Chapter 194: Embers of Starfire, Path of the Fallen

The lingering might of the Doctor's will-projection's collapse seemed to still echo within the stone hall, but that suffocating pressure of annihilation had indeed vanished. Pure natural energy flowed gently, soothing the battered body and taut nerves. The tender green sprout on the withered tree's remains radiated a soft yet steadfast vitality, like a lighthouse in the darkness.

Sister Ai Li carefully examined Priestess Liyana's condition. Her breathing was steady and long, her body temperature had returned to normal, and those grotesque dark-purple patterns beneath her skin had mostly receded, leaving only faint traces. The greatest hidden danger was the several dark-purple crystals on her forehead and chest—though their glow was dim like extinguished embers, they remained like a bone-deep ulcer, deeply embedded within Priestess Liyana's life origin, blocking the thorough restoration of natural energy.

"The erosion… is suppressed… but the root… is not removed." Sister Ai Li's voice carried a trace of heaviness. "The crystals… are entangled too deeply… with her life… forcibly stripping them away… the risk… is extremely high."

Xiang Lingna looked at Priestess Liyana's slightly furrowed brow in sleep, and the joy in her heart was diluted by worry. She moved her right arm—the dark-purple crystal covering had spread to her shoulder, those branded runes had dimmed considerably, but the crystal itself remained icy cold, and that "hunger" for energy within had only temporarily hibernated, not vanished. The vague impression that had come from the withered tree's new sprout just now—"the key and the vessel become one"—pressed on her heart like a boulder. Her power—was it truly the key to unlocking Wang Ting's inheritance? But this "becoming one"… sounded as though it brimmed with unknown danger.

"This location's… energy barrier… due to resisting the Doctor… consumed enormously…" Zero's control console hovered beside the withered tree's new sprout, its scanning beam falling upon the verdant origin crystal radiating a warm glow. "Barrier strength… decreased by 63%… estimated… time for the Doctor's true body… to locate this place… less than 1 standard hour…"

Less than one hour! The brief respite just gained vanished in an instant! The stone hall was no longer a safe haven, but might instead become the bullseye for the Doctor's full-force strike!

"Must… leave immediately…" Zero's data stream pointed to one side of the stone hall—there was no wall there, but a dim region formed by massive, broken arched stone beams and hanging vines, where a downward stone stairway passage covered in thick dust could faintly be seen. "Detected… faint spatial fluctuation… leading to… unknown region… energy signature… chaotic… but… no corruption…"

An unknown region? Chaotic spatial fluctuations? This sounded equally dangerous. But staying in place, the only thing waiting for them was the Doctor's thunderous wrath.

"Go!" Sister Ai Li decided on the spot, once again carefully carrying Priestess Liyana on her shoulder. Her movements were still crisp, but Xiang Lingna noticed that the edges of several wounds on her arm, grazed by corrupting energy, had already begun turning black—she was clearly enduring pain as well.

Xiang Lingna took a deep breath, suppressed the unease in her heart and the strange sensation in her right arm, and walked toward that region. Only when she drew close did she realize that the hanging vines were no ordinary plants, but a long-petrified fossil of ancient elven vines entwined with dim silver patterns. The broken stone beams were likewise carved with the thorn-and-crescent emblem, merely dust-covered for ages.

"The key… guides…" The withered tree's new sprout once again sent a faint impression fluctuation, and several flakes of verdant light drifted down like fireflies, sinking into the crystal on Xiang Lingna's right arm. The crystal warmed slightly; it did not devour, but instead absorbed the light flakes, and within the chaotic light currents inside the crystal, a faint verdant vein seemed to appear.

At the same time, an extremely blurry image surfaced in Xiang Lingna's mind: a deep, deep staircase… at its end… a strange space composed of massive crystal clusters… at the center of the space… there seemed to be a broken… platform?

"It's… guiding the way?" Xiang Lingna stared at her right arm in surprise.

"Chaos core… and Wang Ting imprint… producing… preliminary resonance…" Zero analyzed. "Credible… prepare to enter!"

Sister Ai Li nodded and stepped first onto the stone stairs thick with accumulated dust. Xiang Lingna followed closely behind. Zero's control console hovered at the rear, casting faint scanning light, vigilantly watching their backs.

The stone stairs spiraled downward, bottomless. The air was cold and damp, filled with heavy dust and a stale, ancient scent. The stone walls bore remnants of ancient elven murals, depicting the forest's prosperity, the Moon Goddess's blessings, and… a calamity descending from the heavens (burning meteors, pale figures). The deeper they went, the stronger the sensation of spatial fluctuation became; the air rippled like water waves, and the light grew distorted. The bit of verdant light flakes absorbed into the crystal on Xiang Lingna's right arm radiated a faint yet steady guiding sensation.

They did not know how long they had walked when faint light finally appeared ahead. At the end of the stone stairs, the view opened wide!

