Chapter 347: Guardian

"Cough cough…" The violent coughing tugged at his internal wounds, and he felt darkness flickering before his eyes.

"Brother Yifan…" Lingling's aura in his arms was weak; the earlier fright had left her even more feeble.

Outside the cave mouth came the even more frantic and painful screech of the segmented worm‑like monster, and the huge sound of it thrashing violently in the water, churning the flow.

Xiao You's silhouette followed closely, like a dim streak of light, gliding lightly into the opening, silently landing not far in front of Lin Yifan, those star‑bright eyes vigilantly scanning the water outside the cave and the darkness within.

Temporarily safe.

Lin Yifan leaned against the cold rock wall, gasping heavily, struggling to steady a heart that seemed about to leap out of his chest.

He lowered his head toward Lingling; the little fox had slipped again into a semi‑coma, the dim rune mark on her forehead almost entirely vanished, her life force like a candle flickering in the wind.

"Lingling, hold on…" Lin Yifan felt a surge of anxiety. He knew Lingling's condition could not be delayed any longer; they had to find a safe place for her to heal.

He forced himself to rally, enduring the searing pain, mustering a thread of weak Qi to probe this new cavern.

Inside the cave was pitch black, hand could not see a finger. The air was colder and damper than outside, and the stench of decay was even stronger.

Strangely, the omnipresent tug of energy felt outside lessened considerably after entering the mouth; it hadn't vanished entirely, but at least it no longer made one feel life draining away as it had outside.

This confirmed Xiao You's perception; this place truly was a relatively safe "haven".

Lin Yifan fumbled, trying to retrieve a phosphorescent stone for illumination from his Storage Ring. Yet, when he attempted to marshal his Yuan force, a ripping agony suddenly surged through his right arm!

Buzz!

The dark‑golden vines coiled on his right arm, which had lain dormant for a moment, suddenly flared up without warning.

This time, it was no longer a ferocious attack stance, but emitted a … strange, yearning and resonant hum.

The dark‑golden light flickered like breathing, illuminating a small area before Lin Yifan and lighting his astonished face.

Following the vines' luminous guide, his gaze fell upon the rock wall deep within the cavern.

Bathed in the vines' dark‑gold glow, Lin Yifan saw the scene clearly, his pupils snapping shut!

The cavern's rock wall was not naturally formed!

The wall was unusually smooth and even, as if polished meticulously by some colossal force.

Even more shocking, the smooth dark wall was covered with countless intricate, finely detailed dark‑gold patterns etched deep into the stone!

These patterns twisted and intertwined into ancient, mysterious motifs, whose style… astonishingly resembled the rune silhouettes appearing on the dark‑gold vines on his arm and the markings on the surface of the dark‑gold cocoon that had sealed Xiao You!

As if from the same source!

Buzz—buzz—!

The vines' light on Lin Yifan's right arm flared brighter, as if strongly drawn by the same‑source power, beginning to tremble slightly and emit a continuous low hum.

The ancient rune silhouettes on the vines' surface grew clearer, faintly echoing the dark‑gold patterns on the wall.

"Is this… connected to that cocoon?" Lin Yifan's mind roiled with a storm of shock.

Could the place they fell from be more than an ordinary underground chamber, perhaps a relic—or even part of a cage—sharing the same origin as the dark‑gold cocoon that sealed Xiao You,

At that moment, the ever‑quiet, watchful Xiao You suddenly turned her head, those cold star‑bright eyes, for the first time bearing an unmistakably obvious, almost "confused" expression, fixed intently on the wall's patterns that glimmered with faint dark‑gold light!

Her body tensed slightly, a low, indecipherable hum emanated from her throat, and the galaxy‑like markings on her skin flickered intermittently.

The soul link now conveyed not pure vigilance but a more complex… probing? Even… a faint, extremely subtle… sense of familiarity?

Xiao You's reaction undeniably reaffirmed Lin Yifan's conjecture! This cavern is absolutely tied to the dark‑gold cocoon and Xiao You's "origin" in a profound way!

"Whew…" Lingling let out a painful whimper from his arms, breaking Lin Yifan's train of thought.

Her body temperature dropped, her breath grew even weaker.

Cannot delay any longer!

Lin Yifan suppressed his doubts, cradling Lingling, and, using the vines' dark‑gold light, carefully trekked along the wall deeper into the cavern.

