Ruined Altar

"Let's go take a look over there." Lin Ye pointed at the chunk of void floating opposite them.

"How do we get there? The void turbulence is in the way!"

Lin Ye walked to the edge of the fragment and crouched, studying the scorched, cracked earth beneath his feet. His expression was grave.

"Follow me. Don't take a single wrong step."

Everyone stayed close on Lin Ye's heels, barely daring to breathe. The short distance of a few dozen zhang took them the better part of an incense stick to cross. The moment they all stepped onto the fragment, their backs were soaked with cold sweat, and they felt shaken to the core.

The fragment was strewn with broken walls and ruined structures. At its center stood the remains of a small palace, steeped in an ancient, rotten air.

"This must have been an outpost once."

"If there's somewhere we can take temporary shelter, that's good enough. It's better than being exposed out there."

Lin Ye didn't stop to rest. He went straight around the ruins, inspecting the lingering fluctuations of the rune restrictions.

Perhaps I can try to activate some of the restrictions and fend off whatever unknown dangers lie ahead. A thought flashed through his mind.

Just as Lin Ye was deep in thought—

"Wooo—!"

A piercing, shrill howl erupted from the darkness deep within Guixu, sweeping across the entire world in an instant.

"What the hell was that?!" Everyone's expressions changed. They stared fixedly into the darkness from which the howl had come, their bodies tense.

"Into the ruins! Activate the restrictions!" Lin Ye barked, then shot toward the entrance.

The moment they rushed into the ruins, several indistinct, terrifying figures had already shattered through the void and appeared at the fragment's edge, their scarlet eyes fixed on the entrance.

The moment they stepped into the ruins, a strange odor assailed them.

The ruins were far more spacious inside than they appeared from the outside. Neatly cut black stone slabs covered the ground, and broad, blurry, mottled murals were carved into the walls.

Deep within the ruins stood a damaged altar. A metal statue was enshrined upon it, and a metal plate covered in runes was embedded in front.

"This place feels wrong."

"At least there are no living creatures."

"Forget the murals! Those things are coming in!" Chen Feng growled. Several shadows were prowling back and forth near the entrance.

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

Lin Ye went straight to the metal plate in front of the altar and pressed his right hand against its surface. A flood of fragmented information surged into his mind.

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

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

"Use blood... as offering... soul as guide... summon... Star Dome Protection..."

The restrictions lingering around the perimeter were only the faint energy leaking from the metal plate. They couldn't hold for long; they had to activate the core as soon as possible.

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

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

"Then what do we do?"

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

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

"I'll 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 bloodstain beneath his feet.

"Vmmm!"

A faint hum rang out. The drop of blood instantly vaporized, rising as a wisp of bloody mist!

The metal statue on the altar abruptly glimmered, and a clear thought surged into Lin Ye's sea of consciousness.

"Those who came after... inherit my Xinghe Dao Lineage... Let blood bear witness, let intent guide the way..."

"You may control the 'Seventh Star Observation Platform' remnant formation... Time limit... one day and one night..."

"It can keep evil spirits outside and provide you with a place to rest..."

"But it will also stir the breath of Guixu and draw the gaze of evil beings..."

"Whether you stay or leave is for you to decide."

The ancient murals on the walls seemed to come alive. Star patterns flowed across them, and an invisible force field spread out in an instant, enveloping the entire ruin.

"Hiss—!!!"

The shadows prowling outside let out terrified hisses the moment the barrier rose, then fled backward like mad.

"It worked?!"

Su Muxue breathed a sigh of relief. The look she gave Lin Ye grew all the more complicated.

"Use this time to heal and recover your strength," Lin Ye said gravely.

A brief silence fell over the ruins.

Outside, the evil beings that had been driven back hadn't gone far. Instead, more and more gathered. From deeper within, several even more terrifying shadows turned their cold gaze toward this area, where a sudden "light" had flared.

"How is everyone's recovery coming?" Lin Ye asked, his voice particularly clear in the silence.

Su Muxue opened her eyes. "I've recovered about forty percent of my strength, and my injuries are stable. But my foundation is damaged, and I can't restore it in a short time."

Chen Feng gave a bitter smile. "I'm at most thirty percent. I won't be able to use my left arm for a while."

The other two disciples shook their heads as well. Their condition was just as worrying.

The situation was bleak. In their current state, if the restrictions shattered, they would have almost no chance against the mobs of monsters outside.

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

Lin Ye stood up and walked to the mural.

At its center towered an enormous structure that reached from heaven to earth. A hazy silhouette seemed to stand at the top, as if pointing the way to something.

Could this be the way out? Lin Ye's heart stirred.

"The things outside are getting more restless by the minute." Su Muxue's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die." A cold glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. "Before the restrictions break, we have to weaken them and find more information."

"Fight our way out?" A ruthless glint flashed in Chen Feng's eyes.

"If we use the restrictions as cover and strike first, we might be able to scare them off."

"That's too dangerous." Su Muxue shook her head. "We don't know how many monsters are out there or how strong they are. If they pin us down, we might never make it back. At least we're safe inside the restrictions, where we can focus on recovering."

Lin Ye walked to the edge of the barrier and stared through it at the shadows outside.

The shadows took all kinds of forms, but one thing united them: their hunger for the flesh and souls of living beings. Most of them were in the early True Qi Realm, with little intelligence and nothing to guide them but instinct.

With the advantage of the restrictions, they weren't without a chance to fight. But if they only stood their ground, the evil beings would keep gathering, and their situation would grow more and more desperate.

"We need information," Lin Ye said suddenly. "The monsters' weaknesses, the layout of this area, and the whereabouts of that Tongtian Tower."

"Where are we supposed to get that information?" Chen Feng asked with a bitter smile.

Lin Ye's gaze returned to the statue on the altar. "The Starwatching Platform was built to monitor and give warning. Perhaps it still has records of what happened before."

He returned to the altar and focused his mind, reaching out to the lingering will within the metal plate.

The runes on the plate lit up again, and scene after scene flooded into his mind:

At the center of the void, an enormous tower that reached the heavens stood tall;

Countless cultivators fought bloody battles against monsters of darkness across the shattered continent;

Deep in Guixu, a tide that swallowed everything erupted at regular intervals;

At last, the Seventh Star Observation Platform was breached—a high-ranking cultivator sealed the core as he lay dying, leaving behind this imprint of intent to await those who came after...

Lin Ye grunted. His face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat streamed down him.

He had truly obtained crucial information.

Lin Ye suddenly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on the ground directly beneath the altar.

"Su Muxue, Chen Feng, come here!" His voice was very low, carrying a chill of solemnity.