As the moonlight crystallized into ice shards and fell upon the steps, the remnants of Qin Si's fingertip trailed along the winding patterns of the Xuan Tie Demon Binding Shackles.
The three-finger-wide instrument was wedged between the arms of the infant Oujie, and every sound Luna made caused the chains to emerge with a blood curse.
"You all seem quite relaxed." Qin Si crushed a Peering Eye that had emerged from the crevice of the steps, and as he raised his hand, the Wisteria Dark Pattern surged. "Just a quarter of an hour ago, you fed the Soul Devouring Beast with a Magic Crystal, and now you're worried about the sacrifice?"
The murmurs abruptly ceased.
At the Eighth Layer Turn Corner, two Deer Horn Demons hurriedly stuffed half-peeled Moonlight Rays back into a water tank.
The older one stared at the Crystal Pacifier swaying in Luna's hair, swallowing a sigh as his Adam's apple bobbed—this Crystal Pacifier was clearly made from Amber of Soul Requiem, which could only be found in the Forbidden Grounds of the Demon Fortress.
As Xiao Warden swept past the wall covered in Moss with his Dark Cloak, it stirred up a series of delicate Yin Ling sounds.
Kneeling to inspect the Demon Binding Shackles caused all eighteen gates of hell to illuminate with seals, yet when his Palm's Judgment Flame touched the infant's skin, it suddenly shrank into Ying Huo.
"The Dark Abyss currently holds seventy-six Fallen Demon Corpses." Qin Si suddenly yanked on the chains, causing Luna's wrist to reveal purple marks that matched those on the altar's Golden Hair. "The Lady of the Fortress specifically instructed that this Little Monster should witness those rotting corpses being devoured by evil energy—"
"The third rule of Demon Prison Discipline." Xiao Warden suddenly used Leonard's Sword to flick open Qin Si's sleeve. The Judgment Court Emblem emitted an eerie blue light beneath Jian Feng. "The Warden has the right to refuse orders that threaten the balance of the abyss." At that moment, a tail feather from the Soul Devouring Bird attached to his Jian Sui suddenly exploded, and Luna's ankle's Sealing Array resonated with the Celestial Star Map.
A muffled sound of chains breaking echoed from underground, and Lucius’s Leonard's Sword wrapped in bandages suddenly oozed Blood Pearls.
As he kicked aside an obstructing One-Eyed Demon Guardian and burst in, he saw Luna biting onto Qin Si's waist where a soul bottle hung—that was his Dragon Soul Storage Device lost last month.
"Sister can't even crawl but can steal Dragon Souls through a Triple Barrier?" Lucius pressed his sword tip against Qin Si's throat when Luna unexpectedly spat out a Milk Foam laced with Xing Mang at him.
In that instant when the bubble burst, everyone present saw within the floating starlight a scene reflecting three days ago during a private discussion in his study—Qin Si was presenting the Dragon Soul Storage Device to the Judicial Court Envoy.
Xiao Warden suddenly crushed his Waist Jade Tablet, causing the entire Demon Prison’s Defensive Formation to emit a roar akin to a dragon awakening.
A deep echoing warning came from beneath his Xuan Tie Mask: "What sleeps in the Dark Abyss is no ordinary evil; if awakened..." Before Xiao Warden could finish speaking, a long Longyin resonated from deep underground.
The Celestial Star Map suddenly twisted into a vortex, and those stars that had been moving in orderly fashion began to swim backward, casting inverted Twelve Zodiac Palaces patterns within Luna's aqua blue pupils.
"How dare the lackeys of the Abyssal Tribunal speak of balance?" Qin Si said, her pinky finger stained with Balsam Juice hooking onto the chains. Suddenly, dozens of dark purple Blood Vessels crawled out from the Demon Binding Shackles. "Last night, the lady personally fed this Nefarious Offspring with demonic blood—" Before she could finish, Luna tilted her head and bit down on one of the Blood Vessels, the sound of her sucking so loud that it nearly caused the Deer Horn Demon in the corner to knock over the water jar of Moonlight Ray.
The breath beneath the Xiao Warden's mask quickened, and a Firefly Swarm formed from Judgment Flame suddenly lunged toward Luna's swaddling.
Just as the flames were about to touch the Silk embroidered with Requiem, a half Inverse Pentagram appeared at the base of the infant's neck. The Firefly Swarm instantly transformed into Xiao Yu, cascading down and watering a large patch of glowing Nightshade Grass on the Stone Steps.
"Tang Tang?" Luna suddenly pounded her drool-covered fist against Xing Jia, causing the Crystal Pacifier to ripple gold within the Sealing Array as it swayed.
Her round little Toes curled and then spread out, leaving several small Footprints marked with Xing Hui on the Humid Ground. "Berry Juice?"
