321: Dark Node

The sinister and evil voice echoed in the valley like a cold curse, causing a chill to rise in the hearts of everyone in the Guardian Alliance. Enduring his pain, Xiao Xing stood up from the ground and looked warily toward the depths of the valley. Gripping his weapon tightly, he shouted, "No matter who you are or what schemes you have, our Guardian Alliance will deal with you to the end. We will never let you succeed!"

The other Guardians gathered around as well. Although they had just experienced a fierce battle and were more or less injured, everyone's gaze at this moment was resolute, without the slightest hint of retreat.

"Everyone, stay on guard. We will slowly explore the depths of the valley and see what kind of demons and monsters are hiding behind this," Ji Ziyue said, casting several Light Shield spells to envelop the group and protect against sudden attacks.

The group moved cautiously toward the direction of the voice. The depths of the valley appeared increasingly sinister and eerie; the strange rocks on both sides resembled ferocious beasts, faintly emitting ripples of dark magic.

As they walked, a massive cave entrance appeared ahead. That evil aura was surging out from within the cave, accompanied by bursts of hair-raising whispers, as if countless resentful souls were weeping inside.

"It seems the mastermind is inside. Get ready, we're going in," Yin Ping said in a low voice, taking the lead to step into the cave.

The light inside the cave was dim, with only the occasional flicker of eerie ghost-light on the walls illuminating the path slightly. The further they went, the more open the space became, yet the surroundings were covered with various evil runes and Formations; any slight inattention that triggered them would lead to danger.

Suddenly, a large amount of black sludge oozed from the ground, and skeleton-like monsters crawled out from the sludge. Holding rusted weapons, they lunged toward the Guardians. These skeleton monsters moved with extreme agility and were unafraid of ordinary physical attacks; swords striking them only produced a few sparks and failed to cause any substantial damage.

"Use Light Magic to burn them! These foul things fear pure light power!" Xiao Xing reminded everyone while swinging his weapon. Infusing it with Light Magic, he slashed hard at a nearby skeleton monster. The struck skeleton instantly ignited in white flames and turned to ash after a few struggles.

The group followed his lead. For a time, Light Magic shone brilliantly within the cave, and white flames ignited everywhere as the skeleton monsters dissipated one after another amidst the light and fire.

But before they could catch their breath, a powerful ripple of magic came from the depths of the cave. Immediately after, a tall figure shrouded in a black robe slowly emerged. Beneath the black robe, only two dots of eerie red light could be seen, like eyes from the abyss, filled with endless malice.

"You fools who do not know the meaning of death have repeatedly ruined my plans. Today shall be your burial ground!" The black-robed figure let out a dull roar, the sound buzzing in the cave and making everyone's eardrums ache.

With that, the black-robed figure waved his hands, and bolts of black lightning shot from his fingertips toward the Guardians. Wherever the lightning struck, large pits were blasted into the ground, its power truly terrifying.

Xiao Xing shouted, "Scatter and dodge, then find an opportunity to counterattack!" The group quickly dispersed, each using their movement techniques and magic to evade.

Ji Ziyue concentrated her mind and cast a large-scale Light Barrier, attempting to block the black-robed figure's attacks. Meanwhile, Yin Ping led several agile Guardians to circle around to the side, preparing to find a weakness in the Black-Robed Figure's defense to launch a surprise attack.

However, the Black-Robed Figure's strength was beyond imagination. Black lightning continuously bombarded the Light Barrier, and cracks began to appear as it teetered on the verge of collapse.

"This can't go on. We must combine our attacks; we can't just defend passively," Xiao Xing decided decisively, seeing the critical situation.

Thus, the Guardians no longer dodged but instead converged their strongest powers to attack the black-robed figure. Xiao Xing unleashed his ultimate technique, his sword glowing brilliantly like a blazing sun as he thrust toward the black-robed figure's vitals. Ji Ziyue chanted an ancient incantation, summoning a pillar of holy light to press down from above. Yin Ping and the others also used all their skills, as various attack spells and weapon Moves flooded toward the black-robed figure like an overwhelming tide.

Seeing this, the black-robed figure gave a cold snort and calmly formed hand seals. A massive Dark Shield appeared before him, blocking all the attacks. Not only that, but the Dark Shield also released a powerful counter-force, knocking the Guardians back. Many were even internally injured, with blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

"With just this little bit of skill, you think you can contend with me? Truly overestimating yourselves!" the black-robed figure mocked. He then increased his magic output, and the Dark Shield actually began to slowly advance. Everywhere it passed, the ground was crushed to powder, as if it intended to grind all the Guardians to dust.

At this critical moment, a flash of inspiration struck Xiao Xing's mind. He remembered reading in an ancient book about a method to counter this type of powerful Dark Shield: find the Magic Node of the shield and concentrate power on that one spot to have a chance at breaking it.

"Everyone, listen to me! We attack the bottom-right corner of that shield together. That should be the Magic Node. Give it your all—success or failure depends on this one strike!" Xiao Xing shouted loudly.

Hearing this, the group endured their pain and reconcentrated their power, placing all their hopes on this final gamble. At Xiao Xing's command, everyone worked together to launch an incredibly dazzling combined attack, striking directly at the bottom-right corner of the Dark Shield.

With a loud crash, the Dark Shield fluctuated violently. A gap appeared at the bottom-right corner and rapidly spread until, with a loud boom, it shattered completely.

The black-robed figure hadn't expected his shield to be broken and was momentarily stunned. The Guardians seized this rare opportunity to attack again. Xiao Xing moved like lightning and, while the black-robed figure was full of openings, thrust his sword into the figure's chest.

The black-robed figure let out a cry of agony, his body began to tremble violently, and the surrounding dark magic became chaotic.

"You... think you can destroy me like this? Hahaha, it's already too late. Darkness will eventually shroud the continent..." The black-robed figure laughed wildly as his body gradually dissipated, turning into a plume of black smoke that flew toward the roof of the cave and vanished.

Although the Guardians had successfully repelled this powerful enemy, they didn't feel the slightest bit of relief. The black-robed figure's words seemed to foreshadow an even greater crisis awaiting them.

"Regardless, let's leave this place first. We'll discuss things further after we return. We must figure out the meaning of his words and prepare in advance," Xiao Xing said. The group nodded tiredly, supporting their injured companions as they slowly left the evil and dangerous cave. They set out on the journey back to the Alliance Headquarters, while their mission to protect the continent remained long and difficult.