The chamber was alive with energy. The dark figure at the center, cloaked in shadow, seemed to pulse with an ancient power, its very presence warping the air around it. Wu Qian could feel it—the oppressive weight of the formation was suffocating them, twisting their perception of reality. The whispers from the depths of the cavern grew louder, as though the very walls were alive, mocking them, warning them.
"Stay focused!" Wu Qian shouted, his voice cutting through the rising tide of chaos. "We can't let it break our will!"
The figure raised its hooded head, revealing a face obscured by a veil of darkness, its features shifting unnaturally. Every time Wu Qian tried to focus on its face, it flickered and distorted, like a reflection on the surface of water disturbed by ripples. But there was one thing Wu Qian could see clearly—its eyes. They were twin pools of abyssal black, and when they locked onto his gaze, a cold shiver ran down his spine.
"You think you can challenge the True Horizon?" the figure intoned, its voice an amalgamation of countless whispers. "Foolish mortals. You have already lost. This place is beyond your understanding, beyond your power. Surrender, and perhaps you will be spared the suffering that awaits."
Wu Qian's grip on his sword tightened. The battle before them was more than a physical one—it was a war of wills. They had to break the mental prison the True Horizon had created. The figure's voice reverberated in the cavern, a constant assault on their minds. But Wu Qian had faced worse. He had seen illusions like this before, in his early days as a cultivator. It wasn't the first time the mind had been weaponized against him, and he wasn't going to fall victim to it now.
"Don't listen to it!" he shouted to his companions. "It's all an illusion!"
Lian Yuxi nodded grimly, her expression resolute. "I'm not going to fall for this trick again." Her sword shimmered in the dim light of the cavern, the blade humming with spiritual energy as she prepared to strike.
The figure raised its hands in a slow, deliberate motion, and the entire cavern trembled. Shadows surged from the walls, coiling like serpents, filling the air with an unearthly chill. They lashed out, striking with speed and precision. Wu Qian's heart raced. These weren't mere illusions—they were real, physical entities, born from the formation's energy.
"Protect yourselves!" Yan Rui yelled, as he leaped into action, his sword cleaving through the shadows with vicious precision. Each strike seemed to unravel a portion of the darkness, but for every shadow destroyed, two more seemed to take its place.
"We need to destroy the source!" Wei Xuan shouted, her voice cutting through the storm of noise and chaos. She was already moving toward the center of the chamber, where the dark figure stood, her movements fluid and precise.
Wu Qian didn't hesitate. He followed her lead, his sword flashing through the air as he cut down the shadows that tried to close in on him. Lian Yuxi and Yan Rui moved alongside him, each of them battling fiercely, their attacks coordinated as they fought off the relentless wave of darkness.
But the dark figure merely stood there, seemingly unaffected by the carnage around it. Its presence was as immovable as a mountain, and each time Wu Qian struck it, the blow dissipated into nothingness.
"Why do you struggle?" the figure mocked, its voice ringing in their ears. "This place, this power—it is my domain. You are nothing but ants crawling through my garden. Surrender, and I might allow you to leave with your lives."
Wu Qian's breath came in sharp bursts as he pressed forward. "We will never surrender. Your power might be great, but it's nothing compared to the will of those who fight for what's right!"
As he spoke, a flicker of movement caught his eye. A faint glow emanated from the back of the cavern, a soft blue light cutting through the thick shadows. His eyes narrowed. There—at the farthest corner of the chamber—was a stone pedestal, ancient and weathered, with runes inscribed deep into its surface. He could feel the faint pulse of energy radiating from it. It was the source.
"The pedestal!" Wu Qian shouted. "That's where the formation's power is concentrated! If we destroy it, the illusion will collapse!"
Without waiting for a response, he charged toward the pedestal, his sword raised high. The dark figure's laughter echoed around the cavern.
"You think you can destroy what has existed for millennia? Foolish."
But Wu Qian was beyond being intimidated. He had come too far, faced too many trials, to back down now. As he neared the pedestal, the shadows surged again, attempting to hold him back, but he cut through them with relentless fury. His sword cleaved through the dark matter, his energy surging with every strike. The closer he got, the more the shadows seemed to fight against him, but his determination burned hotter than the darkness that surrounded him.
He reached the pedestal, his breath ragged, and with a single slash, he cleaved into the stone. A burst of light erupted from the point of contact, and the entire cavern shuddered as the runes on the pedestal shattered.
At that moment, the dark figure let out a howl of rage, its form flickering and warping as the illusion unraveled. The shadows dissolved into nothingness, and the oppressive weight that had been pressing on their minds lifted. The figure began to dissolve as well, its true form revealed at last—a pale, emaciated figure, its body twisted and frail, its face contorted in a final scream of fury.
"You… you cannot… stop… us…" The words came as a rasp, and with that, the figure disintegrated, vanishing into the air.
The cavern fell silent.
Wu Qian took a deep breath, his heart still racing. He turned to look at his companions, who were all panting, their expressions grim but victorious.
"It's over," Lian Yuxi said quietly, her voice laced with exhaustion but also relief.
Wei Xuan nodded, wiping the sweat from her brow. "For now, yes. But this was only a small part of the True Horizon's network. There are many more strongholds to destroy, and many more dangers ahead. The battle has just begun."
Wu Qian met her gaze, a fire burning in his chest. "Then we move forward. We'll dismantle the True Horizon, piece by piece. And no matter what, we'll see this through to the end."
With that, they turned and began to leave the hollow, the mist dissipating behind them. The first strike had been successful. But the war was far from over. The True Horizon was just beginning to take notice of their actions, and they would retaliate with everything they had.
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