Xiao You silently followed beside him, her star‑bright eyes occasionally scanning the wall's patterns, while vigilantly gazing toward the dark ahead.

The cavern was deep, winding and tortuous. The dark‑gold patterns on the wall stretched endlessly, like a massive energy circuit extending toward the dark depths.

The farther they went, the stench of decay seemed to fade, replaced by a more solemn, ancient ambience.

At the same time, the faint tug of energy almost vanished; this seemed to be a "safe zone" isolated by the wall's patterns.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, the path opened up brightly.

At the cavern's end lay a modest natural Stone Chamber. In its center stood a small platform naturally formed from some Black Crystal.

On the platform, an extremely rare cluster of plants grew, emitting a gentle moon‑white halo.

The plant resembled an orchid, its leaves crystal clear, and atop it bore a dragon‑eye‑sized, luminous white fruit like condensed moonlight.

A pure, gentle energy wave, brimming with potent life‑nourishing aura, radiated from that moon‑white plant and its fruit!

"Moonlight… Moonlight Crystallized Grass?!" Lin Yifan could hardly believe his eyes.

He had read descriptions of this legendary elixir in ancient texts; it was remarkably effective at nourishing the soul and repairing fundamental injuries, especially for fox‑kind beings attuned to moonlight,

It was literally a lifeline tailor‑made for Lingling in this dire situation.

However, just as Lin Yifan's heart swelled with joy, cradling Lingling and moving toward the stone platform,

Buzz!!!

A sudden anomaly erupted!

In the Stone Chamber's center, the ground surrounding the Black Crystal platform suddenly lit up with an extremely intricate silver‑white rune formation composed of countless tiny light points.

The array's glow wasn't blinding, yet it carried an ancient, sacred authority that brooked no intrusion.

A gentle yet exceedingly resilient repelling field instantly formed, keeping Lin Yifan and Xiao You outside the array.

Simultaneously, the nearly vanished rune mark on Lingling's forehead, as if strongly stimulated by the silver‑white array, faintly lit up again.

This time, it was no longer a painful flicker but a … strange resonance.

"It's… it's the ancestors' aura…" Lingling murmured unconsciously in her coma, her body instinctively leaning slightly toward the Moonlight Crystallized Grass at the array's center.

Lin Yifan understood instantly!

This silver‑white array was likely the final guardian left by the ascended Moonshadow Fox ancestor.

It protected this precious Moon Crystal Grass, while also rejecting anything that was not of the Moon Shadow Fox bloodline, or that it judged as a "threat."

The aura on Xiao You, originating from the dark golden giant cocoon, was clearly judged as a "threat" by the formation.

And he, Lin Yifan, a Human, was likewise blocked outside.

Only Ling Ling, this descendant who had obtained her ancestor's inheritance, could gain the formation's recognition.

"Ling Ling! Wake up! You can get in!" Lin Yifan gently shook the little fox in his arms, trying to rouse her.

Ling Ling's eyelids trembled with difficulty a few times, finally opening into a slit.

Her gaze swept dazedly over the formation emitting a soft glow, finally landing on the Moon Crystal Grass at the center of the formation, which exuded an enticing life aura.

The instinct to survive and a sense of closeness to her ancestor's aura brought a faint glimmer of spirit back to her eyes.

"Ancestor... Ancestor..." she called out weakly.

*Hum—! *

As if responding to her call, the faint runic mark on Ling Ling's forehead suddenly flared brightly.

An extremely thin, almost imperceptible strand of moonlight-white light extended from her mark, gently touching the silver-white formation light barrier ahead.

Like a drop of water merging into a calm lake.

The resilient repulsive force field, the moment it contacted that strand of light, silently split open a gap just wide enough for Ling Ling to pass through, like ice and snow melting away.

The gap faced the Black Crystal platform at the center of the formation.

"Ling Ling! Quick! Get in!" Lin Yifan immediately set Ling Ling down gently and pushed her toward the gap.

Ling Ling used her last shred of strength, scrambling on all fours, staggering into the formation.

The instant her body fully entered the formation, the gap sealed shut, and the silver-white light barrier became whole again, completely isolating Lin Yifan and Xiao You outside.

Ling Ling lay on the cold Black Crystal, only a hair's breadth away from the Moon Crystal Grass.

She stretched out her little paw, with difficulty yet unwavering determination, and touched the spirit grass radiating a soft lunar glow.

