The monk in front of him whispered a Buddhist mantra, and after a moment, a round bead emitting a solemn and majestic golden light rose from his hand. At first, the light seemed to be attached to the monk, but as he urged with his magical power, the golden light suddenly became stronger, taking the bead as its center, it surged out in all directions like a tidal wave. Zhang Xiaofan stood still, almost mistakenly hearing a "whoosh" sound beside his ear, and the golden light had already swept past him.

  Everyones face in the scene was reflected with a faint golden color, and their mood was refreshed at once. Even if there were a few tense intentions, they subsided instantly. The vast space suddenly became as bright as daylight, and if it werent for the eerie rocks and fluttering bats, one would almost think they had arrived at a Buddhist paradise.

  Li Xuans eyes widened in surprise as he stood aside and exclaimed: "Wheel of Reincarnation!"

  Fa Xiang glanced at him and said: "Brother Li has a good eye."

  Li Kuns words seemed to have a few more polite tones towards Fa Xiang, saying: "I dont dare, Elder Fa Xiang, you are the one with high moral integrity."

  Zhang Xiaofan took advantage of the "Wheel of Rebirth" light to see clearly that his feet had already stepped on clean and hard ground. He raised his head, only to find that the black bats above the rocky cave top had disappeared for some reason, but the rustling sound was still in his ears.

  He looked carefully again, and only then did he realize that at the top of the cave behind him, countless black bats were still gathered at the top of the cave. However, on the hard ground where several people had just stepped, there was a thin red line crossing the top of the cave, which seemed to be a vein growing out of the rock itself.

  With this red thin line as the boundary, countless bats are crowded outside, and not one of them crosses the red line. Just a few inches below, there is no more smelly bat dung.

  Fa Xiang looked around and said in a low voice: "This place is very strange, everyone must be careful."

  Most people dont know, but its not easy to step on a clean place. After checking around and finding nothing unusual, most peoples first action is to tidy up their clothes. Standing next to Zhang Xiaofan, Zeng Shushu took off his shoes and poured out the disgusting things inside, saying in a low voice: "I never knew that walking on a clean road could be so comfortable!"

  Zhang Xiaofan smiled, quickly tidied up a bit, and felt a little more comfortable. After a while, Qi Huan saw that everyone was almost okay, so he said, "Lets go." He led the way towards the depths of the cave.

  The crowd followed suit, and soon, as they stepped forward, the rear fell back into endless darkness.

  And in front of them, as if darkness was a monster, it opened its arms and revealed a sinister smile, welcoming their arrival.

  A glimmer of light in the darkness, moving forward slowly.

  It was as if this ancient and profound cave seemed to have no end, although it was still very spacious, but winding and curved, except for probably leaning towards the bottom of the earth, it was almost impossible to distinguish the direction.

  The rustling sound of the bats at the entrance of the cave could no longer be heard, and in this darkness, except for the footsteps of the crowd, there was no other sound. Zhang Xiaofan felt that the humidity around him was getting heavier and heavier, and he didnt know how deep they had gone into the ground.

  The "Wheel of Rebirth" raised by Fasheng still scattered golden Buddhist light, illuminating the crowd. At this time, Qi Huan, who was at the forefront, also raised **mirror to be on the safe side. The two treasures shone together, and after walking for a while, Qi Huan, who had been leading the way, suddenly stopped and stretched out his hand towards the people behind him: "Slow down."

  Everyone immediately stopped in their tracks.

  The surroundings were quiet and still, without a sound.

  "The Wheel of Reincarnation" and the "Mirror" gradually lit up, and in front of everyone, the cave ahead suddenly opened up into two forks in the road. The paths were deep and dark, and it was unclear where they led, like the open mouth of a demon. In the middle of the road, also at the center of the two forks, stood a giant stone monument, six people high, with four blood-red characters carved on it:

  The Mandate of Heaven is with me!

  ※※※

  Fengxiang Valleys Li Xun snorted and angrily said: "You demonic cult heretics also dare to falsely claim the Heavenly Way!"

  Fa Xiang furrowed his brow, gazing at the stone stele for a few more moments before saying, "When I came here, my master Pu Heng mentioned that 800 years ago, the Demon Sect indeed had this very same stone stele in this cave. However, it was said that our righteous Daoist cultivators used their mighty divine powers to split it open with one sword strike. So why is it now intact and unscathed?"

  At this time, Yan Hong of Fengxiang Valley, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up and said: "Look at the four-part stone monument below. Is there a broken mark?"

