Chapter 17 - The Battle for the Compound

Lin Feng and Mei - ling stood back - to - back, surrounded by the cult members. The cult leader, his eyes blazing with a mix of hatred and determination, watched them with a cruel smile. The clash of weapons and the shouts of the warriors echoed through the compound, a symphony of chaos and conflict. Lin Feng took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He knew that panicking would only lead to defeat. The power of the artifacts hummed beneath his fingertips, a reassuring presence in the midst of this chaos. "We can't let them win, Mei - ling," he said, his voice firm. Mei - ling nodded, her eyes focused on the cult members. "We've come too far. We have to fight." With a sudden burst of energy, Lin Feng sent a wave of light from the artifacts, pushing back the cult members closest to them. The light cut through the darkness of the night, illuminating the faces of the cult members, their expressions twisted in anger and fear. The cult leader raised his hands, and a dark cloud formed above them. From the cloud, bolts of dark energy shot down, targeting Lin Feng and Mei - ling. Lin Feng quickly created a shield, but the impact of the bolts made his arms tremble. Mei - ling took this opportunity to launch her own attack. She sent a series of energy orbs towards the cult leader. The orbs exploded on impact, but the cult leader was protected by a shield of his own. As they fought, Lin Feng noticed that the cult members were slowly but surely making their way towards the library. He knew that if they reached it, all would be lost. The ancient texts within held the key to fully understanding the seal on the evil, and the cult could use that knowledge to unleash it completely. "Garret!" Lin Feng shouted, spotting the warrior leader on the other side of the compound. "We need to protect the library!" Garret nodded and signaled to a group of warriors. They fought their way through the cult members, their swords flashing in the moonlight. Lin Feng and Mei - ling joined them, their combined powers creating a path through the enemy ranks. But the cult was not going to give up easily. They counter - attacked with renewed vigor. A group of cult members, chanting in a strange language, created a wall of dark energy that blocked their way to the library. Lin Feng focused the power of the artifacts, trying to break through the wall. The light from the artifacts clashed with the dark energy, creating a blinding display of power. Mei - ling added her own energy to Lin Feng's, and together, they managed to weaken the wall. Just as they were about to break through, a new threat emerged. A large, shadowy creature materialized in the middle of the compound. It was a manifestation of the dark energy the cult was using, its form shifting and changing. The creature let out a deafening roar and lunged at the warriors. Garret and his men bravely faced the creature. Their swords seemed to have little effect on its shadowy form. Lin Feng knew they needed to do something quickly. He turned to Mei - ling. "We need to focus on this creature. It's the source of their extra power." Mei - ling nodded. They left the wall of dark energy for a moment and directed their attacks at the creature. Lin Feng sent a powerful blast of energy from the artifacts, and Mei - ling followed it up with a beam of light that seemed to penetrate the creature's form. The creature howled in pain and lashed out. Its shadowy arms swept through the warriors, knocking some of them to the ground. Lin Feng used the artifacts to create a shield around the fallen warriors, protecting them from further harm. As they fought the creature, Lin Feng noticed that the cult leader was sneaking towards the library while their attention was diverted. "Mei - ling, the cult leader!" Lin Feng shouted. Mei - ling quickly turned and sent a blast of energy towards the cult leader. The cult leader was forced to stop and defend himself. But this also gave the cult members manning the wall of dark energy a chance to reinforce it. Lin Feng was in a dilemma. He had to stop the creature, protect the warriors, and prevent the cult leader from reaching the library. He decided to split his focus. He continued to attack the creature with one hand, using the artifacts to send waves of energy, while with the other hand, he sent a stream of light towards the cult leader, keeping him at bay. Mei - ling, seeing what Lin Feng was doing, focused all her energy on the wall of dark energy. She chanted a spell, and her hands glowed with a bright, white light. The light began to break down the dark energy wall, bit by bit. The battle raged on, and the compound was in chaos. The scholars in the library were working frantically to find a way to counter the cult's efforts to weaken the seal. They were poring over ancient texts, looking for any clue that could help them. Back in the courtyard, the creature seemed to be weakening under Lin Feng's attacks. Its form became less solid, and its roars were now more of a whimper. Lin Feng took this as an opportunity and sent a final, powerful blast of energy. The blast hit the creature, and it dissipated into the night, leaving behind a cloud of dark mist. With the creature gone, Lin Feng turned his full attention to the cult leader. The cult leader, seeing that his plan was falling apart, was becoming more desperate. He launched a series of powerful attacks towards Lin Feng and Mei - ling. Lin Feng used the artifacts to create a shield that was stronger than ever. The shield absorbed the cult leader's attacks, and Lin Feng could feel the power of the artifacts growing. He had an idea. He focused the power of the artifacts and sent a blast of energy that not only repelled the cult leader but also hit the wall of dark energy. The combined force of Lin Feng's attack and Mei - ling's spell finally broke the wall. The warriors, led by Garret, rushed towards the library. They engaged the cult members who were trying to break in. Lin Feng and Mei - ling joined them, and together, they fought to protect the library. The cult members, seeing that their plan to reach the library was failing, began to retreat. The cult leader, however, was not ready to give up. He summoned all his remaining power and launched a final, massive attack towards Lin Feng. Lin Feng knew this was a critical moment. He used all the power of the artifacts, creating a shield that surrounded the entire compound. The cult leader's attack hit the shield with a deafening boom. The shield held, but just barely. As the dust settled, the cult leader was left weakened and defeated. The remaining cult members fled into the night. Lin Feng and his allies had managed to repel the attack, but they knew that the threat was far from over. The scholars emerged from the library, their faces pale. "We've found something," one of them said. "The cult was using a dark ritual to weaken the seal. But we can reverse it. However, we need to go to the place where the cult was performing the ritual, deep in the mountains." Lin Feng nodded. "We'll go. We can't let them succeed in weakening the seal any further." But as they prepared to set off, Lin Feng couldn't help but wonder what other dangers awaited them in the cult's stronghold in the mountains. The cult was clearly not going to stop, and they would be waiting for Lin Feng and his allies. How would they complete the mission to reverse the weakening of the seal and finally put an end to the cult's threat? The battle had been won, but the war was far from over.