Whispers of Bones, Sanctuary Prepares for Battle

That cold, ancient, malicious will pierced through the Dimensional Barrier like a tangible icy wind, echoing through the silent air of Kamar-Taj's Restricted Books Section. Though it was only a brief sentence, it carried a soul-quaking pressure and a profound hatred that spanned countless ages.

"...The... scent... of Thunder... traitor... inheritor... shall... ultimately... return... to... silence..."

Lin Ye and The Ancient One's expressions turned incomparably grave at the same time. This was no longer the unconscious dimensional impact from before, but a warning—or even a prophecy—with a clear target, sent by some specific ancient existence deep within that world of death!

"It has set its sights on you." The Ancient One's voice was extremely low, carrying an unprecedented seriousness. "Not Earth as a whole, but you specifically! Because of the newly fused, pure Thunder Origin aura on your body! It seems to see you as the 'inheritor' of some 'traitor'?"

Lin Ye felt the [Thunder Pact] mark on the back of his hand slowly fading away. Lightning flickered in his eyes. Rather than fear, a fierce fighting spirit rose within him. "Traitor? Inheritor? Is it because of the former owner of this Lightning-Struck Wood, that fallen Thunder Dimension Lord?"

"Very likely." The Ancient One analyzed swiftly. "That lord failed while attempting to reach a higher level and perished. The process may have involved certain entities from the Endless Bone Graveyard. He may even have been their enemy, or an ally who later betrayed them... Those grudges have long since been annihilated by time. But now, you have fused with the core legacy he left behind and carry his power and aura. That ancient hatred has naturally shifted onto you."

She looked toward the Orb of Agamotto. Within it, those enormous hollow eye sockets were still "staring" coldly, as if they had locked onto the coordinates of Lin Ye's soul.

"That direct gaze alone is a powerful dimensional pressure and mental corrosion. You must maintain the strength of your [Soul Barrier] at all times. And now that it has a clear target, its next assault will no longer be a directionless test. It will surely be a fiercer, stranger attack aimed at you!"

Lin Ye snorted. "Then let it try." With his strength greatly increased, he needed a suitable whetstone.

"Do not underestimate it!" The Ancient One warned. "The Endless Bone Graveyard has existed for far longer than we can imagine. The ancient dead slumbering within possess bizarre methods beyond our understanding. They may not be able to descend in their true forms easily, but projecting curses across dimensions, sending undead servants, or even twisting the space and time around you to create killing opportunities would not be difficult for them."

After pondering for a moment, she said, "Kamar-Taj will do everything in its power to assist your defense. I will set up stronger dimensional warning formations and anti-curse barriers around the Sanctuary. You must also familiarize yourself with your newly acquired powers as soon as possible, especially your abilities in soul protection and purification. Those will be the key to countering the powers of the dead."

"I understand." Lin Ye nodded. Strategically, one could despise the enemy; tactically, one had to take the enemy seriously.

"Return to the Sanctuary first. I need to gather all the masters immediately and rearrange our global defense priorities." The Ancient One acted with decisive efficiency. Golden light rose beneath her feet as she prepared to leave.

Lin Ye did not linger either. Lightning flashed around him, and he teleported directly back to the Thunder Temple. He knew that the brief period of calm was over. A dimensional hunt targeting him personally had already begun.

Thunder Temple.

After returning, Lin Ye immediately issued a series of orders.

"Remy, raise the Sanctuary's defense level to maximum! Activate all dimensional interference and shielding devices. Focus on guarding against mental corrosion, curse projection, and spatial distortion attacks! Conduct a full scan of all spatial anomalies within five hundred kilometers of the Sanctuary!"

"Command confirmed. Defense systems operating at full power. Scan initiated."

"Retrieve the application data for [Life-Rekindling Thunder], [Soul-Purifying Thunder], and [Thunderflash: Time Lag]. Conduct simulated drills and optimization. Prioritize mastering [Soul-Purifying Thunder]."

"Task established. Simulation training ground ready."

Lin Ye stepped directly into the training ground. He wasted no time and immediately began familiarizing himself with the high-level lightning applications he had gained.

[Soul-Purifying Thunder] was not a violent attack, but an exceedingly delicate use of power. He tried transforming the power of thunder into a gentle yet highly penetrating purifying wave, using it to disperse all kinds of simulated negative mental energy and curses. During his first few attempts, the slightest lapse in control either produced no effect or crushed the simulated target beneath overly powerful lightning. But as [Thunder Law Insight] and [Primordial Thunder Affinity] took effect, he improved rapidly. Before long, he could condense purifying thunderlight that was perfectly measured and flowed like a clear spring.

