The air grew colder as Jin Long and Yue Lan approached the final gate. Unlike the previous three, this gate was shrouded in black mist, its surface pulsating with an eerie, unsettling energy. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and distant echoes of wailing souls resonated through the corridor.
Yue Lan shivered, her eyes scanning the mist. "This place... it feels wrong."
Jin Long tightened his grip on his sword. "Zhan Wuhen's influence. He's using the darkness to distort the path."
"Then we need to be ready," Yue Lan said, summoning a sphere of protective light that hovered around them like a shield.
They stepped forward, entering the mist. Immediately, the air thickened, and the oppressive darkness closed in around them. Shadows twisted and danced, forming shapes that whispered sinister words, mocking and taunting them.
Jin Long's gaze hardened. "Ignore them. It's just an illusion."
But as they moved deeper, the shadows grew more aggressive. Figures emerged from the mist—familiar faces, twisted in agony.
"Jin Long!" a voice called, its tone filled with pain.
Jin Long's eyes widened. It was his master, Elder Zhang, his face contorted with suffering as dark chains wrapped around his body.
"You abandoned me, Jin Long," Elder Zhang said, his voice trembling. "You let the darkness consume me."
"That's not real," Jin Long muttered, clenching his fists. "You're not real!"
Elder Zhang's form twisted, his eyes darkening into black voids. "You will never be strong enough to protect them. You will fail, just as I did."
Yue Lan grabbed Jin Long's arm, her expression fierce. "Snap out of it! It's a trick!"
Jin Long shook his head, forcing himself to focus. The shadows dissipated, Elder Zhang's form fading back into mist.
"Zhan Wuhen is trying to break us," Jin Long said, breathing heavily. "We can't let him."
Yue Lan nodded, her jaw set. "Then let's keep moving."
They pressed forward, the darkness growing thicker with each step. The whispers became louder, now screaming their failures and fears. The ground trembled beneath them, cracks forming and releasing more dark mist.
Suddenly, a towering shadow emerged from the mist—a colossal figure with burning crimson eyes and a cloak of swirling darkness. Its presence was suffocating, its aura filled with malice.
Jin Long stepped forward, his sword gleaming with the Genesis Core's energy. "Show yourself!"
The shadow grinned, revealing a maw of jagged teeth. "You dare challenge me, mortal?"
Before Jin Long could respond, the shadow lunged forward, its massive claw swiping at him. Jin Long leaped back, narrowly avoiding the strike. The ground where he had stood cracked and shattered, dark flames erupting from the impact.
Yue Lan summoned her light barrier, sending a wave of energy at the shadow. The blast struck, but the shadow absorbed it, its eyes gleaming with dark amusement.
"Your light is nothing in the face of true darkness," it sneered, its voice echoing through the mist.
Jin Long gritted his teeth, his sword flaring with the Core's power. "We'll see about that."
He charged forward, slashing at the shadow with a powerful strike. The blade cleaved through the mist, dispersing some of it, but the shadow reformed instantly, its laughter echoing around them.
"Your strength is impressive, but your mind is weak," the shadow taunted, its form splitting into multiple copies that surrounded them.
Each shadow spoke with Zhan Wuhen's voice, mocking Jin Long and Yue Lan, their words seeping into their minds like poison.
"You think you can protect her? You couldn't even protect your master."
"You think you're strong? You're nothing but a pawn of the Core."
Jin Long's vision blurred, his head pounding as the words echoed inside his mind. He fell to one knee, clutching his head.
Yue Lan dropped beside him, grabbing his shoulders. "Jin Long! Don't listen to them!"
But the shadows continued to close in, their whispers growing louder, more insidious.
"You will never be strong enough," they chanted in unison. "You will fall, just like the others."
Jin Long squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to block them out. But then, Yue Lan's voice cut through the noise.
"Jin Long, look at me!" she shouted, her hands on his face, forcing him to meet her eyes. "This is what Zhan Wuhen wants—to make you doubt yourself. But you're stronger than this. You have me. You have the Core. You have your own strength!"
Jin Long's eyes snapped open, the Genesis Core flaring within him. The darkness began to recede, the shadows screaming as they burned away in the blinding light.
The colossal shadow roared, its form breaking apart. "This isn't over!" it howled, its body dissolving into mist. "Zhan Wuhen will consume you both!"
As the mist cleared, Jin Long and Yue Lan stood in a vast, empty expanse. The final gate loomed ahead, its surface glowing with a malevolent, blood-red light.
Yue Lan exhaled, wiping the sweat from her brow. "That was close."
Jin Long nodded, his expression grim. "Zhan Wuhen's influence is growing. If we don't stop him now, the entire realm will be consumed."
Yue Lan reached for his hand, her fingers intertwining with his. "Then let's end this."
Jin Long squeezed her hand, his gaze fixed on the final gate. "Together."
And as they took the first step toward the final gate, the air around them trembled, and Zhan Wuhen's voice echoed through the darkness, a sinister promise.
"Come, Jin Long. The real battle has just begun."