  Her voice was soft and gentle, and it was surprisingly moving to hear her speak for the first time. Everyone from Qingyun Gate walked up to take a closer look and indeed saw a fine crack on the stone stele, slanting upwards and dividing the entire monument into two halves. The texture of the stone at the cracked area showed a faint red color, but if one didnt look closely, it would be impossible to notice.

  Zi Hao nodded and said to Yan Hong: "Yan Shimei has a very delicate heart."

  Yan Hong smiled slightly and lowered her head again, no longer speaking.

  Zi Huan looked at the stone tablet again, turned around and said to everyone: "Since this stone tablet has been restored by someone, it can be seen that most of the magic sects evil people are here, doing some unscrupulous things. This trip is considered a success."

  Fa Xiang continued: "Qishi brother is right, at present this cave is full of crises, and there is a difficult problem in front of us. These two forks in the road, which one should we take?"

  Zi Hao thought for a moment, then said: "Fang Xiang Shixiong, you mentioned earlier that your master Pu Heng Shen Seng had spoken to you about this place. Did he mention anything about this fork in the road?"

  Fa Xiang nodded and said, "Master has indeed said so, but he also learned it from the previous generations ancestor. It is said that during the Great Demon War, there were dens of demonic cultivators at the ends of these two forks in the road. As for the current situation, Master isnt very clear about it either."

  Everyone was silent, and after a while, Qi Huan looked at the other three people in their group and said to Fa Xiang: "In that case, I think its better to split up into two groups. The four of us from Qingyun Gate will take the left fork in the road to investigate, while Fa Xiang, Fa Shan Shixiong, and the two of you from Fengxiang Valley will take the right fork to explore. If we encounter any demonic cultivators, well use a long whistle as a warning signal, hows that?"

  Fa remained silent, although he clearly knew that dispersing like this was not a good thing. The mountain cave was deep and dark, and no one knew how far the two forked roads were. If they walked in the wrong direction and had to turn back, it would likely delay them too much. Moreover, everyone present was an elite from various sects, and they might be able to take care of themselves. Fa turned his head to look at Li Xun and Yan Hong from Fengxiang Valley, seeing that they had no objections, he said: "Then lets follow Qi Shixiongs words, everyone please be careful."

  As he spoke, he glanced at Zhang Xiaofan again, intentionally or unintentionally.

  Zhang Xiaofans heart skipped a beat as he felt that this Dharma Master brother seemed to really look at him with different eyes, but his face still responded with a smile.

  Zhi Hao nodded, made a fist at Fa Xiang and others, and then led Zhang Xiaofan and three others into the left fork in the road. After walking for a few steps, the light behind them turned around and gradually disappeared, it seemed that Fa Xiang and others had also entered the right fork in the road.

  Zi Hao walked at the forefront, holding up the **mirror above his head, urging the Xian Li. The **mirror emitted a pale yellow glow that enveloped the four of them.

  This fork in the road was much narrower than the cave they had just walked through, and the rocks on both sides were rugged and jagged. Zhang Xiaofan almost got scratched if he wasnt careful. The only thing that remained the same was the eternal darkness surrounding them, as if there had never been a glimmer of light here.

  The four people of Qingyunmen were all in no mood to speak, especially Qi Huan who was walking at the front, and was fully focused on guarding against unknown dangers ahead.

  This time, its been a long while again, to the point where Zhang Xiaofan couldnt help but doubt in his heart. Even if he encountered demonic cultivators on his side, it was still uncertain whether Fasheng Shixiong would hear anything or not.

  At this moment, a strange change occurred. In the passage where everyone was walking, around which seemed to be eternally dark and quiet, a huge "Woooo" ghostly wail suddenly echoed, deafening the ears and startling the heart.

  The four of them were shocked, and just as Qi Huan was about to speak up to remind them, their bodies shook violently. Suddenly, from the endless darkness in all directions, various colored lights burst forth, rushing towards the passageway where the four of them stood, striking the Mirror Light Circle.

  The power was so great that even the mirror shook, and Qi Huans body trembled violently, unable to speak a word. He hastily calmed his mind and strengthened his protection.

  The wailing sound grew louder and louder, making people dizzy and disoriented. Zeng Shu, Xue Qi, and Zhang Xiaofan surrounded Qi Huan in the center, only to see countless rays of light being reflected back by the mirror, turning around in mid-air, and then fiercely rebounding again to charge forward. In the darkness, it was unknown how many enemies were hiding, and in the air, it was also unknown how many magical artifacts were flying about.

