Rune Stone

Yan Zhao took a deep breath, steadied his breathing, then closed his eyes and focused all his attention on the spiritual energy within his body. He slowly circulated it, guiding it along the source of that faint fluctuation of spiritual energy he had sensed.

Within the Illusion Array, the scenery around him shifted endlessly like a kaleidoscope. At times, fierce winds howled and sand and stones flew, as if they would swallow Yan Zhao whole; at other times, a vast sea of fire surged, heat waves rolling as though they would burn him to ashes. Yet Yan Zhao remained as unmoved as an old monk in meditation. His mind was wholly immersed in that fluctuation of spiritual energy as he advanced step by step toward its source.

After an unknown amount of time, Yan Zhao finally arrived at a place where the spiritual energy was exceptionally dense. The light here was dazzling, flickering without end, as though it concealed some crucial secret. Yan Zhao looked closely and saw a strange Rune Stone lying quietly there. Runes flowed across its surface, echoing the surrounding spiritual energy and forming a delicate balance.

Yan Zhao's heart leaped with joy. He knew that this Rune Stone was the core hub of the Illusion Array. As long as he could destroy it, the Illusion Array would collapse on its own. He hurriedly focused his attention and examined it, trying to find the Rune Stone's weak point.

After careful observation, Yan Zhao finally discovered a tiny crack in the Rune Stone. Secretly delighted, he knew this should be its weak spot. He immediately formed seals with both hands and muttered an incantation. A powerful stream of spiritual energy shot from his palm like lightning, blasting straight toward the crack in the Rune Stone.

With a deafening boom, the Rune Stone shook violently, its light flaring brightly as cracks began to appear throughout the Illusion Array. Yan Zhao was overjoyed at the sight. It seemed that strike had worked.

However, just as Yan Zhao thought he was about to succeed, the Rune Stone suddenly erupted with a powerful rebounding force that swept toward him like raging waves. Caught off guard, Yan Zhao was sent flying by the force and slammed heavily into a massive boulder in the distance.

Yan Zhao felt a sharp pain in his chest, and a mouthful of blood burst from his lips. He struggled to rise from the ground and steady himself, but his heart tightened. The core hub of this Illusion Array actually had such a powerful backup measure. It seemed he had underestimated it.

Still, Yan Zhao was not discouraged. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, readjusted himself, and began considering a way to deal with it. Since the Rune Stone could rebound such tremendous force, its defenses had to be exceptionally sturdy as well. Destroying it directly would likely be difficult; he needed another method.

Yan Zhao stared unwaveringly at the Rune Stone before him, his gaze burning like fire. He knew that retreat was not an option at this moment. He drew a deep breath, steadied himself, then looked around and carefully observed the flow of spiritual energy surrounding the Rune Stone.

After watching for a while, Yan Zhao discovered that the flow of spiritual energy was not chaotic. Instead, it seemed to follow a certain pattern. He calmed himself, concentrated, and used his keen senses to feel the movement of that spiritual energy, trying to find a way to break the array.

Second by second, time passed. Sweat gradually beaded on Yan Zhao's forehead, yet his focus did not waver in the slightest. Finally, amid his utterly absorbed exploration, an idea suddenly came to him—a possible solution.

Yan Zhao decided to stop forcefully confronting the Rune Stone's power. Instead, he would follow the direction of the spiritual energy's flow and use softness to overcome strength. He formed seals with both hands again, but this time his spiritual energy became exceptionally gentle, like a babbling stream. Following the spiritual energy circulating around the Rune Stone, it slowly seeped inside.

A miracle occurred! As Yan Zhao's spiritual energy gradually merged with the Rune Stone, its glow began to stabilize and no longer flickered as violently as before. The cracks in the Illusion Array also stopped spreading and slowly began to heal.

Seeing this, Yan Zhao let out a small breath of relief, but he knew it was not yet time to relax. He did not dare slacken in the slightest, continuing to pour in spiritual energy without pause and contend against the power within the Rune Stone, ensuring that the Illusion Array could fully recover.