Lu Yuan stood on a messy battlefield, with the residual power of the battle still filling the air around him.
He frowned slightly, knowing in his heart that although the minions of the Black Demon Sect in front of him had been eliminated, the real crisis had not yet been resolved.
"The remnants of the Black Demon Sect are still hiding, and their conspiracy is far from over."
Lu Yuan whispered, his eyes serious.
Ye Ling'er and Chu Yao stood aside, their faces still showing the fatigue from the battle they had just experienced.
"Brother Lu Yuan, although the people of the Black Demon Sect were repelled by us, there must be a greater power behind them."
Ye Ling'er said softly, with a bit of worry in her eyes.
Chu Yao nodded, and then said: "Those black figures just now were just the vanguard of the Black Demon Sect, and the real main force has not yet appeared."
"What should we do next?"
Lu Yuan thought for a moment, and then his eyes became firm.
"We can no longer wait passively."
"The remnants of the Black Demon Sect must be hiding in some secret stronghold. If we can take the initiative and find their lair, we can crush their conspiracy in one fell swoop."
Chu Yao frowned slightly and then asked: "But we don't have any definite clues. Their hiding places may be all over the world."
Lu Yuan nodded.
"Because of this, we have to be more careful."
"However, according to the previous tips from Senior Qingxuzi, the black magic of the Black Demon Sect originated from certain ancient ruins."
"These ruins often hide the power and formations of evil magic."
"If we can find these sites, it may be possible to discover their whereabouts."
A flash of understanding flashed in Ye Ling'er's eyes.
"So, we need to continue looking for those ancient ruins next?"
Lu Yuan nodded slightly, his eyes deep.
"That's right."
"We must find the next stronghold of the Black Demon Sect and destroy the source of their evil magic."
At this moment, Ye Ling'er suddenly remembered something and said quickly: "Brother Lu Yuan, I remember that the Black Demon Sect once had a secret stronghold in Jiuyou Mountain in the south."
"It is said to be a place of cultivation in ancient times. It was later occupied by the Black Demon Sect as a place for them to conduct evil experiments."
Lu Yuan's eyes suddenly became sharp.
"Jiuyou Mountain?"
He muttered in a low voice, and then said: "It seems that we are going to Jiuyou Mountain to find out."
Chu Yao nodded slightly, a trace of determination flashed in her eyes.
"Then let's set off now, without leaving any chance for the Black Demon Sect to breathe."
The three of them made a quick decision, packed up their belongings, and sped off in the direction of Jiuyou Mountain.
Jiuyou Mountain is located in the south, with steep terrain and steep mountains. It is shrouded in thick fog all year round, like a forbidden place isolated from the world.
According to rumors, this mountain was once a holy place for practitioners in ancient times, but a war hundreds of years ago turned it into a desolate ruin.
But now, this place has become the secret stronghold of the Black Demon Sect.
As they approached, a cold atmosphere began to fill the air, and the surrounding trees withered, as if they had lost their vitality.
“The atmosphere here is so depressing.”
Chu Yao whispered, with a bit of uneasiness in her eyes.
Lu Yuan nodded.
"The evil magic of the Black Demon Gate is affecting the environment here."
"The closer we get to Jiuyou Mountain, the stronger the evil will be."
Ye Ling'er clenched the dagger in her hand, with a hint of determination in her eyes.
"We must defeat them and we cannot let the Black Demon Sect continue to harm the world."
Lu Yuan glanced at her, smiled slightly, and then said: "Don't worry, we will definitely succeed."
The three of them continued to move forward and soon arrived at the foot of Jiuyou Mountain.
At the foot of the mountain is a desolate ruin. The surrounding stone monuments and ancient buildings are dilapidated and have obviously been abandoned for a long time.
"This is the legendary Jiuyou Mountain."
Lu Yuan whispered, looking around.
There was a strong gloom in the air, as if the entire valley was shrouded in some evil force.
"We have to be careful, this place may be full of traps from the Black Demon Sect." Lu Yuan reminded, and then led Ye Ling'er and Chu Yao towards the depths of the valley.
The mountain road is rugged, the surrounding trees are withered and yellow, and there are many broken stones scattered on the ground, as if they have experienced a fierce battle.
As they went deeper, the atmosphere around them became weirder.
Suddenly, a low humming sound came from the front, as if some ancient power was awakening.
"Watch out!"
Lu Yuan shouted loudly and quickly stopped.
A black light curtain suddenly appeared in the air ahead, blocking their path.
"This is the formation of the Black Demon Sect!"
Lu Yuan's eyes flashed, and then he quickly drew out the Xuanyuan Sword, and the sword energy struck the black light curtain like thunder.
"Boom!"
The sword energy hit the light curtain, bursting out with strong energy fluctuations.
However, the light curtain did not break, but became stronger.
"Damn, this formation is more powerful than we thought."
Chu Yao's face changed slightly, and then she clenched her sword tightly, ready to deal with any sudden danger at any time.
Lu Yuan frowned and carefully observed the changes in the light curtain.
"This formation is used to block outsiders."
"But I have a way to break it."
After speaking, he quickly activated the spiritual power in his body, and the Xuanyuan Sword emitted an even more dazzling light in his hand.
"Be careful, I'll break the formation."
Lu Yuan shouted loudly, Xuanyuan Sword burst out with powerful sword energy, and the golden light illuminated the surroundings like the sun.
"Boom!"
The sword energy slashed towards the light curtain like thunder, and the powerful force instantly tore apart the defense on the surface of the light curtain.
The light curtain gradually collapsed under the impact of the sword energy, turning into dots of light and dissipating in the air.
"Success!"
Ye Ling'er shouted excitedly, and then cast a delighted look at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan nodded, but his eyes were still full of vigilance.
"We broke the formation, but we can't be careless."
"The people from the Black Demon Sect may have noticed our arrival."
The three of them continued to move deeper into the valley. The mountain road became narrower and narrower, and the yin energy in the air became stronger and stronger.
Finally, they arrived at the core area of Jiuyou Mountain.
This is a huge valley. The surrounding mountain walls are covered with ancient runes and formations, and in the center is a huge black stone temple.
"That is the stronghold of the Black Demon Sect."
Lu Yuan whispered, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
"We must destroy the formations and sources of evil here."
Ye Ling'er and Chu Yao nodded, and the three of them quickly approached the stone palace.
The moment they approached the stone palace, a strange low laughter suddenly filled the air.
"Hehehe... I didn't expect that someone would dare to break into Jiuyou Mountain."
As the sound sounded, the door of the stone palace slowly opened, and a figure walked out of the shadows.
It was a man wearing a black robe, his face was as pale as paper, his eyes were flashing with a strange red light, and his whole person exuded a strong evil aura.
"The lackey of the Black Demon Sect."
Lu Yuan said coldly, the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand trembled slightly, as if he felt the evil power of the person in front of him.
The man in black robe sneered, and then said: "You righteous people really overestimate your capabilities, and you dare to break into the forbidden area of our Black Demon Sect."
"Now that you're here, don't even think about leaving alive."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black light in his hand flashed, and countless black shadows suddenly appeared in the air around them, like evil spirits from hell, instantly surrounding Lu Yuan and the others.
"You are all going to die here!"
The man in black robe shouted loudly, then waved the black light in his hand and approached Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan's eyes were cold and stern, Xuanyuan Sword burst out with intense golden light in his hand, and the sword energy slashed towards the approaching black figure like thunder. (End of chapter)