Chapter 826 "The truth in the fog".

The smell of the forest was still heavy, and the air was filled with damp and cold fog, covering them like a thick blanket. Although the maze had been solved, the nerves of several people were still tense, ready to deal with sudden dangers at any time.

"Okay, everyone calm down, we have finally gotten out of the maze." Zhang Meng was the first to break the silence, showing a relaxed expression, "Next is the easy part, right?"

"Relaxed?" Ye Li glanced at him helplessly, "Do you really think this place has any 'relaxed' atmosphere?"

"Hey, be optimistic." Zhang Meng shrugged. "Haven't we successfully solved the maze? The next step is to successfully find the missing villagers and then heroically rescue them!"

“I hope things are as simple as you think.” Li Xiao said coldly, obviously skeptical of Zhang Meng’s optimism.

Qin Feng walked at the front of the team, frowning, with a solemn look on his face. "The energy in this forest is still very unstable. Although we have walked out of the maze, there is still a deeper power in this area that is secretly controlling everything."

"Control? Are you saying that something is deliberately trapping us?" Zhang Meng's expression instantly became serious when he heard this. "Do you think it's some kind of monster?"

"It may be some powerful existence." Qin Feng whispered, "It is not only controlling the environment here, but also interfering with our judgment."

"Interfering with our judgment?" Ye Li asked with some concern, "Does it have the ability to influence our thinking?"

Qin Feng nodded, "Very likely. This kind of power is extremely dangerous. We must remain highly vigilant and not be fooled by any illusions or false images."

"Great! It seems that we not only have to deal with monsters, but also invisible enemies." Zhang Meng scratched his head, looking a bit headache. "This mission is much more complicated than I expected."

"You just realized it now?" Chu Tian smiled, obviously accustomed to Zhang Meng's slow reaction.

"Hey, I've always known that things aren't simple." Zhang Meng raised his head and said with false confidence, "But it doesn't matter. No matter how complicated it is, I, Zhang Meng, can handle it!"

As they continued to move forward, the fog became thicker and thicker, as if the whole world had fallen into a white void. The shadows of the trees were looming in the fog, and occasionally there was the rustling of leaves in the wind, as if the forest had its own life.

"This place is getting weirder and weirder." Ye Li frowned and looked around. "The surrounding scene keeps changing, as if we are spinning in circles."

"This may be some kind of advanced maze." Li Xiao said, "It is not only interfering with our sense of direction, but also trying to confuse us."

"Then we have to find an exit as soon as possible." Chu Tian said with a hint of urgency in his tone, "Otherwise we will run out of energy."

"Don't worry, I will find the exit." Qin Feng said in a deep voice, his eyes sharp and determined, "Although this maze is complicated, it still follows certain energy laws. As long as we find its core, we can crack it."

"Core? Do you mean that there is a key point that controls everything hidden somewhere in the forest?" Zhang Meng asked curiously.

"That's right." Qin Feng nodded. "The power of the maze comes from a certain source. If we find the source, we can control the maze and even reverse it."

"That sounds like a good plan." Ye Li said with a smile, "Then let's continue in this direction."

The few of them continued to walk in the direction Qin Feng had pointed out. The pressure in the air became stronger and stronger, as if countless invisible eyes were staring at them from behind. Every step seemed particularly heavy, and the fog around them became thicker and thicker, making it almost impossible to see the road ahead.

"This place reminds me of the game of hide-and-seek we played when we were kids." Zhang Meng suddenly spoke up, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. "We were always running around in the woods, but we always got lost and got scolded."

"This is not hide-and-seek, Zhang Meng." Li Xiao said coldly, "We are facing a real force that may trap us at any time."

"I know, I know." Zhang Meng quickly explained, "I was just talking casually, don't be so serious."

As they continued to move forward, suddenly, a low voice came from the depths of the fog, as if some huge creature was whispering in the darkness.

"Listen!" Ye Li immediately became alert and quickly drew her bow and arrow. "What's that sound?"

"This sound... sounds like some kind of breathing." Chu Tian frowned, trying to figure out the source of the sound.

"It may be what we have been looking for." Qin Feng said calmly, "Stay alert and be ready to fight at any time."

The sound was getting closer and closer, and a huge black shadow gradually emerged from the fog. The black shadow looked like a tree, but as it moved, they realized that it was not a tree at all, but a huge monster. Its body seemed to be made up of tree trunks and vines, and its eyes flashed with scarlet light, as if it was the guardian of this forest.

"Wow, this thing is really big!" Zhang Meng took a breath, but then excitedly clenched his weapon, "Looks like we have to have a good fight!"

"Don't act rashly." Qin Feng stopped him immediately. "The energy fluctuations of this monster are very strong. It has some connection with the maze. It may be the guardian of the core."

"Then what should we do? We can't just stand here and wait for it to attack us, right?" Zhang Meng asked anxiously.

"We need to find its weakness." Li Xiao said calmly, "This monster has strong defense capabilities. Frontal attacks are ineffective. We have to disintegrate it from the inside."

"Inside? You mean we have to...get into its body?" Zhang Meng's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"

"This is not a joke." Qin Feng said in a deep voice, "The core of this monster is likely hidden in its body. We must enter its body and find the source that controls it."

"Okay, okay." Although Zhang Meng seemed a little reluctant, he still reluctantly agreed to this bold plan. "It seems that I have to be the pioneer again."

"You are best at being a pioneer." Ye Li said with a smile.

"Okay, then I'll charge!" Zhang Meng shouted, and immediately rushed towards the monster, holding his weapon tightly in both hands, and headed straight for the monster's belly.

The monster let out a low roar and waved its huge vines to try to block Zhang Meng's attack. Zhang Meng nimbly dodged the vines' attack and quickly approached the monster's body. He seized an opportunity and split the monster's scales with force, revealing a crack leading to the inside.

"I'm in!" Zhang Meng shouted excitedly, "Follow me!"

Ye Li and Li Xiao followed closely behind, and they quickly got into the monster's body. The inside of the monster was like a maze full of vines and tree roots, and the surrounding walls occasionally emitted low vibrations, as if the entire maze was breathing.

"This place is almost alive!" Zhang Meng complained as he walked. "I always feel like these vines will entangle us at any time."

"We have to speed up." Qin Feng said, "The core of the monster must be ahead."

Several people carefully passed through the maze-like internal passages, and finally, in a huge void, they saw the core of the monster - a huge green crystal, suspended in mid-air, surrounded by countless vines, as if absorbing its energy.

"That's it!" Qin Feng's eyes lit up, "We must destroy it to break the maze!"

"Then let me take care of it!" Zhang Meng raised his weapon and chopped at the crystal without hesitation.

The crystal emitted a dazzling green light, followed by a loud roar, and the entire monster began to shake violently. The vines outside swayed wildly, as if trying their best to resist their attack.

"It can't hold on any longer!" Ye Li shouted, "Keep attacking!"