Chapter 396: Urban Undercurrents

Lin Xuan struck without hesitation, a Wood Element Azure Dragon lunging straight at the Keji Jutou. However, the opponent merely flicked a hand, and a Void Barrier blocked the attack.

"Traditional Five Elements Energy is useless here," the Keji Jutou said arrogantly, "We have already received the gift of the Void."

Just then, Lin Xuan noticed that among the "Xintu" present, many wore similar black crystal pendants on their chests; that seemed to be the source of their power.

"Li Yan, focus your attacks on those black crystals!" Lin Xuan instructed in a low voice.

The two quickly adjusted their tactics, no longer attacking the people directly, but precisely striking those crystal pendants. Once the crystals were destroyed, the "Xintu" immediately lost their Void Power, and some even fainted on the spot.

Seeing this, the Keji Jutou was furious: "You cannot stop the arrival of the new world!" He rushed toward the Dimension Rift, seemingly intending to crawl inside.

Lin Xuan lunged forward, blocking his path: "You have been eroded by Void Energy, but there is still a chance for redemption."

The Keji Jutou laughed wildly: "Redemption? Why would I want redemption? The Void has given me unprecedented power and vision! You Guardians live in the past and cannot understand the truth of the future!"

As he spoke, his body began to deform, his arms elongating into sharp claws, and black patterns began to emerge beneath his skin. Lin Xuan knew he had begun to transform into a Void Creature; if he did not stop him now, it would be irreversible.

"Wood Element: Radiance of Life!" Lin Xuan unleashed a skill he had never shown before, condensing a mass of pure green light between his hands and pressing it directly onto the Keji Jutou's chest.

The light flowed like water over the opponent's entire body, and wherever it touched, the black patterns melted away like snow. The Keji Jutou let out a painful howl, but as the light spread, his eyes gradually returned to their normal color.

"This... what is this?" the Keji Jutou asked, trembling, his voice having returned to normal.

"An application of Life Essence," Lin Xuan explained, "I realized this purification technique before the Tree of Life in the Southern Jungle."

With the Keji Jutou's recovery, the Dimension Rift also began to destabilize, finally disappearing after a surge of energy. The Void matter within the entire mansion also began to wither and dissipate.

Li Yan looked at all this in shock: "You can purify Void Pollution?"

Lin Xuan nodded: "Yes, but it consumes a great deal of energy, and it is only effective against early-stage pollution. Those who have fully transformed into Void Creatures are beyond saving."

After clearing this stronghold, Lin Xuan received an urgent message from Xu Feng in New York—Yage had arrived in New York, but unexpectedly, he did not appear in public, instead heading straight to Huajie to meet secretly with a group of financial elites.

"He is building a web," Lin Xuan realized, "achieving infiltration of the entire human society by controlling the power cores of various cities."

Li Yan was deeply worried: "We cannot deal with threats in so many places at once."

Lin Xuan fell into deep thought: "It is time to change our strategy. Since the Void Devourer has shifted the battlefield to the city centers, we must also adapt to this new situation."

He quickly contacted all the Guardians and arranged a global video conference. During the meeting, Lin Xuan proposed a bold plan: "We will establish the 'Five Elements City Guardian Network,' setting up Five Elements Judian directly in the centers of major cities, not only to defend against Void Invasion but also to take the initiative to seek out and purify targets contaminated by the Void."

This plan was quickly passed unanimously, and the Guardians headed to different cities to begin implementing the new strategy.

Lin Xuan chose Beijing as his own stronghold. At the same time, he dispatched elite students from the Five Elements Academy to disperse to major cities across the country to monitor Void activity and intervene when necessary.

An unprecedented urban war thus began.

In Beijing, Lin Xuan chose a high-rise office building in the business district as the headquarters for the Five Elements City Guardian Network. On the surface, it was just an ordinary consulting Company, but inside, it was equipped with complete cultivation grounds and energy monitoring systems.

Lin Xuan, dressed in modern business attire, stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city nightscape. For two months, although the threat of the Void Devourer had not publicly erupted, undercurrents were surging, and the scope of infiltration was growing wider.

"Teacher Lin, there is an emergency." Xiao Yuan walked into the office and handed Lin Xuan a data pad.

Lin Xuan quickly scanned the information on it, his brow furrowing tighter: "Another high-ranking official has gone missing?"

Xiao Yuan nodded: "This is the third one this month. Unlike the previous two, he had contacted our hotline before disappearing, stating he had important intelligence to share, but he vanished into thin air on the day of the scheduled meeting."

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment: "They might have been targeted by a Xukong Shangren. We need to investigate this case personally."

That night, Lin Xuan and Xiao Yuan arrived at the residence of the missing official. It was a private villa located in the suburbs, surrounded by lush trees and offering excellent privacy. The villa had already been cordoned off by the special task force, and Zhou Zhuo greeted them at the door personally.

"The situation inside is very unusual," Zhou Zhuo said with a grave expression, "There are no signs of a struggle, no signs of forced entry, but the entire villa is permeated with faint Void Energy."

After entering the villa, Lin Xuan immediately released his Wood Element perception to scan every corner. Soon, he discovered an anomaly behind a wall in the study: "There is a hidden space here."

With Zhou Zhuo's assistance, they found the mechanism and opened the secret door. Inside was a small equipment room; the walls were covered with various photos and documents, and a computer sat quietly on the table.

"These are... files on Xukong Shangren?" Xiao Yuan looked at the photos on the wall in surprise, each one labeled with a name, position, and area of activity.

Lin Xuan quickly browsed through the documents: "This official seems to have been secretly investigating the activities of the Xukong Shangren." He turned to the computer and tried to start it, only to find that it required iris recognition to unlock.

Xiao Yuan suddenly pointed to the corner: "What is that?"

In the corner sat an exquisite wooden box, carved with complex Five Elements Rune. Lin Xuan carefully opened the box to find an ancient Jade Pendant inside, completely translucent and emitting faint fluctuations of Five Elements Energy.

"This is... the Heavenly Origin Jade Talisman!" Lin Xuan said in surprise, "It is a medium from the ancient era used to record important information, requiring specific Five Elements Energy to activate."

He gently placed his palm over the jade talisman and channeled Wood Element Energy into it. The jade talisman immediately lit up with green light, projecting a holographic image—it was the missing official.

"If you are seeing this recording, it means I am no longer able to meet with you in person, Guardian Lin," the official in the image said with a grave expression, "I must tell you a shocking truth: Yage has secretly returned to China and is currently making contact with certain figures at the highest level."