dognovel Chapter 533 The First Appearance of the Dark Shadow
Chapter 533 The First Appearance of the Dark Shadow
As soon as I stepped into the secret chamber, a smell mixed with dust and withered spiritual energy hit me, and the cold, damp air made me shiver involuntarily.
This place is even more secluded than the outer side corridor, with bare walls. Only the broken jade tablet floating in the center exudes a faint but ancient aura.
Our eyes were immediately drawn to it.
“This is the core of the second node,” Elder Qingfeng’s voice was solemn. He stepped forward quickly, his aged fingers brushing across the surface of the jade tablet, but he dared not actually touch it. “But… it has been damaged to this extent.”
I took a few steps closer and saw it more clearly.
This jade tablet should have been a single, solid piece, but now it has been broken into seven or eight pieces, barely held together by a faint magical array. The runes engraved on the tablet are mostly blurry and indistinct, as if a layer had been worn away by a blunt object.
Most importantly, the light of the magic array, which was gathering fragments, was dimming at a visible speed, and each flicker was more difficult than the last.
“The Netherworld Sect was indeed well-prepared.” Wen Chen’s voice was as cold as ice. His sharp gaze swept over every corner of the jade tablet. “They didn’t have the ability to destroy the core of the formation directly, so they used this slow and steady approach to gradually wear down its spirituality. By the time we arrived, the core of the formation was already at its limit. With the slightest external intervention, it would completely collapse.”
Zi Ling's face was a little pale. She tightly gripped the malfunctioning communication talisman: "No wonder they dared to show themselves so openly. They had calculated that we were in a dilemma. There are pursuers outside, and the core of the formation inside is a trap that can be triggered at any moment."
“Now is not the time to dwell on this,” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. “Elder, is there a way to repair it? How much time do we have left?”
Elder Qingfeng frowned and pondered, "Repair is impossible. The only option is to forcibly infuse it with the purest spiritual power to activate the node before it completely collapses. However, this requires at least four Nascent Soul stage cultivators to cast spells simultaneously, and the fluctuations in spiritual power will be extremely large, which will inevitably attract enemies from outside. Fellow Immortal Kongling's illusion cannot last that long."
The ethereal immortal sighed softly, confirming Elder Qingfeng's concerns: "My illusion can only last for another half an incense stick at most. Those people in the black mist have already begun to suspect something."
Half an incense stick.
This time feels like a death knell, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
Even with Wen Chen, we can't muster four Nascent Soul stage cultivators at full strength. Besides, this move is tantamount to lighting a torch in the dark to tell the enemy that we are here.
"An inside man." I said the words through gritted teeth, my gaze sweeping over everyone present.
This thought had been growing wildly in my mind ever since Wen Chen pointed out that there were more than one group of enemies.
The Netherworld Sect has a thorough understanding of our whereabouts and the status of the nodes in the Reverse Fate Array. Without an inside contact, it would be impossible to achieve such precision.
My gaze slid from Elder Qingfeng's solemn face to Ziling's anxious expression, then to Senior Brother Lin's indignant look as he gripped his sword hilt, and finally landed on Wen Chen's unfathomable eyes.
He seemed to sense my scrutiny, nodded slightly, and told me with his eyes that he thought the same thing as me.
Who is the inside man?
This question is like a poisonous thorn, stuck deep in my heart.
At this moment, we are like grasshoppers tied to the same rope, but on that rope, there may be a knife that could cut us at any moment.
"Forget about the inside man for now!" Senior Brother Lin suddenly roared, pointing at the jade tablet with anxious and unwilling eyes. "Junior Sister Xiao Yao, Junior Brother Wen Chen, are we just going to wait here to die? We were just one step away from being able to... to defy fate and change Master's destiny!"
His words struck me like a heavy hammer blow.
Yes, Master.
The person who exhausted all his cultivation to protect me, and whose primordial spirit is now weakened and whose life hangs by a thread.
I promised him that no matter the cost, I would make sure he could stand in the sunlight again.
Thinking of his master's pale face and gentle instructions, a strange power surged from the depths of his dantian.
That is my unique chaotic spiritual power. It is different from any other spiritual energy in the world. It can encompass all things and also destroy everything.
Normally I would carefully hide it, afraid that someone would discover it, but now...
My twin crystals, those two wondrous stones that resonate perfectly with the chaotic spiritual energy, are now slightly warming in my palm.
I instinctively opened my hand, and a faint, almost imperceptible aura of chaos escaped from my fingertips.
In that instant, I was surprised to find that the jade tablet, which was on the verge of collapse, resonated faintly with my aura.
The feeling was strange, like a dying traveler smelling a faint trace of moisture in the desert.
A bold, almost insane idea took shape in my mind.
"I'll give it a try," I said, my voice not loud, but unusually firm.
All eyes immediately turned to me, filled with astonishment and confusion.
