Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

Chapter 800: Inspired by Lin Ze

Inspired by Lin Ze, everyone got up from the ground and regained their spirits.

They adjusted their breathing and mobilized the power in their bodies again, carefully gathering it into a torrent and slowly injecting it into the rune.

This time, the rune seemed to feel the determination and perseverance of the crowd. Its trembling gradually subsided, and its light became more and more stable.

Finally, the rune successfully withstood the power of everyone. The originally dazzling light gradually faded, and was replaced by a layer of transparent barrier.

This barrier is like an indestructible wall, separating everyone from the crystal.

But as time went on, the barrier began to slowly dissipate, just like morning mist gradually dissipating in the sunlight.

Seeing this, everyone cheered excitedly. They couldn't wait to walk towards the crystal to rescue the old man trapped inside.

Just as everyone was about to touch the crystal, it suddenly shook violently, and rays of light shot out from it, forcing everyone back.

In the light, an illusory figure emerged, which was actually the phantom of the old man.

"You think you can save me like this? You're far from it!" The phantom's voice echoed in the cave, cold and ruthless. "This is just the first test. Next, you will face your own fear. Only by defeating it can you truly save me."

Before he finished speaking, the phantom suddenly dissipated like smoke, and the entire cave was instantly shrouded in a thick layer of fog. Everyone's vision became blurred, and they could only vaguely see each other's outlines.

Suddenly, everyone's most fearful scene appeared in front of their eyes. Some saw their long-dead relatives, and the familiar faces and warm smiles made them burst into tears instantly; some saw the tragic defeats they had experienced in the past, and the smell of blood and death filled their nostrils, making their bodies tremble involuntarily.

What appeared in front of Lin Ze was Qiao Chu who was bitten by a vampire. Qiao Chu's face was as pale as paper, and his life was in danger. The hideous wound and painful expression made Lin Ze's heart fall into an ice cellar. He clenched his hands into fists, and his nails dug deep into his palms, but he quickly forced himself to calm down.

"This is just an illusion!" Lin Ze shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the cave, "Everyone, don't be swayed by fear, stay awake! Use our will to fight it!"

His shout seemed to inject strength into the crowd. Everyone came back to their senses from their fear and began to try hard to control their inner fear.

"I won't be defeated by you!"

"It's just an illusion, it's not real!"

The shouts of the crowd rose and fell, interweaving into a powerful force in the cave. Gradually, the fog began to dissipate, and the horrific scene in front of everyone disappeared.

When the last trace of fog dissipated and the cave regained clarity, everyone discovered that the seal of the crystal had loosened a little again. They were one step closer to rescuing the old man.

Just when everyone thought they could continue to move forward, the crystal suddenly emitted a piercing scream, and a powerful suction force surged out of the crystal, frantically draining everyone's strength.

Everyone's faces turned pale. They wanted to break free but were powerless. Their strength was lost like water bursting a dam.

Lin Ze gritted his teeth, veins popping out on his forehead. He tried his best to stabilize his strength and shouted, "Everyone, join forces to resist this suction!"

Just as everyone was struggling to hold on, a series of strange images suddenly appeared on the stone wall of the cave. They were all the most unbearable pasts in everyone's hearts, as if to completely break them mentally. Some people began to waver, and their strength was lost faster. Seeing this, Lin Ze was ruthless in his heart. He resisted the impact of his own memories and shouted: "Ignore these illusions and focus on resisting the suction!"

Encouraged by Lin Ze, everyone gathered their wills again, moved closer to each other, and gathered their strength together. Gradually, the suction weakened, and the light of the crystal was no longer so arrogant. At this time, the seal on the crystal showed new changes, as if brewing the next round of more powerful tests.

Suddenly, the ground around the crystal cracked, and thick vines emerged from the ground, wrapping around everyone like pythons.

These vines are extremely tough, and every struggle causes everyone to feel excruciating pain.

While Lin Ze was struggling to cut off the vines wrapped around his body, he shouted, "Everyone be careful, these vines seem to be able to absorb our strength!" Just as everyone was entangled with the vines, colorful rays of light shot out from the crystal. Wherever the light reached, the vines became more crazy and the attack became more fierce.

Lin Ze thought quickly and shouted, "Everyone, concentrate your strength on your weapons and cut off the light!" Everyone did as he said, waving their weapons and slashing at the light.

As the rays of light were cut off one after another, the vines' attack gradually weakened.

However, the crystal emitted an even stronger light, and a huge shadow emerged from the crystal. It was the old man's phantom that appeared again.

"You have one last chance. If you cannot overcome this final obstacle, everything will be over." The phantom said coldly, and then turned into countless points of light and merged into every corner of the cave.

The cave began to shake violently, countless huge rocks fell from the top of the cave, and everyone fell into an unprecedented crisis.

Lin Ze shouted: "Everyone, scatter and avoid the boulders, and look for the trace of the phantom at the same time!" Everyone acted quickly, moving flexibly between the boulders.

While dodging, Lin Ze observed the movements around him, trying to find the flaw in the illusion.

Suddenly, he noticed a faint light flickering on one side of the cave wall, as if something was hidden there.

He approached cautiously and found that the light came from a mysterious rune.

At this moment, a huge rock fell towards him. Lin Ze was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He dodged to the side and reached out to touch the rune.

In an instant, the rune emitted a strong light, illuminating the entire cave.

The phantom reappeared, but this time its form seemed vague and its power seemed weakened.

"I didn't expect you to find this place." Phantom said coldly.

Lin Ze said firmly: "We will not give up, we will definitely rescue the old man!" Everyone gathered together and surrounded the phantom.

Together, they gathered their remaining strength and launched a final attack on the Phantom.

The phantom gradually dissipated under the attack of everyone, and the seal of the crystal was completely broken.

The old man slowly walked out of the crystal with a relieved smile on his face.

“Thank you, young warriors.” The old man said in a gentle voice, “I have been trapped here for a long time. It is your courage and persistence that rescued me.”

Lin Ze clasped his fists and asked, "Senior, who are you and why are you trapped in this crystal?"