The Mystery of the Runes

The faint light of dawn filtered through the gaps in the tent, and Ning Xiaochuan slowly opened his eyes. His chest still ached faintly, but it was much better than yesterday. He carefully turned his head and saw Su Linger still fast asleep, her silver hair spread across the simple pillow like moonlight. The Sacred Spirit Dragon was curled up in the hollow of her neck, its small belly rising and falling with each breath.

Ning Xiaochuan got up quietly, not wanting to disturb them. But as soon as he moved, Su Linger opened her eyes.

"Morning," she said, her voice still sleepy, but a gentle curve already on her lips.

The Sacred Spirit Dragon also woke up, let out a big yawn, revealing two rows of small, sharp teeth. It shook its scales, spread its four wings, and then affectionately rubbed against Ning Xiaochuan's cheek.

"How do you feel?" Ning Xiaochuan asked softly.

Su Linger sat up and stretched her shoulders. "Much better than yesterday." She pulled up her sleeve, revealing golden patterns on her arm. "These patterns seem to have faded a bit."

Indeed, Ning Xiaochuan found that the patterns on his own body were no longer so glaring, but had merged into his skin, like some ancient totem. He tried to mobilize the Sacred Source Power and was surprised to find that the energy flow was much smoother than he had expected.

"I can use Source Qi now." He held up his palm, and a wisp of golden light slithered like a small snake.

Su Linger also tried to summon the Profound Ice Power, and a wisp of icy blue aura overflowed from her fingertips. "Me too, but..." She suddenly frowned. "The nature of the power seems to have changed."

Ning Xiaochuan leaned closer to observe and found that the aura was mixed with fine golden threads, very similar to the Sacred Source Power within him. Even stranger, a small puff of dragon breath from the Sacred Spirit Dragon also showed the same characteristic – a blend of gold and blue, with a hint of milky white.

"Our powers are permeating each other," Ning Xiaochuan mused. "It's probably the result of the Primal Covenant being deeply activated."

Footsteps came from outside the tent, and Xing Hui's voice followed. "Your Highness, are you awake?"

"Come in," Ning Xiaochuan replied.

Xing Hui lifted the tent flap, holding a wooden tray with three bowls of steaming porridge and several small dishes. Seeing that the three of them were already moving freely, surprise flashed in the old man's eyes. "You've recovered faster than expected!"

He placed the tray on the hastily assembled wooden table. "Eat something first, and then... there's something I need you to see."

Ning Xiaochuan heard an unusual tone in Xing Hui's voice. "What happened?"

"It's not a bad thing, but... it's very strange." Xing Hui hesitated. "Let's talk after you've finished your meal."

This breakfast was much more lavish than last night's. The porridge contained rare medicinal herbs, and it was fragrant and sweet with a lingering aftertaste. The Sacred Spirit Dragon wasn't interested in the porridge, but it gobbled up all the dried meat from the side dishes.

After finishing their meal, Xing Hui led the three of them out of the tent. The scene outside made Ning Xiaochuan momentarily dazed – around the ruins of the Sacred Source Tower, dozens of tents and simple wooden houses had already been erected. People were coming and going, busy and orderly. Further in the distance, craftsmen were clearing the ruins, preparing for reconstruction.

"So many people..." Su Linger exclaimed in surprise.

"They've all come from various places to help," Xing Hui explained. "Craftsmen and supplies have been sent from all over the Sacred Source Land."

Indeed, Ning Xiaochuan noticed that the people wore diverse clothing, some from the Snow Mountain tribes, some from desert city-states, and even a few forest elves. When they saw Ning Xiaochuan and the other two, they stopped their work and bowed respectfully, their eyes filled with reverence.

"Messengers of Light!" A little girl broke free from her mother's hand and ran over, handing a small flower to the Sacred Spirit Dragon. The little creature let out a happy chirp and nuzzled the girl's cheek with its nose, making her giggle.

This heartwarming scene warmed Ning Xiaochuan's heart. But Xing Hui quickly guided them through the crowd to a heavily guarded tent.

"The patrol team found this in the ruins last night," Xing Hui said, gesturing for the guards to lift the tent flap. "We thought you should see it."

In the center of the tent was a stone platform, on which lay an irregularly shaped black crystal fragment, about the size of a palm. Even from a distance, Ning Xiaochuan could feel the evil energy contained within it – exactly like the portal in Shadow Valley.

"A World Devourer crystal?" Su Linger instinctively took half a step back.

"Not entirely," Xing Hui shook his head. "Look here."

He pointed to the fractured surface of the crystal, where there was an almost invisible golden thread, very similar to the patterns on Ning Xiaochuan and the other two.

