Siheyuan: The Temptation of the Mountains

Lin Ze decided to take a gamble.

He concentrated his attention and carefully recalled the order of the runes on the stone gate. Then he tried to imitate the trajectory of the runes with the weapon in his hand and gestured on the light of the crystal ball.

As he moved, the offensive of those illusory figures gradually weakened, as if they had lost power. This change made Lin Ze happy, and his guess seemed to be confirmed.

Lin Ze's movements became more cautious, and every subtle adjustment was made with extra care. He concentrated on observing the reactions of those illusory figures, not missing any details.

Suddenly, the crystal ball burst out with dazzling light, like a burning sun, instantly illuminating the entire space. Under the illumination of this light, those illusory figures that were originally aggressive melted away instantly, like ice and snow encountering the scorching sun.

At the same time, the barrier that trapped everyone seemed to be shattered by the light and quietly dissipated. Everyone's originally tense nerves were finally released at this moment. They were surprised and happy, and cast admiring glances at Lin Ze.

Lin Ze breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had guessed right. This crystal ball was indeed the key to solving all these mysteries.

He led everyone carefully, walking slowly towards the crystal ball, as if afraid of awakening some dormant power. Everyone's heartbeat gradually accelerated as the distance got closer, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

When they finally walked in front of the crystal ball, a powerful energy wave rushed over, shocking everyone. Through the transparent crystal surface, one could see that a mysterious soul seemed to be sealed inside. This soul was shrouded in a layer of faint light, as if covered by a layer of gauze, making it difficult to peek into its true face.

However, although they could not see the specific appearance of this soul, they could clearly feel a strong aura emanating from it. This aura was like a storm, raging around them, making it difficult for them to breathe.

Just as everyone was concentrating on gazing at the soul in the crystal ball, suddenly, a deep and rich voice came from the ball. This voice seemed to have crossed the boundaries of time and space, carrying a sense of vicissitudes and majesty from ancient times, echoing in everyone's ears.

"If you can remove the seal on me, I will help you fulfill your wish."

This sentence was like thunder, exploding in everyone's heart. Lin Ze and the others looked at each other, and saw shock and hesitation in each other's eyes. They all understood that this was undoubtedly a huge challenge, and it would be no easy task to unlock the seal on this mysterious soul.

However, faced with such tempting conditions and the secrets that might be hidden deep in the ancient land, they did not choose to back down. After a brief silence, Lin Ze took a deep breath and said resolutely: "Okay, we accept your challenge!"

Although his voice was not loud, it was full of determination and courage. Seeing this, the others also nodded, expressing their willingness to face this new test together.

As soon as he finished speaking, complex runes suddenly appeared around the crystal ball, flashing with mysterious light.

Those runes began to rotate rapidly, forming a huge rune vortex. A powerful suction force emanated from the vortex, as if it was going to swallow everyone up.

Lin Ze reacted quickly and shouted, "Everyone hold on!" He gripped the weapon tightly in his hand, trying to resist the suction.

The others also gritted their teeth and held on with all their might.

Just when everyone was about to give up, the voice in the crystal ball sounded again: "This is the first test. If you can't even bear this, don't even think about breaking my seal."

Lin Ze became ruthless and gathered all his strength, nailing his feet firmly to the ground, while directing everyone to support each other.

Slowly, they began to steady themselves.

As time passed, the suction of the rune vortex gradually weakened, and the first test was finally over.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they knew that the next test would only be more difficult.

Lin Ze looked at the crystal ball with a firm gaze, leading everyone to prepare for the next challenge.

Just as everyone took a breath, a strange map appeared on the surface of the crystal ball. The map flickered and the lines were twisted, as if hiding some mystery. Then, a deep voice came again: "The second test, according to the map, you must find three keys before you can continue to unlock the seal."

Lin Ze stared at the map in his hand with wide eyes, as if he wanted to see through it. The marks on the map made his heart tighten - these were the three most dangerous places in this ancient land! However, his eyes did not retreat at all, but stared at those marks more firmly.

"No matter what, we must find the key!" Lin Ze said firmly, with a resoluteness in his voice.

So he led everyone and resolutely embarked on the journey of finding the key.

They first came to a valley filled with thick poisonous fog, making it difficult to breathe. There seemed to be countless dangers hidden in the poisonous fog, and every step could be a deadly trap.

Lin Ze walked cautiously in front, his eyes as sharp as a hawk, not missing any slight movement. His steps were light and steady, and he cleverly avoided the stingers and traps hidden in the poisonous fog.

Everyone followed closely behind, supporting each other and jointly dealing with this valley filled with the breath of death.

Finally, deep in the valley, they found the first key. The key was shrouded in poisonous fog, emitting a faint light, as if waiting for their arrival.

Lin Ze reached out for the key without hesitation, and just as his fingers touched the key, a powerful force suddenly hit him. He quickly dodged to the side and avoided the fatal blow.

It turns out that this key is guarded by a mysterious force, and only by passing the test can one truly obtain it.

Lin Ze was not afraid, he took action again and started a fierce battle with the mysterious power. After a hard fight, he finally defeated the power and successfully got the first key.

Then, they rushed to the next location - a volcano with raging flames.

The crater continued to spew out hot magma, forming a wall of fire that protected the key. Next to the wall of fire, a huge fire beast was staring at them eagerly.

Lin Ze took a deep breath, holding a weapon, and rushed towards the fire beast. Seeing this, the fire beast opened its bloody mouth, spewed out blazing flames, and rushed towards Lin Ze.

Lin Ze dodged the fire beast's attack with a swift movement, then swung his weapon and slashed at the fire beast fiercely.