Lin Qi's finger traced an arcane, uncanny sigil above Ailis's forehead.
The last wisp of Ailis's soul scattered. Burning her soul and lifespan to instantly strengthen herself for escape had ultimately caused her soul to perish completely. Specks of crystalline radiance drifted from around her forehead. A jade-green crescent mark, as though carved from emerald, flickered on Ailis's brow for a moment before abruptly turning into a slender beam of green light that shot skyward.
The magic arrays carved into the heavy magic-metal plates surrounding the secret chamber blazed with light, more than a hundred layers of magical barriers firmly sealing the space in every direction. That thread of green light battered against its surroundings for a long while, yet could never break out of the chamber. At last, it silently burst apart and gradually faded away alongside a faint, ethereal murmur, as lovely as heavenly music.
Lin Qi's expression became incomparably strange, and Mr. Mo's did not look much better. Only Etris stood quietly there, turning a blind eye to all the bizarre changes—she simply had no idea what that jade-green crescent mark represented.
Turning the crystalline finger bone over in his hand, Lin Qi weighed it, narrowed his eyes, and examined the dense runes within, each no larger than a sesame seed. He shook his head and was about to toss the finger bone onto the floor.
Just as Lin Qi decided to discard the finger bone, it suddenly ignited. With the speed of a thunderclap before one could cover one's ears, jade-green flames wrapped around Lin Qi's palm. Lin Qi howled in agony, and a jade-green crescent mark burned deeply into the back of his hand. That delicate crescent even seared its way deep into his bones.
"Damn it!" Lin Qi and Mr. Mo shouted at the