The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Chapter 297 Emotional Loosening

After repelling this wave of puppets, the group found a cave to rest in the chaotic battlefield full of swords and stench. The entrance of the cave was hidden, surrounded by rocks and weeds. If it weren't for a sharp-eyed senior brother who accidentally discovered it, it would have been difficult for everyone to find this shelter.

Yun Yao dragged her tired and injured body and walked into the cave first. The cave was filled with a damp and moldy smell. It was dark and dim. Only a few rays of light came through the cracks in the cave ceiling, barely illuminating the rugged ground under her feet. She found a corner and sat down slowly, leaning against the cold and damp stone wall, breathing heavily. She looked down at her injured arm. The blood had soaked most of her sleeve. The wound was stinging, mixed with the bitterness in her heart, making her eyes red.

She took out the medicine and bandages from her storage bag and tried to bandage her wound, but it was very inconvenient to do it with one hand. The simple movements she usually did became extremely difficult. Her fingers trembled as she picked up the bandages. As soon as she touched the wound, she gasped in pain and the bandages almost fell off.

Chu Mochen had been following Yun Yao since he entered the cave. Seeing her sitting alone in the corner, struggling to treat her wounds, he felt sorry and blamed himself. After hesitating for a long time, he took a step and walked towards Yun Yao. Every step seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. Past friendship, recent rifts, and the thrills on the battlefield kept churning in his mind.

When he walked to Yun Yao's side, he coughed lightly, trying to break the awkward silence, and whispered: "Thank you... just now." His voice was a little dry, and there was a trace of barely perceptible guilt.

Yun Yao raised her head slightly, with a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, including surprise, grievance, and a hint of joy hidden deep inside. She responded softly: "You and I are both disciples of the same sect, so this is how it should be." Although she said so, the alienation in her tone still made Chu Mochen's heart ache.

The two looked at each other, and for a moment, the good times of practicing together and discussing martial arts in the past came flooding back to their minds like a tide. At that time, they were in the quiet place behind the sect, facing the morning light, breathing in the spiritual energy, and learning martial arts from each other. Every exchange was full of laughter; every breakthrough in martial arts would be shared with each other as soon as possible. But now, the estrangement of just a few days seems like a chasm between the two.

Yun Yao was the first to look away, lowered her head and continued to bandage the wound, but her hands were shaking even more. Seeing this, Chu Mochen squatted down and said softly, "Let me do it." Then he reached out to take the bandage and medicine.

His movements were gentle and focused, and he carefully cleaned Yun Yao's wound, fearing that he would hurt her. When the disinfectant touched the wound, Yun Yao couldn't help but let out a "hiss". Chu Mochen immediately stopped and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I hurt you." Yun Yao shook her head and said softly, "It's okay, you can continue."

In this quiet cave, there were only the slight breathing sounds of the two people and the rustling sound of bandages. Chu Mochen said as he bandaged her: "Yun Yao, these past few days... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ignored your explanation and misunderstood you like that." His voice was low and sincere, with deep regret.

Yun Yao's eyes became hot and tears welled up in them. She bit her lower lip, trying hard not to let the tears fall, and said, "You were so fierce at the time and didn't even give me a chance to speak. That magic weapon... I really don't know what happened."

"I know, I was blinded by anger." Chu Mochen clenched his fists in self-blame. "Then I calmed down and thought about your character, and I knew there must be something else going on. But I couldn't bring myself to look for you, until today when I saw you in danger..." He paused, his eyes full of heartache, "I realized that compared to those inexplicable misunderstandings, I was more afraid of losing you."

Yun Yao's heart trembled. The grievances she had suffered these days surged out like a flood. Tears welled up in her eyes and dripped onto Chu Mochen's hands. She choked and said, "Do you know how sad I have been these past few days? With the pointing and pointing of others and your indifference, I feel like I have been abandoned by the whole world."

Chu Mochen felt full of guilt. He gently raised his hand, wanting to wipe away Yun Yao's tears, but was afraid of offending her. His hand paused in the air, and finally landed on her shoulder. He patted her gently and said, "I'm a bastard, and I wronged you. Don't worry, when this crisis is over, I will find out who is behind this and clear your name."

Yun Yao sniffed and nodded slightly. At this time, there was a slight sound of footsteps outside. It was other disciples patrolling near the cave entrance. This subtle sound made the two realize that they were still in danger at the moment. Personal grudges seemed so insignificant at this moment of life and death.

“We can’t go on like this. Our sect is still facing a huge crisis and we must work together.” Yun Yao wiped away her tears, her eyes revealing determination.

"Yes, I know." Chu Mochen looked at Yun Yao, his eyes full of trust and support. "After today's battle, I am more certain that as long as we work together, no difficulties can stump us."

The two stood up and walked towards the cave entrance together. As soon as they arrived at the cave entrance, they met a senior brother who was in charge of vigilance. When the senior brother saw the two standing side by side, a trace of relief flashed in his eyes and said, "Junior Brother Chu, Junior Sister Yun, I'm glad you're all right. The situation outside is relatively calm for the time being, but the dark forces are so rampant, and there will surely be more violent attacks later. We must make plans early."