[Life-Rekindling Thunder] was even more profound, involving the stimulation and guidance of life energy. For now, he could only simulate the most basic weak currents that accelerated cellular regeneration. He was still far from true "rekindling," but it had already elevated his understanding of lightning to an entirely new level.

[Thunderflash: Time Lag] was a rudimentary application involving the domain of time. He could not stop or reverse time, but for an extremely brief instant, he could push his own speed to the absolute limit, making it appear to others as though time had slowed slightly. Combined with his already terrifying speed, this brought his mobility and evasion abilities to an unimaginable level.

Just as he was immersed in training, Remy's alarm sounded again.

"Warning! Three spatial anomalies detected! They are not direct assaults, but extremely concealed dimensional infiltration points! Locations: ten thousand meters directly above the Sanctuary, three thousand meters beneath the Sanctuary in the bedrock, and somewhere in Hudson River Valley along the necessary route from New York to the Sanctuary!"

"Energy signature analysis: highly concealed, concentrated negative energy. Suspected undead construct or curse beacon currently forming!"

So it had come! And it was this cunning. Rather than attacking the Sanctuary itself, it had chosen to plant nails around it!

"Can they be eliminated remotely?" Lin Ye asked as his figure vanished, reappearing ten thousand meters above the Sanctuary.

"The high-altitude target can be subjected to a remote precision strike. The structures of the underground and valley targets are unknown. Forced remote strikes may trigger geological disasters or energy leakage."

High in the sky, Lin Ye's gaze flashed like lightning. In an instant, he locked onto an exceedingly faint spatial point, distorted like a transparent jellyfish. Within it, a bizarre rune made of pale bone fragments and resentful energy was slowly taking shape!

"Found you!" Lin Ye raised a hand and pointed!

"Annihilating Thunder Needle!"

A thread-thin ray of pure white lightning, condensed to the extreme, instantly crossed space and pierced precisely into that hidden spatial point!

There was no explosion, only an extremely faint crack, like shattering glass. The resentful rune and pale bone fragments instantly turned to nothingness beneath the pure, blazing purifying lightning. Even the hidden spatial point was completely erased, as if it had never existed.

High-altitude threat eliminated!

The next instant, Lin Ye appeared above Hudson River Valley. Deep within the valley below, dense negative energy was gathering inside a dark cave, vaguely forming a tiny rift leading to the death dimension. Countless pale, tiny arms were trying to crawl out of it!

"Filthy things!" Disgust flashed through Lin Ye's eyes as he pressed both hands downward!

"Heavenly Thunder Purification Prison!"

Countless gentle yet omnipresent rays of purifying lightning fell like a fine rain, precisely covering the entire cave area! The pale arms melted the instant they touched the lightning, like snow beneath a blazing sun! The negative energy and tiny rift within the cave were completely purified and smoothed away, leaving only fresh air and a faint scent of ozone.

Valley threat eliminated!

But the target three thousand meters underground was somewhat troublesome. Its energy reaction was the deepest and most concealed. It seemed connected to the earth veins, and a forced attack could indeed lead to unpredictable consequences.

"Remy, deploy geology-penetrating micro-robots carrying high-concentration purifying thunder talismans. Infiltrate the target point and eliminate it precisely."

"Command executed. Robots launched."

Several minutes later, an extremely muffled tremor came from underground. The anomalous energy reaction then vanished completely. Elimination successful.

The first probing wave of infiltration was swiftly dismantled by Lin Ye with thunderous methods.

News also arrived from Kamar-Taj. The Ancient One and several masters had successfully reinforced the regional Dimensional Barrier centered on the Thunder Temple and set up powerful anti-curse formations.

However, both Lin Ye and The Ancient One knew that this was only the beginning.

Those cold eye sockets of the Endless Bone Graveyard were still "watching" indifferently from beyond the dimension. The next attack would surely be even more dangerous and insidious.

Lin Ye stood atop the Sanctuary, looking down over the vast mountain ranges. The [Thunder Pact] mark on the back of his hand grew faintly warm. He could feel that a hunt and counter-hunt spanning dimensions had fully begun.

He was not only protecting himself, but this land as well.

Meanwhile, in Queens, New York, Peter Parker finally mustered the courage to click the reply link in that "Stark Industries Intern" recruitment email...

The gears of the world continued turning slowly in every corner.

(End of Chapter Forty-Six)