Chapter 56: Hall of Evil Spirits: A Battle of Life and Death

Pan Yue pointed to the corner of the hall, where thick black mist surged and condensed into malevolent specters.

Their hollow eye sockets flickered with eerie green light, and sharp claws loomed vaguely within the black mist, emitting a hair-raising scratching sound.

In the hall, the lingering stench of corruption grew even more intense and nauseating.

"Specters!" Sun Yue whispered, her voice somewhat distorted by tension.

Almost simultaneously, the bizarre creature statue on the altar in the center of the hall came to life. Its blood-red eyes snapped open, shooting out two terrifying rays of light.

The statue slowly moved its body, emitting a teeth-gritting sound of grinding bones, and climbed down from the altar to join the ranks of the specters.

"Prepare for battle!" Chu Feng let out a low roar, shadow runes spreading across his body and enshrouding him entirely in a cloak of black shadows.

"Cover me!" Liu Yong shouted, rapidly assembling a small turret in his hands, its muzzle flashing with a dangerous light.

A battle was on the verge of erupting.

Chu Feng’s shadow blade sliced through the air, stirring up gusts of chilling wind and tearing the approaching specters to shreds.

Feng Yao’s healing runes emanated a soft glow, providing timely treatment to the injured team members.

Pan Yue’s frost runes condensed into sharp ice spikes, piercing precisely through the vital points of the specters.

Sun Yue’s figure darted through the battlefield like a ghost, her dagger claiming a specter’s life with every flash.

Chen Qiang’s massive physique stood like a wall of bronze and iron, blocking the front of his teammates and enduring the fierce onslaught of the specters.

Meanwhile, Wu Xia gathered intelligence from the rear, directing the team members in effective attacks and defense.

However, the sheer number of specters was overwhelming, and they charged forward recklessly and endlessly, one wave after another.

The adventure squad gradually began to struggle.

Right at that moment, Scorpion’s team also stormed into the hall.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!" Scorpion smiled coldly, a venomous blade in his hand flickering with an eerie green light. "Chu Feng, your good luck has run out!"

Scorpion’s team joined the fray, but their target was not the specters, but rather Chu Feng and his companions.

"Damn it!" Chu Feng cursed inwardly, forced to divert a portion of his energy to deal with Scorpion’s assault.

The situation grew increasingly unfavorable for the adventure squad.

While operating the turret, Liu Yong was struck by a sneaking specter and collapsed to the ground.

"Liu Yong!" Pan Yue cried out in alarm, rushing recklessly to his side. "How are you?"

"I... I'm fine..." Liu Yong’s face turned pale, fresh blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. "Cough, cough..."

"Chu Feng, we can't go on like this!" Wu Xia’s anxious voice echoed from the rear. "We must find a way to break through!"

Chu Feng’s gaze swept across the hall, searching for an escape route.

Suddenly, his eyes landed on a stone door at the far end of the hall...

"Pan Yue," Chu Feng said in a deep, resolute voice, "cover me. I'm going to open that door!"

The black mist billowed, and the screeching sounds wailed like grieving ghosts, numbing the scalp.

The specters' sharp claws ripped through the air, trailing streaks of black radiance as they lunged frantically at the group.

Chen Qiang roared, his heavy shield blocking the front like a monolith. Every impact produced a deafening dull thud, yet streaks of blood began to appear on his body, showing clear signs that he was reaching his absolute limit.

Sun Yue darted like a nimble ape through the gaps among the specters, her dagger flashing with cold light as she reaped the chilling lives one by one.

Feng Yao’s light of healing desperately worked to mend the injuries of her teammates, yet it could not keep pace with the rate at which they were being hurt. Fine beads of sweat seeped across her forehead, and her complexion grew increasingly pale.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

A particularly massive specter charged forward like a tank, directly sending Chen Qiang flying from the impact.

Seeing this, Liu Yong gathered his energy, and the turret roared deafeningly. A beam of light instantly struck the head of the giant specter, but it only caused the creature to stagger without inflicting any fatal damage.

The giant specter let out a furious roar and slammed its heavy claws down onto Liu Yong. The immense force sent him flying heavily backward, blood instantly staining the ground crimson.

Liu Yong’s body crashed hard onto the floor with a dull thud, and the turret in his hands shattered into pieces.

Pan Yue let out a heart-wrenching scream: "Liu Yong!"

An oppressive atmosphere enveloped the squad, and a sense of despair began to spread.

However, at that very moment, Chu Feng felt the power of the shadow runes within his body boiling, as if a brand-new strength was awakening inside him.

He let out a low roar, his figure darting among the specters like a phantom. The shadow blade in his hand grew even sharper, and every sweep claimed the lives of multiple specters.

His attacks became swifter and deadlier, causing the surrounding specters to grow fearful and instinctively recoil.

Like a sharp knife, he forcefully carved an opening through the encirclement of specters, shielding his teammates behind him.

While slaying enemies, he roared, "Do not give up! We will make it out of here alive!"

Leading the squad, he gradually stabilized their footing, forging a bloody path and fully displaying his heroic demeanor.

"Liu Yong, how are you?" Pan Yue called out anxiously.

Disregarding the danger, she rushed directly to Liu Yong’s side, her trembling hands attempting to stem his bleeding.

Pan Yue rushed to Liu Yong, tears blurring her vision.

