Chapter 52: Shadow Lurking

After Qin Feng and his companions returned from the ancient ruins, the atmosphere in the academy began to become increasingly tense. Although Vice President Feng Jian had strengthened the academy's defenses, Qin Feng still had a sense of crisis that had never dissipated. Since the dark sect was repelled, the apparent calm seemed particularly false, like the calm before the storm.

That evening, Vice President Feng Jian summoned Qin Feng, Ye Li, Chu Tian and Zhang Meng to his office. He looked extremely serious, as if he had something extremely important to say.

"Recently, we have received some very ominous news." Feng Jian's voice was low and slow, as if he was weighing every word that followed. "Shadow Forest, a place that few people mentioned around the academy, was found to have a large number of signs of dark sect activity."

Ye Li frowned and asked, "Shadow Forest? Isn't that a long-forgotten area? There shouldn't be any valuable resources there."

Feng Jian nodded slightly. "Because of this, it has become an excellent hiding place. For many years, the academy has not had enough reason to pay attention to it, but some recent disappearances have forced us to re-examine this place. According to the information we have, the Dark Cult may be planning a more serious conspiracy there."

"Then our mission is..." There was a hint of excitement in Chu Tian's voice. He was always looking forward to adventures.

"Sneak into the Shadow Forest, find out the Dark Cult's action plan, and obtain as much intelligence as possible. If conditions permit, destroy their base of operations." Feng Jian said firmly.

Zhang Meng asked in his rough voice: "Will we have support?"

Feng Jian shook his head: "Due to the special nature of the mission and the dangerous location, you can only rely on yourselves for this operation. You are the best team in our college. Despite this, I still want to remind you that this mission is extremely dangerous. Once discovered, the consequences will be disastrous."

Qin Feng was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly: "We understand, Vice President. We will do our best to complete the task."

Feng Jian looked at them with satisfaction: "You are the hope of the college. I believe you can do it. Please be careful."

When the night enveloped the earth, Qin Feng and his companions quietly set out and headed towards the Shadow Forest. Along the way, the cold wind howled, and the surrounding scene gradually became gloomy, as if countless pairs of eyes were peeping at them in the darkness. At the entrance of the Shadow Forest, withered branches intertwined and ancient trees towering, it seemed that even the moonlight could hardly penetrate.

"The atmosphere here is really unsettling," Ye Li said softly, her frost fox clinging to her side, ears pricked up in alertness.

Qin Feng observed the surroundings and nodded: "Indeed, we must remain highly vigilant to prevent any accidents from happening."

As they entered the depths of the forest, the environment became even worse. The ground covered with dead leaves made a rustling sound, as if responding to their every step. The air was filled with a faint stench that was nauseating.

After walking for a while, there was a sudden strange noise in front of them. Qin Feng signaled everyone to stop. He concentrated and listened carefully, and finally confirmed that it was a group of dark sect members who were advancing. They moved quickly, and it was obvious that they were coming for an important goal.

"It seems that we are lucky." Chu Tian whispered, "They seem to be about to carry out some important operation."

Qin Feng nodded calmly: "We will follow quietly, but be careful not to alarm them."

They followed the Dark Cult team silently, using the forest as a cover to stay hidden as much as possible. After a period of following, they finally arrived at an abandoned temple hidden deep in the forest. The outside of the temple was covered with the symbols of the Dark Cult, and it was obvious that this place had become their important base.

"This is their lair." Zhang Meng said in a low voice. His giant rock bear growled softly beside him, as if it also sensed the breath of danger.

Qin Feng observed carefully for a while and found that the temple was surrounded by various defense measures, which were obviously to prevent invasion from the outside world. They had to find a way to bypass these defenses and sneak into the interior to obtain intelligence.

"We need to act separately." Qin Feng made a decision, "Chu Tian and Zhang Meng, you go around from the left to attract their attention. Ye Li and I will enter from the right to see if we can find a passage to the inside."

Chu Tian and Zhang Meng nodded, then left quietly and sneaked to the left. Ye Li followed Qin Feng with the Frost Fox and moved carefully to the right. They bypassed several sentries and finally found a hidden passage. The entrance of the passage was covered with vines and mosses. It was obvious that no one had used it for a long time.

Qin Feng drew out the Dragon Shadow Sword and carefully cut through the vines, revealing a narrow stone staircase. They walked down the stone staircase and finally arrived at the interior of the temple.

The interior of the temple was unusually spacious, but the air was filled with an ominous atmosphere. The walls were engraved with ancient runes that seemed to be whispering some disturbing secrets. In the center of the temple, a leader of a dark sect was standing in front of a huge magic circle, seemingly performing some kind of ritual.

Qin Feng signaled Ye Li to stop, and they hid behind a stone pillar, carefully observing the leader's every move. The staff in the leader's hand flashed a dark purple light, and as he chanted a low spell, the magic circle began to vibrate slightly.

"He seems to be activating something." Ye Li said softly, with a hint of anxiety in her eyes.

Qin Feng frowned: "We can't let him go on. Get ready, we have to stop him."

At this moment, Chu Tian and Zhang Meng had successfully attracted the guards outside, and the sound of fighting outside entered the temple, distracting the leader for a short time. Qin Feng seized this opportunity, rushed out of his hiding place, and pointed the Dragon Shadow Sword directly at the leader.

The leader reacted quickly, waving his staff in the air, and a powerful dark energy surged towards Qin Feng. Qin Feng dodged quickly like lightning, and counterattacked with the Dragon Shadow Sword. The two powerful forces collided in the center of the temple, bursting out with dazzling light.

Ye Li was not to be outdone, her frost fox released cold air, trying to slow down the leader's movements. However, the leader's strength was far beyond imagination, he not only resisted the attack, but also gradually gained the upper hand in the counterattack.

Seeing that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable, Qin Feng gave an order and Ye Li quickly moved to the side of the magic circle to try to disrupt its operation. Seeing this, the leader immediately changed his target and tried to stop Ye Li. However, Qin Feng tried his best to stand in front of the leader and used the power of the Dragon Shadow Sword to fight him head-on.

After a fierce battle, Qin Feng finally found the leader's weakness, seized the opportunity, and hit the leader's vital point with a sword. The leader screamed in pain and fell to the ground. At the same time, Ye Li successfully destroyed the magic circle, causing the entire temple to fall into chaos.

"Retreat quickly! This place is going to collapse!" Qin Feng shouted loudly, and he and Ye Li quickly evacuated.

At the last moment, Chu Tian and Zhang Meng also rushed to the entrance of the temple. The four of them worked together to repel the remaining members of the Dark Cult and finally successfully retreated. The temple collapsed behind them, raising a cloud of dust.

Although the action was full of danger and uncertainty, they succeeded in stopping the conspiracy of the Dark Cult. However, they also realized that the actions of the Dark Cult were far from over, and this was only part of their plan.

"We must tell the vice-president the intelligence as soon as possible. The conspiracy of the dark sect may be more complicated than we imagined." Qin Feng said in a deep voice, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

Without stopping, they rushed back to the academy and reported everything in detail to Vice President Feng Jian. After hearing this, Feng Jian's face became even more solemn, as he knew that the real test had just begun.