"It's 'mind-disrupting evil mist'!" Liya's face went pale. She immediately took out Tree of Life sap and sprinkled it over everyone. Pale green light formed a thin barrier, temporarily blocking out the whispers. "This mist amplifies the fear in your heart. If it interferes with you for too long, you'll lose consciousness and become its puppet!"
A Ze was somewhat unsteady too. He braced himself against the steam cannon, cold sweat seeping from his forehead. "The center of the vortex is the route to the Planar Gate, but how do we get through? The mist is so thick that even the warship's scouting runes can't penetrate it!"
Snow Spirit Qilin closed their eyes, and the ice talisman resonated with the Purification Core. A moment later, they opened their eyes, and pearly white light pointed toward a pale golden speck at the edge of the vortex. "There's a trace of the sacred land's lingering purification power there! It should be energy from Qilin Radiance Peak that the evil mist swept here earlier. We can enter there and follow the trail of purification power through the vortex!"
Loran immediately gave his orders. "Lei Lin, Snow Spirit Qilin, use your ice and fire power to guard both sides of the warship and keep the evil mist from seeping in; Liya, keep releasing Tree of Life sap to steady everyone's minds; A Ze, have Water Whisperer adjust the warship's course and charge toward that golden speck! Icefield Wolf, guard the bow. Destroy any evil bone fragments as soon as they approach!"
The warship slowly turned and sailed toward the golden speck at the vortex's edge. The closer they drew to the vortex, the clearer the whispers became. Loran could even hear the Matriarch's seductive voice in his mind. "Give up... You cannot defeat me... The entire continent will become my pasture..." He gritted his teeth and pressed the Purification Core against his chest. Its pale violet light flowed through his palm into his body, instantly dispelling his fear-the core's purification power was protecting his mind.
They finally reached the golden speck. Sure enough, it was a wisp of pale golden sacred land energy, flickering stubbornly within the evil mist and forming a narrow passage. "Charge in!" Loran ordered loudly. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin unleashed all their ice and fire power, forming a barrier of ice and fire around the warship as it charged along the passage into the evil mist vortex.
Inside the vortex, evil bone fragments battered the barrier like a torrential downpour, clanging and clattering; the whispers struck everyone's minds like tangible spikes. Liya's Tree of Life sap was running out rapidly. She had no choice but to take out the last few drops and drip them onto the Illustrated Catalog of Plants. Its pages opened, and vines glowing emerald green wrapped around the entire warship, completely shutting out the whispers.
Meanwhile, Icefield Wolf kept lunging at the evil bone fragments approaching the bow. Every swing of the fallen star iron dagger purified the fragments into drifting ash. A Ze and Water Whisperer strained with all their might to steer the warship, struggling through the twisted vortex along the trail of sacred land energy-they could feel the Planar Gate's energy drawing ever closer, and the roars of the abyss creatures beyond it were already clearly audible.
After an unknown length of time, the warship finally burst out of the evil mist vortex! Everyone gasped at the sight before them-the nascent Planar Gate was even larger than it had appeared before. Within its eerie green light, countless Abyss Evil Bone Soldiers, Soul-Corroding Flying Insects, and Abyss Worms stood waiting in line. Once the gate fully formed, they would surge onto the continent like a tide. Beneath the gate, there was indeed an enormous Evil Bone Energy Source, assembled from thousands of evil bones. The Matriarch's gigantic tentacles coiled around its surface, continuously pouring abyssal evil power into it.
Above the energy source, more of the Abyss Matriarch's true body finally came into view-apart from the enormous head and tentacles they had seen before, her torso was hidden within the eerie green light beyond the gate. They could vaguely make out a gigantic insect abdomen covered in black-purple scales. Dozens of insect eggs dotted her abdomen, each wriggling, clearly hatching new abyss creatures.
"You really did have the ability to make it here." An icy smile laced the Matriarch's voice, and her compound eyes fixed on the Purification Core in Loran's arms. "But now, it's all too late! In another hour, the Planar Gate will be fully formed, and my legions will raze your continent! And the core in your hands will become the key to my rule over it!"
