A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 286 The Entanglement of the Shadow Panther and the Mystery of a New Situation

Huanmo was sent flying by the black panther beast, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted. A sharp pain shot through his chest, and a sweet taste filled his throat. He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. But he knew he couldn't fall now. He endured the pain, quickly stood up, and threw himself back into the battle.

Ying's figure moved like a ghost around the black panther behemoth, her sharp blade constantly stabbing at its vital points. However, the translucent body seemed to possess a special defense; the blades only sparked blue flames upon impact, failing to inflict any real damage. Wan Ru brandished her longsword, unleashing a sharp sword aura, but upon touching the behemoth's body, it was instantly swallowed up, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

Despite his previous injuries, the Guardian, his body shimmering with golden light, charged at the black panther behemoth, attempting to knock it down with his own strength. But the panther simply sidestepped, dodging the Guardian's attack, and simultaneously extended its claws, leaving three deep, bloody gashes on the Guardian's arm.

The woman in white rapidly formed hand seals and chanted incantations. A soft white light emanated from her palms, enveloping the black panther beast. The beast seemed to be restrained by the light, its movements becoming somewhat sluggish. It roared angrily and turned its head to target the woman in white.

Yi Chen nervously observed the black panther's movements, trying to find its weakness. He knew that in a battle with such a disparity in strength, blind attacks would only deplete everyone's power; they had to find a key breakthrough.

Huanmo watched his companions struggle against the black panther's attacks, his heart filled with anxiety and self-blame. "It's all my fault. I didn't notice the beast's approach beforehand, putting everyone in danger." He clenched his fists, vowing to protect everyone.

Just when everyone was in trouble, Ling'er suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She remembered reading in some ancient books that for some spiritual beings, the power of emotions might have unexpected effects.

Ling'er took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and then slowly walked towards the black panther beast. Huanmo was shocked when he saw this and hurriedly shouted, "Ling'er, it's dangerous, come back quickly!" But Ling'er seemed not to hear Huanmo's shouts and continued to approach the beast step by step.

As the giant black panther approached, a hint of confusion flickered in its previously angry eyes. It temporarily halted its attack and stared at Ling'er. Ling'er raised her head, her gaze gentle yet firm as she looked into the giant beast's eyes, and softly said, "Why did you attack us? We meant no harm; we just wanted to cross this forest." With that, Ling'er conveyed her inner goodwill through her eyes and gentle words.

A miracle occurred. The black panther's body trembled slightly, and the red light in its eyes gradually faded. It no longer attacked frantically as before, but stood quietly, watching Ling'er. Huanmo and the others were stunned, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Yi Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Ling'er may have developed some kind of spiritual connection with this giant beast. Let's not act rashly for now and observe the situation first."

Ling'er continued communicating with the giant black panther, sensing its inner pain and loneliness. It turned out that this giant black panther had once been the guardian of this forest, but for some unknown reason, it had been corrupted by a dark force, losing its reason and becoming a mad, bloodthirsty monster.

Ling'er gently comforted the giant beast: "We can help you break free from the corruption of the dark power. Are you willing to trust us?" The black panther seemed to understand Ling'er's words and nodded slightly.

Upon hearing Ling'er's account, Huanmo and the others felt both delighted and worried. They were delighted that there was a turning point, but worried because they didn't know how to remove the dark power from the black panther beast.

Yi Chen pondered for a moment and said, "I have heard of an ancient purification technique that we might be able to try. However, performing this technique requires the combined spiritual power of all of us, and there cannot be the slightest mistake during the process. Otherwise, not only will we fail to save this giant beast, but we will also be in mortal danger."

Huanmo looked at her companions and said firmly, "We can't give up this opportunity. Now that we know its suffering, we must help it. Are you all willing to take the risk together?" Everyone nodded without hesitation.

Then, Yi Chen began to explain the essentials of the purification technique to everyone. Huan Mo, Ying, Wan Ru, the guardian, and the woman in white followed Yi Chen's instructions, forming a pentagram around the black panther beast. Ling'er stood in the center, serving as the key hub connecting everyone's spiritual energy and transmitting the purification power.