Chu Mochen bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. We are just about to discuss the next countermeasures with everyone."

Everyone sat in a circle in the cave and began to discuss the next course of action. Some disciples suggested going back to the sect and asking for more reinforcements, while others thought that they should take advantage of the moment to go deep into the forbidden area and find the source of the dark power in one fell swoop. Everyone expressed their opinions and the debate continued.

Yun Yao pondered for a moment and said, "I think we can't rush back to the sect. It will take too long to go back and forth. If the dark forces take this opportunity to break through the sect's defenses, the consequences will be disastrous. Secondly, we are now close to the core of the forbidden area and have a certain understanding of the situation here. If we give up going deeper now, our previous efforts will be in vain."

"Junior Sister Yun is right, but this forbidden area is full of dangers. Can we make it with just the men we have?" A senior sister looked worried.

"We are not without a chance of winning." Chu Mochen took over the conversation, "After today's battle, we have also found out some of the weaknesses of these puppets. As long as everyone cooperates with each other, and with the help of Junior Sister Yunyao's system, we may succeed."

After listening to the two's analysis, everyone nodded. After some discussion, they finally decided to take a short break before continuing to move deeper into the forbidden area.

During the waiting time, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen sat near the cave entrance, occasionally exchanging a few words about the forbidden seal and the dark power. The atmosphere gradually eased, and the tacit understanding of the past slowly returned in this conversation.

"Yun Yao, you mentioned before that the system scanned and found several key array points around the crack. Tell me in detail. We have to think of a way to repair it in advance." Chu Mochen looked at Yun Yao, his eyes full of concentration.

Yun Yao nodded, called up the system interface, and showed the scanned array eye information to Chu Mochen, saying: "These array eyes are distributed around the cracks in a peculiar circular arrangement. I speculate that there should be some kind of spiritual connection between them. As long as one of them is repaired, it may trigger a chain reaction and reactivate the sealing power. But how to repair it specifically, we have to get closer to see."

"Well, I will be by your side to protect you when the time comes, and you just need to concentrate on repairing the center of the formation." Chu Mochen's tone was firm, and his eyes revealed unquestionable determination.

Yun Yao felt warm in her heart and said softly: "Okay, but you have to be careful. The dark power is too strange. Today you have to block the fatal blow for me..." Thinking of the thrilling scene before, her voice choked again.

"Don't worry, I'm very tough." Chu Mochen smiled slightly, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere. "Besides, with you here, even if we really encounter danger, I believe we can get through it together."

The two smiled at each other. At this moment, the friendship of the past completely broke through the barrier, like the warm spring sun, dispelling the haze in their hearts. They knew that there were still many difficulties and obstacles ahead, but as long as they joined hands with each other, they would have the courage to face all unknown challenges.

As time went by, after resting, everyone set out on their journey again. Outside the cave, darkness still shrouded them, but Yun Yao and Chu Mochen had a fire of hope in their hearts. They walked side by side at the front of the team, looking firmly into the depths of the forbidden area, where there was a battlefield full of dangers, and it was also the key place for them to resolve their grievances and protect their sect...

They came to a narrow valley with towering cliffs and jagged rocks on both sides, and only a winding path for passage. They moved forward cautiously, alert to the dangers that might appear at any time. Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew, bringing with it a pungent and foul smell, and everyone's scalp tingled.

"Everyone be careful, something's happening!" Chu Mochen shouted, and the long sword in his hand was instantly unsheathed. The sword body hummed and emitted a sharp sword energy.

Yun Yao also quickly mobilized her spiritual power, formed seals with both hands, and the system light flashed in her palms, ready to respond to sudden attacks at any time. Everyone was on high alert, staring around nervously.

At this moment, a group of black shadows jumped down from the cliff. They were low-level puppets controlled by the dark power. These puppets had twisted bodies, hideous faces, and roared as they rushed towards everyone.

"Kill!" Chu Mochen roared, and rushed into the enemy group first, swinging his long sword and "sword flowers" blooming. Wherever he went, puppets fell one after another. Yun Yao followed closely behind, casting a mysterious spell, shining with light, and knocked the nearby puppets away.

The other disciples were not to be outdone, and each used their unique skills to engage in a fierce battle with the puppet. For a moment, shouts of killing rang out in the valley, the light of the magic weapon and the dark aura intertwined and collided with each other, and the battle was brutal.

During the battle, Yun Yao, with the system's keen perception, sensed that a powerful dark force was quietly gathering, as if brewing a fatal blow. She shouted loudly: "Everyone, pay attention, there is a powerful attack coming!"

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly gathered together and formed a defensive formation. At this moment, a black beam shot out from the darkness and headed straight for the center of the crowd. Chu Mochen was quick-witted and jumped up, swinging his sword to block it. The powerful impact made him step back several steps, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Mo Chen!" Yun Yao exclaimed, and hurried to his side, asking with concern: "How are you?"

