Sealed Land
Following Li Bai through the thick fog is an extremely peculiar experience. He seems to walk casually, yet his steps seem to follow some mysterious rhythm, each step landing on seemingly ordinary but actually crucial points. The surrounding fog remains thick, but everyone can clearly feel that an invisible, unsettling, chaotic force has been skillfully avoided.
Master Lu Ban followed closely, his eyes fixed on Li Bai's footwork and the changes in the surrounding environment, occasionally exclaiming in amazement: "Wonderful! So he's utilizing the balance point between geomagnetic deflection and energy vortex! This level of array formation mastery is almost Tao!"
Yi Xing silently compared Li Bai's path with the chess game he had deduced in his mind, trying to understand the pattern of this natural maze. At the same time, the pointer on the "Following the Opportunity" board on his knee trembled more and more violently, pointing directly to the path that Li Bai was leading him down.
After traveling for about half an hour, the fog ahead suddenly thinned, and the view in front of us suddenly opened up.
They seemed to have passed through an invisible barrier and entered a space completely different from the outside world.
Gone are the ancient, towering trees and damp, miasma-filled air; in their place lies a relatively open basin in the valley. Though the sky is still shrouded in mist, casting a hazy glow, the air is fresh, carrying a faint fragrance of flowers and grass. In the center of the basin lies a crystal-clear lake, its waters shimmering with iridescent ripples under the soft light. Along its shores grow strange, previously unseen flowers and grasses, radiating a soft, luminous glow.
Most striking of all is a small island in the center of the lake. The island is treeless, with only a smooth, jade-like surface carved with intricate and ancient runes, which now emit a faint but stable milky-white glow. At the center of these runes floats a fist-sized, pigeon-egg-shaped crystal, its surface translucent and warm to the touch, its interior seemingly alive as it slowly circulates a milky-white light!
That pure, powerful, and vibrant energy fluctuation could be clearly transmitted to everyone's heart, even across the lake!
"The Source of Life!" Gongsun Li couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
A look of surprise and joy shone in everyone's eyes. After overcoming numerous hardships, they had finally found their destination!
However, when they shifted their gaze from the source seed to other parts of the island, their mood instantly sank.
Several figures were already standing on the edge of the island!
The leader, a tall figure with a hideous metal mask covering his face, was none other than "Mo Zun"! Beside him stood Mo Heng (Qian Ji), pale-faced but still fanatical-eyed, and the hunched old man "Shi Gu" wielding a twisted wooden staff. In addition, there were more than a dozen core members with powerful auras, dressed in "Night Ink" attire.
They seemed to have arrived here long ago and were studying the sealing runes, attempting to decipher them. Mo Heng held a complex instrument that constantly flashed with a ghostly blue light, scanning and calculating the runes.
Li Bai's arrival was clearly unexpected.
Mo Zun slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over Li Bai beneath his ghostly mask before landing on Yi Xing and the others. He let out a low, cold laugh: "Li Bai... and the remnants of Yao Tian's army... what a coincidence."
His gaze finally locked greedily on the "source of life" in the center of the lake: "I never expected that the legendary source of life would be sealed here, and even... Hehe, what an unexpected surprise."
Li Bai stared expressionlessly at Mo Zun and his group, his eyes icy: "Leave this place. This is not something you should be touching."
Mo Zun laughed heartily, his voice hoarse and arrogant: "Li Bai, if you were in your prime, I might still be somewhat wary of you. But now... you must have expended a lot to maintain this seal, right? How many 'Azure Lotus Sword Song' swords can you still unleash?"
Before he could finish speaking, Mo Heng (Qianji) had already raised his head, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Lord Mo, the seal structure has been mostly analyzed! This is an ancient 'Life-Binding Seal,' using pure life energy as its core to imprison in reverse... What's sealed within is very likely a lifeless, destructive entity! The Source Seed is both the core of the seal and... the object of suppression! As long as we take the Source Seed, we can not only obtain it but also release what's sealed! At that time..."
His words sent shockwaves through Yi Xing and the others! The Origin Seed was actually the core of the seal? And something else was being suppressed beneath it?
Li Bai's expression turned completely cold. He slowly gripped the hilt of his sword, and an incomparably sharp sword intent soared into the sky, stirring up the surrounding mist.
"It seems the only way to prove our strength is through swordsmanship."
A great battle is about to break out! This time, they will not only face the formidable enemy "Ink of the Night," but also the risk that the unknown ferocious creature suppressed by the Source Seed may break free!
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