Chapter 171 Undercurrent 2

After the battle, the soldiers of the Holy Empire welcomed the hard-won victory with cheers, but Qin Feng and his companions did not indulge in this moment of joy. As night fell, the campfire in the camp reflected the complex expressions on everyone's faces. Although they had achieved an important victory and repelled the attack of the Dark Cult, Qin Feng always had an uneasy feeling in his heart, as if this battle was just a prelude to a bigger conspiracy.

Qin Feng sat at the edge of the camp, staring at the night sky in a daze. Chu Tian came over with a bowl of hot soup and handed it to him.

"Drink something to replenish your strength." Chu Tian said with a smile, but there was also worry in his eyes.

"Thank you." Qin Feng took the soup, took a sip, and then took a deep breath, "Do you feel... that this battle is too easy?"

Chu Tian was slightly stunned when he heard this, then frowned and thought, "Indeed, although the enemy is coming with great force, their command is surprisingly chaotic, as if they are deliberately hiding something."

"That's right." Qin Feng nodded. "The real power of the Dark Sect should not be limited to this. We must be more vigilant."

"We won the battle, but we didn't win the war." Ye Li came over and said calmly, "It's only a matter of time before they come back."

Beside the bonfire, Teacher Ling Yun stood there quietly, seemingly observing everyone's emotional changes. His eyes were deep, as if he had seen through everything.

"Qin Feng, come here." Ling Yun's voice broke the silence of the night.

Qin Feng and his companions quickly stood up and walked to Ling Yun. They knew that the instructor would never call them for no reason.

"Teacher, is there anything I can help you with?" Qin Feng asked.

Ling Yun nodded slightly. "Although we have just won a victory, I feel that there is a greater crisis behind this. According to my judgment, the Dark Cult seems to be planning a larger action, and this battle is just to distract us."

"Distract them?" Wang Yue asked doubtfully, "What on earth are they planning?"

Ling Yun lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said, "According to the intelligence we have, the Dark Cult is searching for an ancient artifact - the 'Heart of Darkness'. It is said that this artifact has the ability to awaken a power that has been dormant for thousands of years. Once it falls into their hands, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Heart of Darkness..." Qin Feng muttered to himself, "No wonder they launched such a large-scale attack this time, it turns out their real purpose is here."

"We must stop them!" Chu Tian clenched his fists, "We must not let the Dark Cult get this artifact!"

"That's right." Ling Yun nodded. "I need you to form an elite team and immediately go to the place where the artifact may appear. Find and destroy it, or obtain it before the Dark Cult."

"We understand." Qin Feng said firmly, "We will do our best to ensure that the Heart of Darkness does not fall into the hands of the enemy."

Just as Qin Feng and his companions were preparing to set off, a group of mysterious people in black suddenly appeared outside the camp. They approached quickly and stealthily, but showed no hostility.

"Stop! Who is it?" The soldiers quickly drew their swords and stood on guard, their voices full of vigilance.

The leading man in black slowly took off his hood, revealing a stern face. His eyes were filled with mixed emotions, as if he was scrutinizing everyone in the camp.

"Relax, we are not enemies." The man in black said calmly, "I am Yingsha, a defector from the Dark Cult. We have come to surrender and brought important intelligence."

"A defector from the Dark Cult?" Chu Tian asked in disbelief, "Why should we believe you?"

Yingsha smiled slightly, then took out a secret letter from his bosom and handed it to Lingyun. "We know every conspiracy of the Dark Cult. We are willing to help you because we don't want to see this world swallowed by darkness."

Ling Yun took the secret letter and quickly read it, his expression gradually becoming serious. He looked up at Ying Sha, his eyes flashing with complex light.

"Is what's in this letter true?" Ling Yun asked, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

Yingsha nodded firmly. "The Dark Cult plans to launch a final ritual in three days, using the power of the Heart of Darkness to awaken an ancient evil beast. Once the ritual succeeds, this world will fall into eternal night."

Qin Feng and his companions felt a chill when they heard this. They realized that time was very tight and they had to take action immediately.

"We have to set off immediately. We can't let them succeed!" Qin Feng said decisively, "Yingsha, do you know the location of the ceremony?"

"I know." Yingsha nodded, "I can take you there."

