Chapter 325: Runes Appear, Peril Traps the Heroes

The runes flickering on the surface of the energy sphere were like a demon's whispers, each flash accompanied by a wave of psychic impact.

Zhang Cheng felt his head buzzing, as though an invisible giant hammer were striking his nerves blow after blow.

He clenched his teeth and fought through the searing pain, but his vision began to blur.

The others were no better off — Xingji Xiake clutched his head, groaning in agony; Xingyun Zhizhe's face was deathly pale, the eyes behind his lenses stripped of their usual brilliance; even the normally steady mechanic A li had his head in his hands, curled up on the ground in pain.

"These runes… contain a powerful psychic attack!" Xingling xue zhe said through gritted teeth, his words broken and halting. "This is a defense mechanism of an ancient interstellar civilization!"

"No, I believe this is an energy conversion mechanism," said the alien scientist Karl, adjusting his glasses with unwavering certainty. "These runes are more like an energy cipher — they're guiding the flow of energy."

"Energy conversion? Nonsense!" Xingling xue zhe shot back angrily. "This is clearly an ancient seal! If it's broken, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Neither would yield to the other, and their argument raged on while the runes on the energy sphere flickered ever more frequently, the psychic impacts growing ever more intense.

Zhang Cheng felt his consciousness gradually slipping away, and the scene before his eyes began to warp.

He knew he had to find a way to break through quickly, or everyone would be devoured by this overwhelming psychic force.

He drew a deep breath, forced himself to rally, and roared, "All of you, stop arguing!"

His voice was like a thunderclap, momentarily silencing their dispute.

Zhang Cheng pointed at the energy sphere and said in a low, steady voice: "This is no time to argue. We must find a way to deal with this first! Scholar, keep studying the meaning of the runes. Dr. Karl, try to analyze the direction of the energy flow. Everyone else, protect them!"

Xingji Xiake and Mark immediately shielded Xingling xue zhe and Dr. Karl, watching their surroundings warily.

The psychic Li li released her psychic power, forming a protective barrier to try to fend off the psychic impacts.

However, the runes' power grew ever stronger, and cracks began to appear in Li li's psychic barrier.

"It's no use! My psychic power can barely hold!" Li li's face was pale, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

Just then, Guangming Shizhe suddenly walked over to Xingling xue zhe and Dr. Karl, pointed at one of the runes, and said, "I think… this rune is a little different from the others…"

Guangming Shizhe's slender finger pointed to a rune on the energy sphere that pulsed with a faint blue light, her tone firm: "This rune — its flickering frequency is different from the others, and its shape is more complex. I think this might not be an energy cipher, but an encrypted form of spatial coordinates."

Her words were like a bolt of lightning, cutting through everyone's muddled thoughts.

Xingyun Zhizhe snapped his head up, a glint of sharp light flashing in the eyes behind his lenses: "Spatial coordinates? That… that's possible! Ancient civilization technology far exceeds our imagination — they may well have mastered space-jump technology!"

Dr. Karl's interest was piqued too. He pushed his glasses up and studied the special rune closely: "If these are spatial coordinates, then where do they point? And what secret are they hiding?"

Just as everyone was deep in discussion, the runes on the energy sphere suddenly blazed with light. Immediately after, clusters of solid energy surged forth from the runes.

These entities were beast-shaped, radiating a violent aura, letting out deafening roars as they ferociously lunged at everyone.

"Careful!" Xingji Xiake roared, drawing his energy blade and charging forward to meet them.

Mark was right behind him, his energy cannon blasting with a boom.

The energy beasts were extremely fast and astonishingly strong.

Xingji Xiake's energy blade clashed with a beast's sharp claws, letting out an ear-piercing metallic screech.

He felt a tremendous force travel through the impact, leaving his grip numb.

Mark's energy cannon was enormously powerful, but the beasts were uncannily agile, always managing to dodge the lethal strikes.

The battle was ferocious — energy lights intertwined, explosions erupting one after another.

Xingji Xiake and Mark gradually felt themselves outmatched, and wounds began appearing on their bodies.

Li li's psychic barrier had long since shattered; she could only barely hold on, harassing the energy beasts with feeble psychic attacks.

"We can't keep going like this! We'll be worn down to death!" Mark said through gritted teeth, punching back an energy beast that had lunged at him, but even more beasts had already surrounded him completely.

