Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

The old man in black robe who had been watching the battle from behind was shocked when he saw this scene. He had never expected that Lin Ze actually possessed such a powerful treasure. Seeing the situation take a sharp turn for the worse, a trace of greed flashed in the old man's eyes. He flashed and turned into a black shadow and rushed towards Lin Ze, trying to take advantage of the chaos to snatch the treasure.

In a flash, Lin Ze stared at the black-robed old man's every move with a sharp gaze. In an instant, he keenly caught the cunning light that flashed across the black-robed old man's eyes and instantly saw through his sinister intentions.

Lin Ze acted decisively, and with a flash of his body, he approached like a ghost. The long sword in his hand flashed with cold light, like a flash of lightning across the void. At this moment, the old man in black robe was in a panic and lost his composure, inadvertently exposing a fatal flaw.

How could Lin Ze miss this golden opportunity? He shook his wrist and thrust the sword forward. With a soft "puff" sound, the extremely sharp sword tip pierced the chest of the black-robed old man like a nimble poisonous snake. For a moment, blood splattered everywhere, like red plum blossoms blooming in the air.

The old man in black robe suffered such a heavy blow that he uttered a dull cry of pain. However, his strong desire to survive drove him to endure the severe pain and not dare to delay for a moment. He turned around and fled the scene in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared in the vast night, as if he had never appeared.

After a thrilling, life-and-death battle, Lin Ze and his companions finally defeated the invading enemy with their tenacious fighting spirit and excellent martial arts. They stood there, breathing heavily, their clothes soaked with sweat, but everyone's face was filled with the joy of victory.

Looking at the land that had just experienced the baptism of war, they knew that there were endless dangers and murderous intentions hidden everywhere. But even so, this hard-won victory still gave them strong confidence and courage.

“Brothers!” Lin Ze raised the blood-stained sword in his hand and shouted loudly: “Although we encountered a strong enemy here today, we finally managed to escape danger. But everyone must not take it lightly, because the road ahead will definitely be full of thorns. But as long as we work together and move forward courageously, nothing can stop us from moving forward!”

Everyone shouted in unison, their voices resounding through the sky. Then, they took firm steps and headed towards the unknown world without hesitation. No matter what difficulties and obstacles awaited them in the future, they were fully prepared to meet all challenges and write their own legendary chapter with their passion and enthusiasm.

They walked forward and soon entered a misty forest. The forest was filled with thick fog, which obstructed their vision and only allowed them to vaguely see the outlines of some huge and twisted trees.

Lin Ze looked solemn, holding the gleaming sword tightly in his right hand, and walked steadily and cautiously at the front of the team. It was quiet all around, with only his light footsteps echoing in this ancient forest.

At this moment, a melodious flute sounded like a sob and a complaint. The sound was ethereal and graceful, as if it came from a fairyland, but it also faintly revealed an indescribable strange atmosphere. Everyone's originally tense nerves were instantly attracted by this strange flute sound, their expressions gradually became dazed, and their steps began to move involuntarily towards the direction where the flute sound came from.

Lin Ze's heart suddenly shook, and he secretly cried out, "Not good!" He knew that this sudden flute sound was definitely not an ordinary thing, so he hurriedly used the internal energy in his body to try to resist this powerful confusing force. As the internal energy traveled through his meridians, his mind gradually became clear.

"Everyone, wake up! Don't be fooled by the sound of the flute!" Lin Ze shouted loudly, his voice like a bell, echoing in the forest for a long time. Some of his companions woke up from their dreams and looked at each other with horror.

Lin Ze calmed down and led everyone to carefully follow the source of the flute sound. Soon, they saw a huge old tree not far ahead, and under the tree sat a woman in white. She had long flowing hair and a graceful figure, holding an emerald jade flute in her hand, and was playing it attentively.

Lin Ze stepped forward and asked sternly, "Who are you? Why are you playing such a strange tune?" The woman slowly stopped playing and gently put the flute aside. Then she stood up and said with a smile, "Sir, please don't be angry. I have been trapped here for many days. Today, I saw you passing by and wanted to ask for your help."

Lin Ze stared at the woman in front of him, thinking to himself: How could such a lone woman suddenly appear in this desolate place? There must be something else going on. But the woman seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "I am willing to give you a mysterious spirit bead as a reward, and I only ask you to protect me for a while." As she spoke, she took out a bead emitting a faint light from her bosom and handed it to Lin Ze.

Lin Ze looked at the spirit bead, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes. This spirit bead looked quite extraordinary, and it might be helpful for their subsequent journey. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally nodded and said, "Okay, in that case, we will take you along for a while. But I have to say this in advance, if you dare to play any tricks on the way, don't blame me for being ruthless with my sword!"

The woman nodded repeatedly in thanks and then joined the team. In this way, the team, with new members and unknown variables, continued to move slowly into the depths of the forest.

As they walked, the fog around them became thicker and thicker, like white curtains constantly pressing towards them. The woman in white seemed to be following behind delicately, but Lin Ze always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching them from behind.

Suddenly, a huge black claw emerged from the thick fog and grabbed one of the team members. Lin Ze reacted quickly and swung his sword to cut the black claw. "Ouch!" A roar was heard, and a giant beast appeared in front of them. The woman in white screamed, "This is the Mist Hidden Beast. It guards the secrets of the forest. It must have sensed my presence and attacked you."

Lin Ze snorted coldly: "It seems that you really bring a lot of trouble." After that, he rushed to the Mist Hidden Beast first. Seeing this, his teammates also picked up weapons to fight. The Mist Hidden Beast has thick skin and flesh, and ordinary attacks can hardly hurt it. The woman in white quietly took out the jade flute and played it. The sound of the flute actually slowed down the Mist Hidden Beast's movements. Lin Ze seized the opportunity and stabbed the Mist Hidden Beast's vitals with a sword. The Mist Hidden Beast fell down with a bang, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Ze turned to look at the woman in white: "I hope you won't hide anything anymore." The woman in white just smiled, and the team continued to move deeper into the forest. The road ahead was still full of unknowns.