Could it be... the key is not meant to "open" the altar, but to "close" or "control" it?
Luo Qingchen’s mind raced as he tried to simulate the special resonance with the You Ming runes he had deciphered from the Jade Slip fragment, cautiously extending his Chaotic Power towards the runes on the altar.
This time, instead of infusing the "Life and Death Reincarnation Realm" of "Chaos Return to Origin" into the portal entrance as before, he focused on the inherent "embracing" and "parsing" qualities of the Chaotic Power to attempt to understand the true meaning of these runes.
Buzz—
When his Chaotic Power touched the most core and complex runes on the altar’s surface, it was as if an overwhelming torrent of information flooded his mind! This information was not in words or language but rather an imprint of more ancient, fundamental laws!
Destruction, annihilation, devouring, transformation... and... control!
These runes were not merely decoration or records; they formed the foundation of the altar and the entire Underground Palace’s restriction system! And the Evil Eye seemed to be forcibly restrained, or "nourished," by these runes as a powerful will, an "Artifact Spirit" or "prison guard" executing the altar’s "life-extracting" program!
It craved the strength of sacrifices to restore itself, yet was also constrained by the rules of the altar!
Within the countless complex rune combinations, Luo Qingchen captured a set of unique runes that were relatively independent yet tightly connected with the others. The resonance of this set of runes had a peculiar synchronization with the spiritual core of the Evil Eye!
Could this be the key to controlling the Evil Eye?!
"I’ve found it!" Luo Qingchen felt stirred inside, but his expression remained unchanged.
Just as he was about to attempt to manipulate that special set of runes, an anomaly arose again!
Bai Ling’er, whom Luo Qingchen had been protecting behind him, though physically weak, had exceptionally keen perception, especially in the realms of the soul and energy, due to her Dragon Clan bloodline and the leaves of the Nine Revolutions Soul Revival Grass.
She had been closely watching the Evil Eye, trying to find a flaw. Suddenly, she noticed that although the Evil Eye appeared frenzied and violent, deep within its gaze, aside from greed and resentment, there seemed to be a hint of... fear?
What was it afraid of?
Bai Ling’er followed the occasional instinctive avoidance in the Evil Eye’s direction, and her gaze fell on... Lin Wan’er!
More precisely, on the increasingly bright mark of Linglong Grass on Lin Wan’er’s wrist!
The pure vitality radiating from that mark seemed to be exactly what the Evil Eye hated and feared the most!
"Young Master Luo!" Bai Ling’er immediately used Secret Technique transmission to inform Luo Qingchen of her discovery, "That eyeball... it seems very afraid of the mark on Sister Lin’s hand!"
Almost simultaneously with receiving Bai Ling’er’s transmission, Luo Qingchen, through parsing the runes, roughly understood some of the operations of the altar and the Evil Eye.
Vitality! Pure vitality, which stood in natural opposition to the forces of annihilation and death represented by the altar and Evil Eye!
Lin Wan’er’s Linglong Grass mark, having absorbed the essence of the Nine Revolutions Linglong Grass, contained extremely pure and vast plant vitality, which was one of the keys to restraining this Evil Eye!
And the special set of runes he found was likely the "keyhole" to guide or amplify this restraining effect!
"Wan’er! Fully activate your Linglong Grass mark and direct your power at the eyeball in the center of the altar!" Luo Qingchen decisively gave the command to Lin Wan’er.
At the same time, he shouted to Su Xiaowan, "Xiaowan! Use your strongest defense methods to protect Wan’er! At any cost!"
"Huh? Oh! Okay!" Even though Lin Wan’er did not understand Luo Qingchen’s intention, she trusted him and complied without hesitation. She took a deep breath, no longer suppressing the mark on her wrist, allowing the surge of vitality to gush out!
Buzz!
The blue light instantly surged, like a scorching sun rising in the grand hall! That pure and powerful vitality was no longer a gentle Sword Qi but transformed into a tangible blue light pillar, like a flood breaching a dam, carrying exuberant life energy, fiercely charging towards the black vortex in the altar’s center and the massive Evil Eye!
"Five Elements Vajra Shield! Activate!" Su Xiaowan was also decisive, letting out a delicate shout, rapidly forming a seal with her hands, exhausting all remaining Spiritual Power to activate a treasured high-level Defense Talisman. Instantly, a five-colored shield unfolded outside her and Lin Wan’er, the light flowing, faintly echoing with Vajra chants, its defense formidable.
"Sizzle—"
The blue light pillar collided head-on with the black vortex! Like water and fire, two diametrically opposing forces clashed violently, producing a piercing sound of energy friction! The black vortex was forcibly torn and purified by the vitality, its rotation speed plummeting, and its size began to shrink! The massive Evil Eye, as if scorched by the searing light, let out a cry of pain, the once blood-red eyeball beginning to emit wisps of black smoke, its surface showing signs of melting!
"Ah—! Damn! Damn humans! How dare you—!" the roar of the Evil Eye became sharp and twisted, filled with pain and rage. It frantically mobilized the altar’s power, attempting to resist the encroachment of the vitality, but the power of the Linglong Grass mark seemed to be its natural nemesis, and no matter how it struggled, it could not stop itself from being purified!
"Now’s the time!" Luo Qingchen’s eyes flashed with determination, seizing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he dashed towards the altar with the speed of a loosed arrow! The Bone Puppets trying to intercept him were slowed by the erupting vitality from Lin Wan’er, unable to stop his steps.

Comments

Loading...