The One-Eyed Demon Guardian, who was repairing the Peering Eye, trembled as a Magic Eye rolled off his Steel Fork and landed by Luna's feet.
The infant Laughter giggled and reached out to grab it, but as soon as her Fingertip touched the Bloodshot eyeball, it transformed into pure Moonstone.
From deep within the Eighth Layer came a clattering sound of chains echoing back and forth, as if thousands of prisoners were bowing behind barred doors.
The Xiao Warden suddenly removed his cloak and spread it over the damp Azure Brick, his Xuan Tie Mask nearly brushing against Luna's upturned nose.
The tail feathers of the Soul Devouring Bird perched on his Jian Sui stirred without wind, weaving a secret message audible only to Great Mages in Luna's ear: "Behind the East Side Third Wall Brick lies a Crying Face Mushroom; hanging from the West Corridor Seventh Iron Grate is a Honeydew Spider Nest."
Luna's Pupil suddenly constricted into a vertical line, and her Crystal Pacifier emitted a blinding Strong Light.
The Xiao Warden quickly pressed two fingers against her Mei Xin, dark Golden Incantation winding down along the infant's Azure Blood Vessel, temporarily sealing away those restless Starlight Powers within her ankle's Sealing Array.
"If you hear the Mist Demon with a Silver Bell say they want to show you butterflies..." The Xiao Warden paused, pulling out a piece of ink jade engraved with the Court of Judgment Emblem from his Waist. In front of everyone, he crushed it into powder and smeared it onto Luna's Xing Jia. "Then throw this into its eyes."
Lucius suddenly broke into a violent Cough, blood soaking through the bandages wrapped around his sword hilt.
The Long Jing embedded in his Leonard's Sword let out a piercing Screech, uncontrollably pointing toward Xiao Warden's back.
At that moment, however, Luna blew out a stream of bubbles, each reflecting different angles of the Magic Castle Library—exactly where Three Days Ago Lucius had personally hidden the Dragon Soul Storage Device within the Hidden Layer of Abyssal Species Codex on Leonard's Last Night.
Qin Si coldly laughed as she crushed the Nightshade Grass that attempted to cling to her skirt. Suddenly, the soul bottle at her waist began to seep out black mist.
The mist coalesced in the air into the outline of a Judicial Court Envoy, but before it could fully take shape, it was dispersed by Luna's sneeze.
The purple bruise on Baby Wrist suddenly surged, draining the remaining Dragon Soul from the soul bottle, startling the two Deer Horn Demons who hurriedly shielded Moonlight Ray behind them.
As the sound of chains breaking echoed again from the Underground, Xiao Warden suddenly sliced his fingertip, flicking a Blood Pearl toward the Eighteen Gates of Hell.
The moment the Ancient Bloodline Seal was awakened, the walls of the Demon Prison emerged with massive Dragon Scale patterns.
Those patterns shifted colors continuously at Luna's command, ultimately converging into a reverse scale-shaped Light Spot at the Dome.
"Kindness?" Qian Si Embroidered Shoes suddenly had an Azure Green Snake dart out, its tongue flicking as it snatched away the Chen Lu hanging from Luna's earlobe. "Did Xiao Warden forget that last month’s offering was a Witchling..." She deliberately elongated her tone, as the Wisteria Dark Pattern crawled up the Skirt Hem and bloomed into large Phantom Flowers adorned with Poison Spikes on the stone pillar.
Xiao Warden's Xuan Tie Mask suddenly cracked open with a fine seam, and within the abyssal echo, a hint of mortal Tremor mixed in.
The Judgment Court Emblem on his Leonard's Sword began to peel away piece by piece, revealing an Ancient Emblem eroded by time beneath it—clearly depicting the totem of the Guardian Dragon Clan that had been extinct for three hundred years.
Qin Si's Phantom Flower on her Skirt Hem abruptly bloomed, with Luminous Green Liquid seeping from its Poison Spike tip.
The Pillar to which the Wisteria Dark Pattern clung hissed with corrosive sounds but froze into frost just inches from Xiao Warden's toes.
The chains entwined around her Fingertip suddenly tightened, and Luna's Wrist bruise sprouted fine scales, corroding Xuan Tie and Xing Jia into wisps of Qing Yan.
"Kindness?" The tail feathers of the Soul Devouring Bird on Xiao Warden's Jian Sui suddenly stood upright. The Firefly Swarm formed from Judgment Flame gathered on his shoulder into a Balance Totem. "What was sent last month was a Heart Devourer mixed with the abyss, not some Witchling." He flicked away a Blood Pearl seeping from the mask's crack; upon hitting the ground, it transformed into three Ouroboros rings that crushed all of Qin Si's writhing Poison Spikes beneath her feet.
