in her heart: "It seems to know something."

Jiang Ye patted her shoulder, his eyes resolute: "Then let it know we're not to be trifled with." The next moment, the two of them flashed and disappeared into the wind, leaving behind only their vigilance and determination in the face of their unknown fate.