Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 297: Rebirth of Light

The night wind howled and the shadows of the trees swayed, as if foreshadowing the unknown challenges ahead. Suddenly, an old voice sounded in their ears: "Are you going to look for the whereabouts of the artifact?"

The five men were instantly alert, and they all drew their weapons and looked around. The moonlight was dim, and there were shadows in the deep bamboo forest, but no one was seen.

"Who is it? Come out!" Hu Bugui shouted sternly.

"Haha, don't panic, I mean no harm." The old voice sounded again, and an old man in coarse linen clothes, leaning on a cane, slowly walked out from behind a thick bamboo.

"Who are you? Why do you know that we are looking for a sacred artifact?" Wu Tao stepped forward, his eyes sharp.

The old man stroked his beard, his cloudy eyes sparkling with wisdom: "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I know the purpose of your trip and how to find the artifact."

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao exchanged glances, their hearts full of doubts, but their intuition told them that the old man in front of them was no ordinary person.

"Old man, do you know the whereabouts of the artifact?" Li Xiaoyao couldn't help but ask.

The old man nodded slightly: "The divine weapon is made of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Only those with a sincere heart and a heart for the world can find it." He looked at Hu Bugui and Wu Tao meaningfully, "You two are destined to be with you."

Under the guidance of the old man, they came to a hidden cave. The entrance of the cave was covered by vines, and it would be difficult to find without someone's guidance.

"The artifact is in the cave. Whether you can get it depends on your luck." After the old man said this, he turned and left, and his figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest.

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao did not dare to delay and took Li Xiaoyao into the cave. It was pitch black inside the cave, with only the cold wind whistling in the ears.

"Be careful!" Wu Tao warned, and a ball of fire ignited in his hand, illuminating the road ahead.

They moved forward cautiously. They could smell a chilling cold air coming from the depths of the cave.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a bright light suddenly appeared in front of them. They quickened their pace and saw a huge crystal stone suspended in the air, emitting a dazzling light that illuminated the entire cave.

"Is this the divine weapon?" Li Xiaoyao exclaimed.

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other with excitement in their eyes. They knew that finding the artifact would mean having the power to defeat the ancient demon, and the hope of Chang'an City and the people was just around the corner.

However, just as they approached the crystal stone, a powerful force pushed them back, and a majestic voice echoed in the cave: "Those who trespass into the forbidden area will die!"

"Not good!" Hu Bugui's face changed, "It's the residual soul of an ancient demon!"

Black fog was rolling around the crystal stone, and a huge black figure gradually condensed, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Want the artifact? You have to get past me first!" The black figure let out a deafening roar, opened his huge mouth, and spewed out a black flame.

"Tao'er, be careful!" Hu Bugui pulled Wu Tao behind him and swung his sword to block the flames.

"It seems that if I want to get the artifact, I must defeat it first!" Wu Tao's eyes were determined, and powerful spiritual power gathered in his hands...

At the same time, outside the cave, Yueying and Xingchen were waiting anxiously. Suddenly, they felt a strong power wave coming from the cave, and their faces suddenly changed:

"Oh no, the Master and the Princess are in danger!"

Before he finished speaking, a figure appeared in front of them. It was the old man who had guided Hu Bugui and the others before.

"Don't worry, they will be fine as long as I am here." The old man said, forming a seal with his hands, and a golden light enveloped the moon and stars...

The golden light faded away, and Yueying and Xingchen only felt a flash before their eyes. When they looked again, they found themselves in a cave! In front of them, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were fighting with the huge black figure, and their spiritual power was surging and deafening.

"Master! Princess!" Yueying and Xingchen shouted and joined the battle.

"How did you get in?" Hu Bugui asked while resisting the attack of the black figure.

"It's that old man..." Before Yueying finished her words, she saw the old man appear next to the crystal stone at some point, with his hands in seals and muttering something.

"Oh no, he wants to activate the magic weapon!" Wu Tao exclaimed. The black figure also sensed the danger and attacked more fiercely.

"Tao'er, you guys hold him back first, I'll go stop the old man!" Hu Bugui made a quick decision, and with a flash of his body, he attacked the old man.

The old man sneered, and the spell in his hand changed. The crystal stone shone brightly, and a beam of light shot up into the sky. In an instant, the sky and the earth changed color, the wind and clouds surged, and an invisible force enveloped the entire cave.