Luna suddenly reached out her small hand toward the Judgment Flame balance. From the Strong Light emitted by her Crystal Pacifier emerged an image of Qin Si sneaking into the dungeon late at night—inside a Liang Jin Food Box wrapped in Wisteria Dark Pattern was clearly something that should have been executed: a Heart-Eating Demon Larva.
The two Deer Horn Demons were so frightened that they shed their Moonlight Ray scales all over. One scale floated to Luna's Palm and instantly transformed into a Crystal Prism reflecting Qin Si's pale face.
"It seems that the Soul Devouring Beast prefers the flavor of Judicial Court Envoy." Lucius suddenly wrapped Qin Si's neck with blood-stained bandages, aiming Long Jing on Jian Feng directly at her Mei Xin spirit platform. "Perhaps Third Young Master Lucius should take a moment to cool off in Ninth Ice Cave?" Before Xiao Warden finished speaking, the Dome’s reverse scale Light Spot suddenly cast down Ice Blue Chains, freezing Qin Si along with her soul bottle at her waist into an Amber statue.
Luna crawled toward the Ice Sculpture, her pink knees scraping against the Azure Brick, leaving behind a faint trace of Xing Hui.
As her Crystal Pacifier struck the icy surface, a sudden sobbing sound emanated from the frozen soul bottle, causing the seals of the Eighteen Gates of Hell to flicker ominously.
The Xiao Warden quickly shaped the Judgment Flame into a warm furnace hovering above the baby's head. Just then, Luna tilted her head and expelled a Rainbow bubble that perfectly ensnared the Azure Green Snake attempting to slither away.
"Mei Mei... thank you." The baby suddenly tapped the Ice Surface with her saliva-covered knuckles, and to everyone's astonishment, the frozen Wisteria Dark Pattern faded into a pure Silver White.
Deep within Qin Si's Pupil, the Court of Judgment Brand became clearly visible under the refracted ice crystals, startling the One-Eyed Demon Guardian and causing his Steel Fork to clatter to the ground. The edges of that Brand bore distinct serrated burn marks characteristic of the dragon clan's Forbidden Technique.
Lucius suddenly stepped back, pressing down on his blood-soaked bandage. The sword hilt of Long Jing reflected a fleeting golden glimmer in his eyes.
The bandage wrapped around his Leonard's Sword spontaneously ignited, and Ashes fell to the ground, forming incomplete Dragon Language Runes.
Seeing this, Luna abruptly struck the Ice Surface. The frozen soul bottle shattered in response, and fragments of Dragon Soul began to weave around her, creating a Starlight Swaddle.
"Everyone step back." Lucius's blood-stained fingertip brushed against Jian Feng. Where Long Jing's light swept across, all curses monitoring the Magic Guardians' armor peeled away.
As he crushed the last piece of ice with his Boot Heel, the Celestial Star Map completed its twelfth reverse rotation, casting a faint reflection of an Inverse Pentagram in Luna's Mei Xin.
The metallic scraping sound of Xiao Warden sheathing his sword startled the Soul Devouring Bird's tail feathers. Those feathers spontaneously wove themselves into a Cradle, gently lifting Luna off the Ground.
The cracks in his Xuan Tie Mask had spread down to his jawline, seeping out Blood Pearls infused with Dragon's Blood Incense. "Third Young Master Lucius should know that what is missing from the Dragon Soul Storage Device is not just..."
Luna suddenly let out a laugh reminiscent of Yin Ling. Seven Transparent Tentacles emerged from her Starlight Swaddle, wrapping around Lucius just as he was about to speak.
As the thinnest Tentacle reached for his Heart, Luna's Liuli Color eyes reflected a secret never revealed by Lucius, The Third Son of the Demon Fortress—a Dragon Clan Reverse Scale embedded between his ribs, glowing with a dark purple radiance akin to that of an Abyssal Evil Dragon.
Lucius's blood-stained bandage ignited spontaneously without wind, and Ashes coalesced in mid-air into half-formed remnants of a Dragon Contract.
At the moment Luna's starry Tentacles touched the Contract Text, they abruptly turned transparent. From the light bursting forth from her Crystal Pacifier emerged glimpses of Leonard's Last Night at an ancient altar—three reverse scales were bizarrely aligning at odd angles to form the outline of some Forbidden Totem.
As the starlight tentacles danced between the contract text, Luna suddenly poked a bubble with her finger, stained with milk.
Amidst the unique cooing of an infant mixed with the broken syllables of an ancient spell, the earrings made of dragon scales hanging from Lucius's earlobes cracked under the pressure.