Everyone closed their eyes, slowly releasing their spiritual energy and converging it on Ling'er. Ling'er felt as if she had become a giant vessel, receiving powerful spiritual energy from all directions. She gritted her teeth, trying her best to guide this spiritual energy, slowly injecting it into the body of the black panther beast along the purification technique.

The black panther behemoth initially cooperated quietly, but as the purification power deepened, the dark power within it began to fiercely resist. The behemoth roared in agony, its body trembling violently, and the surrounding space seemed to be distorted by its power.

Huanmo and the others could feel the spiritual energy they were injecting into the black panther beast encountering strong resistance, threatening to be rebounded at any moment. "Everyone, hold on! We can't let this all go to waste!" Huanmo shouted, while simultaneously increasing the output of his spiritual energy.

However, the dark power was too strong, making the purification process extremely difficult. Ling'er's face turned ashen, and large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. She felt her body was about to collapse under this immense force, but she had only one belief in her heart: she must help the black panther behemoth break free from the darkness's corruption.

Just as everyone was exerting all their strength in the purification spell, an unexpected event occurred. From another direction in the forest, a mysterious black smoke rapidly spread. Wherever the smoke reached, trees withered instantly, emitting a pungent, putrid stench.

Sensing the approaching black smoke, the black panther beast's previously weakened dark power suddenly erupted once more. It abruptly broke free from Ling'er's control, roaring madly, its red eyes glowing even brighter.

Huanmo and the others were interrupted by this sudden turn of events, their purification techniques disrupted, and they all suffered a backlash of spiritual energy, spitting out mouthfuls of blood. "What kind of smoke is this? How could it appear at this time?" Wanru said angrily.

Yi Chen looked at the black smoke and his expression turned extremely ugly: "This smoke contains powerful dark energy. It seems that someone is deliberately trying to sabotage our purification."

Under the influence of the black smoke, the giant black panther became even more frenzied than before. No longer affected by Ling'er, it launched another fierce attack on the group. Huanmo and the others, having just experienced a backlash of spiritual energy, were weakened and found themselves struggling to cope with the panther's onslaught.

Just as everyone was in dire straits, a golden light shot down from the sky, enveloping the black panther beast. Within the light, a blurry figure slowly emerged. Suppressed by the light, the black panther beast's movements became sluggish.

Huanmo and the others stared at the scene in astonishment, their hearts filled with doubt. "Who is helping us?" Ying asked warily. Before they could react, the mysterious figure spoke: "You all go quickly, I'll handle things here." The voice was deep and powerful, but it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

Huanmo hesitated for a moment; he didn't want to abandon this mysterious man and leave alone. But seeing his companions' injured state, he knew that if they stayed, their lives might be in danger. "Alright, we'll go first, but you be careful too!" Huanmo shouted back.

So, Huanmo and the others helped each other and struggled to run in another direction of the forest. Meanwhile, the mysterious man engaged in a fierce battle with the black panther beast. Golden light intertwined with the beast's eerie blue light, illuminating the entire forest.

Huanmo and the others ran all the way until they were far away from the battle area before stopping to rest. They sat down against a few large trees, their faces filled with exhaustion and confusion.

"What should we do now? This forest is full of dangers," Ling'er asked worriedly. Huanmo looked at Ling'er and tried to comfort her, "Don't worry, Ling'er, we will definitely find a way out of this forest. That mysterious person helped us just now, and perhaps we will encounter other opportunities."

Wanru frowned and said, "But we can't always rely on other people's help. This forest has too many hidden secrets. We must figure them out as soon as possible in order to truly get out of this predicament."

Yi Chen looked around at his surroundings, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I think that black smoke is very suspicious. Its appearance is definitely not accidental. Perhaps we can follow the direction in which the smoke appeared to look for clues. Maybe we can find the mastermind behind it, or find the key to leaving the forest."

Huanmo and the others felt that Yichen's words made some sense. However, they also knew that greater dangers might await them ahead. At this moment, however, they had no better choice.

Just as everyone was about to get up and head towards the direction from which the black smoke had appeared, they suddenly heard a soft footstep behind them. Huanmo and the others were startled and quickly turned around, only to see pairs of green eyes staring eerily at them from the darkness…