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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Yuan kicked open the last Metal Puppet, shattering the Spirit Core in its chest with precision. The puppet let out a piercing metallic screech before collapsing to the ground.
"Damn, these scrap heaps are tough to deal with." Lin Yuan flexed his wrist. Although the battle had been perilous, it had also allowed him to master the Time Manipulator abilities more adeptly.
Zhou Haoran slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. "My God, is this the legendary ancient mechanism? It nearly cost me my life!"
Su Jiu'er tucked the Ancient Compass into her arms, her eyes still alert. "Don't let your guard down; this is just the first line of defense." She pointed toward a massive stone door ahead. "The real Core Area is beyond that."
The stone door was intricately carved with dragon patterns, each line flowing with faint Lingqi that glimmered with a soft blue light in the darkness.
"How do we open this door?" Zhang Qiang stepped forward to touch the stone door but was pushed back by a sudden force.
Lin Yuan closed his eyes and activated his Guan Qi Abilities. In his perception, the dragon patterns on the door seemed alive, with Lingqi flowing through them, forming a complex formation.
"It's the Nine Dragon Locking Spirit Formation," Lin Yuan opened his eyes. "We need nine different attributes of Lingqi injected simultaneously into nine dragon eye positions to unlock it."
Su Jiu'er looked at him in surprise. "How do you know that?"
"I read about something similar in an ancient text," Lin Yuan shrugged. "But we only have five people, and our Lingqi attributes aren't diverse enough."
"I have a solution." Su Jiu'er took out a small box from her backpack and opened it to reveal nine differently colored spirit stones. "I brought these from the Qi Yun Investigation Bureau; they will be perfect for this."
She distributed the spirit stones among them. "Each person takes two stones. I'll direct us; inject your Lingqi simultaneously on my command."
The five of them took their positions, holding the spirit stones as instructed by Su Jiu'er, injecting their Lingqi into the dragon eyes. As the last surge of Lingqi was poured in, the dragon patterns on the stone door suddenly blazed with brilliant light, accompanied by a deep rumble as the massive door slowly creaked open.
A rich and almost tangible Lingqi surged forth from within, causing everyone to instinctively take a few steps back.
"Such dense Lingqi!" Zhou Haoran exclaimed. "This place is practically a treasure trove of Lingqi!"
Lin Yuan took a deep breath, feeling the exhilaration of Lingqi within him. This pure Lingqi was invaluable to cultivators; no wonder so many were vying for it.
"Be careful; let's go take a look inside." Lin Yuan stepped forward first and walked through the stone door.
Inside the stone gate was a vast circular stone chamber, its ceiling embedded with countless glowing crystals that illuminated the entire space. At the center of the chamber stood a circular platform, upon which rested an object—a roughly three-foot-long ancient Jade Ruler, its body a translucent jade green, covered in mysterious runes.
The Jade Ruler emanated a strong Spiritual Energy Fluctuation, almost as if it were alive, drawing everyone's gaze.
"This is..." Su Jiu'er exclaimed, her eyes widening and her voice trembling with excitement. "The legendary Dragon Vein Jade Ruler! An artifact from ancient times used to channel the power of dragon veins!"
Lin Yuan was about to step forward for a closer look when he suddenly felt a strong sense of danger. He turned sharply to see a group of figures silently appearing on the other side of the chamber.
"Indeed, Mr. Lin, your perception is remarkable," said the leading man with a smile as he approached. Dressed in a white long robe and wearing exquisite round glasses, he appeared both refined and authoritative.
"Li Honghe!" Su Jiu'er gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"The chairman of the Tianhua National Qi Gong Association, Li Honghe?" Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes, watching him warily. He had heard of this name before—the master of combining science and Lingqi in the parallel world of Tianhua Kingdom, and the actual controller of the Qi Gong Association.
Behind Li Honghe stood over a dozen cultivators in matching attire, among whom one young man stood out. He was tall and had a gentle gaze but exuded an inexplicable sense of pressure.
"Zhao Yunfei is here too," Su Jiu'er said coldly.
"Long time no see, Director Su," Zhao Yunfei replied with a slight smile. "I didn't expect to meet you in such a place."
Li Honghe took a few steps forward, his gaze fixed on the Jade Ruler on the central platform. "The Dragon Vein Jade Ruler is indeed here. This artifact originally belongs to Tianhua Kingdom's cultural heritage and should rightfully be returned to us."
"Nonsense!" Zhou Haoran couldn't help but curse. "This site is on our territory; why should its contents belong to you?"
Li Honghe remained unfazed. "Historical documents clearly record that the Dragon Vein Jade Ruler is an ancient sacrificial item from our country, stolen abroad over a thousand years ago. Today, we are merely here to reclaim what belongs to us."
"Historical documents?" Lin Yuan scoffed. "You must have forged those claims. I've never heard such a story."
"Mr. Lin, please watch your words," Zhao Yunfei stepped forward, his tone calm yet his eyes glinting with danger. "We are here on official business and hope you can understand and cooperate."
"Cooperate my foot!" Zhang Qiang retorted angrily. "If you want it, just say so—no need for all this pretense!"
The atmosphere grew tense as both sides braced themselves for confrontation, nerves taut and ready for action at any moment.
Su Jiu'er took a deep breath, trying to ease the tension. "Chairman Li, Mr. Zhao, this artifact is of great significance and should not be monopolized by any one party. It belongs to the cultural heritage of all humanity and should be preserved and studied by professional institutions."
