Lin Qin and Aileen crouched in the shadows at the edge of the valley, as silent as two rocks, carefully watching the area around the altar. The three dark Saint Realm experts still stood before it, speaking in low voices as if confirming the final preparations.
"The Soul Vortex still isn't stable enough. It needs more 'fuel.'" The High Priest holding the skull-topped staff spoke hoarsely, like metal scraping against metal. His "fuel" clearly referred to the controlled sacrifices.
"The 'nourishment' from the perimeter is arriving one batch at a time. By the full moon tomorrow night, the energy will reach its peak." The gaunt Necromancer replied, his eyes glinting with a ghostly green light. "Then the great being will use that power to tear open the seal and descend upon this world!"
"The Empire's spies have been unusually active lately. We need to speed things up," the Shadow Assassin cloaked in darkness said coldly, his voice elusive. "The altar's defensive array must be foolproof."
"Don't worry." The High Priest waved his staff confidently. "With the three of us here, and this Ten Thousand Soul Bone-Eroding Array, even if the O'Brien Empire's Rock Sword Saint came in person, he wouldn't be able to disrupt the ritual easily!"
Lin Qin caught their conversation clearly. The ritual was set for tomorrow night's full moon. Time was running short!
"They're going to begin the ritual tomorrow night," Lin Qin whispered to Aileen. "We have to act tonight."
Aileen nodded tensely. "I need some time to prepare Deep Water Touch. This magic can seep in silently and dismantle the energy structure from within, but it takes a while to prepare, and I can't be interrupted."
"I'll buy you time." Lin Qin scanned the guards patrolling around the altar and the three Saint Realm experts. "Do you see those slightly paler Bone Pillars on the altar's east side? They seem to be secondary nodes in the energy network, so their defenses may be weaker. Start there."
"Okay." Aileen memorized their location and closed her eyes, focusing all her attention on channeling her magic. Her hands slowly traced complex, concealed runes in front of her chest. Pale blue water elements gathered at her fingertips, but she suppressed their fluctuations as much as she could, like deep ocean currents poised to surge.
Lin Qin, meanwhile, was like the most patient of hunters, calculating the gaps in the guards' patrols and tracking where the three Saint Realm experts' attention fell. He waited for the perfect moment.
As the seconds ticked by, the atmosphere in the valley grew increasingly oppressive. The gray mist seemed to thicken, and the Soul Vortex above the altar spun faster, letting out a teeth-grating wail.
The opportunity finally came at midnight. The Shadow Assassin seemed to receive some sort of message. His figure blurred, then vanished toward the valley entrance like a faint shadow, probably to deal with security at the perimeter. The Necromancer went to the other side of the altar and began checking on the kneeling sacrifices.
Only the High Priest remained in front of the altar. With his back to Lin Qin and Aileen, he gazed up at the Soul Vortex, muttering to himself as if adjusting something.
"Now!" Lin Qin hissed.
Aileen's eyes flew open, flashing blue. The magic she had been preparing for so long burst forth! Several blue streams, fine as strands of hair and almost completely transparent, slithered soundlessly along the ground like living tentacles, rapidly spreading toward the Bone Pillars on the altar's east side!
"Move!" Lin Qin sprang into action at the same time! He didn't charge at the High Priest. Instead, he launched himself like a cannonball, hurtling toward the lone Necromancer, who was checking on the sacrifices!
Take out the leader first? No. His goal was to cause enough chaos to buy Aileen time! Attacking the Necromancer would inevitably draw the High Priest's attention and make him overlook the subtle changes at the altar's edge!
"Enemy attack!" The Necromancer reacted swiftly, sensing danger the instant Lin Qin moved! He spun around and flicked his gaunt fingers. A shield made of pale bones appeared before him in an instant! At the same time, he let out a piercing shriek, summoning the dark creatures nearby!
Boom!
Lin Qin's fist, imbued with terrifying earth-elemental power, slammed into the bone shield! The shield cracked under the strain, and the Necromancer staggered backward, his eyes filled with shock. "Saint Realm?!"
"Who's there?!" The High Priest at the altar was startled by the sudden attack. He spun around and pointed his skull-topped staff at Lin Qin. A powerful field of dark binding force instantly swept over him!
But in that split second, Aileen's Deep Water Touch had already reached the targeted Bone Pillars! The highly concentrated water elements, imbued with corrosive properties, clung like maggots to bone as they rapidly seeped into the energy circuits inside the pillars!
"Crack... crack..."
Faint, almost inaudible cracking sounds came from within the Bone Pillars. The ghostly green light flowing across their surfaces abruptly faltered, flickering unsteadily, and the flames burning at their tops began to waver violently! The energy fluctuations throughout the altar fell into a barely perceptible disorder!
"What's going on?!" The High Priest immediately noticed something was wrong. Furious and alarmed, he looked toward the Bone Pillars—and saw fine cracks beginning to appear across their surfaces!
"There's someone else! They're destroying the Bone Pillars!" the High Priest roared. He swung his staff toward Aileen's hiding place, unleashing a powerful wave of dark energy!
"Your opponent is me!" Lin Qin wasn't about to let him get away with it! He braced against the dark binding field as the power of the earth burst forth beneath his feet, instantly breaking him free. He drove another punch at the High Priest, forcing him to defend himself!
"You're asking for death!" Furious and alarmed, the High Priest joined forces with the Necromancer to attack Lin Qin! Dark magic and necromancy intertwined, forming a zone of death that engulfed him.
The Shadow Assassin had also been alerted by the commotion in the valley and was racing back!
After casting her spell, Aileen had already moved to a new position as planned, evading the High Priest's wave of dark energy. She looked at the cracked Bone Pillars, their light in disarray, and felt a surge of joy. Her attack had worked! But she didn't dare linger. She immediately began preparing another attack, this time targeting a different set of Bone Pillars!
The battle erupted across the valley! Facing the combined attacks of the High Priest and the Necromancer, Lin Qin held his ground, wielding the Thick Earth Seal's defensive power and strength to the fullest. Like an immovable rock, he kept the two Saint Realm experts firmly occupied, giving them no chance to interfere with Aileen.
The rumble of impacts, the explosions of magic, the shattering of bones, the wails of souls... In that moment, the silence of Silent Valley was utterly broken!
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