"I'm fine, don't be distracted, keep fighting!" Chu Mochen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, gripped the sword again, his eyes showing an unyielding look.

Encouraged by them, the morale of the people was greatly boosted, and they fought desperately. After a hard battle, they finally repelled this wave of puppet attacks. Everyone was wounded and exhausted, but they knew that they were getting closer and closer to the core of the forbidden area, and the danger was getting greater and greater. They had to adjust their status as soon as possible and continue to move forward.

Yun Yao took out some spiritual power recovery pills from her storage bag and distributed them to everyone, saying, "Everyone, take the pills quickly and recover your spiritual power. We can't stay here for too long."

Everyone took the pills, swallowed them, and then sat down to meditate. Chu Mochen and Yun Yao stood aside, alert to the movements around them.

"Yun Yao, do you feel that this dark power seems to be getting stronger and stronger? We have to speed up." Chu Mochen frowned, looking worried.

"I know, but there are too many obstacles along the way. We can't move forward rashly. We have to conserve our strength." Yun Yao was also worried.

After a short rest, they set off again. Along the way, they encountered several small-scale puppet attacks, but they were all resolved without any danger. As they went deeper, the oppressive dark aura became stronger and stronger, and everyone's heartbeats accelerated involuntarily.

Finally, they arrived at the edge of the forbidden area. In front of them was a barren land with cracks all over the ground. Black mist kept pouring out from it. They could faintly hear strange sounds coming from the depths.

"This is it, everyone be careful." Yun Yao reminded in a low voice.

Everyone slowly moved forward, each step was like walking on thin ice. Suddenly, a strong spiritual power wave came, and everyone looked closely and saw a huge black crack appeared in front of them. In the crack, evil spirits surged, as if leading to an endless abyss.

"This is the source of the dark power. Everyone, don't get close to it." Chu Mochen shouted loudly.

Yun Yao quickly activated the system's scanning function to look for the key array core that she had discovered earlier. After a moment, she pointed to a few places around the crack where faint lights were flashing and said, "That's where the array core is. We have to find a way to get there."

However, the dark power around the crack was extremely violent, forming an invisible barrier to prevent everyone from getting close. Everyone tried several times, but they were all bounced back by the powerful force, and even several disciples were slightly injured.

"This won't work. We have to work together to break the seal." Chu Mochen said after thinking for a moment.

Everyone nodded when they heard this. They formed a circle, gathered their spiritual power together, and attacked the dark barrier. For a moment, a dazzling light bloomed, and a fierce confrontation with the dark power began.

Yun Yao was behind everyone, exerting the power of the system to enhance the output of spiritual power. With everyone working together, the dark barrier finally showed a slight loosening.

"Now is the time, everyone charge!" Chu Mochen shouted and took the lead to rush towards the center of the formation.

Everyone followed closely behind, successfully breaking through the barrier and coming to the center of the formation. But before they could catch their breath, a group of more powerful puppets emerged from the darkness and surrounded them.

"Protect Junior Sister Yun Yao, she needs to repair the center of the formation!" Chu Mochen shouted loudly.

Everyone immediately formed a defensive circle and fought a desperate battle with the puppets. Yun Yao concentrated her energy and began to repair the array's eye. She quickly formed seals with both hands, and injected spiritual power into the array's eye, and the light of the array's eye gradually became stronger.

However, the dark forces would not let them succeed so easily. As Yun Yao's repair progress accelerated, the dark forces' attacks became more and more fierce. A huge dark claw stretched out from the crack and pounced on Yun Yao.

At the critical moment, Chu Mochen flew in front of Yun Yao and took the fatal blow head-on. A deep bloody wound was left on his chest, and he fell to the ground spitting blood.

"Mo Chen!" Yun Yao screamed in horror, tears welling up in her eyes. She desperately rushed to Chu Mo Chen, wanting to cast magic to save him, but was disturbed by the dark power, and the spiritual energy in her body became disordered.

"Yun Yao... don't worry about me... repair the center of the formation..." Chu Mochen said weakly.

Yun Yao was filled with regret and anger. Her eyes were red as she roared at the dark power. At this time, the system master spoke: "Host, use your spiritual power to merge with his, and use this power of grief and anger to impact the Judan realm, and you may be able to turn the tide of the battle."

Upon hearing this, Yun Yao held Chu Mochen's hand without hesitation, and the two's spiritual powers merged, shining brightly. In the desperate situation of life and death, Yun Yao successfully broke through to the Judan Realm, and her strength increased dramatically. She stood up and cast a magnificent spell, and together with the remaining disciples, she forced the dark power back into the crack and repaired the seal.

The crisis was resolved, and Yun Yao carried the seriously injured Chu Mochen back to the sect. Along the way, she held his hand tightly and murmured, "When you wake up, we will never be separated again." Chu Mochen's fingers trembled slightly, as if he heard her oath.