Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao (10)

At the critical moment—

"Hummm—"

A deep, ancient hum, as though it had come from endless ages past, suddenly rang out from within the protective barrier at the heart of the hall.

The sound was not loud, yet it carried a strange penetrating power. In an instant, it drowned out every shriek, roar, and clash of energies, reaching everyone's ears with perfect clarity—even piercing deep into their souls.

The source of the hum was the ancient tortoiseshell Bi Yao clutched tightly in her hand!

The tortoiseshell, which had always emitted a faint, cool warmth, was now releasing a soft, rippling pale-blue glow on its own. The glow was not intense, yet it possessed an indescribable weight and antiquity, as if it carried the memories of a primordial ocean. Across its surface, the strange natural patterns that Shi Yi had once believed might be connected to Return to the Void shimmered faintly, flickering in and out.

Bi Yao had awakened at some point—or perhaps she had remained half-awake all along, fiercely guarding a sliver of clarity within her mind. The tortoiseshell's reaction resonated in some wondrous way with the qi and blood within her body, especially with the cool sensation flowing from the Soul Stabilizing Pearl at her brow. Instinctively, she poured what little spiritual power she had left, along with all her focus and will, into the hand clutching the tortoiseshell.

Void Guide... suppress!

A fragmented, weak yet exceptionally clear thought—not a sound, but something that surfaced directly within the minds of Su Han, Lu Xueqi, Elder Mu, and even the shadow. The thought was ancient and indistinct. It seemed not to have been sent by Bi Yao herself, but rather to be scattered information revealed when the tortoiseshell was stimulated under certain conditions.

The pale-blue, water-ripple glow quietly spread