"Liu Yong! How are you?" With trembling hands, she tried to press against the endless stream of blood pouring from his chest, but it was unstoppable.

The bright red blood soaked her clothes, a horrifying sight.

"Cough, cough..." Liu Yong coughed weakly, more blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. "I... I'm fine..." His voice was barely audible, yet his gaze remained locked onto Pan Yue, filled with worry and reluctance to let go.

"Don't speak!" Pan Yue choked out, tears rolling down like broken pearls.

"Feng Yao, come quickly and save him!"

Feng Yao rushed to Liu Yong’s side immediately, the glow of her healing runes enveloping him. The warm light acted like a mother’s embrace, trying to dispel the shadow of death.

However, Liu Yong’s injuries were too severe, and the effect of the healing runes was negligible.

Chu Feng also hurried over, dropping to one knee to support Liu Yong’s shoulders. "Liu Yong, hold on! We will get you out of here!"

The squad members all gathered around, anxiety and worry written on every face.

Chen Qiang clenched his fists tightly, his eye sockets burning red; Sun Yue constantly scanned her surroundings, as if searching for something; and Wu Xia bit her lip hard, struggling to keep her emotions under control.

At that instant, Sun Yue’s eyes suddenly lit up. Pointing at a pile of scrap metal in the corner of the hall, she shouted, "I know! I know how to deal with these monsters!"

She sprinted to the pile of scrap, picked up a metal fragment, and struck it hard against the ground.

The harsh clanging of metal echoed through the hall, and the rampaging specters suddenly stopped. They looked around blankly, their minds seemingly disrupted by the sudden noise.

Seeing this, a cunning smile touched the corner of Sun Yue’s mouth.

She continued to strike the metal fragment, constantly altering her rhythm and frequency.

The jarring sound reverberated through the hall, causing the specters to dash about blindly like headless flies and attack one another, plunging the scene into complete chaos.

"Good chance!" Seeing this, Chu Feng shouted immediately, "Now's our chance, charge out!"

The squad members sprang into action, following closely behind Chu Feng as they carved a bloody path through the chaotic horde of specters, rushing toward the stone door at the far end of the hall.

Just then, a dark shadow flashed, and Scorpion appeared beside the altar.

He stared greedily at the treasures on the altar, a covetous light gleaming in his eyes.

"This thing is mine!"

"In your dreams!" Chen Qiang roared, stepping forward to block Scorpion’s path.

"You're courting death!" Scorpion snorted coldly, the venomous blade in his hand gleaming with an eerie green light...

Scorpion’s appearance was like that of a disruptive villain, his sullen eyes fixed firmly on the altar as if endless treasures were buried there.

With a sinister laugh, he skimmed lightly across the chaotic battlefield, hurtling straight toward the altar.

Chen Qiang, a man as steadfast as a monolith, immediately perceived Scorpion’s intent. Roaring like an enraged lion, his massive physique blocked Scorpion’s way horizontally, the heavy shield in his hand flashing with a chilling glare.

"Want to pass? Ask the shield in my hand first!" Chen Qiang’s deep voice rumbled like thunder, making everyone’s heart miss a beat.

A fierce glint flashed in Scorpion’s eyes. Licking the corner of his mouth, his poisonous blade flicked its tongue like a viper. "Those who block me die!"

The two clashed instantly, blades and shields trading blows amidst swirling gales of force.

Scorpion’s footwork was erratic, darting around Chen Qiang like a ghost while his venomous blade struck with lethal peril at every turn.

Chen Qiang remained as stable as Mount Tai, his shield acting like a fortress that repelled all of Scorpion’s attacks while he sought opportunities to counterattack.

Each collision between the shield and the poisonous blade produced a deafening metallic crash, sending sparks flying and testifying to the intensity of the battle.

The surrounding combat seemed momentarily drawn to their duel; the roars of the specters and the shouts of the squad seemed to diminish slightly.

Everyone’s attention was captured by this sudden clash.

Pan Yue watched Chen Qiang with worry, yet she was forced to devote most of her energy to guarding the injured Liu Yong.

Sun Yue seized the opportunity to strike the ground with the metal fragment, continuing to disrupt the specters' movements.

However, just as the battle reached its fierce climax, the entire ruin suddenly began to shake violently.

The earth quaked and mountains swayed as if a giant beast were rolling underground. Boulders continuously fell from overhead, slamming into the ground with loud, echoing crashes.

Spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread across the stone ceiling overhead, with debris raining down from time to time.

The previously dim hall became increasingly precarious, and an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere filled the air.

"What is happening?" Wu Xia cried out in terror. Having never experienced such a terrifying scene, her body trembled uncontrollably.

Professor Yan stared intently at the surrounding environment, shock filling his murky eyes as if he had anticipated something, opening his mouth to speak.

He suddenly gasped, "The ruins are collapsing!"

Before Professor Yan could finish, a tremendous roar echoed from deep underground, and the entire ruin shook even more violently.

"Chu Feng, look!" Pan Yue’s voice held a trace of tremor as she pointed toward the upper section of the hall. A massive crack had torn open in the stone wall, and firelight could be faintly seen flickering behind it.

Watching the incessantly shaking ruins and feeling the tremors rising from the ground, a strong sense of unease surged in Chu Feng’s heart.

Gripping his shadow blade tightly, he said in a low voice, "This place... is about to collapse..."