  Zi Haos face turned pale, his hands tightly grasping the magic seal. Although he was under attack by the external worlds magical treasures, the mirror gradually stabilized, its light growing stronger. Just as the people of Qingyun Gate were about to let out a sigh of relief, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly felt the hard ground beneath his feet move slightly.

  He had a sudden thought and before he could react, Zeng Shu-shu suddenly cried out: "Be careful, theres something under your feet!"

  The words were not yet out, when a loud noise suddenly overwhelmed the howling in the sky. In an instant, everyone felt the mountain shaking and the ground trembling. A great force burst forth from under their feet, blasting the ground into fragments. The four people of Qingyunmen were blown away in all directions. Although the mirror could protect them from the surroundings, it couldnt defend against the attack from below. This sudden internal difficulty caused the light to scatter everywhere and fall back onto Qi Huans fleeing figure.

  Innumerable rays of light whizzed past in the darkness, as if bursting into triumphant laughter, and charged towards each of the four people separately.

  Zhang Xiaofan was standing at the front, and that powerful force pushed him from under his feet. He involuntarily flew forward, but after many years of practicing in Qingyunmen, he was startled but not panicked. He put the fire poker, which had been in his hand all along, to his chest. The familiar icy coolness spread throughout his body. The "fire poker" emitted a faint mysterious blue light in mid-air, directly facing the several rays of light that were tightly chasing from behind.

  A moment later, a dark red glow rushed to the front, and Zhang Xiaofan suddenly smelled a bloody smell, almost vomiting, hurriedly holding his breath, driving the fire stick, the mysterious blue light rose, resisting that dark red glow. Under the light of the fire stick, for some reason, that dark red glow suddenly dimmed a lot.

  In the darkness from an unknown place, a low and astonished voice suddenly came through.

  At this moment, two more rays of light, one yellow and one gray, also rushed over and hit the firewood together. Zhang Xiaofan took advantage of the light to see clearly that the dark red light was a small fork with thick blood stains, the yellow light was a three-foot-long treasure sword, and the gray light was a huge unknown beasts fang!

  Zhang Xiaofans body was still in mid-air, already stabilized, but unexpectedly he was struck by these three treasures, although the "Firework" was suspended in the air to resist, the enormous force actually pushed him straight back, and he could no longer control himself, heavily hitting the stone wall beside him, half of his body sank into it, and stones flew everywhere.

  Zhang Xiaofans eyes were filled with golden stars, his back was in severe pain, but he knew this was a matter of life and death. He gritted his teeth to endure the pain, fell to the ground, and saw those three deadly objects turn around in mid-air, again rushing down at him with great ferocity.

  In the darkness, who knows where those who control the law are?

  Zhang Xiaofan awkwardly grasped the hilt of his sword, shouting as he swung it upwards. The Flame Emperor Sword sliced through the air, colliding with a yellow flying sword in mid-air. The two swords clashed, producing a deafening crash, and both parties were knocked back. Zhang Xiaofan quickly scrambled to his feet and charged forward again. Another dark red trident chased after him, but its momentum was insufficient, and it struck the stone wall behind where he had been standing with a loud boom. Rocks shattered everywhere, and a large hole was blasted into the stone wall.

  At this time, the gray wolfs fang was caught up again and slammed down. The icy tip of the fang gleamed in the darkness, making it particularly eye-catching. Judging from its momentum, Zhang Xiaofan knew without thinking that if this strange treasure hit his body, the consequences would be severe.

  Zhang Xiaofan gritted his teeth, his hands made a slashing motion in the air, and the burning stick-like object moved on its own. A green light flashed, and it appeared above his head, colliding with that fang. In mid-air, only a low muffled sound was heard, and on the surface of the fang, a crack suddenly appeared.

  From afar came a cry of surprise, full of pain and astonishment.

  Just as Zhang Xiaofan was about to savor this tiny bit of joy, the yellow flying sword suddenly appeared in front of him again. Before he could react, sweat broke out on his forehead, and in a moment of crisis, he let out a loud cry, his hands shook, and his entire body floated upwards, merging into the dark blue light of the burning fire stick.

  The yellow flying sword suddenly made a sharp turn in mid-air, and from the sole of his foot, it shot up again. With fangs above and the flying sword below, Zhang Xiaofans whole body trembled slightly, and he didnt have time to think anymore. His body curled up, and with a chant in his mouth, the green light of the fire-talisman burst out, wrapping him all around.

