Chen Wuya's hand was still pressed against the base of that infant ice sculpture. The blood on his fingertips had already dried, leaving a dark red smear. He did not move, his eyes fixed on the empty ground before him.
Twelve ice sculptures stood in a circle, like people standing guard, yet also like a doorway. Each was as tall as a real person, their features blurred, though their ancient robes could still be made out. Different symbols were carved into the stone slabs beneath their feet, resembling the names of the hours.
The system suddenly vibrated.
[Detected 'Hour Anchor.' Recommend using Misaligned Force to simulate the nascent yang energy of midnight.]
Chen Wuya frowned. He did not understand the turning of the hours, nor did he know where yang energy came from. But he knew this formation could only be opened by doing things the wrong way.
He gently placed the infant ice sculpture at the feet of the nearest adult ice sculpture. The icy surface trembled faintly, and several pale golden patterns emerged, much like the runes he had seen on the altar before, only finer and denser.
"Is this the key?" Bai Zhi asked from behind him.
"Maybe." Chen Wuya lowered his voice. "It wants me to try midnight."
After saying that, he closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. Misaligned Force began to run backward through his body. The Canglang Art was originally a path of yin chill, but he insisted on wielding it as a hot current. True qi traveled through the yang channels and poured back into the yin veins, setting his meridians burning.
He reached out and pressed his palm against the first ice sculpture's chest.
A wave of warmth flowed in through his palm. The sculpture's eyes suddenly lit up