Toby and his party followed the winding mountain road, overcoming obstacles along the way, and climbed over several steep peaks. Finally, after a few days, they saw the outline of the holy city from afar.
Mark looked at the holy city in the distance, his eyes full of expectation. He was curious about everything in the holy city.
The towering city walls shone with golden light in the sun, like a giant dragon perched on the vast plain, guarding this sacred land. The flags flying on the city walls fluttered in the wind, rustling, symbolizing the majesty and glory of the holy city. The stones of the city walls were polished smooth by the years, and every inch exuded a heavy sense of history, as if telling the story of thousands of years of wind and rain and war.
Outside the city gate, a wide moat surrounded the holy city. The river water was clear and sparkling, reflecting the blue sky and the white clouds. The suspension bridge on the river was slowly lowered, connecting the inner and outer worlds. The wooden planks on the bridge creaked due to the years of trampling, as if welcoming travelers from afar.
At the city gate, there was an endless stream of bustling people, the hawking of vendors, the conversation of pedestrians, and the rumbling of carriages intertwined, forming a prosperous urban scene. People of all colors and costumes gathered here, some pushing carts full of goods, some leading camels, and some holding strange musical instruments, playing exotic melodies.
"Finally here." Toby breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and showed a relieved expression on his face. The running and tension of the past few days made him feel physically and mentally exhausted. He had been worried that the dark beast would appear again. At this moment, seeing the holy city, he could finally relax.
Lily also showed a relieved smile. She gently stroked the head of the little ice abyss beast, and the little ice abyss beast also excitedly shook its tail and made a cheerful low cry, as if celebrating the end of their journey.
Mark and his party crossed the moat and saw a straight main road in front of them. On both sides of the road were towering buildings, whose roofs were decorated with exquisite stone carvings and weather vanes. Each building was like a work of art, showing the prosperity of the holy city and the splendor of art. The shops on both sides of the street were full of everything, from gold and silver jewelry to exotic spices, from rare herbs to exquisite fabrics, which were dazzling.
As they gradually approached, the scene of the holy city became clearer and clearer. The city gate was bustling with people coming and going, the hawking of vendors, the conversation of pedestrians, and the rumbling of carriages intertwined to form a prosperous urban scene.
The air was filled with the mixed aroma of various spices and food, which made people salivate. The aroma of baked bread, the richness of stewed meat, the freshness of fruit, and the aroma of wine wafting from the tavern in the distance intertwined to form the unique atmosphere of the holy city.
As soon as Mark and his party entered the Holy City, the guard at the gate ran over in a panic, panting to report to a knight captain in gorgeous armor: "Captain! There was an unknown monster attack in the city... in the city!" He was out of breath, pale, with beads of sweat on his forehead, and his voice was trembling.
The knight captain frowned and asked sternly: "What's going on? Tell me clearly!" The armor on his body shone with a dazzling light in the sun, making him more majestic.
The guard tried to calm his breathing and said intermittently: "Just now... a black monster appeared in the commercial district... it... it attacked... attacked several civilians..." His voice became smaller and smaller, as if he had returned to the thrilling scene just now.
Hearing the words "black monster", Mark's heart sank suddenly, and he immediately thought of the dark monster, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.
"Take us to the scene!" Mark said in a hurry, his eyes full of anxiety. He grabbed the guard's shoulder with such force that the guard could not help but frown.
The guard was startled by Mark's sudden action. He was stunned for a moment, then reacted and nodded quickly: "Okay...Okay, please follow me!" He turned around, hurried through the crowded crowd, and ran along a wide street to the scene of the incident.
Mark and his group followed closely behind. Lily hugged the little Ice Abyss Beast tightly. The little Ice Abyss Beast also felt the tense atmosphere around it and whimpered softly. Toby was vigilantly observing the surrounding situation, ready to deal with sudden dangers at any time.
The scene of the incident was located in the commercial district of the Holy City. The surrounding shops were closed and the streets were empty. Only a few paladins in silver armor were fighting with a small dark beast.
Although the dark beast was small in size, it was extremely agile. It shuttled back and forth between the paladins and constantly attacked the paladins. The paladin's armor was covered with cracks, and it was obvious that it had been fighting for a long time.
Mark recognized it at a glance. The runes on the scales of the monster were exactly the same as the runes on the corpse of the dark monster found in the forest before.
"It is indeed a dark monster!" Mark whispered, with a hint of solemnity in his tone.
"Everyone be careful!" Toby reminded, he drew the sword at his waist and prepared to join the battle.
"The paladins look like they are about to collapse, we have to help them quickly!" Lily also said, she put the little ice beast on the ground, "Xiaobing, get ready to fight!" The little ice beast immediately let out a low roar and took a fighting posture.
"Cover the paladins to retreat!" Toby shouted and rushed forward first. The long sword in his hand swung out a series of sharp sword shadows, forcing back the dark monster that was about to attack a paladin.
Mark followed closely behind, and the ice sword he condensed was cold and cold, dissolving the attacks of the dark monster one by one.
"Xiaobing, attack its weaknesses!" Lily commanded the little ice beast. The speed of the small Ice Abyss beast was extremely fast. It was like a blue lightning, and it went around the back of the dark beast and bit its hind leg.
The dark beast screamed in pain. It turned around and tried to attack the small Ice Abyss beast, but was blocked by Mark's ice sword.
During the fierce battle, Mark found that the attack method of the small dark beast was different from the dark beasts he had encountered before. It was more cunning and fierce. It was faster, stronger, and seemed to know some simple tactics, which surprised Toby.
"This dark beast... is more powerful than the one we encountered before!" Mark said while dodging the attack of the dark beast, with a hint of solemnity in his tone.
"It seems that we are in trouble." Toby also said, swinging the long sword in his hand faster, trying to suppress the offensive of the dark beast.
"Lily, you and Xiaobing retreat first!" Toby shouted, "I'll hold it back!"
Lily nodded and retreated to the side holding the small Ice Abyss beast.
The battle intensified, and the ferocious nature of the dark beast was fully aroused. Its attacks became more frantic, and every swing of its claws was accompanied by a whistling sound that tore the air, and every bite tried to tear the opponent into pieces. The armor of the paladins became fragmented under its attack, and their faces showed despair.