"Director Su is right," Li Honghe nodded. "But the question is, who will take care of it? Who will conduct the research? Our Tianhua Kingdom has the most advanced Lingqi research facilities and the most professional research team; it is only fitting that we manage it."
"Nonsense!" Zhou Haoran cursed again. "Your intention is clear—you want to monopolize the power of the artifact!"
"Doctor Zhou, please watch your language," Li Honghe's tone remained calm, but his gaze had turned icy. "Our Tianhua Kingdom has always been committed to the peaceful use of Lingqi science and never seeks personal gain."
"Heh." Lin Yuan sneered. "Then why did you sneak in instead of openly proposing a request through diplomatic channels?"
Zhao Yunfei smiled slightly. "Time is pressing; going through diplomatic channels would take too long. Besides, we are also concerned that certain individuals might sabotage our efforts."
"Certain individuals?" Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes. "Who do you mean?"
"The Qi Gong Association's Lu Min, and that woman named Han Lingyun," Zhao Yunfei stated bluntly. "They are already on their way and will stop at nothing to seize the artifact."
Lin Yuan and Su Jiu'er exchanged glances, both surprised by what they saw in each other's eyes. They knew about Lu Min, but how could Han Lingyun be involved?
Just as both sides were at a stalemate, an unexpected change occurred.
The Dragon Vein Jade Ruler on the platform suddenly emitted a dazzling light, and a powerful energy wave radiated from it, causing the entire stone chamber to shake violently as crystals from the ceiling began to fall.
"What’s happening?" Zhang Qiang shouted in panic.
"It’s Jade Ruler! It has been activated!" Su Jiu'er exclaimed. "It must have sensed our conflict!"
The tremors in the stone chamber grew more intense, cracks began to appear on the walls, and debris continued to fall.
"This is bad; the ruins are going to collapse!" Zhou Haoran shouted. "We need to get out of here quickly!"
"No!" Li Honghe and Lin Yuan shouted almost simultaneously.
They exchanged determined glances, both resolute that under no circumstances could they allow the Dragon Vein Jade Ruler to be buried in the ruins; that would be a tremendous loss for human civilization.
"We need to find a way to stabilize Jade Ruler's energy!" Su Jiu'er exclaimed urgently. "Otherwise, the entire site will be destroyed!"
"How do we stabilize it?" Zhao Yunfei asked.
Su Jiu'er quickly thought, "The runes on Jade Ruler are key to controlling its energy. We need to inject a specific sequence of Lingqi to balance its energy fluctuations."
"How many people do we need?" Li Honghe inquired.
"At least six people, each with different attributes of Lingqi," Su Jiu'er replied.
Li Honghe nodded without hesitation. "We will work together."
In this critical moment of life and death, both sides swiftly set aside their differences and formed a circle around Jade Ruler as instructed by Su Jiu'er, simultaneously injecting Lingqi into it.
As six different attributes of Lingqi were infused, the glow of Jade Ruler gradually stabilized, and the tremors in the stone chamber slowly subsided.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the runes on Jade Ruler suddenly lit up, projecting a luminous screen. Ancient text appeared within the screen, flowing slowly.
"This is..." Su Jiu'er widened her eyes. "Ancient Prophecy!"
She quickly translated, "When the power of the dragon vein awakens, the world will undergo great changes. The holder of the Dragon Vein Jade Ruler will be able to guide the power of the dragon vein and alter the world's landscape. However, dark forces will also emerge, attempting to seize Jade Ruler's power. Only those with a just heart can truly harness Jade Ruler's strength and protect world peace."
The text on the screen continued to flow: "Beware of those who claim to be just; among them are those with ulterior motives. The true enemy often hides in the most inconspicuous places."
The final sentence of the prophecy left everyone present deep in thought. Who was the true enemy? Who were these so-called "just individuals"?
After the luminous screen vanished, Jade Ruler returned to calmness, standing quietly on the platform as if everything that had just occurred had never happened.
"This prophecy..." Lin Yuan frowned. "It seems to be warning us about something."
Li Honghe took a deep breath. "In any case, Jade Ruler is too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands."
"Then how about we temporarily cooperate?" Lin Yuan suggested. "Let’s jointly protect Jade Ruler until we clarify its true purpose and potential dangers."
Li Honghe thought for a moment and nodded. "That's fine, but on one condition—we need to assign people to take turns guarding, ensuring that neither side can act alone."
"Not a problem," Lin Yuan readily agreed.
At that moment, as the agreement was reached, Lin Yuan suddenly felt a pang of anxiety, as if something terrible was about to happen. He turned his gaze toward the stone chamber's entrance, sensing a chilling aura drawing near.
"Someone's coming," Lin Yuan warned in a low voice. "And it's more than one."
Su Jiu'er quickly took out a compass, its needle spinning wildly before finally pointing toward the entrance. "It's Han Lingyun! She’s brought a team and is approaching!"
"Damn it, how did she find this place so quickly?" Zhou Haoran cursed.
"There must be a traitor among us," Zhao Yunfei squinted. "Someone has leaked information."
This statement put everyone on high alert, casting suspicious glances at one another. Who was the traitor? Who was colluding with Han Lingyun?
Lin Yuan took a deep breath and looked at the Dragon Vein Jade Ruler. "No matter what, we must protect this artifact. Its significance goes beyond just a dispute between our two nations; it could determine the fate of the entire world."
Just then, footsteps echoed from the entrance of the stone chamber, growing closer.
Lin Yuan and Li Honghe exchanged glances, both readying themselves for battle. No matter who approached, they would not easily relinquish the Dragon Vein Jade Ruler.
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