I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 364 Return to the Sealed Land

Chapter 364 Return to the Sealed Land

They stood in a desolate valley, surrounded by dark mist and a foul smell in the air. In the distance, they heard bursts of low roaring sounds, as if something was wandering in the darkness.

"Where is this place?" Zhang Wanqing asked in horror.

"This is not reality." Chen Yifeng whispered, "We are trapped in a cursed world."

"Cursed World?" Li Wei frowned. "Are you saying this is the source of the hallucinations of those missing people?"

"That's right." Chen Yifeng nodded. "Everything here is an illusion created by the power of the curse. And we have now become its prisoners."

At this moment, a huge shadow slowly emerged from the darkness, its eyes flashing with strange light, as if examining them.

"You should not have returned." A cold, mechanical voice came from the shadows. "This is the Sleeper's domain. You will remain here forever."

"No!" Zhang Wanqing shouted, "We won't give up!"

"Give up." The shadow's voice became even colder. "You can't escape anymore."

Just as they were in despair, Chen Yifeng suddenly remembered something. He shouted, "I understand! This cursed world was created by the consciousness of the sleeper. As long as we can find its core, we can break this illusion!"

"Where is the core?" Fu Siyuan asked.

"It's right in the center of that shadow." Chen Yifeng pointed at the shadow and said, "We must concentrate our strength and break its core."

The four of them quickly formed a circle, holding hands and concentrating. They felt a warm power surge from each other, gradually converging together. The shadow seemed to sense the threat and roared angrily, but the four did not retreat.

"Hold on!" Li Wei shouted, "We will definitely be able to break this illusion!"

Chen Yifeng began to chant a spell, his voice became louder and louder, the circle of four people began to spin, and gradually floated in the air, they held hands tightly, not daring to let go.

Just as they concentrated their strength, the shadows suddenly shone with a dazzling light, and then the entire world began to collapse. The dark mist gradually dissipated, and the roaring sound gradually faded. When the light faded, they found themselves back in the sealed place.

"We succeeded!" Zhang Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief, but Chen Yifeng's expression remained solemn.

"This is only temporary," he whispered. "The curse's power remains. We must find a more powerful way to seal it."

After returning to the shelter, the hallucinations of the missing people gradually subsided, but the four knew that their mission was not over yet. They sat together and discussed their next plan. They must continue to study the secrets of the sealed land and find a way to completely lift the curse.

Fu Siyuan's face was full of fatigue, but he still said firmly: "We must find a way to completely remove the curse, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain."

"Yes, we can't let the curse awaken again. This time, we must find the answer, otherwise the consequences will be serious." Li Wei said firmly.

"As long as we are together, there is nothing we can't solve." Zhang Wanqing said.

Fu Siyuan flipped open Chen Yifeng's notes, pointed to a page, and said, "It mentions that there's a 'core' at the center of the sealed land. It could be the source of the curse. If we can find it and seal it completely, perhaps we can solve everything."

"Core?" Zhang Wanqing frowned. "What is that?"

"It might be some ancient source of power." Chen Yifeng explained, "In ancient legends, many sealed places have a core. It is both the starting point of the seal and the source of the curse."

"Then we have to go back to the sealed place again." Li Wei stood up and said in an unquestionable tone, "This time, we have to find the core."

A few days later, the four returned to the sealed land. This time, they were even more prepared: runes, modern technology, and the ancient rituals developed by Chen Yifeng. They knew this journey would be even more dangerous than before.

After entering the ruins, they followed a familiar path, but soon discovered that the environment this time was completely different from the last time. The runes on the walls flashed with a strange light, and the air was filled with a suffocating atmosphere that made people feel uneasy.

"The changes here are so great." Zhang Wanqing whispered, her hands tightly gripping the straps of her backpack.

"We must be careful." Chen Yifeng warned, "The power of the curse seems to be increasing. We can't be careless anymore."

They passed through a narrow passage and arrived at a vast basement. Unlike the previous visit, this place had a massive crystal ball in the center, emitting a faint blue light. Ancient runes floated around the crystal ball, as if protecting something.

"Is this the core?" Fu Siyuan walked forward and stretched out his hand to touch the crystal ball.

"Be careful!" Li Wei grabbed him, "We don't know how dangerous this thing is."

Chen Yifeng carefully observed the crystal ball and whispered, "This may be the source of the curse. We need to use special runes and rituals to seal it."

Chen Yifeng pulled some runes and offerings from his backpack and began preparing for the sealing ceremony. Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan set up surveillance equipment around the area, just in case. Li Wei vigilantly observed his surroundings, ready to respond to any emergency.

As the ritual progressed, the runes around the crystal ball began to flicker, the light growing brighter and brighter. Suddenly, the crystal ball emitted a deafening roar, and the entire basement began to shake violently.

"Retreat!" Chen Yifeng shouted, and the four of them retreated quickly. The crystal ball's light instantly burst forth, illuminating the entire basement. Then, the light gradually dissipated, and the crystal ball became dim.

"Did it succeed?" Zhang Wanqing asked nervously.

"It should have succeeded." Chen Yifeng wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The light of the core has dimmed. The power of the curse should have been sealed."

Just as they were about to leave, the crystal ball suddenly vibrated slightly, and then a faint voice came from the crystal ball: "Do you... really want to unravel everything?"

The four of them looked at each other, and Li Wei asked tentatively, "Who are you?"

"I am... the Guardian." The voice was deep and ancient. "Your seal is only temporary. To completely break the curse, you must find its true source - the soul of the sleeper."

"The soul of a sleeper?" Fu Siyuan frowned. "What is that?"

"It is imprisoned in another dimension," the Guardian's voice continued. "Only by finding it can the curse be completely lifted."

"Another dimension?" Zhang Wanqing felt dizzy. "Then how should we find it?"

"You need an artifact." The Guardian's voice faded away. "It is in your world, waiting for you."