Chapter 371 Dark Trial and Hidden Crisis

In front of the altar, thick fog rolled, and a dark energy ball was suspended in the air, emitting a strong sense of oppression. Qin Feng and his companions stood opposite the energy ball with serious expressions. Although they had experienced countless challenges, this test made them feel uneasy.

"Everyone be careful, this dark force is not easy to deal with." Qin Feng reminded in a low voice.

"Are you ready to accept the test of the power of darkness?" The pale old man stood beside the altar, his voice low and gloomy.

Chu Tian took a deep breath, looked at his companions, and swallowed, "We are ready. Come on!"

The old man nodded, and suddenly a black staff appeared in his hand. He raised the staff high, and the dark energy ball on the altar began to spin rapidly, releasing waves of strong dark aura.

"You must navigate the dark labyrinth," the old man said, "and find the exit without being consumed by your fear."

As soon as the voice fell, the ground suddenly shook violently, and the thick fog around the altar began to gather rapidly, surrounding them. The scene in front of them changed rapidly, and a long and narrow passage gradually appeared in the thick fog. At the end of the passage, a huge black stone door could be vaguely seen.

"Let's go, don't be scared." Qin Feng gripped the Dragon Shadow Sword tightly and stepped into the passage first.

His companions followed closely behind him, following carefully. As they advanced, blurry images began to appear on the walls of the passage. Sometimes these images turned into battle scenes, and sometimes they turned into the fears deep in their hearts.

Chu Tian suddenly stopped and looked at the image on the wall in horror, "That was... my nightmare when I was a child..."

In the video, a little boy is crying in a dark room, with thunder and lightning and howling winds outside the window. In the corner of the room, a huge spider is slowly crawling towards the little boy.

"Chu Tian, ​​calm down! These are all illusions!" Ye Li grabbed Chu Tian's hand, trying to calm him down.

Chu Tian closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and when he finally opened his eyes, the image had disappeared. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a smile, "I'm fine, but... this place is really a bit weird."

Wang Yue comforted him softly, "This is the power of darkness testing us. As long as we stay awake, we won't be deceived by the illusion."

As he continued to move forward, Qin Feng began to feel the pressure. The images on the wall kept changing, and this time it showed a desolate battlefield filled with fallen soldiers and broken weapons, which was exactly the scene he had feared the most.

"Don't look at these, just keep moving forward!" Qin Feng gritted his teeth and tried to focus on the stone gate in front of him.

Gradually, they felt the pressure from all around them getting stronger and stronger, and every step they took was like walking on cotton, floating and uncertain. Zhang Meng was even almost frightened to the ground by a sudden illusion.

"These visions are so real," Zhang Meng gasped, "It's as if we have really returned to those terrible memories."

"Hold on, we're almost there." Qin Feng encouraged.

Finally, they arrived at a stone door with ancient runes engraved on it, flashing an eerie red light.

"How do I open this door?" Ye Li asked.

"Let me try." Lina walked forward and touched the rune on the door with her finger. As she touched it, the rune gradually emitted a stronger light, and the stone door began to slowly open.

"Success!" Chu Tian shouted excitedly.

However, just as the stone door was about to open completely, a strong dark energy suddenly surged out from behind the door and headed straight for everyone.

"Get out of the way!" Qin Feng shouted and quickly jumped to the side.

Others also dodged, but were still knocked to the ground by the sudden force. Then, a huge black shadow slowly walked out from behind the door, and a gloomy atmosphere enveloped the entire passage.

It was a huge dark beast, covered with dark scales, its eyes flashing scarlet light. It roared, the sound was as deafening as thunder.

"What the hell is this?" Zhang Meng exclaimed.

"This may be the guardian of the dark power." Qin Feng speculated.

The Dark Beast suddenly leaped towards Ye Li who was closest to him. Ye Li reacted quickly and the Frost Fox released a burst of cold air to try to slow it down. But the Dark Beast was so powerful that it was barely affected at all.

"Everyone be careful! It's very powerful, we have to work together to fight it!" Qin Feng commanded loudly.

Chu Tian and Zhang Meng immediately stood on both sides of Ye Li, forming a defensive formation. Wang Yue released the healing spell of the Bright Deer in the back to provide them with support.

"We must find its weakness, otherwise we won't be able to win!" Wang Yue reminded.

Qin Feng nodded, "The power of the Dark Beast comes from its eyes, focus on attacking its eyes!"

Everyone immediately concentrated their firepower and attacked the dark beast's eyes. Chu Tian's Storm Wolf quickly rushed forward, its sharp claws heading straight for the dark beast's eyes. At the same time, Zhang Meng's Giant Rock Bear also pounced forward and rammed the dark beast hard.