*Hum... *

The light of the Moon Crystal Grass grew even softer, like warm moonlight spilling over Ling Ling.

Pure life energy, like a trickling stream, flowed through her paw into her body.

The dim runic mark on her forehead, nourished by this power, began to regain its luster at a visible rate, becoming clear and stable.

It was working! She was recovering quickly.

Lin Yifan let out a long breath, his taut nerves finally relaxing a little.

He watched Ling Ling inside the formation, enveloped in moonlight, her aura gradually stabilizing and strengthening, and a great weight lifted from his heart.

Yet, just as his mind relaxed—

"Woo—!"

Xiao You, who had been standing silently beside him, alert to the formation, suddenly let out a low, warning growl.

The star-river patterns on its body abruptly blazed with piercing silver-blue light, its small form instantly entering a state of highest alert, its Star Vortex Eyes fixed on another direction in the Stone Chamber.

It was a corner of even thicker darkness, untouched by the formation's light.

Lin Yifan's heart tightened, and he followed Xiao You's gaze!

There, in that thick darkness, the space seemed to warp slightly like ripples on water.

Then, an extremely eerie, hair-raising sight appeared.

In that dark corner, the air silently split open... a rift.

It was not a physical crack, but more like a gash forcibly torn in space itself by some invisible force.

The edges of the rift flowed with viscous, filthy, blood-clot-like dark red light.

An indescribable, terrifying will—a mixture of ultimate malice, mad whispers, and a decaying, rotting aura—gushed out from that spatial rift like sewage from a burst dam, instantly filling the entire Stone Chamber.

This will was so evil and powerful that even the silver-white formation guarding Ling Ling and the Moon Crystal Grass violently fluctuated, emitting a strained hum.

Ling Ling, who had just stabilized, seemed to be affected as well, her body trembling slightly, the runic mark on her forehead flashing rapidly.

Lin Yifan felt as if his soul were soaked in icy venom, his thoughts frozen, the blood in his veins congealed.

This aura... was far more terrifying than the lava giant claw outside the cave, the giant salamander underwater, or even the segmented worm.

This was an evil and chaos originating from a higher dimension, a more fundamental level!

"Heh... hehehe..."

A spine-chilling, eerie laugh, as if countless souls were wailing simultaneously, faintly came from the spatial rift flowing with dark red light.

A blurry, twisted silhouette, as if pieced together from countless writhing shadows and despairing faces, was trying to... squeeze out... from that spatial rift.

A new, even more terrifying threat had arrived.

And this time, it seemed to have been drawn by the pure life energy radiating from the Moon Crystal Grass, or the fluctuations of the formation activated by Ling Ling!

"Heh... hehehe..."

That hair-raising, eerie laugh, like a cold spiderweb, entangled every inch of air in the Stone Chamber.

The evil will surging from the spatial rift, mixed with countless mad whispers and the aura of decay and rot, was so heavy it nearly crushed one's soul.

The silver-white guardian formation fluctuated violently, its light flickering unsteadily, as if it might collapse at any moment under the erosion of this higher-dimensional evil.

At the center of the formation, Ling Ling, who had just begun absorbing the moonlight energy, curled up in pain, the runic mark on her forehead, which had barely stabilized, becoming chaotic again. Clearly, this external evil aura was severely disrupting her recovery.

Lin Yifan felt his thoughts sink into a quagmire, each breath drawing in icy despair.

He wanted to move, but found his body stiff and unresponsive, forced to watch helplessly as the spatial rift, flowing with filthy dark red light, slowly expanded in the dark corner of the Stone Chamber like a festering wound.

An even clearer, more nauseating silhouette was struggling to "squeeze" out of the rift...

It seemed to be a twisted aggregate barely maintaining a human form, composed of countless writhing shadows, broken phantoms, and solidified dark red filth.

It had no clear face, only a terrifying outline of features that constantly shifted, trying to coalesce but endlessly collapsing.

Its "arms," like two flowing tentacles of pure malice, were greedily reaching toward the Moon Crystal Grass and Ling Ling at the center of the formation!

It is strongly attracted by this pure life energy and the aura of the Moon‑shadow Fox Ancestor!

"Ugh!"

Just when Lin Yifan's consciousness was about to be crushed by this terrifying Overwhelming Pressure, Xiao You beside him burst forth!