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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Yuan gasped for breath, sweat trickling down his cheeks. The battle at the Entrance of the Dragon Vein Ruins had been ongoing for nearly half an hour, and they were surrounded by an unknown force, their situation precarious.
"Damn it, where did these people come from?" Zhou Haoran leaned against Lin Yuan, the high-tech device in his hand emitting a faint blue light, barely maintaining a protective barrier.
Su Jiu'er’s expression was grave as the Ancient Compass in her hand trembled violently, producing a piercing hum. "They’re after the dragon vein; the energy fluctuations are unusual."
Lin Yuan’s gaze sharpened as he scanned the dozen or so black-clad figures surrounding them. The Spiritual Energy Fluctuation emanating from them was bizarre, unlike that of ordinary Cultivators. More unsettling was the woman at the forefront—Lu Min—her eyes cold as a serpent, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"Lin Yuan, you truly disappoint me." Lu Min stepped forward slowly, her Lingqi coalescing around her like a tangible force. "What was the first lesson I taught you? Never expose your back to the enemy."
"Stop pretending!" Lin Yuan gritted his teeth. "You poisoned me at the martial arts championship three years ago, didn’t you?"
Lu Min chuckled softly, not denying it. "That was merely a small test to see if you were worthy of accessing true power. Unfortunately, you failed."
"Lin Yuan, don’t let her provoke you!" Li Honghe suddenly interjected. His team of Tianhua Kingdom Cultivators was engaged in combat with the black-clad figures on the periphery. "She’s stalling for time!"
No sooner had he spoken than Lu Min struck with sudden ferocity, a blade of Lingqi shooting toward Lin Yuan's throat. He barely managed to dodge, but his shoulder was still grazed, leaving a trail of blood.
"Damn!" Lin Yuan inhaled sharply, feeling a burning sensation at the wound. "This isn’t an ordinary Lingqi attack."
"Of course not." Lu Min waved the jade pendant in her hand triumphantly. "This is an attack infused with Lingqi from parallel worlds; your meager skills can’t withstand it."
Lin Yuan felt a weight in his heart. He attempted to activate the Time Manipulator but found he could only pause time for one second—far too little to turn the tide of battle. The fighting around him intensified; although Li Honghe’s Tianhua Kingdom Cultivators were formidable, they were gradually falling behind against these strange assailants.
"Lin Yuan, I can feel it!" Su Jiu'er suddenly whispered. "Their attacks follow a pattern; there’s a momentary energy delay before each strike!"
Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up as he observed closely. Indeed, each time those black-clad figures prepared to attack, the black wristbands on their arms would flicker before their Lingqi erupted.
"This is some kind of energy conversion device," Lin Yuan analyzed. "They’re borrowing external power!"
At that moment, a figure in black broke through Zhou Haoran's protective barrier and struck him in the chest. Zhou Haoran spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered backward.
"Hao Ran!" Lin Yuan shouted angrily, a surge of spiritual energy erupting within him, but it was easily neutralized by Lu Min.
"Don't waste your energy," Lu Min sneered. "You all will die here today. The secrets of the Dragon Vein Ruins are not for you to touch."
Seeing the dire situation, Lin Yuan suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Jiu'er, can you locate the core of their energy?"
Su Jiu'er understood immediately and quickly began to operate the compass in her hands. "Give me thirty seconds!"
Lin Yuan took a deep breath, deciding to go all in. He closed his eyes and activated the third function of the Time Manipulator—Time Reversal.
The world twisted and blurred before his eyes, then began to flow backward. The attacks from the figures in black played out like a reversed film; Zhou Haoran's injuries vanished, and everyone returned to their positions before the battle began.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes, beads of cold sweat covering his forehead. Time Reversal had drained a significant amount of his spiritual energy and mental strength, but at least it gave them a chance to start over.
"What's wrong? You look terrible," Su Jiu'er asked with concern.
Lin Yuan quietly explained the Time Reversal to her and quickly formulated a new strategy. "Jiu'er, use the compass to locate their energy core; Hao Ran, get your equipment ready to disrupt their energy output; Li Honghe, you all flank from the side."
Everyone nodded and took their positions. This time, Lin Yuan chose not to recklessly confront them but instead waited patiently for Lu Min's appearance.
Sure enough, within five minutes, Lu Min and her group reappeared at the entrance of the Dragon Vein Ruins.