"Oh no, the divine weapon has been activated!" Wu Tao's face changed drastically, and the black figure also let out a roar, as if he felt a huge threat.

"Hahaha, it's too late! Let me show you the power of the divine weapon!" The old man laughed wildly, and the spells in his hands kept changing. The light column became thicker and thicker, and the energy fluctuations became stronger and stronger.

At this moment, Hu Bugui finally broke through the energy barrier and stabbed the old man with a sword. The old man was unable to dodge and was pierced through the shoulder by the sword. He screamed and the magic formula in his hand was interrupted.

The beam of light gradually dissipated, and the black figure stopped attacking, looking in the direction of the crystal stone in doubt.

"Taoer, how should we use the magic weapon?" Hu Bugui asked.

Wu Tao looked at the crystal stone, a glimmer of enlightenment in her eyes. She flew up, came to the crystal stone, put her hands on it, closed her eyes, and felt the power of the artifact.

"In my name, with your help, the light will shine and the darkness will be dispelled!" Wu Tao's voice was clear and firm, echoing throughout the cave.

The crystal stone shone brightly, and beams of light shot out from it, illuminating the entire cave like daylight. The black figure let out a shrill scream, and its body continued to twist and dissipate in the light.

"Hurry, now!" Wu Tao opened his eyes, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

Hu Bugui and the others did not hesitate at all, and injected their own strength into the crystal stone. The light of the crystal stone became more dazzling, forming a huge ball of light, completely covering the black figure.

The black figure struggled in the ball of light, uttering roars of unwillingness, but ultimately it could not withstand the divine power and turned into black mist, dissipating between heaven and earth.

There was total silence in the cave.

"Did we... win?" Li Xiaoyao muttered to himself, his eyes full of disbelief.

"It's not over yet." Wu Tao's voice broke the silence. She looked towards the cave entrance with a cold light in her eyes. "The real enemy has not appeared yet."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a commotion at the cave entrance, and a cold voice rang out: "Want to run? Not that easy!"

The cold voice seemed to come from the Netherworld, with a bone-chilling chill that made people shudder. At the entrance of the cave, a figure wearing a black cloak and with his face hidden in the shadows slowly walked in. In his hand, he held a dagger that emitted a faint blue light, and the dagger seemed to be stained with fresh blood.

"Who are you?" Hu Bugui stepped forward, protected Wu Tao behind him, and stared at the person who came with vigilance.

“Haha, you want to know who I am? You are not worthy!” The man in black sneered, his tone full of disdain and ridicule, “If you know what’s good for you, just hand over the artifact obediently, and I will consider sparing your life!”

"You can't get your hands on the artifact!" Xingchen and Yueying looked at each other, and they understood each other. They attacked the man in black at the same time. Xingchen's swordsmanship was fierce, pouring out like a storm; Yueying's palmsmanship was light and unpredictable like a fluttering butterfly. The two of them, one hard and one soft, cooperated tacitly and trapped the man in black tightly.

The man in black obviously did not expect Xingchen and Yueying to be so strong, and was caught off guard for a while. But he was the leader of a mysterious organization after all, and his strength should not be underestimated. He quickly stabilized his position and fought with Xingchen and Yueying.

In the cave, swords flashed and spiritual power surged. The figures of three people were intertwined and difficult to distinguish.

"Tao'er, the magic weapon..." Hu Bugui looked at the three people fighting fiercely, feeling vaguely uneasy. He turned to look at Wu Tao, but saw that Wu Tao's face was pale, and his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

"I'm fine, but..." Wu Tao took a deep breath, trying to hold back the blood and energy surging in his body, and said slowly, "The artifact consumed too much of my strength. I need some time to recover now."

Hu Bugui became even more worried when he heard this, but he knew that now was not the time to be sentimental. The most urgent task was to get rid of the enemy in front of him first.

"Brother Xiaoyao, please help me protect the law!" Wu Tao looked at Li Xiaoyao, his eyes full of pleading.

Li Xiaoyao nodded and agreed without hesitation. He drew the sword from his waist, stood guard beside Wu Tao, and watched everything around him vigilantly.

Time passed by, and the battle in the cave entered a fierce stage. Although Xingchen and Yueying joined forces, the black-clothed man was stronger after all, and gradually, the two began to lose the upper hand.

