When Shen Jingqi opened his eyes again, his body emitted a dazzling light, as scorching as the sun, seemingly becoming the embodiment of justice. Those around him were stunned by this dazzling light, stopping their actions and staring blankly at Shen Jingqi.

"Take this!" Shen Jingqi shouted loudly, his voice as resonant as a ringing bell. He harnessed the pure power fused with his soul, and with a vigorous stomp of his feet, his entire body shot forward like an arrow off the string, charging toward the advanced envoy.

The advanced envoy saw Shen Jingqi's transformation, a flash of surprise and fear crossing his eyes. But he quickly regained his composure, sneering, "You think you can defeat me?" Saying this, he unleashed another powerful stream of energy, attacking Shen Jingqi.

Shen Jingqi's figure flickered, effortlessly dodging the energy stream like a wraith. His attack was as swift as lightning, instantly arriving before the advanced envoy. He threw a punch, his fist carrying the formidable energy produced by the fusion of pure power and his soul, striking fiercely at the advanced envoy.

The advanced envoy hurriedly raised his hands to defend, but his defense seemed so fragile before Shen Jingqi's attack. Shen Jingqi's fist easily penetrated his defenses, hitting his body. The advanced envoy let out a painful scream, involuntarily stepping back a few paces.

"This... how is this possible!" the advanced envoy shouted in horror, his voice filled with unwillingness and despair. He couldn't believe the human he had once easily knocked away could now inflict such enormous harm.

Shen Jingqi gave him no time to breathe, launching another attack. His figure flickered incessantly through the air, each appearance accompanied by a fierce assault. The advanced envoy struggled to cope, gradually unable to hold out.

Under Shen Jingqi's powerful attacks, cracks began to appear on the advanced envoy's body. The dark shell gradually peeled away, revealing the vulnerable essence inside. He tried to resist, but each attempt was easily dissipated by Shen Jingqi.

"No! This cannot be!" the advanced envoy shouted once more in despair. His voice echoed through the air, carrying a deep sense of powerlessness. He knew he could no longer defeat Shen Jingqi.

Finally, with Shen Jingqi's final strike, the advanced envoy could no longer hold out. His body turned into a mass of black smoke, rolling violently through the air, emitting shrill screams. Then, the black smoke gradually dissipated, and the advanced envoy vanished completely into the air.

The other dark shadows, witnessing this, fled in terror. They scattered like frightened beasts, desperate to escape Shen Jingqi and the others. Shen Jingqi, Li Baiyu, and Xu An stood where they were, watching all this unfold, smiling with relief. They had finally won this battle.

However, their hearts were not filled with much joy. For they knew this was just the beginning. The dark forces would not easily give up; they had merely temporarily repelled the advanced envoy, but the evil forces hidden in the dark remained formidable.

"What should we do next?" Li Baiyu asked, frowning.

Xu An pondered for a moment and said, "We must continue to enhance our strength. Only by becoming stronger can we face the dangers that may arise."

Shen Jingqi nodded, saying, "Exactly, and we must find the castle hidden in the dark. It is the lair of the dark forces; only by completely destroying it can we safeguard the peace and tranquility of this world."

"But where exactly is that castle?" Li Baiyu said worriedly, "We don't even know its specific location. How should we find it?"

Shen Jingqi fell into deep thought. He knew this was a difficult problem. That mysterious castle was hidden in darkness, seemingly shrouded by an invisible fog, elusive. But he also understood they couldn't retreat; they must courageously face this challenge.

"We can search for clues in ancient legends and manuscripts." Shen Jingqi suddenly suggested, "Perhaps those forgotten tales harbor secrets about that castle."

Listening to this, everyone nodded in agreement. Thus, they began gathering ancient legends and documents, attempting to find traces of that mysterious castle.

In their quest for clues, they encountered various difficulties and dangers. Some places were controlled by dark forces, forcing them to risk their lives to infiltrate; some ancient manuscripts were weathered by time, with indistinct characters, requiring them to spend a substantial amount of time and energy to decode.

But they did not give up. Each time they faced a difficulty, they encouraged and supported each other. They believed that as long as they persevered, they would definitely find the mysterious castle.

However, as they continued to delve deeper into their investigation, they discovered that things were not so simple. That mysterious castle seemed to have some kind of mystical force guarding it; whenever they neared key clues, they would be met with strange obstacles.

Once, in an ancient library, they found an ancient book about dark forces. Just as they were preparing to study it carefully, suddenly, a plume of black smoke emerged from the library. The smoke quickly spread, enveloping them within. They felt their bodies bound by a powerful force, unable to move.

"What's happening?" Li Baiyu shouted in alarm.

Shen Jingqi struggled to concentrate, attempting to disperse the black smoke with pure power. Yet he found that the smoke seemed to possess some resistance to pure power, making it difficult for his strength to fully exert.

"Everyone, don't panic, let's figure something out together," Xu An shouted.

Just when they were feeling hopeless, suddenly, Shen Jingqi felt the pure power within him undergo another transformation. That power seemed to sense their peril, automatically functioning. It roared like an angry dragon within Shen Jingqi, then broke through his body's constraints, charging towards the black smoke.

The pure power collided with the black smoke, emitting a deafening roar. The light interwoven with darkness formed a spectacular yet terrifying scene. After a fierce struggle, pure power finally gained the upper hand, dispersing the black smoke.

In the dim room, candle flames flickered, casting elongated and twisted shadows of the three people. Li Baiyu, Shen Jingqi, and Xu An sat around the worn wooden table, on which lay an ancient book exuding a mysterious aura. The book's pages were yellowed, edges slightly damaged, its characters indistinct yet possessing an indescribable magic.

Just moments ago, they had braved countless hardships to find this ancient book in a hidden ruin. The journey was fraught with traps and mechanisms, each step thrilling. At this moment, they could finally take a breath, slumping in chairs, panting heavily. Sweat drenched their garments, sticking coolly to their bodies.

"Finally... found it..." Li Baiyu's voice carried a hint of fatigue and excitement. Her fingers lightly caressed the cover of the ancient book, as if feeling the weight of history it carried.