"Destroy it, now!" Liya swung her staff, and emerald vines wrapped around Loran's waist, pulling him back onto the sacred warship. At the same time, the vines turned into arrows of light and shot toward the cracks in the crystal core. The instant the vines burrowed into the cracks, the power of nature erupted, shattering the crystal core completely into black ash that dispersed in the air.
Without the support of its Abyss Crystal Core, the foremost rotting-bone ship began to disintegrate. Rotten bones and black iron fell into the water, and the Insect Clan soldiers inside were purified by the water-element net. Seeing things turn against them, the other two rotting-bone ships tried to turn around and flee, but the Elf Guard's runic crossbow bolts struck their sterns. The Water Whisperers seized the opportunity to manipulate the currents, trapping both ships between the reefs.
"Don't let them escape!" Chief Tongchui ordered. Several fallen star iron ramming spikes suddenly sprang from the sacred warship's sides and drove hard into the rotting-bone ships' hulls. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin unleashed their Ice and Fire Fusion Technique simultaneously. An enormous Ice-Fire Tornado engulfed both rotting-bone ships, instantly purifying their hulls into ash and leaving only two shattered, small Abyss Crystal Cores to sink to the seabed.
With the battle over, the mist over Black Reef Bay gradually dispersed. The evil fog on the water was purified by the Holy Spring talisman's light, leaving the surface clear again. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Loran stared at the Holy Spring talisman in his hand, his expression grave-the crystal at its tip no longer pulsed, yet an extremely faint black streak remained, as though it had been contaminated by the Abyss Crystal Core's power.
"I'm afraid the seal on the Evil Bone Core is weaker than we thought." Liya walked over to Loran and brushed the talisman with the power of nature at her fingertips, but the black streak did not disappear. "The Abyss Crystal Cores can resonate from a distance, which means the Matriarch can already sense the Evil Bone Core's location through these crystals. There are bound to be more interception attempts during the rest of the journey."
A Ze picked up a black iron fragment from a rotting-bone ship. The evil power on it had not yet fully dispersed. "This black iron was forged from abyss ore, which is only found deep in the Rotting Soul Abyss. The fact that the Matriarch could build three rotting-bone ships means her forces in the abyss are already vast. We must find the Qilin Holy Land as soon as possible and purify the Purification Core."
Just then, a new light suddenly lit up on Snow Spirit Qilin's ice talisman-beside the white light that had pointed toward the Eastern Sea of Clouds, a thin, pale golden line had appeared. At its end was a blurry rune resembling the outline of a qilin. A hazy image emerged within Snow Spirit Qilin's icy mist: deep in the sea of clouds stood a floating mountain, with a qilin statue at its summit that radiated purifying light.
"It's guidance from the Qilin Holy Land!" Snow Spirit Qilin said excitedly. "When we destroyed the Abyss Crystal Cores just now, I felt the holy land calling, and the ice talisman automatically recorded the direction! As long as we follow this guidance, we can find the holy land!"
Loran's spirits lifted, and some of his earlier gravity faded—with clear guidance to the holy land, there was hope of purifying the Purification Core. He tightened his grip on his knight's sword and looked toward the Frozen Ruined Capital. Beyond the mouth of the bay, the outline of the ice-covered city was already visible, and the Evil Bone Core's pale purple light could faintly be seen in the morning sun.
"First, we'll pick up the Evil Bone Core, then head straight for the Eastern Sea of Clouds!" Loran ordered loudly. "Water Whisperers, adjust our course, avoid the reefs, and reach the Frozen Ruined Capital as quickly as possible; Elf Guard and dwarven craftsmen, be ready. We'll need to reinforce the seal immediately when we collect the core to prevent the Matriarch from interfering remotely again!"
The sacred warship started moving again. The water-element power the Water Whisperers poured into it was stronger than before, and the ship shot through Black Reef Bay like a bolt of golden lightning, speeding toward the Frozen Ruined Capital. Standing at the bow, Loran gazed at the outline of the ruined capital drawing ever closer, then lowered his eyes to the guidance to the holy land on the ice talisman—on one side was the Evil Bone Core urgently awaiting collection and transport, and on the other was the Qilin Holy Land, full of unknowns. This journey of transport and purification, with the continent's survival at stake, had only just entered its crucial stage.
On the walls of the Frozen Ruined Capital, the figures of Elder White and Elder Aila were already faintly visible, waving toward the warship. But Loran knew this would only be a brief reunion. The real challenges still lay ahead, deep within the sea of clouds and in the shadows of the Rotting Soul Abyss.
The warship's light shield lit up again, brighter this time than before-as though declaring to the Abyss Matriarch that no matter how many interception attempts they faced, they would protect the Evil Bone Core, find the Qilin Holy Land, and bring this continent-spanning crisis to a complete end.