The dark beast howled in pain, and it was obvious that the attack had worked. But it quickly fought back, and a fierce tail strike swept Chu Tian and Zhang Meng away.

Qin Feng took the opportunity to launch the Dragon Shadow Nine Styles, and a thunderous sword light pierced the dark beast's eyes. The dark beast howled in pain again, and its body shook a few times.

"Let's do it again, everyone, try harder!" Qin Feng encouraged.

Everyone attacked with all their strength again, and the Dark Beast gradually became powerless. Finally, under Qin Feng's thunder slash, the Dark Beast's eyes were completely shattered, and its body turned into a ball of black mist, gradually dissipating in the air.

"We did it!" Chu Tian got up from the ground and waved his fists excitedly.

"Don't be too happy too soon," Ye Li said calmly, "We are just the guardians of the dark power. We haven't completely passed the test yet."

Lina walked to the stone door and whispered a few spells, and the stone door opened completely. Behind the door was a dark space that seemed to have no end.

"Let's keep moving forward, we can't stop." Qin Feng said firmly.

After passing through the stone door, they entered a huge dark space. There was no light here, only endless darkness and silence. There seemed to be an oppressive atmosphere all around, making people feel suffocated.

"This place makes people feel uncomfortable all over." Chu Tian said in a low voice.

"Everyone be careful, the dark energy here is more intense than before." Wang Yue warned.

At this moment, a deep voice sounded in their ears, as if coming from all directions: "You have passed the first test, but to obtain the power of darkness, you must pass the final test - the darkness of the heart."

"Darkness of the soul?" Qin Feng frowned, "What does this mean?"

Suddenly, a black light shot down from the sky, separating Qin Feng and his companions. They were each trapped in a dark space, with nothing to see except darkness.

"Is everyone okay?" Qin Feng shouted loudly, but his voice seemed to be swallowed by the darkness and there was no response.

Qin Feng felt uneasy. He tried to stay calm, but there seemed to be a force in the darkness that was eroding his will. Suddenly, a mirror appeared in front of him, and his image was reflected in the mirror, but it was not the familiar self.

Qin Feng's eyes in the mirror were red, with a ferocious smile on his face, "You will never be able to defeat me, because I am the darkness in your heart."

Qin Feng was stunned for a moment, then he understood what the other party meant. Deep in his heart, he did have a desire for power and a fear of failure, which were the parts he was most reluctant to face.

"I won't be defeated by you." Qin Feng said firmly, "I know you are just the darkness in my heart, but I won't let you control me."

The image in the mirror sneered, "Do you really think so? Can you suppress your darkness forever?"

At the same time, the other partners are also facing their own darkness. Chu Tian's darkness is his inferiority and insecurity. He always feels that he is not as good as others and is always worried that he will drag everyone down. Zhang Meng's darkness is the desire for his own strength and the regret for the mistakes he has made. Ye Li's darkness is the fear of loneliness. She is afraid of being abandoned and isolated. Wang Yue's darkness is the inability to let go of a painful memory from her past.

Each is battling their own darkness, their minds pushed to the limit.

In Qin Feng's space, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No matter how much darkness there is in my heart, I will not be defeated by them. Darkness and light are both part of my heart. I accept them, but I will not be controlled by them."

When he opened his eyes, the image in the mirror began to blur and eventually disappeared. Qin Feng felt a sense of relief, knowing that he had defeated his own darkness.

Soon, the other companions also broke through the darkness in their hearts one after another. The dark space gradually dissipated and they gathered together again.

"You have done well." The deep voice sounded again, this time with a hint of approval, "You have passed the trial of darkness and proved your courage and determination. Now, the power of darkness belongs to you."

A black light fell from the sky and landed in Qin Feng's hand, forming a black rune. This is a symbol of the power of darkness.

Qin Feng held the rune tightly and felt a strong force surge into his body. "Thank you, we will definitely use this power well."

The dark space gradually regained its light, and Qin Feng and his companions finally completed all the trials. With new strength and determination, they set out on the road back to the Soul Master Academy.

After returning to the academy, Vice Dean Feng Jian and other teachers had been waiting for them for a long time. When they saw them return safely, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"You succeeded!" Feng Jian said excitedly, "The power of light, the power of neutrality, and the power of darkness, you have gathered them all!"

Qin Feng nodded, "Yes, Vice President. Next, we will unlock the seal of the Nether Pearl."

"But you must be careful," Feng Jian warned, "The process of unlocking the seal is full of unknown dangers. You must be fully prepared."

Qin Feng looked at his companions, and everyone's eyes were full of determination and confidence. They had gone through too many tests, and now, it was finally time to decide their fate.

"We are ready." Qin Feng said firmly.