Ruined Altar

"Go take a look over there." Lin Ye pointed toward a floating fragment of the void opposite them.

"How are we supposed to get across? There's a void turbulence in between!"

Lin Ye walked to the edge of the fragment, crouching down to inspect the charred, cracked earth beneath his feet with a solemn expression.

"Follow me, and don't take a single wrong step."

The group followed Lin Ye closely, not daring to even breathe loudly. A distance of only a few dozen yards took an entire incense stick's worth of time to traverse. The moment they all stepped onto the fragment, their backs were soaked in cold sweat, their hearts still racing with lingering fear.

The fragment was covered in broken walls and ruins, a scene of utter desolation. In the center stood the ruins of a small palace, exuding an ancient, decaying aura.

"Was this place a stronghold in the past?"

"As long as it provides a temporary place to stay, it's better than being exposed out there."

Lin Ye didn't rest at all; he went straight to circling the perimeter of the ruins, probing the fluctuations of the remaining rune restrictions.

Perhaps I can try to activate some of the restrictions to block unknown dangers. A thought flashed through his mind.

Just as Lin Ye was deep in thought—

"Woooo—!"

A shrill, ear-piercing howl erupted from the darkness deep within Guixu, instantly sweeping across the entire world.

"What the hell is that?!" The group's expressions changed drastically. They stared fixedly at the direction of the darkness from which the howl came, their bodies tense.

"Get into the ruins, activate the restrictions!" Lin Ye shouted in a low voice, his figure suddenly rushing toward the entrance of the ruins.

The moment the group rushed into the ruins, several blurry, terrifying figures had already shattered the void and appeared at the edge of the fragment, their scarlet eyes locked onto the entrance.

The instant they stepped into the ruins, a strange odor rushed toward them.

These ruins were far more spacious than they appeared from the outside. The ground was paved with neatly cut black stone slabs, and the walls were carved with large, blurred, and mottled murals.

Deep within the ruins stood a dilapidated altar, upon which a metal statue was enshrined, with a metal plate covered in runes embedded in front of it.

"This place doesn't feel right."

"At least there are no living things."

"Forget about the murals! Those things are about to get in!" Chen Feng growled, as several shadows hovered incessantly near the entrance.

"Brother Lin, can the restrictions still be used?"

Lin Ye walked straight to the metal plate in front of the altar and pressed his right hand onto the metal surface. A stream of fragmented information flooded into his mind.

"Guard... the Seventh Star Observation Platform..."

"Evil spirits... keep away..."

"With blood... as a sacrifice... with soul as a guide... summon... Star Dome Protection..."

The restrictions remaining on the perimeter were merely weak energy leaking from the metal plate and could not last long; the core had to be activated as soon as possible.

"Lin Ye, how is it?" Su Muxue walked over.

"This is the control core, but the energy has been exhausted. We don't have any special energy to replenish it."

"Then what should we do?"

"You all step back, stay away from the altar, and guard the entrance."

"What are you trying to do?" Su Muxue looked at him, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes.

"I'm going to see if I can activate the defenses here."

He forced a drop of blood from his fingertip and let it fall into the center of the dried bloodstains at his feet.

"Hum!"

A faint buzzing sound exploded, and the drop of blood instantly vaporized, turning into a wisp of blood mist that rose upward!

The metal statue on the altar suddenly lit up with a faint light, and a clear consciousness flooded into Lin Ye's sea of consciousness.

"Latecomers... having obtained my Xinghe Dao Lineage... with blood as the token, with intent as the guide..."

"You may command the 'Seventh Star Observation Platform' remnant array... time limit... one day and one night..."

"It can block evil spirits from the outside, providing a place for you to rest..."

"It will also stir the breath of Guixu, attracting the prying eyes of evil things..."

"Whether to stay or leave, decide for yourselves."

The ancient murals on the walls seemed to come to life, the star patterns flowing, and an invisible force field instantly expanded, enveloping the entire ruin.

"Hiss—!!!"

The shadows hovering outside let out terrified hisses the moment the light barrier rose, retreating madly.

"It worked?!"

Su Muxue breathed a sigh of relief, her gaze toward Lin Ye becoming increasingly complex.

"Hurry and heal your wounds, recover your strength," Lin Ye said in a deep voice.

A brief silence fell within the ruins.

Outside the ruins, the evil creatures that had been startled away did not retreat far; instead, they gathered in ever-increasing numbers. From deeper within the darkness, several even more terrifying shadows cast cold gazes toward this area that had suddenly lit up like a beacon.

"How is everyone's recovery coming along?" Lin Ye spoke, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the stillness.

Su Muxue opened her eyes. "I have recovered about forty percent of my strength. My injuries have stabilized, but my origin is damaged and cannot be restored in the short term."

Chen Feng gave a bitter smile. "I am at thirty percent at best. Don't expect me to move my left arm anytime soon."

The other two disciples also shook their heads, their conditions equally concerning.

The situation was not optimistic. Given their current state, once the barrier shattered, they would have almost no chance of winning against the swarms of monsters outside.

"Brother Lin, what should we do next? The barrier won't hold for much longer." Chen Feng looked at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye stood up and walked over to the mural.

At the center of the image stood a massive tower that reached from the earth to the heavens. At the top of the tower, a vague silhouette of light seemed to be pointing toward something.

Could this be the way out? A thought stirred in Lin Ye's mind.

"Those things outside are becoming increasingly restless." Su Muxue's voice interrupted his contemplation.

"We cannot just sit here and wait for death." A cold glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. "We must weaken them before the barrier breaks and find more information."

"Fight our way out?" A fierce look flashed in Chen Feng's eyes.

"If we use the protection of the barrier to launch a surprise attack while they are unprepared, we might be able to intimidate them."

"That's too risky." Su Muxue shook her head. "We don't know the number or the strength of the monsters outside. If we get pinned down, we might never make it back. At least inside the barrier, we are safe and can focus on recovering."

Lin Ye walked to the edge of the light shield, staring through the curtain of light at the shadows outside.

These dark shapes varied in form, but the one thing they shared was a hunger for the flesh and souls of living beings. Most of their auras were at the early stage of the True Qi Realm, and they possessed low intelligence, acting purely on instinct.

Relying on the geographical advantage of the barrier, they were not without the power to fight. But defending blindly would only allow the evil creatures to gather in greater numbers, making their situation increasingly passive.

"We need intelligence." Lin Ye suddenly spoke. "The weaknesses of the monsters, the layout of this area, and the location of that Tongtian Tower."

"Where are we supposed to get that kind of information?" Chen Feng gave a wry smile.

Lin Ye's gaze fell back onto the altar statue. "The Seventh Star Observation Platform was originally a place for monitoring and early warning; perhaps it left behind records from the past."

He walked back to the altar and channeled his mental energy, communicating with the residual will within the metal plate.

The runes on the plate lit up once more, and a series of images flooded into his mind:

In the center of the void, the massive Tongtian Tower stood tall;

Countless cultivators fought bloody battles against dark monsters on a shattered continent;

Deep within Guixu, a tide that devoured everything erupted at regular intervals;

Finally, there was the scene of the Seventh Star Observation Platform being breached—a high-level cultivator sealing the core before death, leaving behind this imprint of will to wait for those who would come after...

Lin Ye let out a muffled groan, his face turning as pale as paper as cold sweat trickled down his skin.

He had truly obtained the critical information.

Lin Ye snapped his eyes open, his sharp gaze fixed firmly on the area directly beneath the altar.

"Su Muxue, Chen Feng, come here!" His voice was kept very low, carrying a hint of grave coldness.