Before them was an underground space far more magnificent—and far more ruined—than the upper stone hall! The vaulted ceiling soared high, covered in massive natural crystal clusters radiating a faint blue glow, like an inverted starry sky. At the center of the space was neither an altar nor a pool, but a massive circular platform supported by broken crystal pillars. The platform's surface was not flat, but covered in crisscrossing gullies, through which flowed a viscous silver-blue liquid radiating faint starlight, like the congealed blood of a star river.

What drew the eye most was that at the center of the platform, there was no Wang Zuo, but a massive… wreckage composed of countless twisted, broken thorn-like metals! It looked like a metal heart violently torn apart, or the core engine of a crashed starship, lying quietly in the flowing starlight liquid—most of its structure scorched black and shattered, with only a few broken interfaces occasionally spitting out a faint, unstable electric spark.

"Detected… high-intensity… spatial coordinate anchor… and… Star Realm Engine… wreckage…" Zero's voice carried a trace of incredulous shock. "This place… is… the relic core… of the ancient elves' attempt to build… a cross-planar… teleportation gate… or… an ark! The engine… is severely damaged… energy exhausted…"

A cross-planar teleportation gate? An ark? Both Xiang Lingna and Sister Ai Li were shaken by this information. Could this have been Wang Ting's trump card against the calamity back then? Unfortunately, it had failed, leaving only this wreckage behind.

"The key… returns to its place…" The impression from the withered tree's new sprout came again, pointing toward the core position of the thorn-metal wreckage on the platform. There was a diamond-shaped, scorch-marked recessed interface.

At the same time, the verdant light flakes in the crystal on Xiang Lingna's right arm suddenly grew scorching hot! A powerful pulling force came, tugging at her arm, pointing toward that interface! As though something there was calling her!

"It wants me… to go over?" Xiang Lingna looked at the wreckage core bristling with dangerous electric sparks, her heart full of unease. Return to its place? Return to what place? Could this mutated arm of hers really be the key to this ancient engine?

Sister Ai Li also furrowed her brow tightly, carefully laying Priestess Liyana down at a relatively safe spot on the platform's edge. "Dangerous… be careful…"

Xiang Lingna took a deep breath, summoned her courage, and stepped onto the platform flowing with starlight liquid one step at a time. The liquid beneath her feet was cool and viscous, rippling slightly as if alive. The closer she got to the center, the stronger the free energy turbulence in the air became, tearing at her clothes and skin. The pulling force from the crystal on her right arm also grew stronger.

At last, she stood before the massive thorn-metal wreckage. The diamond-shaped interface at its core was within reach, the scorched marks and occasional sparks telling of the terrible ordeal it had endured. Xiang Lingna looked at her own arm covered in dark-purple runes and crystal, gritted her teeth, and slowly pressed her palm toward that interface!

Just at the instant her crystal palm was about to touch the interface—

A sudden change occurred!

From the platform's edge, in that flowing starlight liquid, several half-transparent arms composed of viscous starlight suddenly shot out! They were silent, but their speed was swift as lightning, viciously grabbing at Priestess Liyana who lay defenseless on the platform's edge! At the same time, from the other side of the platform, several attacks formed of pure shadow, like thin blades, soundlessly slashed toward Sister Ai Li who guarded Priestess Liyana's side!

Enemies! Not the Doctor's corrupted creations, but… the ruin's own defense mechanism? Or… otherworldly beings drawn here by the chaotic space?

"Sister Ai Li! Careful!" Xiang Lingna turned her head in horror!

Sister Ai Li's reaction was lightning-fast! At the instant the shadow-blades reached her body, she twisted like a boneless snake, her body bending at an impossible angle, narrowly dodging the lethal strike! But one starlight arm still caught Priestess Liyana's ankle, its tremendous strength about to drag her into the viscous star-liquid!

A cold light exploded in Sister Ai Li's eyes! Ignoring another shadow-blade slashing toward her ribs, the alloy short blade in her hand let out a resolute, piercing whistle as she viciously hacked at the starlight arm gripping Priestess Liyana!

Squelch—!

The starlight arm snapped at the strike! No blood gushed from the severed end, only splashing starlight. But Priestess Liyana was also dragged, sliding toward the platform's edge!

"Xiang Lingna! Finish it!" Sister Ai Li shouted sharply, turning to face more starlight monsters and shadow-blades surging from the star-liquid! Her figure, caught between starlight and shadow, darted and parried with hair-raising danger like a storm-petrel in a tempest! A shadow grazed her ribs, instantly leaving a black wound deep enough to expose bone—yet bleeding no blood!

Xiang Lingna's heart pounded wildly! Watching Sister Ai Li fall into bitter combat, watching Priestess Liyana face danger once again, she no longer hesitated!

"Ah——!" She let out a cry, transforming all her fear and worry into strength, and that palm covered in dark-purple crystal, carrying the chaotic energy flowing within and the faint verdant light flakes, slammed viciously onto the core interface of the thorn-metal wreckage!

Wooooooong——!!!