The spark has not been extinguished
The aftershocks of the energy storm continued to rage, with debris raining down from the dome. The heavily injured Ming Shiyin, Di Renjie, and the others were surrounded by swarms of monsters and black-clad assassins, almost trapped in a hopeless situation. Pei Qinhu roared and swung his fist, but his power was greatly diminished, barely managing to repel the approaching monsters. Li Yuanfang's flying wheel was no longer agile, and several more wounds appeared on his body. Di Renjie and Ming Shiyin stood back to back, one using the remaining golden token to protect himself, the other using a faint purple light to distract the enemy, but it was clear to everyone that they were at their last gasp.
On the suspended stone platform, Mo Heng (Qianji) was intently controlling the compass, his azure energy coiling like threads around the cracks in the core crystal sphere, attempting to mend them. Mo Zun stood with his hands behind his back, coldly watching the battle below, as if awaiting a predetermined ending.
"Yixing...is there any other way?" Gongsun Li's tearful voice came through the jade talisman. She was observing the underground battle from the outside using a special water mirror technique, her heart filled with anxiety.
On the other end of the jade talisman, there was a long silence. Only Yi Xing's suppressed, rapid breathing and the occasional low cough could be heard. Clearly, the horrific scene underground and the sudden change had placed immense pressure and pain on him.
Just as the atmosphere of despair was about to engulf everyone, Yi Xing's voice finally rang out again, unusually hoarse, yet carrying a resolute determination akin to burning with life itself:
"There's another way...not to destroy the nodes, nor to attack the core..."
He paused, as if gathering his last strength:
"It's... 'resonance'!"
“Resonance?” Ming Shiyin was taken aback, then instantly understood Yi Xing’s intention. “You want to… guide the earth’s righteous energy to counteract the corrupted ‘Hun Tian Core’?”
“Excellent!” Yi Xing’s voice carried a sense of desperation. “The ‘Hun Tian Shu Ji’ was originally created to draw upon the energy of heaven and earth. Although it has been distorted, its foundation remains. Mo Heng… Qian Ji once inadvertently mentioned the principle of ‘Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, opposing forces’ when he was explaining orthodox mechanical arts… They polluted the earth’s veins with evil methods and forcibly ‘shaped’ the veins. Its structure must have huge hidden dangers and imbalances! As long as we find that weakest ‘reverse scale’ and impact it with pure earth vein energy, we may be able to trigger a chain reaction of collapse in the entire energy system!”
This plan is extremely bold and extremely dangerous! It requires an extraordinary insight into the flow of energy, and it requires someone underground to precisely guide the energy from the earth's veins into that ever-changing "reverse scale"!
"But... the earth's vein energy is so vast and violent, who will be the 'guide'? And how can we accurately find the 'reverse scale'?" Di Renjie asked urgently while waving his token to repel a black-clad assassin.
"I'm here to find 'The Reverse Scale'!" Yi Xing's voice was resolute. "I will use 'Astrological Calculation' to forcibly deduce its location! As for the guide..." His voice lowered, "it needs someone... with an extremely keen sense of energy, and willing to risk their life... to guide it to the designated location..."
A brief, deathly silence fell over the underground. Everyone understood that this "guide" was almost certainly doomed. The violent ley line energy entering the body would cause an immediate and fatal explosion, and even if successful, there was no chance of survival in the blast center of the energy clash.
"Though a single spark may be small, it can start a prairie fire; as long as our faith remains, our spirit will never die. Who else but me should shoulder this responsibility of guiding the earth's veins?"
Ming Shiyin spoke slowly, his voice eerily calm. He pushed aside Di Renjie, who was supporting him, and took a step forward. The chaotic aura around him was forcibly suppressed, and the cinnabar mark on his forehead erupted with an unprecedented, intense red light, as if burning with life! He was actually going to use himself as a vessel and conduit to forcibly draw in and guide the earth's vein energy, which was capable of destroying the world!
“Mr. Ming!” Di Renjie called out urgently.
“Master!” Pei Qinhu’s tiger eyes were filled with tears.