"This is..." Ning Xiaochuan leaned closer to observe and suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. The golden thread in the crystal seemed to resonate with the Sacred Source Power within him!

"Careful!" Xing Hui quickly supported him. "It will react to the Sacred Source Power."

Ning Xiaochuan steadied himself and was surprised to find that the golden thread in the crystal was glowing faintly, pulsing as if alive. Even stranger, the patterns on his body began to flash in sync.

"It's responding to you!" Su Linger grabbed his arm. "This isn't right..."

The Sacred Spirit Dragon suddenly flew forward, curiously sniffing the crystal, and then, unexpectedly, let out a small puff of dragon breath. Golden-blue flames enveloped the crystal, and the golden thread within instantly brightened several times!

"Stop!" Xing Hui hurriedly tried to intervene, but it was too late.

The crystal vibrated violently, and a beam of golden light shot out from it, forming a blurry image on the tent ceiling – an unfamiliar starry sky, with countless stars arranged in a strange pattern. A deep voice emanated from the image:

"Primal... fallen... Void... Master..."

As soon as the voice finished, the image dissipated. The crystal also dimmed, and the golden thread stopped glowing.

Silence fell within the tent. Ning Xiaochuan and Su Linger looked at each other, seeing shock and confusion in each other's eyes.

"What does this mean?" Su Linger broke the silence.

Xing Hui's expression was solemn. "I'm not sure, but 'Primal fallen' might refer to the legend of the Primal Dragon's death."

"Legend?" Ning Xiaochuan pressed. "It didn't die naturally?"

"Ancient texts of the Sacred Origin Tribe record that the Primal Dragon was killed by some kind of being," Xing Hui lowered his voice. "An ancient evil called the 'Void Master'."

Ning Xiaochuan remembered the voice from his dream – "This is just the beginning." Could it have been referring to this "Void Master"?

"Then this crystal..."

"It might be some kind of communication device," Xing Hui speculated. "Connecting the World Devourers with the beings behind them."

The Sacred Spirit Dragon suddenly chirped and flew onto Ning Xiaochuan's shoulder, nervously gripping his collar. At the same time, Ning Xiaochuan felt an inexplicable palpitation, and the patterns on his body flashed again.

"Someone's coming," he said alertly, looking towards the outside of the tent.

As expected, a moment later, a guard rushed over. "Report! There's unusual activity at the Open Source Continent's teleportation array!"

The three followed Xing Hui to the temporarily erected teleportation platform. The intercontinental teleportation array, originally located within the Sacred Source Tower, had now been moved to an open area and was being maintained by twelve mages.

In the center of the platform, space was distorting, clearly indicating someone was teleporting over from the other side.

"Alert!" Star Radiance commanded, and the guards immediately raised their weapons.

Ning Xiaochuan, however, raised a hand to signal them to relax. "I sense a familiar aura."

Indeed, when the teleportation was complete, the figure appearing on the platform was a disheveled Yun Yi. Her silver hair was messy, her armor bore multiple scars, but her eyes remained sharp.

"Your Highness!" she knelt on one knee as soon as she saw Ning Xiaochuan. "Something has happened on the Open Source Continent!"

Ning Xiaochuan helped her up. "Tell me slowly, what's going on?"

Yun Yi took a breath. "Three days ago, remnants of the Black Tide launched a surprise attack on the Tianyuan Sect! True Man Xuanyu was gravely injured, and Lei Lie and Mu Qing's whereabouts are unknown!"

"What?!" Su Linger's face turned pale. "Master..."

"He's alive, but his condition is dire," Yun Yi continued. "The leader of the attackers was Han Li, and he... he's changed."

She took out a memory crystal from her embrace. When activated, it displayed a scene: Han Li stood amidst the ruins of the Tianyuan Sect, his entire body covered in black crystalline armor. His right eye had become a complete black void, while his left eye flickered with an eerie red light. Most unsettling was the crystal embedded in his chest, extremely similar to the one in the tent, only much larger.

"He calls himself the 'Void Eye'," Yun Yi's voice trembled. "He says he's going to open the true Primal Gate."

Ning Xiaochuan's heart jolted—"Void" again! This echoed the information from the crystal.

"There's something stranger," Yun Yi brought up another video. "Look at this."

The scene shifted to the sky above Qingyun City. Two moons were unusually close, and one of them had begun to change color, gradually shifting from silver-white to dark red!

"The phenomenon of twin moons bleeding has reappeared on the Open Source Continent?" Star Radiance exclaimed in disbelief. "That's impossible! The lunar phases of two worlds shouldn't be synchronized!"

