Chapter 178

Inside the cave, a momentary silence fell; only the chill from the Azure Condensing Pool water seeping through the stone walls came through faintly, along with the three people's shallow breathing.

Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue's gazes both fell on Shi Ran, waiting for her next words. They could feel that Shi Ran now was completely different from the anxious, powerless version of herself earlier, when her sea of consciousness had been sealed.

That inner-to-outer calm and resolve was the confidence brought by the return of power, and also the consolidation of will that came with a clear goal.

Shi Ran did not explain immediately; instead, she carefully savored the new perception brought by the return of her divine sense.

The world in her "eyes" had never been so clear. She could even "see" the bright moon sword intent within Gu Yusheng's body, a round, pure "bright moon" sword intent slowly flowing, bringing clarity and sharpness; she could also "see" the icy aura surrounding Mei Ruoxue, like ancient, unmelting profound ice, yet concealing astonishing explosive power; she could even faintly sense the locations of their still-unhealed hidden wounds.

This penetrating insight boosted her control over herself and her surroundings by more than just a fewfold.

A slight stir of her thought sent her divine sense, like an invisible tendril, cautiously probing toward the Heaven-Patrolling Token in her sleeve.

This time, she was no longer blindly groping through a thick barrier; instead, she clearly "saw" the token's internal structure—it was not solid matter, but composed of countless fine, intricate runes of energy that embodied some supreme law.

At this moment, most of those runes remained dim; only a small area at the core was wrapped in a faint but steady pale light, corresponding to the just-unlocked "basic permission" and "fragmented information database".

"The problem with my sea of consciousness is indeed related to a…… power not belonging to this world." Shi Ran weighed her words, deciding to reveal part of the truth—this was both trust and groundwork for possible future actions. "Earlier, to fight the demons, I had no choice but to trigger it, causing my sea of consciousness to seal itself for protection. And this Heaven-Patrolling Token," she raised her hand, fingertips brushing her sleeve cuff, not taking out the token, but Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue understood what she meant, "it shares the same source as that power; just now, by using the 'same-source' aura it contains, I was able to resolve the seal from within."

A flash of realization crossed Gu Yusheng's eyes: "So that's it. Cross-world power, profound and unfathomable, being able to seal the sea of consciousness as self-protection is already fortunate. Now that you can undo it, it shows you have initially grasped the key to communicating with it." He was referring to the Heaven-Patrolling Token.

Mei Ruoxue focused more on the practical: "Now that you've recovered, what are your plans? You just said you know what to do."

Shi Ran nodded, her gaze sweeping over the two: "First, naturally, is to fully recover from our injuries as soon as possible and adapt to the state after my divine sense has been strengthened. Second…" She paused, her divine sense sensing the status displayed for the "energy core (extremely depleted)" inside the Heaven-Patrolling Token, as well as the words for the "cross-time-space beacon positioning function (requires sufficient energy and specific conditions) awaiting activation." "I need to find a special kind of energy to replenish the token's core energy. For me… finding the way home, this is crucial."

"Special energy?" Gu Yusheng caught the key point: "What attribute? Where can we find it?"

Shi Ran described according to the vague information transmitted by the Heaven-Patrolling Token, combined with her own understanding: "It is not ordinary worldly spiritual or demonic energy, but rather a…… pure energy crystal containing spacetime characteristics or the power of the world's origin. It might exist in some ancient ruins, secret realms, or…… within the bodies of powerful beings that touch the world's rules." She looked at Mei Ruoxue: "Senior Sister, with your broad knowledge, have you ever heard of such things?"

Mei Ruoxue frowned slightly, pondering: "Energy containing spacetime characteristics or the power of the world's origin…… such divine objects are exceedingly rare in the world. As far as I know, the cores of caverns left by ancient mighty beings, or certain innate spiritual objects born from heaven and earth's qi, might match. But none are easily obtained." She paused, her cold gaze turning to Shi Ran: "Perhaps you could try sensing the token itself; since it needs this kind of energy, it might point to same-source or similar energies."

Shi Ran's heart stirred; this was indeed a direction. Before, she had merely passively received information, never actively driving her divine sense to delve into "inquiring" the Heaven-Patrolling Token. She immediately closed her eyes, sending a thread of pure divine sense into the token's activated core area, focusing her intent on "energy search" or "sensing same-source energy."

At first, the Heaven-Patrolling Token showed no special reaction. But when she combined the fundamental obsession of "finding the way home" with the need to "replenish energy," pouring her full effort into it, the token's core pale light flickered slightly.

The next moment, an extremely blurry, incomplete "map" image flickered intermittently in her sea of consciousness. That map was not any geographical chart she knew; its lines were twisted, most areas shrouded in thick mist, with only a few points flashing weak lights of different colors.

One of those light points appeared pale blue, seemingly…… located somewhere in this vast mountain range where they currently are, not too far away, but the exact direction is very vague.

