Chapter 313 The Secret of the Dragon Soul and the Unexpected Challenge

After successfully taking back the Dragon Soul, Qin Feng and his team decided to take a short break in a secret camp outside the Iron Wall City. The camp was located deep in a dense forest, surrounded by thick bushes and was very hidden. The team sat around the campfire, and the atmosphere was rare and relaxed.

"Wow, this was really thrilling." Lin Xiao took a piece of barbecue and ate it with relish, "I thought we were going to spend the night in the black market."

"Yeah, that guy's power should not be underestimated." Chu Tian nodded in agreement, "Fortunately, we have Searle's help."

"By the way, who is that Sel guy?" Zhang Meng asked curiously after taking a bite of his dry food. "He looks mysterious."

"He didn't tell us, and he probably won't tell us easily." Ye Li pondered, "However, he was able to help at the critical moment, which shows that he has a grudge against the Shadow Wizard."

"Let's focus on the Dragon Soul first." Qin Feng interrupted the discussion, "We have to figure out its secrets and know how to use its power."

Qin Feng took out the Dragon Soul from his bag, and the blue light was particularly dazzling at night. The team's eyes were all focused on this mysterious crystal, which seemed to hide endless power, but was also full of danger.

"I can feel its power," Ye Li whispered, "but we don't know how to control it."

The old man came closer, stared at the Dragon Soul for a long time, then stroked his beard: "Well, I think this thing may require some specific rituals or conditions to activate. How about we give it a try?"

"Try what?" Lin Xiao asked curiously.

The old man smiled and said, "I have some ancient magic books. Maybe I can find some clues on how to activate the Dragon Soul."

"Okay, let's try it first." Qin Feng agreed.

The old man took out a few ancient-looking magic books from his prop bag and turned to a page that contained some descriptions and runes about ancient artifacts.

"These runes seem to be very similar to those on the Dragon Soul." The old man said, pointing at the runes on the page, "But we need to decipher the meaning of these runes."

"I have learned some ancient runes before." Ye Li said, "Let me see."

She took the book, studied it carefully for a while, and then said, "These runes mention a ritual called 'Dragon God Sacrifice', which requires specific conditions to activate the power of the Dragon Soul."

"What conditions?" Chu Tian asked.

Ye Li continued to flip through the book, and said as she read: "The ceremony needs to be performed in a specific location, which is said to be the place where the ancient dragons and humans made a covenant. In addition, something called 'Dragon Tear Crystal' is needed as a medium."

"Dragon Tear Crystal? What is this?" Zhang Meng asked in confusion.

"Dragon's Tear Crystal is a very rare gemstone. It is said that it can only be found in the Dragon Holy Land." The old man explained, "But no one knows where the Dragon Holy Land is."

"It looks like we have to find the Dragon's Tear Crystal first." Qin Feng concluded, "But the question is, where should we start looking?"

Just when everyone was at a loss, Lin Xiao suddenly pointed to the bushes not far away and whispered, "Someone is coming!"

Everyone quickly became alert and held their weapons tightly. There was a rustling sound in the bushes, and then a familiar figure walked out from the shadows.

"Don't be nervous, it's me." The person who came was Sel, who walked slowly towards them with a scroll in his hand.

"How did you find us?" Ye Li asked vigilantly.

Searle smiled slightly: "I have my own way. But I brought what you need."

"What did you say?" Qin Feng asked with a frown.

Sel walked up to Qin Feng and handed him the scroll: "This is the map of the Dragon Holy Land. I think you need it."

"The map of the Dragon Tribe's Holy Land?" The old man took the scroll in surprise. "This thing is not something you can get casually. How did you get it?"

"I have some old friends who owe me favors." Searle said calmly, "But that's not important. What's important is that you can use it to find the Dragon's Tear Crystal you need."

"Why should we believe you?" Chu Tian questioned.

"You have no other choice." Searle shrugged, "Besides, our goals are the same."

Qin Feng looked at him and felt that what he said made sense: "Okay, let's take a look at the map first."

He unfolded the scroll, revealing a very detailed map that marked the location of the Dragon Holy Land and how to get there.

"It looks like this is our only clue." Ye Li nodded, "We must go there."

The next morning, Qin Feng and his team followed the instructions on the map and headed towards the Dragon Tribe Holy Land. Along the way, everyone remained highly alert because they knew that this road would not be so smooth.

After walking for several hours, they came to a rugged mountain area. The atmosphere around them became more and more tense, the sky was gradually covered by dark clouds, and thunder could be heard faintly.

"This place is really weird." Lin Xiao looked around, "It's like entering another world."

"Everyone be careful, it may be dangerous here." Qin Feng warned.

They continued to move forward, and suddenly, the ground began to shake violently. Qin Feng immediately waved his hand to signal everyone to stop: "Wait! Something is coming!"

Just as he finished his words, a group of huge gargoyles emerged from the ground, with ferocious faces and waving huge stone fists, blocking their way.

