Chapter 523

Chen Mu's tone was flat, as if he had just brushed off a few mosquitoes.

"Yes."

Daoist Daoist Zhuqing calmed her mind and refocused her attention on the "A-Wood Spirit Core."

The verdant jade in the center of the tortoise shell was now emitting a stable and soft light, pointing straight to a spot thirty zhang above the deep ravine, where the mist was thick and tiny electric snakes could be seen faintly flickering in the mist.

"The node's activity has reached its peak, and its resonance with the growth qi between heaven and earth is also the strongest."

"Tomorrow is the Awakening of Insects; the moment the first spring thunder explodes is the best time for Yin and Yang to intersect, vitality to burst forth, and the spatial barrier to be torn open."

"At that time, it will be necessary to use the 'Key of the Four Seasons' as a guide, channel thunder qi and wood spirits, and cooperate with this temple's secret 'Opening the Heavenly Aperture' dharma formula to stably open the portal and maintain the entrance for short-term passage."

She looked at Ning Ning Zhixi: "Miss Ning, at that time, I must ask you to hold the 'Summer' and 'Winter' keys, stand at the position I indicate, inject true Li Yuan into the two keys, stimulate their resonance with the 'Spring' artistic conception, and channel heavenly thunder and earthly qi. Young Master Chen..."

She looked at Chen Mu and paused, "When the entrance first opens, the space will be unstable, and there may be turbulence, fragments, and it may even trigger unknown existences within the secret realm. I must trouble you, Young Master, to protect the dharma, suppress any anomalies that may appear, and ensure the stability of the passage."

"Can do." Chen Mu was concise.

Ning Ning Zhixi also nodded solemnly: "Understood."

The plan was set, and the three waited on the platform for dawn, waiting for the first thunder of the Awakening of Insects.

The long night was endless, but after the battle just now, no small fry dared to come and disturb them.

Chen Mu sat cross-legged again, closed his eyes to rest, but in reality, a strand of his spiritual sense was remotely sensing every tiny change in the spatial node, while also silently digesting the insights from the fusion of the fifth layer of the "True Martial Demon-Sweeping Sword Art" and his own sword intent from the battle just now.

Stepping into the Heavenly Palace Realm, every bit of deepening understanding of the rules of heaven and earth and one's own path was crucial.

Ning Ning Zhixi was also adjusting her breath on the side, nourishing her true Li Yuan, adjusting her state to the best, and also repeatedly simulating the steps of casting the spell tomorrow in her heart.

Daoist Daoist Zhuqing was the busiest; she constantly adjusted the layout of the "Green Wood Maze Array," turning it into an array that assisted in gathering wood spirit qi, and carved mysterious runes on the ground, echoing with the "A-Wood Spirit Core," forming a simple guiding dharma altar.

Time passed slowly in waiting.

The eastern horizon gradually turned a fish-belly white, dispelling the thick night.

In the mountains and forests, birds began to chirp, carrying the vitality unique to spring.

The water vapor in the deep ravine became more misty, intertwined with the morning light, forming magnificent morning clouds.

The "growth" qi between heaven and earth began to clearly become active and rise as the sky brightened.

The spatial node, in the sensing of the "A-Wood Spirit Core," was like a heart beating slowly and becoming more and more powerful.

"Soon."

Daoist Daoist Zhuqing looked up at the sky; dark clouds gathered from all directions, pressing low over Listening Thunder Cliff, electric light flickered in the clouds, and the thunder was muffled, as if a giant beast was turning over behind the clouds.

At the third quarter of the Chen hour, heaven and earth suddenly became silent.

Even the birds stopped chirping; only the sound of the wind and the water of the deep ravine remained in the mountains and forests.

Right in this extreme silence—

Boom!!

A deafening thunderclap exploded suddenly in the clouds directly above Listening Thunder Cliff without warning.

The thunder was so loud that the entire cliff was trembling slightly, and gravel rolled down with a rustle.

A thick, dazzling, dragon-like blinding lightning bolt tore through the thick clouds and struck down with an unstoppable momentum.

The target was exactly that spatial node above the deep ravine!

"Now!"

Daoist Daoist Zhuqing gave a clear shout, her figure floated up, landed in the center of the dharma altar she had set up in advance, her hands formed seals rapidly, and she chanted ancient and obscure incantations in her mouth.

"A-Wood connects to the spirit, guide the heavenly machine! Open!"

The "A-Wood Spirit Core" in her hand burst into green light, echoing with the runes carved on the ground, and a soft green pillar of light shot into the sky.

It did not go to meet the heavenly thunder head-on, but like the most skillful guide, at the most critical moment, it gently "flicked" the edge of that violent thunder, guiding a portion of its power precisely toward that spatial node!

At the same time, Ning Ning Zhixi had already stood at the position previously designated by Daoist Daoist Zhuqing, just three steps in front of the dharma altar.

Her hands held the "Summer" and "Winter" keys, and she injected her pure and peaceful true Li Yuan into them without reservation.

The "Summer" token's golden-red light flowed, emitting the artistic conception of a warm and hot midsummer.

The "Winter" token's ice-blue clear brilliance shone, revealing the biting and pure cold of deep winter.

Under the reconciliation of the true Li Yuan in her body and the subtle resonance of the stone tablet fragments, the two diametrically opposed artistic conceptions did not conflict, but instead faintly formed a strange balance, as if performing the alternation of "Summer" and "Winter" in the cycle of the four seasons.

When the aftermath of the heavenly thunder guided by Daoist Daoist Zhuqing, mixed with the rich wood spirit qi gathered by the dharma array, slammed into the spatial node—

Hum~!

At the node, the space rippled and distorted violently like water waves, and a "point" the size of a fist, filled with chaotic airflow and green electric light, suddenly appeared.

"Now! Miss Ning, use the artistic conception of the two keys to call the 'Spring' opportunity!"

Daoist Daoist Zhuqing shouted urgently, sweat already visible on her forehead; maintaining the guiding dharma formula was extremely mentally exhausting.

Ning Ning Zhixi was struck by a flash of inspiration; she no longer controlled it deliberately, but sank her mind into the two keys in her hands, feeling the "Summer" heat and "Winter" cold contained within them, as well as that longing and call for the cycle of the "Four Seasons."

She whispered softly, her voice ethereal, as if resonating with heaven and earth.

Following her whisper, the "Summer" and "Winter" keys in her hands shone brightly, and the two rays of light intertwined, actually faintly manifesting a trace of "green intent" full of vitality, softness, and sprouting meaning.

Although this green intent was weak, it was incomparably pure; it was exactly the manifestation of a trace of the true meaning of "Spring."

The moment this trace of "Spring intent" appeared, it was like an invisible key inserted into that chaotic "point."

Click—clack—

Like glass shattering, and also like a door opening wide.

That chaotic light point the size of a fist suddenly shrank inward, and then expanded with a boom.

In an instant, it turned into an oval light gate about three zhang high and two zhang wide, with misty green light and tiny electric sparks flowing at the edges.

Inside the light gate, it was no longer chaos, but a clearly visible, completely different scene—

It was a boundless ancient forest that seemed to exist in another world.

The trees were unimaginably tall, the crowns were like canopies, and substantial green spiritual light flowed between the branches and leaves.

The air was filled with rich wood-attribute spiritual qi that could not be dissolved, carrying a complex aura intertwined with soil, flowers and plants, rotten wood, and some kind of ancient life.

Further away, huge shadows seemed to be moving slowly in the mist, emitting low, heart-palpitating roars.

East Forest Ancient Relics.

The entrance is open!

However, the moment the entrance stabilized, an anomaly occurred...