"Lin Yuan, I didn't expect to see you here," Lu Min's tone remained icy, but Lin Yuan already knew what she was about to say.
"Cut the nonsense, Lu Min." Lin Yuan interrupted her directly. "I know you poisoned during the martial arts tournament three years ago, and I know you're after the dragon vein."
Lu Min's expression changed slightly. "It seems you know quite a bit."
"Much more than you can imagine," Lin Yuan sneered, casting a glance at Su Jiu'er.
Understanding his cue, Su Jiu'er quickly spun the compass in her hand, which emitted a faint glow. A few seconds later, she whispered, "Found it, in the jade pendant on Lu Min's chest."
Lin Yuan nodded and signaled Zhou Haoran. Zhou Haoran immediately activated the device in his hand, and an invisible wave spread out.
The black-clad figures suddenly noticed that their wristbands flickered and became sluggish, while their Lingqi output also became unstable.
"What’s going on?" Lu Min frowned, feeling the temperature of the jade pendant drop sharply.
At that moment, Li Honghe issued a command, and the Cultivators from Tianhua Kingdom launched a surprise attack from the side, catching the black-clad figures off guard.
"Now!" Lin Yuan seized the opportunity to activate the Time Manipulator, causing time to briefly freeze around him. Like a ghost, he traversed the battlefield and appeared before Lu Min, reaching out for the jade pendant.
As time resumed its flow, Lu Min was horrified to find Lin Yuan just inches away. She instinctively recoiled, but it was too late.
Silver light glimmered at Lin Yuan's fingertips as he activated his Material Decomposition Ability. Fine cracks appeared on the surface of the pendant as its Energy Core rapidly disintegrated.
"No!" Lu Min screamed as the pendant erupted with blinding light before turning to dust.
With their energy source lost, the black-clad figures' strength plummeted and they were quickly subdued by Li Honghe and others. Lu Min's face turned pale, a flicker of fear crossing her eyes before she transformed into a cloud of black mist and vanished from sight, leaving behind only a small fragment of the jade pendant.
"Don't chase her; she's gone," Lin Yuan said as he bent down to pick up the fragment. He noticed it was inscribed with peculiar runes that bore an astonishing resemblance to those in the Ancient Martial Arts Manuscript he had obtained.
"What is this?" Zhou Haoran leaned in curiously.
"I don't know, but it must be related to Ancient Martial Arts Techniques," Lin Yuan replied with a frown as he tucked the fragment into his pocket.
Su Jiu'er approached him, her compass still vibrating slightly in her hand. "Lin Yuan, how did you do that? You were suddenly right in front of Lu Min."
Lin Yuan smiled wryly. "The ability of the Time Manipulator is powerful, but it comes at a great cost. My Lingqi is nearly depleted, and I won't be able to use it again in a short time."
Li Honghe approached with several Cultivators from the Tianhua Kingdom, a complex expression on his face. "Lin Yuan, your ability is quite unique. However, we have more pressing matters to attend to—the Entrance to the Dragon Vein Ruins is just ahead."
Lin Yuan nodded, but his vigilance did not wane. The appearance and escape of Lu Min, along with the connection between the jade pendant and the Ancient Martial Arts Techniques, indicated that they were about to face a much larger conspiracy.
"Let's go. Since we're here, we might as well see what secrets the Dragon Vein Ruins hold." Lin Yuan took a deep breath and stepped forward.
At the Entrance stood an ancient stone door, covered in peculiar runes that matched those on the fragments of the jade pendant. As Lin Yuan approached, the runes suddenly glowed faintly, and the stone door slowly opened, revealing a deep passageway.
"It recognizes you," Su Jiu'er said in surprise, "or perhaps it recognizes something about you."
Lin Yuan thoughtfully touched the Ancient Martial Arts Manuscript and the jade pendant fragments in his possession. "It seems this is no coincidence."
Just as everyone was about to step into the passageway, Lin Yuan suddenly felt a wave of unease wash over him, as if something terrifying was waiting for them in the depths.
"Be careful," Lin Yuan whispered. "I can't shake the feeling that Lu Min escaped too easily; there might be traps inside."
The group nodded solemnly. The secrets of the Dragon Vein Ruins awaited their discovery, but none knew what dangers or opportunities lay ahead.
Lin Yuan took one last look at the sky behind him, took a deep breath, and stepped into the dark passageway.
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