Chapter 349: Is this… the Endtime Repository?

Darkness.

It is not void, but a heavy, viscous darkness that presses the breath from a person. Consciousness is like a sunken ship, slowly descending in the deep sea. Agony is the Unique signpost, guiding the shattered soul back.

Lin Yifan gasped sharply, as if a drowning person broke the surface, and suddenly opened his eyes.

Cold, damp air surged into his lungs, carrying a heavy earthy and stony scent, and a faint, almost imperceptible… fragrance?

Agony, like maggots in the heel bone, instantly spread from his right arm to his whole body, reminding him of the horror before he passed out. He found himself still collapsed on the cold stone ground, the surrounding darkness not absolute; an extremely faint, as‑if‑about‑to‑extinguish, dark‑gold light was emanating from beside him.

The light source came from his right arm.

On that blood‑smeared right arm, the dark‑gold vines still coiled tightly, but their form had subtly changed. No longer wildly fierce, they lay like weary snakes, adhering closely to his arm, the surface dark‑gold sheen now more restrained yet deeper. The ancient runes that were once mere shadows became slightly clearer, as if etched with an ultra‑fine knife into the vines, flickering with the light.

What startled him further was that a few drops of blood from his right arm stained the dark‑gold patterns on the stone wall beside him. At that moment, those blood‑stained markings emitted an extremely faint dark‑gold glow synchronized with his vines, as if briefly activated!

A strange, faint resonance, traveling through the vines, formed between him and the cold stone wall. The sensation was extremely subtle yet real, as if the cold stone had suddenly gained a barely perceptible "breath".

"Wu…" a faint low hum pulled his attention back.

Lin Yifan turned his head with difficulty and saw Xiao You curled not far away. The star‑river pattern on the little creature's body was so dim it was almost invisible, its perpetually cold, vigilant star‑gem eyes tightly shut, its tiny body rising and falling faintly with each breath. Clearly the previous seal had drained it heavily, plunging it into deep self‑recovery. Yet through a soul link, Lin Yifan sensed that its essence, though weak, was unharmed, slowly drawing the surrounding thin energy to replenish itself.

He was still alive, and Xiao You was still there. Lin Yifan felt a slight relief.

Immediately, he suddenly looked toward the center of the Stone Chamber!

The silvery‑white guardian array continued to operate steadily, its light seemingly more concentrated than before. At the array's center, on the Black Crystal platform, the glow of the Moonlight Condensed Crystal Grass was gentle and constant. And Ling Ling…

Lin Yifan's pupils dilated slightly.

Ling Ling was no longer curled in pain. She lay quietly on the crystal platform, her body enveloped by a dense, liquid‑like moon‑white aura forming a light cocoon. The rune imprint on her forehead ceased flashing, instead emitting a steady, warm yet majestic moonlight; its complexity and clarity far surpassed before! It even faintly resonated with the entire guardian array!

What surprised Lin Yifan even more was that behind Ling Ling, where there had been only one fluffy dark‑red tail, now… there were two!

The second tail was slightly shorter than the first, equally fluffy, but its hue was no longer dark‑red; it was a pure, flawless moon‑white like her surrounding aura. The two tails swayed unconsciously, stirring the pure moonlight energy around her, giving her figure an added sense of sanctity and mystery.

The power of the Moonlight Condensed Crystal Grass, combined with the ancestor array's protection, not only healed her wounds but clearly accelerated her evolution! On the foundation of inheritance, her bloodline advanced further!

Ling Ling's breath was steady and strong, even gradually increasing, evidently in a deep stage of absorption and metamorphosis.

Seeing Ling Ling turn misfortune into blessing, Lin Yifan let out a long sigh, his tense nerves finally easing a bit. The greatest crisis seemed to have passed—for now.

However, just as his mind relaxed and he began to try circulating weak primordial energy to check his injuries—

【Buzz——】

An extremely abrupt, non‑sound, yet directly resonating cue in the depths of his mind, cold and mechanical, devoid of any emotion!

【Detected alien high‑dimensional energy interface (damaged) stable connection.】

【Detected user vital signs stabilizing, consciousness recovering.】

【Forced authentication protocol initiated… scanning user status…】

【User status: critical injury, energy depleted, soul mildly damaged, permission credentials:??? (unidentifiable)… Binding assessment: passed (Dark Corrosion Vine Parasite/Incomplete Form)… Environment assessment: passed (Ancient Ruins – Forbidden Wall)…】

【Temporary permission granted… link established… 'Aesos Endtime Echo' database (fragment), at your service.】

A cascade of cold data streams, as if forcibly implanted, surged into Lin Yifan's consciousness!

He had no time to react, nor the strength to stop it! He could only passively 'listen' as the emotionless mechanical tone echoed in his mind!

Immediately, the scene before his eyes twisted and shifted abruptly!

The Stone Chamber, the array, Ling Ling, Xiao You… everything vanished.

In its place was an endless, cold, dark void. Within the void, countless shattered images and data fragments, flickering with dim light like exploded stars, swirled around him madly, flashing!

【Warning! Detected low‑intensity infiltration of 'Breath of the End' (isolated)! Source: unknown dimensional rift. Historical record match: prior to the fall of Isolation Zone 7642, similar energy reactions…】【Warning! Detected 'Silent Extinction Star Beast' juvenile (hibernating recovery)! Threat level: extremely high (potential). Protocol: observe, restrict, avoid unnecessary contact.】【Warning! Detected 'Moonshadow Spirit Fox' bloodline advancement (guardian array activation state)! Energy reaction: stable increase. Associated protocol: Ancient Covenant (status: inactive).】【Environment scan: currently inside 'Forbidden Wall', 'Seventh Beacon Chamber' (severely damaged, energy depleted). Detected 'Dark Corrosion' unit activation (low)… attempting connection… connection failed… insufficient permission…】

Shattered images flickered rapidly before his eyes:

There were terrifying scenes of colossal metal constructs burning and disintegrating in the star‑sea; countless twisted shadows devouring stars, turning light into void in desperate fragments; a star‑river as brilliant as the patterns on Xiao You, polluted and solidified by a viscous black darkness in a horrific instant; and… some broken, seemingly recorded experimental or sealing scenes, where faintly one could see patterns and constructs remarkably similar to the dark‑gold cocoon and the vines on his right arm!

Data fragments hammered his consciousness like hail:

【…Exile…Cage…】【…Final Barrier…】【…'Primordial Light' extinguished…】【…Beware 'Echo'…they never leave…】【…'Key'…find the 'Key'…】

"Ugh!" Lin Yifan clutched his head as if it would explode, letting out a painful groan. The forcibly injected data stream far exceeded his soul's processing capacity; countless shattered images and cold cues intertwined, nearly tearing his consciousness apart again!