The bitter wind of the Frozen Ruined Capital carried shards of ice that cut against their faces like knives. The Icefield Wolf's growls grew increasingly urgent, and the dark shapes on the distant ice became clearly visible-a remnant allied force led by an Evil Bone Insect Mother Puppet. Evil Bone fragments studded the mother puppet's carapace, and small Evil Bone insects continually poured from its abdomen. Over a hundred Evil Bone Insect Husks followed behind it, closing on the platform at tremendous speed.
"It's the puppet force Moke left behind!" Loran tightened his grip on his knight's sword, the power of three elements gathering into a pale white halo along its blade. "They're after the Evil Bone Core! Snow Spirit Qilin, keep suppressing the core's energy with Lei Lin. I'll stop them!"
But Snow Spirit Qilin shook his head, anxious fluctuations rippling through his luminous white ice mist. "No! The core's energy is still growing. The two of us can't suppress it alone for long. Someone has to stay and help!"
"I'll stay!" Lei Lin suddenly spoke, spreading his golden-red wings of flame beside the barrier around the core. The pale green light of the Lotus Heart Crystal mingled with his flames, actually stabilizing the barrier's brightness for the moment. "Snow Spirit Qilin, go with Loran and hold off the enemy. I can last until you return!"
Loran knew this was no time to hesitate and immediately nodded. "All right! We'll finish this quickly! Icefield Wolf, lead the way. Circle around and strike the puppets from the flank!"
The three of them and the wolf immediately charged toward the remnant forces. Snow Spirit Qilin's ice mist condensed into ice blades before him, which he sent slashing toward the foremost Evil Bone Insect Husks with a wave of his hand-the blades carried a faint purifying glow, easily slicing through the husks' carapaces and instantly freezing the Rotting Soul Worms in their joints. The Icefield Wolf leaped up, its golden claws striking precisely at an Evil Bone Crystal on one husk. The instant the crystal shattered, the husk crashed to the ground.
But the Evil Bone Insect Mother Puppet proved exceptionally troublesome. The small Evil Bone insects it sprayed from its abdomen turned into insect husks the moment they hit the ground. No sooner had one batch been cleared away than more insects surged out. Even more troublesome was its Evil Bone breath: when the black-purple vapor touched the ice, it instantly transformed it into Evil Bone crystals that spread toward Loran's feet.
"Snow Spirit Qilin, use an ice-fire fusion skill on its abdomen! That's where it stores its eggs!" Loran leaped up, slashing a three-element blade of light at the puppet's insect limbs and temporarily forcing back its attacks. Snow Spirit Qilin immediately understood, merging the fire seed Lei Lin had left behind into his luminous white ice mist to form an Ice-Fire Ball, which slammed into the puppet's abdomen.
Boom! The instant the Ice-Fire Ball exploded, the puppet let out a piercing scream. Every insect egg in its abdomen froze, and its Evil Bone breath cut off. Seizing the opening, Loran leaped onto its back and drove his knight's sword straight into the Evil Bone Core on its carapace-pure white light erupted, and the puppet's movements instantly stopped. Its enormous body crashed to the ground, crumbling into a heap of shattered carapace and Evil Bone.
With the mother puppet destroyed, the remaining Evil Bone Insect Husks lost their commander and were soon cleared away. But when Loran and his companions returned to the platform, they found that Lei Lin's fiery wings had dimmed. The light of the barrier around the core was rapidly fading, and black energy had already broken through its edges, staining the ice on the platform black-purple.
"Lei Lin!" Snow Spirit Qilin immediately rushed over, pouring luminous white ice mist into the barrier and steadying their defenses again alongside Lei Lin's flames. Lei Lin panted heavily, his fiery wings trembling slightly. "The abyssal energy inside the core is too strong. The Lotus Heart Crystal's power can barely hold on..."
Just then, pale golden light suddenly shone along the southern horizon-it was the Holy Spring Guard! Riding a warhorse of light, Elder White led fifty Holy Spring knights galloping toward them. Sacred light shimmered across the knights' armor, and the power of the Holy Spring gathered in their spears. Wherever they passed, every Evil Bone crystal on the ground was purified.
"Loran! We're here!" Elder White's voice carried through the bitter wind. He dismounted and immediately took out a Holy Spring Core Crystal. "This is the temple's Holy Spring core. It can temporarily suppress the abyssal energy! Elder Aila has arrived too, with the Elf Guard and Tree of Life sap. They're clearing away the remaining evil power on the outskirts!"
Elder Aila also arrived with the Elf Guard at that moment, holding a jade bottle filled with crystalline Tree of Life sap. "Liya said activating the Inheritance Stele requires origin power. This sap can replenish what she's expended. Hurry and take us to the Inheritance Stele!"
Joy rose in Loran's heart, and he immediately led everyone running toward the Inheritance Stele. Liya and A Ze were gathered anxiously around it-only half the Explorer Runes on the stone stele had lit up, and their pale purple light flickered, clearly indicating that the activation had met an obstacle.
"What happened?" Elder Aila hurried forward and handed the Tree of Life sap to Liya. Taking the jade bottle, Liya explained urgently, "The stele needs 'origin power from the same source' to activate fully. My nature power isn't pure enough. There's still one final step..."
"I'll help you!" Elder Aila took Liya's hand and poured her own nature origin power through her palm. "The Elf Clan's royal bloodline can strengthen nature power. If we channel ours together, we should be able to meet the activation requirements!"
Liya immediately nodded and poured the Tree of Life sap onto the stele. The instant the sap seeped into it, the runes blazed brighter. Elder Aila and Liya closed their eyes together, emerald-green nature origin power pouring from their fingertips into the stele-the runes on its surface began flowing rapidly, and pale purple light gradually covered its entire body. A translucent rune projection actually appeared above its tip: the very Inheritance Rune they needed!
"It worked! The Inheritance Rune has awakened!" A Ze shouted excitedly. Water element gathered into a ripple in his palm, resonating with the rune projection. "Now all that's left is to guide the rune into the Core Sealing Formation!"
Elder White immediately led the Holy Spring knights in laying out a Holy Spring Formation around the platform, embedding the Holy Spring Core Crystal at its nexus. Pale golden light intertwined with the Inheritance Rune's pale purple glow, forming a "light-pattern barrier" that temporarily trapped the core's black energy. Loran, Lei Lin, and Snow Spirit Qilin stood inside the barrier, bringing together the power of three elements, Qilin ice and fire, and the Lotus Heart Crystal, ready to receive the Inheritance Rune.
"Let's begin!" Liya held the Illustrated Catalog of Plants, the runes on its pages flashing in time with the Inheritance Rune. With a gentle wave of her hand, the rune projection slowly drifted toward the Core Sealing Formation-the instant it entered the formation's nexus, the Holy Spring Formation, nature power, water element, and Qilin power erupted together. Five rays of light intertwined into a five-colored pillar that pierced straight toward the Evil Bone Core!