"Damn, what are these?" Zhang Meng shouted.

"It looks like they are guardians." Ye Li said calmly, "We have to pass them before we can move on."

"Then let's fight!" Chu Tian shouted and rushed forward first.

Qin Feng and others also joined the battle. Although the gargoyles were huge, they moved slowly, and they quickly gained the upper hand by using their flexible steps and coordination.

However, the number of gargoyles was far greater than they had imagined. After they defeated one batch, new ones emerged from the ground, seemingly endless.

"We can't go on like this!" Lin Xiao panted, "We have to find the core that controls them!"

"Yes, these gargoyles must have a common control point." The old man agreed.

"Everyone, look around to see if there is anything special." Qin Feng commanded.

At this moment, Ye Li suddenly found a glowing stone tablet on the hillside. She shouted, "There! It might be the core that controls the gargoyles!"

"I'll try!" Lin Xiao quickly rushed towards the stone tablet, and the others covered her actions.

She approached the stone tablet and found that it was engraved with ancient runes and emitted a faint blue light. Without hesitation, she stabbed the dagger into the center of the stone tablet.

In an instant, the stone tablet cracked, the blue light disappeared, and all the stone monsters immediately stopped moving, as if they had lost their vitality, and fell to the ground one after another.

"Success!" Chu Tian shouted excitedly.

"Well done, Lin Xiao." Qin Feng said approvingly.

After solving the threat of the gargoyles, they continued to move forward. Finally, they came to an open valley. In the center of the valley, there was an ancient altar with a crystal clear stone on it, emitting a soft light.

"That's the Dragon's Tear Crystal." Ye Li said excitedly.

"It looks like it's there, but we can't take it lightly." Qin Feng reminded, "Everyone stay alert."

They approached the altar cautiously. Suddenly, the stone statues around the altar began to make low sounds. A powerful force surged from all directions and surrounded them.

"Again?" Lin Xiao said impatiently, "We just dealt with the gargoyle!"

"No, this time is different." The old man said seriously, "These are the guardian spirits of the dragon clan!"

"Guardian spirit?" Zhang Meng asked doubtfully.

"Yes, they are the true guardians of the Dragon Tribe's Holy Land." The old man explained, "We have to pass their test to get the Dragon Tear Crystal."

"Then what should we do?" Chu Tian asked nervously.

At this moment, a deep and majestic voice came from the altar: "Brave adventurers, have you come here to gain the power of the Dragon Soul?"

Qin Feng stepped forward and said firmly: "Yes, we need the power of the Dragon Soul to protect our world."

"If you want to get the Dragon Tear Crystal, you must pass our test." The voice continued, "Are you ready?"

"We have no choice." Ye Li replied, "Please tell us what the test is."

The light on the altar suddenly became dazzling, and a huge image appeared in front of them. It was a giant dragon, majestic and powerful.

"You will face your deepest fears," the dragon whispered. "Only by conquering fear can you gain strength."

As soon as the words fell, Qin Feng and his team felt a strong force pulling them into an illusion. Everyone was separated and placed in a completely unfamiliar environment.

Qin Feng found himself standing in a dark forest, surrounded by strange whispers and laughter. He clenched the Dragon Shadow Sword, knowing that this was the beginning of the test.

"I'm not afraid." Qin Feng whispered to himself, "I can do it."

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in the forest. It was a huge monster, slowly approaching him.

"Do you think you can defeat me?" The monster's voice was low and mocking, "You are just a weak boy."

Qin Feng did not back down. He held the sword firmly: "I won't let you defeat me."

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao finds herself trapped in a maze, surrounded by her biggest fear as a child - giant spiders.

"Damn it, I hate these things the most!" Lin Xiao shouted. Despite this, she still plucked up her courage and rushed forward.

Ye Li's test was an endless world of ice. She felt herself being frozen and unable to move. She knew that she had to use her own strength to break the ice.

"I won't surrender!" Ye Li shouted, using all her strength to burst out a powerful cold air to free herself from the ice.

After a hard battle, everyone overcame their fear, the illusion gradually dissipated, and Qin Feng and his team returned to the altar.

The image of the dragon reappeared, and the voice was full of praise: "You performed very well and proved your courage and determination."

The Dragon Tear Crystal on the altar began to emit dazzling light and slowly flew towards Qin Feng.

"You have passed the test." The dragon said, "Take the Dragon's Tear Crystal and complete your mission."

Qin Feng took the Dragon Tear Crystal Stone and felt the powerful force coming from it. He knew that they had taken an important step.

"We did it!" Lin Xiao cheered.

"But this is just the beginning." Qin Feng reminded, "We still have more difficult tasks to complete."

"Yes, we must find the real way to use the Dragon Soul." Ye Li nodded.

"Let's move on and meet the next challenge!" Chu Tian said firmly.

The team gathers again, with new hopes and goals, ready to embrace the adventures ahead.