"No need for further words." Ming Shiyin interrupted them, his gaze falling on the core crystal sphere on the floating stone platform that was about to be repaired. A complex and enigmatic smile curved his lips, containing determination, mockery, and perhaps... a trace of relief that no one could understand. "Yi Xing, let's begin."
From the other end of the jade talisman came a muffled groan from Yi Xing, as if he were enduring immense pain. Immediately afterward, a profound and mysterious intent, penetrating the jade talisman, was directly imprinted into Ming Shi Yin's mind—an incredibly complex and constantly shifting energy structure diagram, with one point flashing a scarlet light representing extreme danger and instability! This was the location of the "Reverse Scale"!
“Found it…” Ming Shiyin muttered to himself, suddenly raising his hands upwards in a lifting motion!
In an instant, the earth's veins seemed to be activated throughout Chang'an! A vast, powerful, and vibrant earth-yellow energy, ignoring the numerous barriers beneath the earth, pierced through the rock layers and converged towards Ming Shiyin like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea! His body was instantly enveloped in a thick earth-yellow light, his robes billowed, his hair danced wildly, and the vermilion mark on his forehead dripped with blood!
"Stop him!" Mo Zun's expression finally changed, and for the first time, he showed a solemn look. He raised his hand and a jet-black beam of light, imbued with the will of destruction, shot straight at Ming Shiyin!
"Don't even think about it!" Despite their serious injuries, Di Renjie, Pei Qinhu, and Li Yuanfang mustered their last strength and desperately stood in front of Ming Shiyin!
boom!
The jet-black beam of light collided with the combined force of the three, unleashing a deafening roar! Di Renjie's token shattered, Pei Qinhu coughed up blood and flew backward again, and Li Yuanfang's flying wheel wailed as it bounced away! The three were even more seriously injured, but they had ultimately managed to withstand the attack!
In that precious moment that he had gained, Ming Shiyin made his move! Despite enduring the immense pain of being infused with the earth vein energy, and with cracks already appearing on his body, he still precisely followed the direction indicated by Yi Xing, directing the vast and powerful earth vein energy that had gathered, like guiding a flood, to slam it fiercely into the scarlet "reverse scale" in the energy vein of the altar!
There was no loud noise, no explosion.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
The moment that "reverse scale" came into contact with the pure earth vein's righteous energy, it was like an ice cube being thrown into boiling oil, emitting a silent yet soul-shaking wail! Immediately afterward, starting from this point, the entire energy network that had been twisted and constructed by the "Ink of the Dark Night" began to disintegrate in a chain reaction, like dominoes being toppled!
The eerie blue light flickered rapidly and erratically, causing energy channels to twist, break, and explode! Large swaths of runes on the altar dimmed and shattered! The cracks on the core crystal sphere suddenly widened, emitting a teeth-grinding cracking sound!
"No—!" Mo Heng (Qianji) let out a furious roar of unwillingness, and the compass in his hand shattered into pieces with a "crack"!
Mo Zun's aura fluctuated violently, and for the first time, an expression of disbelief appeared in his eyes beneath the ghost mask.
The backlash from the earth's vein energy mixed with the collapsing energy of the "Hun Tian Shu Ji" (a powerful energy source), creating an even more violent turbulent current that raged wildly throughout the entire underground space!
"Go!" Ming Shiyin shouted with his last bit of strength, his body falling backward like a kite with a broken string, only to be caught by Pei Qinhu, who struggled to his feet.
Di Renjie took a deep breath, the golden token phantom protecting everyone. Li Yuanfang supported him, and Pei Qinhu carried the unconscious Ming Shiyin on his back. Taking advantage of the energy turbulence and the enemy's disarray, they rushed towards the passage that had been blocked when they came! Due to the energy collapse, the gate there had become loose!
Behind them lay the hellish scene of the collapse of the "Ink of the Night" plan, the suppressed rage of the Ink Lord, like a volcano about to erupt, and the resentful and unwilling gaze of the Ink Lord (Qianji).
The spark of hope has not been extinguished, and hope still remains. But this fierce battle is far from over.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
