MTLNOVEL Chapter 772: You Ming Valley? (Part 2)
A huge Stone Gate appeared before them, engraved with ancient runes, emitting a faint glow.
"It seems this is the secret of You Ming Valley," Luo Chen said, staring at the Stone Gate.
Hong Ling and Qing Shuang nodded. They knew that the upcoming challenge would be even more severe.
"We have to find a way to open this gate," Qing Shuang said, his gaze falling on the runes on the Stone Gate.
Luo Chen stepped forward, carefully observing the runes.
He discovered that these runes seemed to have some connection with the secret technique of the Silver Moon Ice Blade.
He attempted to infuse his Spiritual Energy into the runes, which began to emit a faint glow, and the Stone Gate slowly opened.
"It seems your Silver Moon Ice Blade secret technique is intricately linked to these runes here," Hong Ling said in surprise.
Luo Chen smiled slightly, "Perhaps it's fate that brought us here."
The three carefully stepped through the Stone Gate and into a huge cavern.
In the center of the cavern, there was a large pool, emitting a faint blue light, as if something was sleeping within it.
"It seems there's something in this pool," Qing Shuang said cautiously.
Luo Chen and Hong Ling also noticed the anomaly in the pool, and they slowly approached, trying to see clearly what was inside.
Suddenly, ripples appeared in the pool, and a gigantic figure slowly rose from the water.
It was a huge ghost, its body semi-transparent, exuding a powerful Yin Qi.
"Be careful, this ghost's power is extraordinary," Luo Chen warned.
The ghost let out a low growl, its eyes flickering with anger.
It extended its hand, and a strong gust of Yin wind attacked Luo Chen and the others.
The three of them reacted immediately. Luo Chen wielded the Silver Moon Ice Blade, Hong Ling swung her sword, and Qing Shuang unleashed his secret technique of the Celestial Lock, trying to restrain the ghost's movements.
The ghost's power seemed even stronger than they had anticipated. Although Luo Chen's Silver Moon Ice Blade could freeze the Yin wind, each attack felt like fighting against an iceberg.
Hong Ling's Swordsmanship, although agile, seemed somewhat insignificant against the ghost's massive form.
Qing Shuang's secret technique of the Celestial Lock, while temporarily restraining the ghost's movements, seemed to be easily broken by the ghost's strength.
"We must find its weakness!" Luo Chen shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the cavern.
Hong Ling nodded, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes, "I'll distract it, you find a chance to attack!"
With that, Hong Ling's figure flickered like a red lightning bolt, charging straight at the ghost.
Her Swordsmanship became more wild, each strike accompanied by the sound of cutting through the air, trying to enrage the ghost into exposing a flaw.
Indeed, the ghost was infuriated by Hong Ling's attack, and it let out a deafening roar, its huge hand sweeping with a gust of Yin wind.
Though Hong Ling was agile, she seemed so tiny in the face of this power.
Luo Chen and Qing Shuang did not hesitate for a moment; they knew this was their only chance.
Luo Chen once again swung out the Silver Moon Ice Blade, this time, infusing all his Spiritual Energy into the blade. The Ice Blade emitted a dazzling light, as if it could freeze everything.
Qing Shuang focused his energy, his secret technique of the Celestial Lock reaching its peak at this moment. Chains emerged from the void, tightly entwining the ghost.
The ghost's movements visibly slowed, struggling in anger, but the chains only tightened further.
Luo Chen seized the opportunity, the Silver Moon Ice Blade shooting like a meteor cutting through the night, straight at the ghost's heart.
Just as the Ice Blade was about to pierce the ghost, its body suddenly exploded with a powerful surge of Yin Qi, sending Luo Chen and Qing Shuang flying back.
Seeing this, Hong Ling immediately soared into the air, catching Luo Chen, while Qing Shuang stabilized himself upon landing.
"Its power is too strong; we need to think of another way," Luo Chen said, panting.
The three stepped back a few paces, reassessing the ghost.
They knew that mere physical attacks had limited effects on the ghost; they had to find its source.
"Perhaps we should start with this pool," Qing Shuang pondered, "The blue light in the pool seems connected to the ghost."
Luo Chen and Hong Ling exchanged a glance, seeing the doubt in each other's eyes.
But at this moment, they had no better choice.
Thus, the three decided to try destroying the pool, to see if it could weaken the ghost's power.
They approached the pool again, this time not directly attacking the ghost but focusing on the blue light in the pool.
Luo Chen attempted to use the cold of the Silver Moon Ice Blade to freeze the pool, while Hong Ling used Sword Qi to stir the water within.
Qing Shuang once again cast the secret technique of the Celestial Lock, this time entwining the other end of the chains around the pool's edge, trying to seal the pool entirely.
With their efforts, the blue light in the pool began to dim, and the ghost seemed to sense the threat, letting out even angrier roars, attempting to stop their actions.
But Luo Chen and the others did not retreat; they knew this was their only chance.
Under their combined efforts, the blue light in the pool finally vanished completely, and the ghost's body began to turn transparent, its power gradually dissipating.
Finally, with an unwilling roar, the ghost completely dissipated into the air.
The moment the ghost vanished, the cavern itself seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Luo Chen, Hong Ling, and Qing Shuang exchanged smiles. Though exhausted, their eyes sparkled with the light of victory.
"We did it," Hong Ling said, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"Yes, we did it," Luo Chen responded, his gaze turning to Qing Shuang, "Without your secret technique of the Celestial Lock, we couldn't have found a solution so quickly."
Qing Shuang smiled slightly and shook his head, "Without your courage and perseverance, I wouldn't have been able to unleash the full power of the technique."
The three slowly walked toward the pool, now calm, the blue light gone, leaving only clear water.
Luo Chen crouched down, reaching out to touch the water's surface, feeling the flow of Spiritual Energy within.
"This seems to be an energy node," Luo Chen pondered, "The ghost's power was drawn from here."
Hong Ling nodded, "Then what should we do next?"
"We need to completely seal this node to prevent similar beings from appearing in the future," Qing Shuang suggested.
Luo Chen stood up, looking around, then took out an ancient Jade Talisman from his bosom.
"This Jade Talisman was given to me at the sect. It's said to be used for sealing unstable energy nodes."
Hong Ling and Qing Shuang both nodded in agreement.
Luo Chen placed the Jade Talisman at the center of the pool, beginning to chant an ancient curse.
As the curse continued, the Jade Talisman began to emit a soft glow, which gradually spread, covering the entire pool.
"Seal!"
With a decisive shout from Luo Chen, the Jade Talisman shone brightly, as complex runes flew from it, merging into the pool.
The water in the pool began to swirl, forming a vortex, which eventually formed a small black hole at the center, absorbing all the energy within.
When the last trace of energy was absorbed into the black hole, the hole slowly disappeared, and the Jade Talisman's light gradually dimmed.
Luo Chen picked up the Jade Talisman, finding it now dull and lifeless.
"It seems the seal is successful," Luo Chen said.
Hong Ling and Qing Shuang both breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that although this adventure was fraught with dangers, the outcome was worth it.
"We should head back," Luo Chen suggested, "The Elder is still waiting for our report."
The three turned, preparing to leave this once-dangerous cavern.
However, just as they were about to step out of the cavern, the ground suddenly began to tremble.
"What's going on?" Hong Ling asked nervously.
Luo Chen and Qing Shuang also looked puzzled, quickly scanning the surroundings, trying to find the source of the tremors.
"Could there be something else?" Qing Shuang's voice was filled with unease.
The tremors in the ground grew stronger, and stones began to fall from the cavern ceiling.