Chapter 369: The Revelation of the Nether Pearl and the Urgent Crisis

Qin Feng and his companions finally returned to the Soul Master Academy. The trials they had experienced in the Temple of Light had exhausted them, but determination and victory shone in everyone's eyes. Vice Dean Feng Jian had been waiting at the gate for a long time. When he saw them return safely, a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Welcome back, kids." Feng Jian said with a smile, "From the looks of you, you must have passed the temple's test."

Qin Feng nodded and handed the ancient scroll of the Temple of Light to Feng Jian, "Yes, Vice President. This is the unsealing scroll we brought back from the Temple of Light."

Feng Jian took the scroll and read a few lines carefully, his expression gradually becoming serious. "It seems that unlocking the seal of the Nether Pearl is not as simple as we thought."

"What do you mean?" Chu Tian couldn't help but ask.

Feng Jian sighed, "According to the description on the scroll, the key to unlocking the seal of the Nether Pearl is to gather the three supreme powers - the power of light, the power of darkness, and the power of neutrality. Only when these three powers are injected into the pearl at the same time can its seal be unlocked and the soul inside be released."

Zhang Meng touched his chin, "It sounds like we need to find two more forces?"

Ye Li thought for a moment, "We can get the power of light from the temple, but where can we find the power of darkness and neutrality?"

Wang Yue raised an important question, "There is another question. If the soul inside the bead is released, what if it is an evil being?"

Qin Feng was silent for a while, and then said firmly: "Whether the soul is good or evil, we must find the answer. Only in this way can we really figure out the secret of the Nether Pearl."

Feng Jian nodded, "Qin Feng is right, but we must act with caution. The power of the beads cannot be underestimated. If we make a mistake in operation, the consequences will be disastrous."

Chu Tian scratched his head, "So what should we do now? Continue to look for the other two forces?"

Feng Jian thought for a moment and said, "There are some ancient books in the academy that may provide us with clues. You can go to the library to look for information about the power of darkness and neutral power."

Qin Feng nodded in agreement, "That's settled then. Let's split up and find the clues as soon as possible."

Several people quickly came to the library of the academy and began to look for books about the power of darkness and neutral power. The tall bookshelves in the library were filled with various books, and the old parchment was filled with dense text, exuding an ancient atmosphere.

Chu Tian picked up a thick book called "Elemental Power" and opened it to study. "It seems that there is a mention of the power of darkness. Wait, let me take a look..."

Ye Li was concentrating on reading Ancient Secret Arts and Seals. Her eyes moved quickly between the pages. "This book says that the power of darkness is often related to curses and forbidden techniques, and is considered one of the most unstable and dangerous forces."

Zhang Meng stood aside, absentmindedly flipping through a copy of The Way of Neutrality, and couldn't help but mutter, "These books are so hard to read, I'm almost dizzy."

Wang Yue smiled gently, "Don't be impatient, Zhang Meng. It takes patience to find the answer."

Qin Feng was carefully reading "Soul Master Legend and Heritage". Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "I found some useful information!"

Everyone gathered around immediately, "What information?"

Qin Feng pointed to a passage in the book and read: "Neutral power is a balanced force, neither leaning towards light nor close to darkness. It comes from the balance and harmony of nature. Traces of this power can be found in some ancient forests and secret places where no one has ever set foot."

"The power of balance?" Ye Li thought for a moment, "It sounds like a very rare power."

Chu Tian nodded in agreement, "Yes, neither light nor dark, simply a neutral person."

Zhang Meng suddenly said excitedly, "Hey, I remember my grandfather once mentioned a place called 'Neutral Valley'. It is said that there is a neutral force there!"

"Neutral Valley?" Wang Yue asked in surprise, "Where is that place?"

Zhang Meng scratched his head and said a little embarrassedly, "Well, I'm not sure where it is exactly, but it should be to the east of the college. That area has always been considered a dangerous area, and no one dared to approach it easily."

Qin Feng thought for a moment and made up his mind, "Then let's go to Neutral Valley. Since that place may contain neutral power, let's try our luck."

Ye Li nodded, "Okay, I support it."

The next morning, Qin Feng and his companions set out on a journey to Neutral Valley with the necessary equipment. The mountains and forests in the east are intertwined and are shrouded in thick fog all year round, making it difficult to see the road ahead.

"Everyone be careful, the fog here is too thick, let's try not to get separated." Qin Feng reminded.

"Don't worry, we are all tied up with ropes, we won't get lost." Chu Tian responded with a smile.

Ye Li walked in front of the team, using the Frost Fox's cold air to try to dispel some of the fog. "This place is really weird. I feel like the spiritual energy fluctuations around here are not very stable."

Just as everyone was moving forward cautiously, suddenly, a dark red light flashed through the fog ahead. Qin Feng immediately stopped, "Everyone stop! There's something!"

In the mist, there seemed to be a shadow moving quietly. Then, a dark shadow jumped out from behind the tree and quickly rushed towards Qin Feng!

Qin Feng was quick-witted and swung his sword to block the attack. The black shadow was bounced away and landed steadily on the ground. Everyone looked closely and found that the other party was a man wearing a black cloak. His face was covered by a hood and his features could not be seen clearly.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" the cloaked man asked coldly.