"Brother San, it hurts." Luna suddenly bumped her forehead against the light cocoon, her liuli-colored pupils reflecting the faint outline of Lucius's contract mark on the nape of his neck. "The dragon is crying." The ice crystal she pressed against flickered, revealing Leonard's last night from three hundred years ago—young Lucius kneeling before an altar, his spine being forcibly embedded with dark purple reverse scales.
Lucius's pupils constricted violently, and the hilt of his sword shattered in response.
As shards splattered and touched Luna's swaddling, they were unexpectedly devoured by the starlight swaddle, transforming into a new addition to the sealing array around her ankle—Xing Mang.
"You really..." His bloodied fingertip suddenly gripped the back of the infant's neck but was scorched by contact with Luna's inverse pentagram, leaving a scorch mark. "When did you find out?"
Luna tilted her head and bit down on the edge of the cradle woven from soul-devouring bird feathers. The crystal pacifier swayed as she mumbled indistinctly, "Tang Tang... dragon scale candy..." Suddenly, she tugged at her hair tips made of amber from Soul Requiem. In that moment, they transformed into a miniature crystal ball—the very memory container Lucius had hidden in the magic castle clock tower when he was ten years old.
The judgment flame of the Xiao Warden surged suddenly, forcing back the approaching magic guardian by three steps.
The cracks in his Xuan Tie mask had spread to his collarbone, seeping golden blood that carried a sulfur smell. "Third Young Master Lucius, you must think carefully; what gets stripped away during a contract backlash is not just dragon scales."
Luna suddenly let out a laugh reminiscent of Yin Ling as starlight tentacles wrapped around remnants of Lucius's Leonard's sword bandages.
The blood-stained strips pieced together a fragmented dragon language iris in the infant's palm. As the seventh blood text emerged, the entire demon prison’s dragon scale pattern lit up with dark purple radiance.
"The reincarnation spell of the great mage requires a pure container." Lucius suddenly cut through his palm with Jian Feng, allowing blood to paint an inverse pentagram formation on the ice surface. "But your body right now..." His voice trailed off as Luna began gnawing at the warm furnace formed by judgment flame with her milk tooth; the essence spilling from her teeth surprisingly repaired the cracks in Xiao Warden's mask.
The infant reached out and grasped the floating crystal ball, within which emerged Lucius’s late-night infiltration into the forbidden library during Leonard's last night.
His trembling fingertip brushed over a page of the Reincarnation Forbidden Record astrolabe, where yellowed parchment clearly depicted an inverse pentagram formation that perfectly matched Luna’s.
The tail feathers of the soul-devouring bird suddenly emitted a sharp cry as chains sealing the eighteen gates of hell resonated together.
Luna’s starlight swaddle moved without wind, casting a shadow on the ice surface that revealed the outline of an adult woman.
As the shadow raised its hand to caress Lucius's Heart, the frozen Qin Si Ice Sculpture suddenly shattered, and the Wisteria Dark Pattern struck like a venomous snake towards the infant's nape.
"Open Yumen," Luna suddenly spoke in clear Ancient Language, and the Strong Light emitted by the Crystal Pacifier froze the Wisteria Dark Pattern in mid-air.
Her chubby fingers accurately pointed to the Azure Bronze Beast Head door knocker at the deepest part of the Eighth Layer, where the frost that had condensed on it was melting into blood at an eerie speed.
Leonard's Sword suddenly flew out of its sheath, and as Jian Feng pierced the ground, it stirred up a circular wave of air.
After the Judgment Court Emblem completely peeled away, the Sword Body revealed a fierce dragon pattern that resonated with the Scale Pattern on the walls of the Demon Prison.
His single-handed Jie Yin gesture bore an ancient formality from three hundred years ago. When the Eighteenth Seal was lifted, the black mist spilling from the Door Gap actively parted for Luna's Starlight Swaddle.
Lucius suddenly pressed down on Heart's reverse scale and took a half step back, blood spilling from his mouth and painting a struggling Long Shadow on the Ice Surface.
The remaining Dragon Crystal Fragment from Leonard's Sword suddenly flew towards Luna, forming a swirling Star Trail around the infant.
As the last piece of Long Jing vanished into the swaddle, the Star Map of the Demon Prison Dome abruptly resumed normal operation, with only three Main Stars missing in the direction of Celestial Palace.
The Eye of the World atop the Magic Castle Clock Tower suddenly turned towards the northwest, and the clicking sound of turning gears startled a resting Night Owl.
At the moment Luna's Starlight Swaddle touched the Yumen copper ring, far away in the secret chamber of Court of Judgment, the Crystal Hourglass unexpectedly reversed. What spilled out was no longer Yin Sha but Obsidian Powder mixed with fragments of Dragon Scales.
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