The other light points varied in color (some gold, some chaotic), extremely distant, the image so faint it was almost invisible, and seemed not fixed but slowly moving.

"There's a response!" Shi Ran opened her eyes, a hint of delight, "The token fed back an extremely blurry 'map,' marking several points that might contain the needed energy. The nearest one seems to be somewhere in this mountain range, but the direction is unclear."

Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity and determination in each other's eyes.

"If so, we'll follow this lead to find it." Gu Yusheng spoke calmly, as if discussing the weather: "Acting alone would be too dangerous for you. Moreover, investigating such secrets, having one more person means one more lookout."

Mei Ruoxue also spoke lightly: "Although the demon calamity here has temporarily subsided, the root remains; we cannot guarantee no further changes. Seeking this special energy might also yield a clue or two about anomalies in this world's demonic energy." Her words served both as explanation and as justification for joining her.

A warm current surged in Shi Ran's heart. She knew that seeking the source of the Heaven-Patrolling Token and its energy would inevitably involve unknown risks. Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue's willingness to accompany her made this affection weigh heavier than she had expected. She bowed solemnly: "Thank you!"

No further words were needed; the three reached a tacit agreement.

Over the next few days, the three took up temporary residence in the stone cave beside the Azure Condensing Pool, focusing entirely on recovery and consolidation. With the pool's chill aiding tranquil breath, plus the power of elixirs, Gu Yusheng's and Mei Ruoxue's injuries healed quickly, their cultivation even slightly advancing. Shi Ran concentrated on adapting to her strengthened divine sense, continually trying to communicate with the Heaven-Patrolling Token, hoping to make that blurry map clearer, especially to pinpoint the exact location of the pale blue dot.

After the sea of consciousness was unlocked, Fan Tian and Bai XiaoHong, among others, gradually appeared, but these few were extremely weak. Shi Ran decided to temporarily delay, planning to summon them out after she had made further progress; it wasn't necessarily for battle—they could absorb worldly spiritual energy and continue cultivating.

Shi Ran also discovered that, as she finely controlled her divine sense and continually infused her "otherworld" soul aura into the token, the map's clarity did indeed improve extremely slowly. The mist around the pale blue dot seemed to thin a bit, allowing her to faintly sense that it lay in the northwest of the mountain range, but the exact distance and precise coordinates remained hard to grasp.

At the same time, she preliminarily browsed the "fragmented" information in the Heaven-Patrolling Token's database. These fragments were mostly scattered, like remnants left after a massive database was damaged. She saw more scattered phrases about the "Heaven-Patrolling Pavilion"—"observing all worlds," "recording changes," "guiding lost souls," "maintaining spacetime order"…… Together, these terms outlined the shape of a mysterious, powerful organization bearing some special mission.

As for the "Cross-Time-Space Beacon," information was scarce, merely mentioning that it required a huge amount of energy to activate, and also needed to meet complex conditions such as "soul compatibility" and "spacetime coordinate calibration."

All this made her more certain that the Heaven-Patrolling Token was the key to her return to Earth, and seeking energy was the first step to set everything in motion.

After five days, the three's conditions had all been adjusted to peak. Shi Ran's sensitivity to the Heaven-Patrolling Token had also reached a temporary bottleneck; that map could not become any clearer.

"It's time to set out." Gu Yusheng finished his breath regulation, standing tall and erect, his aura deep and steady like a mountain, more composed than before.

Mei Ruoxue's fingertips wove a thread of ice-blue chill, shaping it into a crystal-clear snowflake hovering in her palm, feeling the subtle law power within; her cold eyes looked at Shi Ran: "Direction?"

Shi Ran focused her divine sense on the map in her sea of consciousness, pointing her hand northwest: "That way. The exact spot is unknown; we can only sense as we go, but the distance shouldn't be too far."

"Good."

The three no longer lingered, turning into three streaks of escape light, silently leaving the Azure Condensing Pool Valley and cautiously advancing toward the northwest.

The deeper they went into the northwest mountains, the more desolate the surroundings became. What were once merely collapsing hills and rivers gradually turned into jagged, barren desert where not a blade of grass grew; the air was filled with a heavy, lifeless stillness, so that even the thin demonic energy could hardly be sensed, as if all vitality and energy had been drained by some force.

"This place…… is truly strange." Gu Yusheng frowned slightly; his Bright Moon Sword Intent, sensitive to vitality and energy, could sense the desolation and decay emanating from deep within this land.

Mei Ruoxue's icy aura unconsciously spread, freezing and dispersing the fine dust floating in the air: "Not natural formation; it's as if it had undergone some…… plundering."

Shi Ran then exerted all her effort to activate her divine sense, staying vigilant of her surroundings while constantly communicating with the Heaven-Patrolling Token. She could feel that the pale blue light dot representing the target on the map in her sea of consciousness was becoming increasingly clear as they advanced, its glow seeming to brighten slightly.