Loran tightened his grip on the Purification Core. Its pale violet light stood in stark contrast to the Planar Gate's eerie green glow. He could distinctly feel a repulsive force between the core and the Evil Bone Energy Source-the fundamental opposition between purification power and evil power. "An hour is enough." Loran's voice was firm as he shouted to the others, "Lei Lin, Snow Spirit Qilin, use the Ice and Fire Fusion Technique to entangle the Matriarch's tentacles and stop her from pouring evil power into the energy source; A Ze, Water Whisperer, fire the steam cannon at the joints between its evil bones and find a weakness; Liya, protect the warship with nature's power and prevent surprise attacks from the abyss creatures; Icefield Wolf, come down with me and destroy the energy source!"
"You want to destroy the energy source? Get past me first!" the Matriarch roared. Dozens of gigantic tentacles shot out from beyond the gate, stabbing straight toward the sacred warship. Their barbs glowed an eerie green, clearly steeped in deadly abyssal poison. At the same time, the abyss creatures beyond the gate began frantically battering its panels. More and more limbs appeared within the eerie green light, and the gap in the Planar Gate widened at a visible rate.
Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin immediately met the tentacles head-on. The Ice and Fire Fusion Technique became a gigantic net of ice and fire, entangling the incoming tentacles. Golden-red flames burned them with a sizzling hiss, while pearly white frost mist froze their movements. But the Matriarch had far too many tentacles. The net soon stretched out of shape, and one tentacle even swept across Lei Lin's fiery wing, leaving a wound deep enough to expose bone. Evil power instantly stained the blood black.
"Lei Lin!" Snow Spirit Qilin cried out, immediately diverting some of the frost mist to freeze Lei Lin's wound and temporarily stop the evil power from spreading. Seeing this, Loran hesitated no longer. Clutching the Purification Core, he leaped from the warship alongside Icefield Wolf and charged toward the Evil Bone Energy Source-waves of heat rolled through the lava canyon below, and the evil power on the energy source's surface almost warped the air. Yet Loran had only one goal in his eyes: destroy the energy source and close the Planar Gate!
Icefield Wolf's sharp golden claws scraped sparks from the energy source's evil bones. The fallen star iron dagger stabbed into a joint between them, producing a piercing scraping sound, yet leaving only a shallow mark-the energy source's evil bones had been strengthened by the Matriarch's evil power and were harder than the Evil Bone Lord from before! Seeing this, the Matriarch diverted two tentacles and thrust them straight at Loran's back. Their barbs were already within inches of him!
At that critical instant, the warship's steam cannon suddenly roared-A Ze and Water Whisperer had poured the Holy Spring Core Crystal's last remaining energy into the cannon. The iron shot shone with dazzling golden light and struck the tentacles' joints with perfect accuracy! The tentacles were instantly purified into black ash. At the same time, Liya's vines spread along the energy source, and the life force within them seeped into the gaps between the evil bones. The glow of evil power on the energy source's surface instantly dimmed, revealing a tiny crack!
"Right there!" A sharp gleam flashed in Loran's eyes. He pressed the Purification Core against the crack and unleashed all his three-element power. The core's pale violet light flooded through the crack into the energy source-the evil power inside collided violently with the purification power, and the evil bones began rapidly disintegrating. The Matriarch's screams rang throughout the Rotting Soul Abyss. "No-! My Planar Gate!"
But just as the energy source was about to disintegrate completely, the Planar Gate suddenly erupted with intense, eerie green light. The abyss creatures beyond it actually forced their way through the gate panels. Several gigantic Abyss Worms emerged first and lunged at Loran! Icefield Wolf immediately moved in front of him, sharp golden claws colliding with the worms' carapaces with an earth-shaking crash.
Loran gritted his teeth and increased the output of his three-element power. The Purification Core shone brighter and brighter-he knew that if he held on just a little longer, the energy source would be completely destroyed, and the Planar Gate would close with it. But the Matriarch's tentacles attacked again. This time, black-purple abyss cores condensed at their tips. This was clearly the Matriarch's final killing move, intended to take him down with her!
"Lord Loran! Watch out!" Liya's scream came from the warship. Loran looked up. A black-purple abyss core was already right before his eyes, and he could feel the destructive energy within it-this strike was enough to blast both him and the energy source to pieces.
But Loran did not retreat. He tightened his grip on his knight's sword and completely fused the Purification Core's power with his own three-element power. A streak of golden-violet light spanning heaven and earth rose from the blade, and he brought down one final slash toward the Matriarch's tentacles and abyss cores.
Above the lava canyon in the Rotting Soul Abyss, a "battle to close the gate" that would decide the continent's survival reached its fiercest moment.