"Xiao Yao, don't act recklessly!" Elder Qingfeng was the first to object. "This array's core is extremely fragile. Although your cultivation has improved rapidly, your spiritual energy attribute clashes with the array. Forcibly intervening will only accelerate its collapse!"
“Elder, conventional methods are no longer working.” I looked him straight in the eye, my tone leaving no room for argument. “We have no time, and no choice. Rather than waiting to die, we should take a gamble.”
“But…” Zi Ling wanted to say something, but Wen Chen raised his hand to stop her.
Wen Chen walked to my side. He didn't ask anything, but just looked at me deeply. His eyes held inquiry, worry, but even more so, a kind of inexplicable trust.
He said in a deep voice, "How long do you need?"
I shook my head: "I don't know. But I can sense that it needs my strength."
“Alright.” Wen Chen said succinctly, then turned to the crowd and said, “I will protect Xiao Yao. Elder Qingfeng, Fellow Immortal Kongling, please set up an isolation barrier around the perimeter to shield energy fluctuations as much as possible. Senior Brother Lin, Ziling, you guard the entrance. No matter what happens, you must not let anyone disturb her.”
His arrangements were clear and organized, instantly stabilizing the somewhat chaotic situation.
Elder Qingfeng opened his mouth, but ultimately let out a long sigh and nodded.
At this point, there really is no better solution.
Without further hesitation, I walked to the broken jade tablet and sat down cross-legged.
I took a deep breath, shutting out all the distractions of the outside world.
My mind became completely absorbed, merging with the chaotic vortex of energy within my dantian.
"rise."
I silently recited a prayer in my heart, and slowly raised both palms. The twin crystals in my palms emitted a soft yet undeniable halo of light.
The chaotic spiritual energy was no longer a trickle, but transformed into two agile dragons, surging out along the meridians of my arm and gently wrapping around the floating jade tablet.
hum-
The jade tablet emitted a soft, mournful cry, as if resisting the intrusion of this foreign force.
The already dim light of the magic array on the monument flickered even more violently the moment the chaotic spiritual energy touched it, as if it would be extinguished at any moment.
My heart sank, and fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead. Had I made a mistake?
"Stay calm and trust your instincts." Wen Chen's voice suddenly rang in my ears, like a clear spring, instantly calming my troubled mind.
Yes, trust my gut feeling.
I could sense that the jade tablet was not resisting, but rather... yearning.
It is like a creature that has been thirsty for too long, instinctively showing fear and hesitation when faced with sudden rain.
I stopped forcing the injection and changed my strategy.
I made the chaotic spiritual power even gentler, like a spring breeze and rain, patiently seeping into every crack of the jade tablet to soothe its broken spirituality.
I could almost hear its ancient consciousness whispering to me, telling of its loneliness and wear and tear over thousands of years.
My spiritual power is no longer an outsider, but has become a repairman, carefully reconnecting the broken runes and reassembling the fading spiritual light.
Time passed by, and the room was eerily quiet, with only my increasingly heavy breathing being the only sound.
The consumption of chaotic spiritual energy was far greater than I had imagined. My face began to turn pale, and my body began to tremble slightly.
But the effect is significant.
The mournful cries of the jade tablet ceased, replaced by a pleasant hum.
The blurry runes began to become clearer little by little, and the broken parts were connected by gray light formed by chaotic spiritual power. The light emitted by the entire jade tablet also gradually changed from a dying gray-white to a soft halo full of vitality.
"It's a success..." Zi Ling couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation, her tone filled with unbelievable joy.
Seeing this, I felt a little more at ease and was preparing to make a final push to completely stabilize the core of the formation before activating it.
However, just as I channeled more spiritual energy into it, a sudden change occurred!
Inside the jade tablet, a black aura, extremely sinister and resentful, that I had not previously noticed, suddenly erupted!
It was like a venomous snake lurking in the core of the jade tablet, awakened by my chaotic spiritual power, and now it revealed its ferocious fangs.
This black aura is the complete opposite of my power; it is filled with an aura of destruction and filth, and it is the unique death curse of the Netherworld Sect!
My chaotic spiritual power collided with it instantly, and the two completely opposing forces stirred up a monstrous wave inside the small jade tablet.
I felt as if I had been struck by a heavy blow, and I coughed up a mouthful of blood. My body fell backward, but fortunately, Wen Chen, who had been guarding behind me, caught me in time.
"Xiao Yao!" Everyone was shocked.
I didn't bother wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth, and looked up in horror.
The jade tablet that had just stabilized was now trembling violently.
The original soft halo was replaced by violent gray and black colors, and the conflict between the two forces overwhelmed it.
The crack that I had barely managed to mend not only failed to heal, but instead spread at an even more terrifying speed amidst a series of ear-piercing "crack" sounds.
Fine, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the entire surface of the jade tablet in the blink of an eye, as if it would turn to dust completely under our watchful eyes at any moment.