  "Boom", two loud noises almost simultaneously erupted above Zhang Xiaofans head and below his feet, causing the enemys two magical artifacts to fly back. The fire poker trembled in mid-air, Zhang Xiaofan gasped heavily, his heart nearly stopping its beating for a moment, and in that brief instant of illusion, he almost subconsciously thought he saw the fire poker shatter into fragments.

  Fortunately, the ugly and unknown material of the fire poker was extremely hard and intact. On the other hand, the flying swords light had dimmed, likely damaged. However, as a result of this heavy impact, the green light that protected Zhang Xiaofan also dissipated.

  Zhang Xiaofan was overjoyed, just about to recall the firewood, when suddenly a severe pain shot through his shoulder, half of his body felt weak, and his mind went blank. Lowering his head, he saw that on his chest and shoulder, a dark red small fork had emerged, piercing through and out, with bright red blood gushing out non-stop.

  It was the dark red small fork from just now, taking advantage of Zhang Xiaofans momentary lapse in vigilance to launch a sneak attack and severely injure him.

  Zhang Xiaofan only saw that the small fork above, originally dark red in color, suddenly seemed to brighten up at this moment, as if it had smelled the bloody smell and woke up. He groaned softly, intending to reach out and pull out the small fork, but suddenly, along with the deepening of the bloodstains on the dark red small fork, a shadow from the darkness seemed to emerge from nowhere, rising from the small fork, and immediately attached itself tightly to Zhang Xiaofans back.

  The owner of this dark red small fork was actually parasitic on this treasure.

  Zhang Xiaofan only felt dizzy and weak, unable to shake off the demon behind him. The wound was not only painful, but also itchy, and he suspected that there was still a large amount of venom left in it. He glanced out of the corner of his eye, but couldnt see the face of the demon behind him, only its hands grasping tightly onto his shoulder, dry, filthy, and reeking of blood.

  In the distance, a burst of maniacal laughter echoed, and from behind, a sinister voice whispered: "You stinky brat from Qingyun Gate, this is your own demise, hand over your precious blood to me obediently!"

  Zhang Xiaofan didnt have time to react to the meaning of his words, and he understood from his actions. He saw that the shadowy figure had opened its big mouth and bitten down on Zhang Xiaofans left neck, sucking blood. At the same time, the dark red small fork also became brighter, as if it was also drinking blood.

  Zhang Xiaofan was terrified, but he felt that all the blood in his body was rushing to his throat, and his body had a light and floating feeling. All the strength in his body slowly dissipated, and even the burning stick in mid-air, he couldnt support it, and it fell down.

  In this atmosphere and scene, in a daze, he suddenly seemed to have returned to the past, that valley.

  In that nightmare!

  The fire poker fell from his head, and when it landed in front of him, a faint blue light emanated from it, as if summoning something. Zhang Xiaofan grabbed it with one hand, and suddenly felt the icy sensation on the fire poker surge and churn like a raging fury.

  The blood on his body kept flowing out, being sucked away by the demon, and Zhang Xiaofan could no longer hear any sounds from the outside world. With a final burst of energy, like a trapped beast fighting back, he thrust the fire poker that was flashing with blue light into the demon behind him.

  The fire poker was dull and blunt, but at this moment it seemed to regard that flesh as tofu, easily inserting itself with a swift and decisive motion.

  The figure behind him trembled and stopped sucking blood, seemingly unable to believe it. He turned his head to look at Zhang Xiaofan, who also looked back at him at the same time.

  In the darkness, it seemed like the faint, cold laughter of the nine underworld demons, and also like someones heartbeat in the dark. Zhang Xiaofan grasped the fire poker tightly, feeling wave after wave of heartbeats, like the flow of blood, and also like the cheers of demons!

  The faint light on the dark red cross faded away, and behind it, endless darkness rushed over.

  At the moment when darkness engulfed Zhang Xiaofan and that demon, Zhang Xiaofan saw a scene under his semi-conscious state of mind that he would never forget in his life.

  That demons originally wrinkled but still plump face, in an instant withered away, flesh and blood turned into dry skin, attached to the bones.

  The next moment, darkness surrounded him.

  The lost power was regained, and an endless supply of energy flowed from the burning firewood stick into his body.

  Zhang Xiaofan regained consciousness, but was stunned on the spot. The wound on his shoulder still hurt, but the bleeding had stopped under the effect of that unknown power. However, at this moment, he didnt notice any of these things. In his mind, only one thought kept surging:

  What did I do? What did I do?