On the streets of the Frozen Ruined Capital, the sounds of cracking ice rose one after another. Loran and his companions had barely rushed halfway down a street when black-purple runes suddenly lit up in the ice beneath their feet-it was the "Evil Bone Ice-Sealing Formation"! Countless ice spikes burst from the ground, aimed straight at their vital points. The evil power in the air instantly condensed, and even Lei Lin's fiery wings developed a thin layer of frost.
"Fall back!" A Ze reacted fastest. Water elements surged from his palms and formed a membrane beneath everyone's feet. The instant it collided with the ice spikes, it actually froze them in place for a moment. "This formation absorbs evil bone energy to increase its power. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it gets! Miss Liya, can you find the formation eyes?"
Liya immediately opened the Illustrated Catalog of Plants, her fingertips passing over the page recording the "Explorer Runes." The runes on the page resonated with those on the ground, giving off flecks of green light. "The formation eyes are inside the ice pillars on both sides of the street! There are three, arranged in a triangle. We need to channel nature's power and water elements into them simultaneously to neutralize them!"
The Icefield Wolf had already leaped up, striking the ice pillar on the left with its sharp golden claws. The runes on the pillar's surface flickered at once, revealing the Black Crystal hidden inside. "The formation eye on the left is here!" Its roar had barely faded when the pillars on the right and ahead lit up as well. More than a dozen Evil Bone Insect Husks crawled out of cracks in the ice and blocked the paths to the formation eyes, clearly intent on stopping them from breaking the formation.
"I'll take the left!" Loran tightened his grip on his knight's sword. The power of three elements condensed into a shield of light along the blade, and he forcibly broke through the interception of two insect husks. Lei Lin followed close behind, beating golden-red waves of flame from its fiery wings to melt the surrounding ice and open a path for him. Snow Spirit Qilin charged toward the pillar ahead, the Lotus Heart Crystal's pale green light merging into its luminous white ice mist. Wherever the mist passed, every Rotting Soul Worm in the insect husks' joints was purified, instantly slowing their movements.
A Ze led two swamp spirit warriors toward the pillar on the right. His water-element spear pierced an insect husk's carapace and struck precisely at the Black Crystal inside the pillar. The moment the crystal shattered, the runes on the right-hand pillar abruptly dimmed. "The left one's done!" As A Ze's shout fell, Liya had already circled around to Loran's side. Emerald vines wound around the left-hand pillar, channeling nature's power into it, and its runes went out as well.
Only the pillar ahead remained. Snow Spirit Qilin was being besieged by three enormous Evil Bone Insect Husks. Their carapaces were covered in evil bone patterns, and their waving limbs could actually release black ice blades, cutting crack after crack into Snow Spirit Qilin's ice-mist defense. "Snow Spirit Qilin!" Loran leaped up, slashing a three-element light blade at an insect husk's neck and precisely shattering its evil bone crystal. The husk crashed to the ground.
Snow Spirit Qilin seized the chance to channel ice mist into the pillar ahead, finally extinguishing the last formation eye. The black-purple runes on the ground gradually faded, and the ice spikes melted with them. But before anyone could catch their breath, the black-purple vortex in the city center suddenly swelled. A powerful wave of energy spread outward, lighting every rune on the ice's surface as though they were responding to the power within the vortex.
"It came from the platform! They're speeding up their efforts to break the seal!" Liya steadied herself against a swaying ice wall as the pages of the Illustrated Catalog of Plants flipped violently. "The catalog says that once a breach is torn in the Evil Bone Core's seal, it will release 'Evil Bone Miasma,' which can turn living creatures into Evil Bone Puppets!"
Loran looked up. More than a hundred Evil Bone Insect Husks had already gathered around the platform. A dark mass of Bone-Corroding Flying Insects circled above them, forming a wall of insects that guarded the platform tightly. Atop the platform, the evil bone crystal at the tip of the black-robed figure's staff emitted a piercing black light that intertwined with the energy in the vortex. Visible cracks had already appeared in the pale purple barrier sealing the core.
"We have to break through the insect wall!" Loran shouted to the others. "Lei Lin, you and Snow Spirit Qilin use your Ice and Fire Fusion Technique to open a breach; A Ze, protect us with a water-element barrier; Liya, get ready to purify the miasma with the Dew of Life; Icefield Wolf, circle behind the insect wall and disrupt their formation!"
Everyone immediately moved. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin exchanged a glance. Golden-red flames and luminous white ice mist intertwined before them, forming a spinning "Ice-Fire Tornado"—a new skill they had comprehended after absorbing the Lotus Heart Crystal's power. The flames' Purification Power and the mist's freezing power reinforced each other. Wherever the tornado passed, every insect husk and flying insect was shredded or frozen.
The Icefield Wolf took the opportunity to circle behind them from the flank. Its sharp golden claws struck the Evil Bone Insect Husks at the edge of the insect wall, drawing them toward the other side. A Ze gathered water elements into a transparent barrier around everyone, blocking the slime sprayed by the flying insects. Liya sprinkled the Dew of Life over its surface. Pale green light merged with the water elements to form a "purification barrier," and the slime was instantly purified into clear water upon landing on it.
"Charge!" Loran led the others into the breach opened by the Ice-Fire Tornado. The three-element light blade on his knight's sword swept across, cutting the remaining insect husks to pieces. The platform was right before them. The black-robed figure finally noticed them and slowly turned around. Beneath the hood was a face covered in evil bone patterns, with a Black Crystal embedded in its left eye. It was Moke, the "Evil Bone Priest" who had escaped during the evil bone crisis all those years ago!
"Loran Kane, we meet again." Moke's voice was hoarse, with the rasp of metal scraping against metal. The evil bone crystal at the tip of his staff pointed at Loran. "Last time, you ruined the Evil Bone Plane's plans. This time, you won't be able to stop the combined forces of the evil bones and the Insect Clan!"
"It's you!" A cold glint flashed through Loran's eyes. "You fled into the Rotting Soul Abyss back then-so you went over to the Abyss Matriarch! Do you think combining the two races' powers will let you undo the Evil Bone Core's seal?"
"Went over to her?" Moke burst into wild laughter, and black-purple slime actually began seeping from his body beneath his black robe. "I'm 'evolving'! The Abyss Matriarch granted me the Insect Clan's power, allowing me to control evil bones and Rotting Soul Worms. Once the core's seal is undone, I'll become the continent's new Sovereign!"
He waved his staff. The ice around the platform suddenly split open, and more than a dozen evil bone spears flew from the cracks, stabbing straight at the group. At the same time, he gathered black energy in his palm and summoned three "Rotting Soul Evil Bone Beasts." Their bodies were giant Insect Clan carapaces, but their heads were lions' heads made of evil bones, and their mouths could spray Evil Bone Miasma.
"Watch out for the miasma!" Liya immediately waved her staff. Emerald vines formed a vine shield above everyone's heads. The Dew of Life on the shield resonated with the Lotus Heart Crystal, forming a pale green barrier that blocked the miasma's corrosive assault. A Ze thrust his water-element spear at an evil bone beast's joints. The water elements could temporarily neutralize evil bone energy, slowing the beast's movements.
Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin unleashed the Ice-Fire Tornado again. It wrapped around one evil bone beast, its flames burning through the carapace as its ice mist froze the evil bones inside. The beast let out an agonized scream and crashed to the ground. The Icefield Wolf lunged at another evil bone beast's lion head, smashing the evil bone crystals in its eyes with its sharp golden claws. The beast lost control and slammed into a stone pillar on the platform.