After a brief preparation, Qin Feng and his companions followed Yingsha and quickly left the camp. They knew that this action was related to the safety of the entire Wuhun world, and they must go all out to stop the plan of the Dark Sect in the shortest possible time.

"Yingsha, why did you betray the Dark Cult?" On the way, Chu Tian couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid of their revenge?"

Yingsha sneered, his eyes revealing a trace of sadness, "Revenge? They have long lost their humanity. I was once one of them, but when I saw their true purpose, I realized that it was a bottomless abyss. I would rather be their enemy than see this world swallowed by darkness."

"You are very brave." Wang Yue said sincerely, "But even so, your betrayal is still a huge risk. Don't you regret it?"

Yingsha was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Perhaps I will pay a price for this, but this is my choice. For those things that are still worth protecting."

"I understand your choice." Qin Feng said, with a hint of respect in his tone, "We will all fight to protect what we cherish."

After a day and night of rapid march, Qin Feng and his party finally arrived at the target location mentioned by Yingsha - an ancient ruins shrouded in strange black fog. The air here was filled with a strong evil atmosphere, making everyone feel extremely uncomfortable.

"This is where they plan to perform the ritual." Shadowsha whispered, "The Heart of Darkness is hidden deep within these ruins."

"Everyone be careful." Qin Feng reminded softly, "The atmosphere here is very wrong. We may be ambushed by the enemy at any time."

Everyone walked into the ruins cautiously and found that the buildings inside were already dilapidated and the walls were covered with strange runes and totems, which seemed to hint at some ancient power.

"These runes... seem to be some kind of ancient sacrificial text." Ye Li observed the patterns on the wall, "Could this have been the base of an ancient cult?"

"It's very likely." Ling Yun responded in a low voice, "The Dark Cult chose to perform the ritual here, obviously because they were attracted by the ancient power hidden here."

"We have to speed up." Qin Feng urged, "Their ceremony may begin at any time. We can't give them any chance."

Just as Qin Feng and the others continued to go deeper into the ruins, a strong energy wave suddenly came from the front. The dark aura became thicker and thicker, almost suffocating.

"Oh no! They have already started the ceremony!" Yingsha exclaimed, "We have to hurry, otherwise it will be too late!"

Qin Feng and his companions immediately accelerated and rushed forward. When they arrived at the center of the ruins, the scene before them made them gasp.

A huge dark altar stood in the center of the ruins, and above the altar floated a dark gem emitting an evil aura, which was the legendary Heart of Darkness. Around the altar, dozens of priests of the Dark Cult were chanting ancient spells, trying to awaken the power of the ancient evil beast.

"Damn it! We have to stop them!" Chu Tian roared and prepared to rush forward.

"Wait!" Ling Yun grabbed him and said, "Being impulsive will only cost you your life. We must make a plan."

"Yingsha, how much do you know about their rituals?" Qin Feng asked calmly.

Yingsha took a deep breath. "They need the priests to work together to complete the spell. If their rhythm is disrupted, the ritual will be interrupted. But we must be quick and precise, otherwise once the ritual is completed, the consequences will be disastrous."

"I understand." Qin Feng nodded, his eyes firm, "Then let's split up and disrupt their spells to completely destroy this ritual!"

Following Qin Feng's order, everyone quickly dispersed and quietly approached the priests around the altar. The battle horn was about to sound again, and this time, they would face the fate of the entire martial arts world.

Just as Qin Feng and others were preparing to take action, suddenly, a familiar voice came from above -

"Hahaha, do you think you can easily break our plan?" Accompanied by wild laughter, the figure of the Black Dragon Leader appeared above the altar. His cold eyes swept over Qin Feng and others, as if he had seen through everything.

"Black Dragon!" Qin Feng's eyes turned cold, and he swung the Dragon Shadow Sword in his hand fiercely, "We won't let you succeed!"

The Black Dragon Cult Leader snorted coldly, "Then it depends on whether you have the ability to do it!"

As his voice fell, the dark aura around him suddenly surged, and the entire ruins seemed to be trembling, as if shrouded by an invisible force. The final decisive battle was about to unfold on this ancient land, and this time, the victory or defeat would determine the future of the entire Wuhun world.