The ripples of the Soul-Purifying Spring still glowed pale green, and A Ze had already led four Swamp Spirit elders in setting up formation nodes beside the fissure in the Rotting Soul Abyss. Water elemental energy seeped from their palms and flowed along the patterns on the ground, resonating with the Lotus Heart Crystal Liya had embedded in the fissure. Pale green light surged from the formation nodes, forming a translucent film of water above the fissure, with ancient water-patterned runes pulsing across its surface-this was the Swamp Spirit Clan's "Everlasting Seal Formation," which could draw on the Soul-Purifying Spring's power to continuously suppress evil energy.
"In three days, the elders will bring Soul-Purifying Lotus roots to reinforce it. Then the fissure will be completely cut off from the outside world." A Ze wiped the droplets from his forehead with his sleeve and handed Loran a bone whistle carved with water patterns. "If you run into trouble involving water elements in the ruined capital, blow this, and we'll be able to sense your location. As long as you're within a thousand li, our clan's Water Whisperers can support you from afar."
Loran took the bone whistle. The moment his fingertips touched it, he felt a gentle, soothing water elemental power. He tied the whistle to his waist and turned toward Lei Lin-the Snow Spirit Qilin was tending its fiery wings with icy mist. Nourished by the Lotus Heart Crystal, the scorch marks on Lei Lin's wingtips had completely faded, and its golden-red flames flickered with growing strength.
"Time to go." Loran swung into the saddle, and the Icefield Wolf immediately followed, its golden eyes warily sweeping the Deadwood Forest at the swamp's edge. Liya tucked the Illustrated Catalog of Plants into her clothes, then checked the vine-woven box containing the Lotus Heart Crystal once more. Emerald-green vines wound twice around her palm, ready to respond to any sudden developments.
On their way out of the Swamp of the Dead, Liya released three Radiant Ice Doves, sending them to the Radiant Temple, the Blackstone Mountain Range, and the Elven Forest respectively. "The letter to Elder White mentioned our suspicion that Evil Bone and the Insect Clan have joined forces. Chief Tongchui needs to speed up the forging of the warships, while Elder Aila needs to bring Tree of Life sap to the Frozen Ruined Capital-the bitter cold there will suppress nature's power, so we need to prepare cold-resistance potions beforehand."
The ice doves flapped their wings and vanished into the sky. Lei Lin suddenly slowed, the flames on its fiery wings drawing in slightly. The Snow Spirit Qilin's ice talisman pulsed violently, and the black light pointing north within its pearly glow actually began fluctuating in jagged waves. "There are fluctuations of evil energy ahead, and... they're mixed with Evil Bone's aura."
Loran immediately reined in and signaled for everyone to hide behind the dead trees. Through the gaps between the branches, he saw more than a dozen knights' corpses lying on the wasteland ahead. Their armor bore both corrosion from Insect Clan slime and black markings left by Evil Bone energy. Broken knightly swords lay scattered beside the bodies, the Radiant Temple's crest engraved on their blades-they were the advance party the temple had sent to the Frozen Ruined Capital.
"They were killed only recently." Liya crouched to examine the bodies, brushing her fingertips over the cracks in a knight's armor. "There are traces of freezing around the wounds, which means the killers could control ice. And these black markings... their energy fluctuations match those of the Evil Bone Core."
Before she finished speaking, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded from the far end of the wasteland. More than a dozen enormous monsters lumbered toward them. Their bodies had the Insect Clan's black-purple carapaces, but their limbs were pieced together from evil bones. Translucent Rotting Soul Worms coiled around their joints, and every step left slime studded with ice fragments on the ground-these were "Evil Bone Insect Husks," monsters formed by merging the powers of Evil Bone and the Insect Clan.
"They're stitched monsters made by the two clans working together!" A Ze tightened his grip on his spear, gathering water elemental energy in his palm. "Their carapaces defend against physical attacks, and their Evil Bone limbs have immense strength. We have to deal with the Rotting Soul Worms at their joints first!"
The Evil Bone Insect Husks soon spotted them. With piercing shrieks, they lunged forward, swinging their enormous evil-bone claws. The leading husk swiped at a dead tree, instantly snapping its bowl-thick trunk. The flying splinters were actually frozen into ice fragments by the cold emanating from its body.
