Chapter 16: Breaking through the Restrictions After the guardian beast fell, an atmosphere of tension and exhaustion hung over the Forbidden Grounds. Although Mu Chen and the others had temporarily driven back the threat before them, they knew the more difficult problem was how to break through the ever-changing ancient restrictions, escape this dangerous place safely, and ensure the secret weapon remained unharmed. At that moment, the spiritual energy restrictions within the Forbidden Grounds grew more violent, like an enraged giant beast. The runes on the surrounding walls flashed faster and faster, their light growing increasingly dazzling as they wove intricate, dangerous beams of spiritual energy. These beams crisscrossed through the space, forming an enormous spiritual energy maze that trapped the group inside. "Be careful, everyone. The arrangement of these beams seems to keep changing. We can't act rashly." Mu Chen surveyed their surroundings with a grave expression, trying to uncover the pattern behind the restrictions. His companions huddled close together, warily watching the spiritual energy beams flashing and shifting around them. Every beam contained tremendous power; the consequences of touching one were unthinkable. Holding her spiritual energy staff, Tang Qian'er tried to probe the mysteries of the beams with her spiritual energy perception. "The spiritual energy fluctuations in these beams are strange. They seem to be moving according to some ancient formation, but I've never seen a formation like this." Mu Chen nodded. He recalled accounts of ancient restriction formations he had read in his family's old books, searching for clues that resembled what lay before him. Suddenly, he noticed brief pauses in the beams' flickering at certain specific locations. Those points of stillness seemed to form a pattern. "Look. The places where those beams pause seem to form a seven-star pattern," Mu Chen said, pointing at the beams. The others followed his gesture and, sure enough, spotted the faintly appearing seven-star pattern. "Seven stars? Could it have something to do with star power?" Tan Qingshan ventured. "That's possible." An idea stirred in Mu Chen's mind, and he decided to try using star power to unravel the restriction. He carefully approached a beam, gathered star power at his fingertip, and gently touched it. The instant his star power met the beam, its glow softened slightly, and it did not attack him. "Star power can affect these beams. Let's try guiding them according to the seven-star pattern," Mu Chen told his companions. They began to move. Mu Chen stood at the front, guiding the beams with star power, while his companions followed behind him, advancing in the direction indicated by the seven-star pattern. Throughout the process, they had to watch the changing beams constantly; the slightest carelessness could trigger an attack from the restrictions. However, when they reached the halfway point of the seven-star pattern, the beams suddenly changed. The beams that had formed the pattern began twisting into new shapes. At the same time, many new spiritual energy beams appeared around them and converged on the group, forming a spiritual energy vortex. "This is bad! The restriction has detected our intentions and started fighting back!" Mu Chen shouted. Faced with this new crisis, Mu Chen reacted swiftly. He unleashed an advanced form of Star Transformation, spreading his star power into an enormous Spiritual Energy Shield in an attempt to withstand the vortex's pull. His companions also unleashed their own Spiritual Power Skills, resisting alongside him. Tan Qingshan swung his heavy axe, creating powerful spiritual energy wind blades along the edge of the vortex to disrupt its pull. Tang Qian'er used her spiritual energy staff to cast a spell over everyone that strengthened their spiritual energy defenses, while also healing their injured companions. Through their efforts, the spiritual energy vortex's pull gradually weakened, but another problem arose. The spiritual energy beams that had formed the maze began closing in on them. The space grew smaller and smaller, and the pressure from the beams grew increasingly intense. "We have to find a way through quickly, or these beams will crush us all!" one companion shouted anxiously. Mu Chen remained calm under the pressure and once again carefully observed the changes in the beams. He discovered that, as the newly appeared beams closed in, they formed certain unusual intersections with the earlier beams. The spiritual energy fluctuations at these intersections were relatively weak. "Charge toward the focal point!" Mu Chen shouted. They concentrated their strength and rushed toward one focal point. As they approached it, his companions unleashed their strongest offensive skills, trying to open a breach. Mu Chen's star power, Tan Qingshan's heavy axe strike, and the others' spiritual energy attacks converged, finally blasting a short-lived passage through the intersection. Without hesitation, they rushed into the passage and successfully broke through this wave of closing beams. But before they could catch their breath, they found themselves in an area filled with Spiritual Power Traps. Spiritual energy runes of various shapes covered the ground. Some emitted a powerful pull, while others released powerful bursts of spiritual energy. They moved cautiously, every step like treading on thin ice. Suddenly, one companion accidentally stepped on a rune. It instantly released a powerful blast of spiritual energy that shot toward him. Mu Chen's eyes were sharp and his hands swift. He immediately unleashed his new Spiritual Technique, turning star power into a barrier in front of his companion. The spiritual energy blast collided with the star power barrier with an earth-shaking roar. The shock waves also triggered some of the smaller runes nearby, setting off a chain of explosions. "Don't panic, everyone! Follow me!" Mu Chen shouted. Relying on his keen perception of spiritual energy fluctuations, he led his companions through the Spiritual Power Traps. He discovered paths of weak spiritual energy between the rune traps. As long as they followed these paths, they could avoid most of the danger. After an arduous trek, they finally passed through the area of Spiritual Power Traps. By then, they were close to the exit of the Forbidden Grounds, but an enormous curtain of spiritual energy light blocked their way out. Complex runes flashed across it, radiating powerful restrictive force. "This should be the final restriction in the Forbidden Grounds. Let's break it together!" Mu Chen said. They gathered all their strength and launched their final assault on the curtain of spiritual energy light. Spiritual energy skills of every kind rained down on it. The curtain shook violently under their attacks, and its runes flashed faster and faster. After a prolonged assault, the curtain finally shattered in a burst of dazzling light. They had successfully broken through every restriction within the Forbidden Grounds and set off toward their family with the secret weapon. They knew that, although their journey into the Forbidden Grounds had been fraught with danger, they had gained a great deal. Now they had to prepare to use the secret weapon against the Black-Robed People and protect their family.
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