Qin Feng did not relax his vigilance and asked: "We came here to find a neutral force, who are you?"

The cloaked man chuckled, "Looking for a neutral force? You overestimate your abilities! This is my territory, and anyone who enters must be tested."

Chu Tian's eyes widened, "Are you the guardian here?"

The cloaked man didn't answer, but waved the long staff in his hand, and a dark energy rushed towards him. Qin Feng dodged quickly, but the energy seemed to have life and turned to chase Chu Tian.

"Everyone be careful, this is not an ordinary attack!" Qin Feng shouted.

Ye Li and Wang Yue immediately prepared to fight, and their soul beasts prepared their defensive skills. Zhang Meng was not to be outdone, and the giant rock bear roared and blocked everyone.

The cloaked man smiled strangely upon seeing this, "Interesting! I'd like to see how long you can last."

The battle started soon. The cloaked man's attack method was very strange. He could manipulate dark energy to create illusions and attacks, making it difficult to predict. Sometimes he shuttled through the fog, and sometimes he attacked from the other side.

Qin Feng and Ye Li fought side by side. The cold air released by the Frost Fox gave them a slight advantage and temporarily suppressed the offensive of the dark energy. However, the cloaked man was too fast and it was difficult for them to hit him accurately.

"We can't go on like this." Qin Feng said panting, "We must find a way to lure him out."

Chu Tian suddenly had an idea and shouted, "Hey, Cloak Monster! Aren't you very powerful? Do you dare to come out and fight openly?"

The cloaked man seemed to be enraged and emerged from the mist, "Foolish boy, you are courting death!"

At this moment, Qin Feng seized the opportunity and used the "Thunder Shadow Breaker" of the Dragon Shadow Nine Styles, and a strong lightning went straight to the cloaked man. The cloaked man did not expect Qin Feng to suddenly attack, and barely dodged, but was still hit on the shoulder by the lightning.

"Ah!" The cloaked man roared, looking very angry. He raised his long staff, and the dark energy quickly condensed into a huge black claw, heading straight for Qin Feng.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Qin Feng retreated hurriedly, but the sharp claws were extremely fast and pounced in front of him almost in an instant.

At this critical moment, Wang Yue's Light Deer released a strong light, shattering the black claws. The cloaked man was stabbed by the light and took a few steps back, covering his eyes in pain.

"The power of light! How can you possess the power of light!" the cloaked man shouted.

"That's right, this is our strength!" Wang Yue said firmly.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qin Feng decisively launched a counterattack. He, Chu Tian, ​​and Zhang Meng attacked at the same time, and the cloaked man was unable to resist for a while and was beaten back step by step.

“You…you guys…” The cloaked man knew that he was no match for his opponent, so he stomped his feet angrily. His figure turned into a puff of black smoke and quickly disappeared into the thick fog.

After the battle, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Meng sat on the ground, panting, "Finally I beat that weirdo away."

Qin Feng frowned slightly, "Who is he? Why does he want to stop us?"

Ye Li shook her head, "I don't know, but what is certain is that he knows a lot about the power of neutrality. Maybe we should go deeper."

Wang Yue nodded, "Yes, since he is one of the guardians, there must be something we need here."

Qin Feng stood up and held the Dragon Shadow Sword tightly. "Let's go. Let's move on."

After some efforts, Qin Feng and his party finally passed through the thick fog and came to the center of the Neutral Valley. The scene here surprised them: a huge stone tablet stood in the center of the valley, engraved with strange runes, emitting a faint light.

Qin Feng walked forward and carefully examined the runes on the stone tablet. "These runes seem to be some kind of ancient language."

Ye Li touched her chin, "Could this be the source of the neutral force?"

Suddenly, the stone tablet emitted a ray of light, and a gentle voice sounded in the air, "You young adventurers, being able to come here means that you have proven your courage and wisdom."

"Who is it?" Chu Tian asked in surprise.

A beam of light condensed into the image of an old man, floating in front of the stone tablet. "I am the guardian of this land, the embodiment of neutral power. Why are you here?"

Qin Feng took a deep breath and said, "We came here to find the neutral force and unlock the seal of the Nether Pearl."

The old man nodded slightly. "I didn't expect that someone still remembered the existence of the Netherworld Pearl. The neutral force can indeed help you, but you must understand that unlocking the seal of the pearl is not the end, but a new beginning."

Wang Yue asked, "Excuse me, how can we obtain the power of neutrality?"

The old man slowly raised his hand, and a soft light shot out from the stone tablet, directly into the bodies of Qin Feng and his companions. Everyone felt a warm power flowing into their bodies, as if their souls had been purified.

"The power of neutrality has been given to you. Remember, true power comes from inner balance and conviction. No matter what happens in the future, you must stand firm in your beliefs."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's figure gradually disappeared and the stone tablet returned to calm.

Qin Feng looked at his palms, feeling the new strength in his body, "We succeeded."

Ye Li smiled and said, "Yes, now we just need to find the power of darkness."

Zhang Meng couldn't help but ask, "Where should we go to find the power of darkness next?"

Qin Feng looked into the distance firmly, "No matter where the dark power is, we will find it and complete our mission."

They set out on the journey back to the academy, their hearts full of hope and determination. They knew that the challenges ahead would be even more arduous, but no matter what, they would fight side by side and face all unknown challenges together.