Xingji Xiake's body now bore several deep gash marks, blood flowing from the wounds.

He glanced at everyone behind him, his eyes filled with resolute determination.

Suddenly, the mechanic A li, who had been silent all along, leapt to his feet, his eyes blazing with resolve, and shouted, "I'll do it!"

The mechanic A li, usually quiet and withdrawn, buried in mechanical parts, now burst forth with astonishing insight.

His gaze burned like torchlight, fixed on the raging energy beasts, and he noticed that they were not fighting independently — they were linked to one another by flickering thin threads of energy, forming a bizarre network.

"Their weakness! It's those connection points!" A li shouted, his voice still clearly audible above the explosions.

Xingji Xiake and Mark's spirits lifted at his words, and they immediately changed tactics.

They no longer met the energy beasts head-on, but instead looked for opportunities to strike the connection points.

Xingji Xiake moved with ghostly agility, weaving between the energy beasts as his energy blade struck precisely at the connection points.

Mark's energy cannon also adjusted its firing mode, concentrating the energy into a beam to strike the connection points with precision.

Crack! — a sharp snap rang out as Xingji Xiake severed an energy thread; the two beasts it connected instantly lost their coordination, their movements becoming sluggish.

Mark seized the opening and blasted a connection point on an energy beast. The beast let out a bloodcurdling shriek, its body dissolving into specks of light.

The situation eased, but the crisis was far from over.

The energy beasts still numbered many, and more kept surging forth from the runes.

Though her psychic barrier had shattered, the psychic Li li did not give up.

She clenched her teeth, gathered all her remaining psychic power, and delved deep to probe those flickering runes.

In the realm of mental power, she saw a complex energy map — the runes were like nodes, with energy flowing through them at specific frequencies.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Li li: she realized she could disrupt the runes' operation by injecting energy at a specific frequency.

"I know what to do!" Li li shouted. "We need to gather our energy together and inject it into the runes at this frequency!"

Everyone immediately acted on Li li's instructions.

Zhang Cheng, Xingyun Zhizhe, Guangming Shizhe, and the others all possessed the ability to manipulate energy. They merged their respective energies into a single powerful stream and, at the frequency Li li specified, slowly channeled it into the runes on the energy sphere.

As the energy flowed in, the runes' flickering gradually slowed, and the rate at which the energy beasts emerged slowed as well.

However, just as everyone thought they were on the verge of success, the energy sphere suddenly let out a deafening boom, and an even more powerful wave of energy swept outward…

"No! What… what is this?!" A li cried out in terror, pointing above the energy sphere, where a massive black vortex was slowly forming.

Zhang Cheng looked at Guangming Shizhe's focused expression, her keen observation and precise judgment, and his heart filled with admiration.

He could not help reaching out and gently putting his arm around Guangming Shizhe's shoulder, giving her silent encouragement and support.

Guangming Shizhe felt Zhang Cheng's warmth, tilted his head slightly, and lightly leaned against his shoulder, savoring this moment of tranquility and warmth.

Li li's spiritual-energy detection and precise energy guidance, together with mechanic A li's insight into the energy beast's weakness, gave Zhang Cheng a new appreciation of the team members' abilities.

He realized that the team's strength far outweighed that of an individual; only through unity and cooperation could they overcome any difficulty.

As energy was infused, the runes' flickering gradually slowed, the energy beasts' emergence slowed, and finally they vanished completely.

Everyone exhaled in relief, and their tense nerves finally relaxed.

Xingji Xiake and Ma Ke lowered their weapons, helping each other as they walked over to the group.

Li li also collapsed to the ground, her face pale, gasping for breath.

"We… we succeeded?" Ma Ke's voice trembled, tinged with disbelief.

"Looks like it." Xingyun Zhizhe nodded, the eyes behind his lenses flashing with wisdom, "We have successfully deciphered the rune's secret."

However, just as everyone was celebrating, the energy ball began to emit a low hum, and the whole new space trembled, as if some great upheaval were about to occur.

"What's going on?" Xingji Xiake warily scanned the surroundings, "This sound… it's chilling."

"Not good!" Dr. Ka Er's face darkened, "This energy ball… it… it's going to explode!"

Zhang Cheng's heart sank, a sense of foreboding welling up.

He grabbed Guangming Shizhe and shouted, "Quick! Leave this place!"

"Too late!" Xingling xue zhe pointed in terror at the energy ball above, "Look…"