Chapter 652: The Journey Back and New Challenges

Xingying and the others watched as the water element creatures successfully purified the dark forces in the mysterious crystal ball, and their hearts were filled with joy and hope. However, they also knew that now was not the time to relax, and they had to return the crystal ball to the Soul Master Academy as soon as possible to fight against the dark forces together with everyone.

"Okay, let's set off quickly." Xingying said, his eyes revealing determination and decisiveness.

The team members nodded one after another, and they carefully put away the crystal ball and prepared to embark on the journey back. The mysterious woman looked at them, nodded slightly, then turned and disappeared into the cave.

They swam towards the surface along the passage at the bottom of the lake. The passage at the bottom of the lake was filled with a mysterious atmosphere, and a faint light flickered on the wall, as if guiding them in the direction.

"This place is really a bit mysterious. I wonder if there are any other secrets." A team member said curiously.

"Don't worry about it. The most important thing is to get the crystal ball back first." Another team member responded.

Finally, they swam out of the lake and returned to the forest. At this time, the forest was silent, as if nothing had happened. However, they knew that the dark forces could appear again at any time, so they had to remain vigilant.

"Which route will get us back faster?" asked a team member.

Xingying thought for a while and said, "Let's go back along the way we came. Although we may encounter pursuit by the dark forces, we are more familiar with this road and it will be easier for us to deal with various situations."

So, they quickly moved forward along the way they came. Along the way, they carefully avoided various dangers and were always alert to the emergence of dark forces.

However, things did not go as smoothly as they imagined. When they were halfway there, they suddenly heard a low roar. This roar seemed to come from the devil of hell, which made people shudder.

"What's that sound? Could it be that the dark forces are catching up with us again?" a team member asked nervously.

"Not really. The sound sounds like some powerful soul beast." Xingying said.

They stopped and listened carefully to the source of the roar. As the roar got closer, they felt the ground tremble slightly.

"Oh no, something is coming!" Xingying shouted.

They looked around, looking for a place to hide. At this moment, a huge flaming lion rushed out of the forest. The flaming lion was burning with blazing flames, and its eyes were flashing with anger.

"What kind of soul beast is this? Why have we never seen it before?" a team member asked in horror.

"This may be a mutated soul beast affected by dark forces. We must be careful when dealing with it." Xingying said.

When the flame lion saw them, it immediately rushed towards them. It opened its mouth and spewed out a powerful flame. Xingying and others hurriedly dodged, and the flame hit the tree behind them, instantly burning the tree to ashes.

"This guy is so powerful! What should we do?" asked a team member.

"Don't panic, let's attack it together and see if we can find its weakness." Xingying said.

They all released their martial spirits and attacked the flame lion. Some team members used their spirit power skills to control the flame lion's movements, while others directly launched a strong attack. However, the flame lion was very powerful, and its flames could easily withstand their attacks.

"This is not a solution. We have to think of another way." Xingying said with a frown.

Just when they were in trouble, Xingying suddenly thought of a way. He remembered that in the ruins, the mysterious woman's flute could control the stone guardians and puppets, and perhaps her flute could also have an effect on this flaming lion.

"Everyone hold it back first, I'm going to go find the mysterious woman." Xingying said.

After saying that, he turned and ran towards the direction of the ruins. The team members continued to fight with the flame lion, and they tried every possible way to delay time.

Xingying ran quickly in the forest, his heart filled with anxiety. He didn't know whether the mysterious woman was still in the ruins, nor whether she was willing to help them again. However, he had no choice but to give it a try.

Finally, he returned to the ruins. It was quiet, as if nothing had happened. He looked for the mysterious woman everywhere, but couldn't find her.

"Has she left?" Xingying was filled with disappointment.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a melodious flute sound, which seemed to come from a faraway place, making people feel extremely peaceful.

Xingying walked in the direction of the flute sound and finally found the mysterious woman in a corner of the ruins. The mysterious woman was sitting there quietly, playing the flute.

"Please, help us again. We encountered a powerful fire lion and we can't defeat it." Xingying said anxiously.

The mysterious woman glanced at him and nodded slightly. She stood up and followed Xingying towards the direction of the Flame Lion.

When they returned to the battlefield, the team members were already exhausted. The flame lions were still attacking them crazily, but they did not give up and kept on fighting.

The mysterious woman walked up to the flame lion and began to play the flute. The sound of the flute was melodious and graceful, as if it had a magical power. After hearing the sound of the flute, the flame lion gradually calmed down. The anger in its eyes also disappeared, replaced by a kind of confusion.

The mysterious woman continued to play the flute, and her flute sound seemed to communicate with the flame lion. After a while, the flame lion turned around and left, disappearing into the forest.

"That's amazing! Your flute sound can really control soul beasts." A team member exclaimed.

The mysterious woman smiled and said, "This flaming lion's mind is only affected by the dark power. My flute can help it regain its sanity."

"Thank you for helping us again." Xingying said gratefully.

"You're welcome. We are all here to protect the Wuhun World. Now you should go back quickly and give the crystal ball to your companions." said the mysterious woman.

Xingying and the others set out on their return journey again. This time, they did not encounter any obstacles and returned to the Soul Master Academy smoothly.

When they handed the crystal ball to Chu Tian and others, everyone was very happy.

"You did a great job! This crystal ball is very important for us to fight against the dark forces." Chu Tian said.

"But we can't take it lightly. The dark forces will definitely not give up, they will definitely launch an attack again." Qin Feng said.

"That's right, we must be prepared to meet new challenges." Ye Li said.

In the Soul Master Academy, everyone started to get busy. They studied the power of the crystal ball, formulated a new battle plan, and prepared for the next attack from the dark forces. Xingying and others also joined in, sharing their experiences in the ruins and providing more clues and information for everyone.

In the process, they discovered that there seemed to be a huge secret hidden in the crystal ball, a secret that could change the fate of the entire martial arts world. Can they unlock this secret and successfully fight against the dark forces? Everything is still unknown, but they are full of confidence and courage.