"The direction is correct, right ahead, it shouldn't be far." She transmitted mentally, yet an inexplicable unease rose in her heart. The deathly silence of this area seemed to form a stark contradiction with the ""energy"" sensed by the Heaven-Patrolling Token.

After traveling another roughly hundred li, a huge ring-shaped crater appeared ahead, as if struck by a meteorite. In the center of the crater stood several broken massive stone pillars, their surfaces carved with ancient patterns now weathered and blurred, encircling a dry, crack‑filled pool at the heart.

Upon arriving here, the map in Shi Ran's sea of consciousness suddenly blazed! The pale blue light dot unmistakably pointed to the center of this ring‑shaped crater!

At the same time, the Heaven‑Patrolling Token in her sleeve trembled slightly, conveying a faint emotion mixed with longing and vigilance.

"This is the place!" Shi Ran halted her escape light, landing on a huge weathered rock, her expression solemn as she gazed toward the crater's center.

Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue followed, landing to her left and right, guarding her sides with equally solemn expressions. They all sensed that the crater was permeated by an extremely faint yet soul‑stirring residual power. It was neither vitality nor deathly aura, but rather… a hollowness and resentment left behind after being forcibly stripped and extracted.

"Be careful, there's something strange about this place." Gu Yusheng whispered, the Moon‑Blade sword intent already quietly circulating within his body.

Mei Ruoxue's fingertips had already condensed a point of extreme cold ice gleam, ready to strike at any moment.

Shi Ran drew a deep breath, focusing her divine sense to the utmost, then slowly swept it toward the dry pool at the crater's center. Just as her divine sense touched the intersecting cracks on the pool bottom—

Hum!!

An abrupt anomaly erupted!

At the center of the dry pool bottom, those cracks suddenly blazed with piercing blue light! A powerful, chaotic suction brimming with thirst and resentment erupted from the pool floor like an invisible vortex, madly devouring all surrounding energy, including the three's spiritual power and scattered soul force!

"Not good! Is it a trap?!" Gu Yusheng shouted sternly, his Moon‑Blade aura surging and forming a bright shield that enveloped the three, blocking the terrifying suction.

Mei Ruoxue reacted instantly; with a flick of her jade hand, icy crystals condensed throughout the sky like countless blades slashing at the blue‑light vortex, attempting to freeze and destroy it.

However, the blue‑light vortex was strangely anomalous; Mei Ruoxue's icy sword aura, upon approaching, was also distorted and partially absorbed by it, greatly reducing its power. The suction not only did not weaken, but grew stronger as it absorbed the energy.

Shi Ran felt her spiritual power and divine sense as if they were about to be torn from her body, forcibly drawn by the vortex. She hurriedly steadied her mind and activated her divine sense to resist. In this struggle, aided by the faint resonance of the Heaven‑Patrolling Token, she suddenly perceived the core of the blue‑light vortex—

That was not a pure energy source, but rather a … crack‑covered, almost shattering, fingernail‑sized pale blue crystal! Inside the crystal, incomparably pure yet extremely chaotic spacetime energy was entwined, together with a thick, inseparable remnant soul resentment belonging to some powerful being.

This isn't some ownerless energy crystal; it's a... incomplete core on the brink of collapse, relying on instinct to frenziedly devour external energy to preserve itself—or to perish together.

"It's not the energy source we're looking for! It's a... spacetime core that's about to 'die'! It's trying to drag us down with it!" Shi Ran cried out, instantly understanding where the hint of "vigilance" previously sent by the Heaven-Patrolling Order came from.

Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue's faces grew even graver upon hearing this. A spacetime core? Even though it's damaged, the level of power it contains far exceeds their imagination!

"Forceful resistance isn't the solution; its pull will only grow stronger!" Gu Yusheng maintained his Moonlight Brilliance Shield, which began to flicker erratically under the pull.

Mei Ruoxue tried several attacks, but they were all twisted and absorbed; a hint of difficulty also flashed in her clear, cold eyes.

Shi Ran's mind raced. The Heaven-Patrolling Order needs pure energy, but this core's energy, though powerful, is filled with chaos and resentment; absorbing it directly would be like drawing fire upon oneself. Yet since the Order can sense it, does that mean... there might be a way to "purify" or "transform" it?

She plunged her divine sense into the Heaven-Patrolling Order, pouring in the thoughts of "purify," "transform," and "absorb chaotic energy" without reservation, while using her own otherworldly soul aura—mismatched with this world—as a catalyst, she exerted herself to the fullest.

"Heaven-Patrolling Order! You want energy, don't you? Think of a solution! Otherwise we'll all die here!"

As if responding to her resolve, the Heaven-Patrolling Order burst forth with an unprecedented fervor! Its originally merely lustrous light instantly turned into a brilliant silver-white, like the brightest star in the night sky!

"Clang—"

?? Thanks to Daimeng Youdian Xiaobaohei for the support, thanks to Qiyue Qiri Qing for the monthly ticket; it's not been easy all the way, but I will continue to work hard.