Chapter 167 Purification

Judging from Lin Hanning's reaction just now, she has more information than I thought. There is no point in continuing to play dumb. It is better to be honest and give her some information that I can reveal and is explosive enough to gain more initiative.

"The Apocalypse Sect is gone." I spoke first.

Lin Hanning didn't seem surprised to hear this. It looked like she was going to be dropped another bombshell.

"The 'Lord of Apocalypse' should be asleep."

Sure enough, Lin Hanning's eyes widened.

"Asleep?"

I nodded and sighed, "That's why I'm here."

I brought up this topic on purpose, firstly to prevent her from continuing to ask about Gali's sleep, and secondly to throw out a bait. If I could lead her to explore the ruins with me, the risk of the whole process would be much lower.

Lin Hanning was silent for a moment, as if hesitating. After a while, she looked up and said to me, "It seems we are looking for the same thing."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. She most likely knew something was up, but "the same thing"...was it the Illusion Crystal? Or was it the clue to Gali's slumber? Was she trying to trick me, or did she actually have information?

However, the illusory crystal is indeed a hot potato. Lin Hanning possesses a rare purification ability, and currently seems to have no ill will towards me, even showing a hint of goodwill.

At this stage, the risks of cooperating with her far outweigh the benefits. Even if she really wants the crystal... I don't care about it. I have merged some of Gali's authority. If I want, there are many ways to get it back.

I hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell her part of the matter of the illusory crystal. If she wants it, it's not impossible to give it to her. I have some of Gali's authority, and there are a hundred ways to get the illusory crystal back.

"Maybe," I replied ambiguously, my mind shifting slightly. I reached into a nearby piece of broken glass, and the illusory crystal, shimmering and ominous, silently appeared in my palm—manifesting in the real world.

The moment the crystal appeared, the surrounding light seemed to distort slightly. It lay quietly in my hand, its polyhedron reflecting the pale moonlight. Those faint geometric paradoxes seemed to come alive, slowly rotating and nesting within the mirrored surface, emitting a dizzying and eerie charm.

Lin Hanning's gaze was instantly drawn to the crystal. Her pure blue-gray eyes narrowed slightly, and the relaxed expression on her face disappeared, replaced by a focused scrutiny and a hint of... understanding?

"Sure enough... it's a relic of that evil god." She whispered softly, with a barely perceptible solemnity in her voice, obviously recognizing the origin of this thing.

"Do you know it?" I was a little frightened, but I kept a straight face.

"I've heard of some ancient records." Lin Hanning didn't explain much. She took a step forward, her eyes never leaving the crystal.

"The 'pollution' on it... is very stubborn, a mark left by a higher-level being. Ordinary isolation methods are of limited effectiveness. Over time, it will still 'seep' out and affect the holder." She pointed out the inherent danger of the crystal, confirming my previous thoughts.

"So, you have a solution?" I held the crystal and handed it towards Lin Hanning. This was an obvious test.

Lin Hanning didn't reach for it immediately. She lowered her head again and carefully removed the small, dark silver box, made neither of gold nor wood, from the pocket of her wide waterproof coat. In the center of the box, a rose emblem shone faintly in the moonlight.

"Using this box can temporarily isolate it from the contamination, but to eradicate the remaining 'brand' contamination inside it..." She raised her head and looked at me with clear eyes, "It needs purification. I can try."

"Please," I said briefly, handing the crystal closer while mobilizing the power within me to flow quietly, ready for any eventuality.

Lin Hanning took a deep breath and his expression became extremely focused and solemn.

Her left hand held the opened stasis box steadily, while her right hand slowly raised, hovering about ten centimeters above the crystal. There was no chanting, no exaggerated movements, only the sudden golden light from her palm!

The light was like liquid sunlight, warm but not dazzling, carrying a tranquil power that cleansed the soul and soothed all restlessness. The golden light flowed down as if it had life, gently enveloping the illusory crystal.

“Sizzle…Sizzle…”

The moment the white light touched the surface of the crystal, something strange happened!

It was as if a scalding iron had been plunged into the crystal! Countless tiny lights, like stars, suddenly and frantically evaporated and gushed out from every facet and corner of the crystal!

These light spots do not look peaceful. They are twisted and struggling, as if they contain countless painful wailing resentments and crazy whispers. One can even vaguely see distorted human faces and indescribable horrific phantoms!

They madly impacted and corroded the pure golden light wrapped around the crystal, making a teeth-grinding sound!

The strong negative mental shock spread out instantly, and even the surrounding fog seemed to become colder and thicker.

Lin Hanning's expression changed, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Purifying the contamination left behind by such a high-ranking evil god was clearly a significant challenge for her.

She bit her lower lip, her fingers trembling slightly, but her eyes were remarkably firm. Her right hand was as steady as a rock, and the pure light emanating from her palm not only did not weaken, but instead became more concentrated and more intense during the confrontation! It was as if a miniature purifying sun was burning in her palm.

"drink!"

Lin Hanning suddenly shouted, her voice quiet, yet it seemed to carry a force that could cleanse the universe! The light in her palm suddenly exploded to its peak!

Like the dawn piercing the darkest night.

Under this burst of purifying light, the surging dark light spots seemed to have met their nemesis, emitting a silent scream and being quickly melted, decomposed, and purified!

Those twisted resentments and phantoms of human faces melted away like ice and snow in the golden light, eventually turning into wisps of harmless green smoke and dissipating into the night sky.

When the last ray of light was completely purified, the illusory crystal itself also changed.

It no longer exudes that uncomfortable strange charm and cold pollution. The light on the surface has become warm and restrained. Those dizzying paradoxical figures are still there, but now they no longer look dizzying. It seems to have turned into a truly beautiful and mysterious crystal stone.

It lay quietly in the box, leaving only a deep, peaceful energy fluctuation.