Joining Forces to Break the Stalemate: The Heavenly Machine Scroll Finally Enters My Grasp

At the instant his fingertips were about to touch the center of the rune array, Chen Wuya fiercely bit through his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood essence into his palm. Before the blood could fall, it rose like a living thing, forming a twisted pattern in the air—the complete opposite of the circulation path of the Misaligned Force within his body.

The crystals on all four walls glowed red like molten iron, layers of energy waves pressing down like a collapsing sky. One member dropped to his knees, both hands plunged into the ground as he tried to steady himself, only to be hurled away by an invisible force and roll several feet. Bai Zhi rested on one knee, her sword tip braced against the ground to support her body. The cloth on her shoulder had been scorched black, and her breathing was rapid and heavy.

"We can't wait any longer," she said quietly.

Chen Wuya did not respond. His eyes remained tightly shut as he allowed seven conflicting streams of true qi to crash and flow in reverse through his meridians. Three severed channels were forcibly torn open, and Misaligned Force flooded into the rune array's core like a raging torrent. The system shook violently, its prompt nearly drowned out by the roar: "Path reconstruction failed... Forced simulation initiated... New sequence generating."

The runes on the ground suddenly stalled. The violently flickering red light slowly transformed into dark-blue ripples, like an undercurrent once more surging through a dried riverbed.

Bai Zhi's gaze sharpened. She immediately sprang up, streaking toward the other side of the crystal platform. Her flexible sword flew from her hand, its blade precisely piercing the rune eye at the "Li" position. She pressed both palms against the hilt and slowly poured in her clear,