"But it has happened," Yun Yi affirmed. "And Han Li declared that when the twin moons are completely blood-red, the real game will begin."

Ning Xiaochuan and Su Linger exchanged a glance, seeing determination in each other's eyes.

"We have to go back," Ning Xiaochuan said gravely.

Star Radiance tried to object. "Your Highness, your body hasn't fully recovered..."

"There's no time," Ning Xiaochuan interrupted him. "If Han Li is truly connected to that 'Void Master', the consequences would be unimaginable."

He looked at Su Linger and the Sacred Spirit Dragon. "You can stay and continue recuperating..."

"Don't be ridiculous," Su Linger shot him a look. "We're in this together."

The Sacred Spirit Dragon also protested with a "gugu," its four small wings flapping simultaneously, indicating it had fully recovered.

Star Radiance knew he couldn't dissuade them and could only sigh. "At least wait until tomorrow to depart. Let's make preparations today."

Ning Xiaochuan nodded in agreement. Indeed, they needed more intelligence and equipment. Especially that strange crystal; perhaps more information could be gleaned from it.

As night fell, Ning Xiaochuan sat alone in the research tent, ancient books provided by Star Radiance spread out before him. The Sacred Spirit Dragon dozed curled up beside him, while Su Linger went to help prepare supplies for the next day's departure.

The contents of the ancient books were unsettling. The "Void Master" was an existence older than the World Devourers, lurking in the dark corners of the universe long before the Primal Dragon was born. It had no fixed form, feeding on various "concepts"—lies, betrayal, despair... The Sacred Origin Tribe called it the "Cancer of All Things."

Most chilling was the mention in the ancient books that the Void Master could not be destroyed by conventional means, as it was the embodiment of "nothingness" itself. The Primal Dragon had sacrificed itself back then, only managing to seal it temporarily.

"So the World Devourers were just puppets..." Ning Xiaochuan muttered to himself. "The real enemy is it."

As he pondered, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the tent. Ning Xiaochuan tensed and stood up, and the Sacred Spirit Dragon immediately woke, its scales bristling.

"Your Highness!" a guard rushed in frantically. "The crystal... it suddenly..."

Ning Xiaochuan rushed out before he could finish. A crowd had already gathered outside the tent guarding the crystal, including Star Radiance and Su Linger.

"What's going on?" Ning Xiaochuan pushed to the front.

Inside the tent, the black crystal floated in mid-air, trembling violently. The golden lines on its surface pulsed like veins, forming a blurry pattern—it looked like some kind of map.

"A topographical map of the Open Source Continent!" Su Linger recognized it. "Look, that's where the Tianyuan Sect is!"

Indeed, the outline drawn by the golden lines bore a strong resemblance to the Open Source Continent. Even more unsettling was a blinking red dot on the map, located precisely at...

"Qingyun City," Ning Xiaochuan's voice tightened. "My hometown."

The crystal suddenly let out a piercing shriek, then exploded! Fragments shot out like rain, but thankfully Star Radiance quickly raised a protective shield, preventing anyone from getting hurt.

When the last fragment fell, silence returned to the tent. But Ning Xiaochuan's unease grew stronger—what was in Qingyun City? Why would Han Li, or rather the Void Master, be interested in that place?

"Plan change," he turned to Star Radiance. "We depart immediately."

Star Radiance did not object this time. "I'll prepare the fastest Cloud Wing Beast."

An hour later, Ning Xiaochuan, Su Linger, and the Sacred Spirit Dragon were ready to depart. In addition to essential equipment, Star Radiance also gave them three specially made amulets.

"Made from crystals from the Sacred Source Spring," he explained. "They can provide extra protection in critical moments."

Ning Xiaochuan accepted them solemnly. "I entrust the Sacred Source Land to you."

"Rest assured," Star Radiance nodded. "We will expedite the reconstruction and await your news."

Yun Yi stepped forward. "I'll go with you. I've been active on the Open Source Continent for a while and am familiar with the situation."

Ning Xiaochuan hesitated for a moment, but seeing her determined gaze, he finally nodded in agreement.

The four people and one dragon stepped onto the teleportation platform. The mages began chanting incantations, and space gradually distorted. In the last moment before the teleportation began, Ning Xiaochuan suddenly heard that familiar voice echo in his mind once more:

"Come find me... Son of Sacred Source... in the Land of Origin..."

A bright light flashed before his eyes. When he opened them again, he was under the sky of the Open Source Continent. Ning Xiaochuan took a deep breath, the familiar scent of grass and trees filling his lungs.

He was home. But what awaited them would be a battle far more perilous than the one in the Sacred Source Land