"Hahaha, you think you can stop me? You are overestimating yourself!" The man in black laughed wildly and stabbed the dagger in his hand fiercely, aiming straight at Xingchen's chest.

At the critical moment, Yueying tried her best to push Xingchen away, but she was stabbed in the shoulder by the dagger, and the blood instantly dyed her clothes red.

"Yueying!" Xingchen's eyes were bloodshot. He swung his sword at the man in black, but was kicked away by the man in black. He fell heavily to the ground with blood spurting out of his mouth.

"You all must die!" A fierce look flashed in the black-clothed man's eyes. He raised the dagger, ready to give Xingchen the final blow.

At this moment, a dazzling light came from the depths of the cave. The man in black was blinded by the sudden light and could not open his eyes. The movements of his hands could not help but pause.

"Now!" Hu Bugui seized the opportunity, his figure flashed, and he instantly appeared behind the man in black. The long sword in his hand ruthlessly pierced the man in black's heart.

"You..." The man in black looked down at the sword on his chest in disbelief, his eyes filled with unwillingness and despair. Finally, his body slowly fell down and he completely lost his life.

The cave fell into dead silence.

Wu Tao slowly opened his eyes, looked at everything in front of him, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "It's over..."

"It's over." Hu Bugui walked to Wu Tao and gently embraced her in his arms, his voice low and gentle, "We won."

Li Xiaoyao, Xingchen and Yueying also gathered around, each of them with joy and relief on their face after surviving a disaster.

They stood side by side, bathing in the sunlight pouring in from the cave entrance. At this moment, they seemed to see the long-lost, clear sky above Chang'an City...

The sunlight penetrated the cave entrance, pouring down like a golden waterfall, illuminating everything in the cave. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui hugged each other tightly, their faces were tired, but more of the joy of victory. Xingchen and Yueying also supported each other, their injuries had not yet healed, but the light of hope shone in their eyes.

Li Xiaoyao looked at the scene in front of him, feeling deeply moved. He patted Hu Bugui on the shoulder and laughed loudly, "Congratulations, you have saved Chang'an and the world!"

Hu Bugui smiled slightly, turned to look at Wu Tao, and said softly: "Tao'er, we did it."

Wu Tao nodded gently, but her eyes were a little wet. Recalling the experiences during this period, it was like a thrilling dream. She traveled through time and met Hu Bugui, experienced the sweetness and bitterness of love, and witnessed the light and darkness of human nature. Now, everything has settled, and they can finally join hands and spend the rest of their lives together.

"Let's go back." Wu Tao said softly.

"Okay, let's go home." Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand tightly, his eyes full of determination.

When they walked out of the cave, they were greeted by a brand new world. The bright sunshine fell on the earth, dispelling all the haze. In the distance, the outline of Chang'an City was vaguely visible, as if calling them back.

The five men rode on horseback, heading towards Chang'an City. Along the way, they saw the smiles on the faces of the people and heard the cheerful songs of the children. They knew that all this was due to their efforts, because they brought peace to this land.

After returning to Chang'an, they were welcomed as heroes. The people lined the streets to welcome them, and the cheers shook the earth. The names of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were praised by people and became eternal legends.

"Dad, Mom, you are heroes!" Xingchen rode on the horse, waving the toy sword in his hand excitedly, his eyes full of admiration and pride.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui smiled at each other, their hearts filled with warmth and happiness.

In the days that followed, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui decided to spend the rest of their lives protecting Chang'an City so that the people here could live in peace and happiness forever. They were committed to developing agriculture, establishing education, and improving people's livelihood. Under their governance, Chang'an City became more prosperous.

"Tao'er, look, how beautiful our Chang'an City is!" Standing on the towering city wall, Hu Bugui pointed to the distance, his eyes full of pride.

Wu Tao snuggled up to Hu Bugui, looking at the prosperous scene in front of her, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

"Yes, this is our common home..."

Suddenly, a dazzling light appeared in the distant sky. The light got closer and brighter, and finally turned into a colorful glow, covering the entire Chang'an City...

"What is that?" Hu Bugui was shocked, and an inexplicable premonition came to his mind.

Wu Tao also looked up at the sky, his eyes full of confusion and curiosity.

The sunset glow faded away, and a handsome man in white appeared in front of them...