"Lei Lin, use your fiery wings to hold them off!" Loran leaped up, the pure white radiance of his knightly sword condensing into a blade of light that slashed precisely at a husk's joint. The light blade left only a shallow mark on its carapace, but purified every Rotting Soul Worm coiled around it. Lei Lin seized the chance to spew a pillar of fire. Golden-red flames bored into the gaps in the husk's joints, and it screamed in pain, its movements visibly slowing.
Liya waved her staff, sending emerald-green vines around the husk's evil-bone limbs in an attempt to trip it. A Ze led the Swamp Spirit warriors in throwing their spears. The water-element spears pierced the slime and stabbed into the husks' cores-the crucial points connecting the powers of the Insect Clan and Evil Bone. Meanwhile, the Snow Spirit Qilin breathed out icy mist, freezing the ground beneath the husks and making them lose their balance as they charged.
The Icefield Wolf circled behind the husks and precisely smashed a Rotting Soul Worm that had escaped with its golden claws. It suddenly noticed a Black Crystal embedded in a husk's neck, its surface patterns extremely similar to those of the Evil Bone Core. "Loran! Attack their necks! They have Evil Bone Crystals!"
Loran immediately changed direction. The power of three elements gathered along his sword's blade into a spear of light, which he hurled with all his strength. The light spear pierced the husk's carapace and precisely shattered the Evil Bone Crystal in its neck. Without the crystal to sustain it, the husk instantly stopped moving. Its carapace and evil bones began separating, and it finally crashed to the ground in a heap of wreckage.
After clearing out the Evil Bone Insect Husks, Loran picked up the shattered Evil Bone Crystal. It felt icy in his hand, with black patterns slowly flowing inside it and faint insect chirps barely audible. "This crystal is the core that controls the husks. The patterns on it... match the ancient runes of the Frozen Ruined Capital."
Liya opened the Illustrated Catalog of Plants and quickly flipped to the page describing the Frozen Ruined Capital. "The catalog says the ruined capital was once a stronghold of the ancient Rune Guardians. They used runes to seal the Evil Bone Core. Later, the ruined capital was swallowed by a cold wave, and the guardians disappeared too. The patterns on these Evil Bone Crystals are the sealing runes the guardians left behind, but now they're being used to control monsters."
As they continued north, the temperature dropped lower and lower. The vegetation on the wasteland gradually disappeared, replaced by thick ice. The outline of a frozen city appeared on the distant horizon-its walls towered into the clouds, their surfaces covered in solid ice that had not melted for a thousand years. Black runes covered the walls, bearing the same markings as the Evil Bone Crystals.
"That's the Frozen Ruined Capital." Loran narrowed his eyes. He could clearly sense the fluctuations of evil energy coming from the city, both heavy and tinged with the Insect Clan's sharp aura. "There are guards at the gate. Quite a few."
The Snow Spirit Qilin's icy mist formed a mirror before it, reflecting the scene at the city gate: more than a dozen Evil Bone Insect Husks stood guard at the entrance, while countless Bone-Corroding Flying Insects clung to the walls. The plaque above the gate was engraved with three large ancient characters reading "Winter City." Evil energy had corroded the plaque black, leaving only faint traces of runes visible around its edges.
"The gate has been reinforced with a runic seal. Forcing our way in will trigger traps." A Ze pointed to the ice surrounding the gate. "There are rune formations buried under that ice. If an outside force strikes them, they'll release freezing energy strong enough to freeze and crack even dragon scales."
Liya walked over to the ice and brushed her fingertips across the runes on its surface. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "This is a variation of Explorer Runes! Ancient texts say these runes can guide the flow of energy. As long as we find the formation's central node and channel the corresponding elemental power into it, we can temporarily lift the seal." She opened the Illustrated Catalog of Plants and pointed to a page. "Look, the central node is usually in the ice directly beneath the plaque. It needs a fusion of ice and fire to activate."
Loran looked at the two qilin. Lei Lin immediately understood, condensing golden-red flames into a small fireball in its palm. The Snow Spirit Qilin breathed out pearly-white icy mist, enveloping the fireball. The instant ice and fire merged, they formed a pale purple energy sphere, with markings identical to the gate's runes pulsing across its surface.
