Douluo Continent: Dragon Shadow Rebirth

After Zhang Meng finally had his fill, night fell quietly. Qin Feng, Ye Li and Chu Tian were all sitting by the campfire, the firelight illuminating their slightly tired but relaxed faces. Zhang Meng was chewing a large piece of meat, his shiny mouth looking particularly happy. He chewed with big mouthfuls, while mumbling: "I told you, this is finally a decent dinner! Qin Feng, you have to admit that I am also a hero this time, right?"

"Well, you did contribute a lot." Qin Feng couldn't help but smile, "Especially the last moment of 'great strength creates miracles', it's simply the finishing touch."

"Of course!" Zhang Meng raised his chin, as if he was the protagonist of this adventure team. "Without me, who will unravel all these messy symbols and mechanisms?"

"We are not relying on you to guess blindly." Ye Li smiled and shook her head, "But I have to admit that you did help a lot this time."

Zhang Meng's face was immediately filled with pride. He patted his chest and said, "If you encounter any danger in the future, just call me Zhang Meng! With me here, we can hold up even if the sky falls!"

"Zhang Meng, you're right," Chu Tian smiled, "your good luck this time is really enviable."

"Hehe, of course, I have both strength and luck." Zhang Meng grinned and accepted this "title" without any modesty.

Qin Feng silently pondered the prophecy rune he had solved during the day, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful expression. He always felt that the "dimension gate" mentioned in the prophecy had a deeper connection with their fate.

As the night deepened, the people around the campfire gradually quieted down. Qin Feng suddenly broke the silence and said softly, "I've been thinking that the rune appeared very strangely. It didn't seem like some kind of accidental phenomenon, but more like... intentional."

"Intentional?" Ye Li frowned and asked, "Are you saying that someone is behind this trial?"

Qin Feng nodded: "It's very likely. Those ancient relics and symbols don't look like they are randomly distributed, but more like some kind of carefully designed layout. We may just be part of this game."

"Game?" Zhang Meng was shocked and almost spit out the meat in his mouth. "You mean, we are fighting so hard, but we are actually controlled by others?"

"It's not such a simple manipulation," Qin Feng explained, "If there really is someone behind these trials, then their purpose is definitely not just simple manipulation, but to achieve some far-reaching goal."

"A far-reaching goal? It sounds troublesome." Chu Tian looked up at the stars in the sky and couldn't help but whispered, "What kind of mystery are we involved in?"

Zhang Meng continued to chew the meat while mumbling: "Whatever the mystery is, I just hope there won't be any more messy symbols! However, if someone really wants to deal with us, we can't just sit there and wait for death, right?"

"You are right." Ye Li nodded. "If there is really someone behind this, we must be prepared and can't be as passive as before."

Qin Feng sighed softly: "I have been thinking that the timing of the rune's appearance is too coincidental, as if it was waiting for us to find it. Moreover, the information it provides does not seem to be complete, as if it is leading us to a deeper place."

"Deeper?" Zhang Meng swallowed the last piece of meat with a bitter look on his face. "Are you saying we have to keep going?"

Qin Feng looked at him with a smile: "Don't want to continue?"

Zhang Meng immediately shook his head: "I didn't say I wouldn't continue! I just hope I don't run into those scary things again this time."

"Unfortunately, your wish may not come true." Ye Li smiled playfully.

At this moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from the woods in the distance. Chu Tian immediately tightened his weapon and whispered, "Someone is approaching."

Zhang Meng almost choked before he could finish chewing the last bite of food in his mouth: "What is this again? Is it another wave of monsters?"

Ye Li instantly became alert, her eyes quickly scanning the darkness around her, the dagger in her hand glowing slightly coldly under the light of the fire: "This sound doesn't sound like that of a wild animal."

Qin Feng also stood up, frowning: "Something is wrong, everyone be careful."

At this time, a figure slowly walked out of the forest. As he approached the light of the campfire, Qin Feng and others could see clearly that the person coming was a mysterious figure wearing a dark gray robe, with a translucent mask on his face, covering most of his face. Behind the mask, only a pair of deep and sharp eyes were revealed, as if they could penetrate people's hearts.

"Don't move! Who are you?" Chu Tian raised his weapon and looked alert.

The man did not approach them, but stood a few steps away from them, and said in a low voice: "I have no intention of making an enemy of you."

Qin Feng narrowed his eyes: "If that's the case, why are you following us?"

The man shook his head slightly, his tone calm and emotionless: "You unlocked the rune, and I was guided here. The appearance of the rune means that you have touched a key point in this world."

"The key point?" Zhang Meng was confused. "What key point? We were just solving puzzles and breaking traps along the way, and we almost lost our lives. Where is the key point?"

The mysterious man ignored Zhang Meng's complaints and turned to Qin Feng: "You are the leader. You should have realized that there is a greater power hidden behind the trial."

Qin Feng's eyes flashed with a gleam of light: "You mean, this trial is not just a simple test, but has another purpose?"

"That's right." The mysterious man nodded, "The world you live in is at the intersection of multiple dimensions. And this trial is just part of a certain force trying to control these intersections."

"Dimensional intersection?" Ye Li frowned and asked, "Are you saying that our adventures so far are all related to the connection between dimensions?"

The mysterious man nodded again: "The door between dimensions is not common, but you have accidentally opened the path to one of the key dimensions. This means that the trial is not over yet, and the real challenge is still to come."

Zhang Meng couldn't help but interrupt: "So what should we do now? Keep going, or stop here?"

The mysterious man was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "I can't tell you directly what to do, because it is your own choice. But I can give you a piece of advice - don't ignore the scene that the crystal shows you, it is the key to unlock a greater secret."

"The scene displayed by the crystal..." Qin Feng repeated this sentence in a low voice, his eyes full of thought. He knew that the mysterious man's words were not aimless, but how to unlock the true meaning behind the crystal still needed them to discover it themselves.

"Also," the mysterious man added before turning around and preparing to leave, "there is a force that is also looking for these dimensional gates. They realized this secret earlier than you, but their purpose is not simple. If you continue to search for the answer, you will meet them sooner or later. When the time comes, be prepared to deal with them."

After saying that, the mysterious man turned around and blended into the night, quickly disappearing into the depths of the jungle, leaving Qin Feng and the others looking at each other in bewilderment.

"I don't like this mysterious guy." Zhang Meng frowned and said, "I always feel like he hasn't finished what he said."

"The clues he provided are already crucial." Qin Feng whispered, "At least we know that there are other forces behind the trial. This means we are not the only ones involved."

Ye Li said thoughtfully: "This also means that we may encounter more dangers next."

"It seems that today's rest is only temporary." Chu Tian smiled and shook his head, "There will be new adventures waiting for us tomorrow."

Zhang Meng sighed: “Well, it seems that I have to continue fighting before my feast is over.”

Qin Feng smiled and said, "Don't worry, tomorrow may be a real breakthrough. We have come this far, there is no reason to turn back."

"Yes, keep going!" Zhang Meng gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind, "No matter how dangerous the road ahead is, we can hold on!"

With Zhang Meng's determination, the people around the campfire finally relaxed from exhaustion. But they all knew in their hearts that the next adventure would be more complicated and dangerous than ever before. And the force mentioned by the mysterious man might be the biggest challenge they would face next.

The night is dark, but the adventure is not over yet.