"I'll activate the central node." Loran took the energy sphere and carefully approached the city gate. The Evil Bone Insect Husks seemed not to notice anything amiss and continued patrolling where they were. He leaped up and pressed the sphere against the ice below the plaque. It instantly merged into the ice, and the rune formation beneath shone pale purple. The solid ice at the gate began slowly melting.
"Quick! The seal's lifted!" A Ze immediately led the Swamp Spirit warriors in a charge. They hurled water-element spears, precisely stabbing the Evil Bone Insect Husks guarding the gate. Loran flipped down to the ground, sweeping the pure white light of his knightly sword across the approaching Bone-Corroding Flying Insects and slaying them all. Liya waved her staff, binding the flying insects' nests on the walls with emerald-green vines to keep more insects from swarming out.
Lei Lin and the Snow Spirit Qilin joined forces against the largest Evil Bone Insect Husk. Fiery wings and icy mist interwove into a net of ice and fire, trapping it inside. The Icefield Wolf circled behind the husk and smashed the Evil Bone Crystal in its neck with its golden claws. The husk crashed down, shattering a vast stretch of ice.
After clearing out the gate guards, the group finally stepped into the Frozen Ruined Capital. The city lay desolate. Ice covered the houses, and white bones littered the streets, their surfaces bearing both traces of freezing and corrosion marks from Insect Clan slime. The air was thick with the auras of Evil Bone and the Insect Clan. Cold wind swept past with shards of ice, making a sobbing sound.
The Snow Spirit Qilin's ice talisman suddenly pointed toward the city center, strong fluctuations rippling through its black light. "The Evil Bone Core is over there! And... a large number of the Insect Clan are gathered there. It looks like they're performing some kind of ritual."
Loran tightened his grip on his knightly sword. He could feel the power of three elements within him resonating faintly with the runes on the city walls. He looked at Liya and found her staring at a stone tablet embedded in the ice. Explorer Runes densely covered the tablet, and traces of pale purple energy still lingered at its top.
"These runes are telling a story." Liya's voice was filled with shock. "In ancient times, the Rune Guardians used the power of Explorer Runes to seal the Evil Bone Core. Later, the Insect Clan invaded, and the guardians and the Insect Clan perished together. Only then was the ruined capital swallowed by the cold wave. Now these runes have been reactivated because someone wants to use their power to break the Evil Bone Core's seal!"
Just then, a low horn blast suddenly sounded from the city center. The fluctuations of evil energy instantly intensified, and the runes beneath the ice began flashing violently. The light of the Snow Spirit Qilin's ice talisman dimmed somewhat, and its pearly-white icy mist actually began contracting. "This is bad! They're forcibly breaking the seal! The Evil Bone Core's energy is about to go out of control!"
Loran looked up toward the city center. A huge black-purple vortex had gathered above the ice there, containing both Evil Bone's black patterns and the Insect Clan's slime. The two clans' powers were clearly merging. He gripped the bone whistle at his waist and shouted to the others, "Move faster! We have to stop them before they break the seal! A Ze, your water elemental energy can temporarily suppress the energy fluctuations. Stay beside me!"
The group immediately raced toward the city center. The Icefield Wolf cleared the way ahead, smashing obstructing icicles with its golden claws; Lei Lin and the Snow Spirit Qilin kept watch on either side, ready to respond to any sudden developments; A Ze and the Swamp Spirit warriors guarded Liya, using water-element barriers to resist the corrosive evil energy in the air.
On the streets of the Frozen Ruined Capital, the ice began to crack. Countless Evil Bone Insect Husks crawled out from beneath it and lunged at them with shrieks. Loran knew that a decisive battle over possession of the Evil Bone Core was about to begin in this thousand-year-old ruined capital. And every step they took bore upon the safety of the entire continent.
The black-purple vortex at the city center grew larger and larger. On a raised platform beneath it, a figure in black robes could faintly be seen holding a staff high. A huge Evil Bone Crystal was set into the staff's tip, and countless members of the Insect Clan and Evil Bone followers surrounded the figure-the leader of the allied Evil Bone and Insect Clan forces, performing the final ritual to break the seal.
Loran gripped his knightly sword, the power of three elements surging within him. He knew this would be their hardest battle yet, but as long as his companions were beside him, he would not back down.
The horn of the decisive battle had already sounded over the Frozen Ruined Capital.