The black mist deep within the rift continued to expand, and Elder Cangxuan's expression grew increasingly grave. "These are merely the vanguard! The true Shadow-Erosion Beast is at the core of the black mist; they are guarding something far more dangerous!" He pointed his staff towards the densest part of the black mist, and the two-colored crystal projected an even deeper image: in the center of the black mist, a massive black crystal floated above the magma, its surface entwined with black patterns of the same origin as the Origin Evil Bone— "It's the Evil Energy Core! The Shadow-Erosion Beast are channeling energy into it; once the core awakens, the entire abyss will transform into a black hole that devours everything!"
Suddenly, Loran felt the Purification Core clone in his palm heat up. The power of the three elements resonated strongly with the clone, and pale white, pale gold, and emerald green light surged down his arm into the ground, merging with the Qilin Clan's ice and fire array, the elves' rune arrows, and the Water Whisperer's light mirror. " Elder Cangxuan! Can you borrow the power of the Qilin's origin?" Loran shouted. "My three elements can guide the purification energy, but it requires the ice and fire origin to activate the seal!"
Without hesitation, Elder Cangxuan placed his staff in Loran's palm, and the light of the two-colored crystal completely merged with the core clone. Loran leaped to the top of the fortress and placed his palm on the " Continental Watch " banner on the flagpole—the banner instantly lit up with six colors: pale gold ( Holy Spring ), emerald green (Nature), pale blue (Water Language), shimmering white (Ice Scale), crimson (Flame Scale), and pure white ( Loran's Origin) intertwined to form a massive pillar of purifying light, piercing straight into the black mist core of the abyss rift!
The moment the beam of light pierced the black mist, the Shadow-Erosion Beast let out a collective howl, the dark red crystals shattered one after another, and the black mist receded at a visible speed. The black crystal of the Evil Energy Core trembled violently, and the black patterns on its surface began to peel off, but just before it was about to collapse, it suddenly burst out with a dark red beam of light, shooting into the deepest part of the abyss, and then fell completely silent.
As the black mist dissipated, the abyssal rift returned to calm, with only fragments of the Evil Energy Core floating on the lava. Elder Cangxuan sheathed his staff, his expression complex. "The seal has only been temporarily restarted. That beam of light was transmitting a signal to the deeper parts of the abyss; there lies an even more powerful source of evil." He handed Loran an ancient stone tablet, "This is the Qilin Clan's ' Abyss Chronicles,' which records the ancient 'Great Evil Energy Outburst,' a disaster caused by the Evil Energy Core."
Loran took the stone tablet. The runes on it resonated with the Purification Core clone, automatically displaying a translation. "Beneath the Rotting Soul Abyss lies the ' Evil Energy Hive,' and the Evil Energy Core is the Mummy's tentacles. The Mother is merely a vanguard released by the Mummy; the true darkness resides at the bottom of the abyss."
The group gathered inside the purification tower, silently gazing at the inscriptions on the stone tablet. Lei Lin clenched his fist. "It seems we have to venture deeper into the abyss. Staying within the fortress will never solve the root of the problem." Snow Spirit Qilin's ice talisman shone brightly. "The ice talisman can sense the direction of the Evil Energy Hive, but we need to cross the ' Wuwang Miasma Belt' — the Evil Energy there distorts space, making it easy to get lost once inside."
The Chief Tongchui suddenly slammed his fist on the table. "I can build an ' Abyss Exploration Ship '! I'll forge the hull with Fallen Star Iron Qilin and fire crystals, then inlay it with Holy Spring Crystal and natural runes, making it resistant to miasma!" A Ze nodded in agreement. " Water Whisperer can guide water elementals to their location, preventing them from getting lost; the Druid's Evil-Binding Vine can form a protective barrier around the hull, blocking attacks from evil creatures."
Loran, seeing the determined looks in everyone's eyes, gripped the Purification Core clone tightly. "Then let's prepare to explore the Abyss. Elder Cangxuan, I'd like to trouble you to lead the Qilin Clan to garrison the fortress, protecting the Origin Evil Bone and the core clone; we will form the ' Abyss Exploration Team ' to delve into the depths and find the Evil Energy Hive." He paused, his gaze sweeping over every familiar face, "This journey may be fraught with peril, but as long as we're together, there's no obstacle we can't overcome."
In the Watchkeep, the sounds of forging echoed once more. Dwarven craftsmen worked through the night to forge the keel of the exploration ship, elven archers strengthened their vigilance on the arrow towers, Water Whisperer purified the remaining Shadow-Erosion Fel Energy, druids rejuvenated the Purification Forest, and the Qilin Clan deployed ice and fire warning arrays around the fortress. Inside the Purification Tower, Loran placed the " Abyss Chronicles " and the " Illustrated Catalog of Plants " together; the interplay of light from the two stone tablets reflected the unwavering determination in his eyes.
The Icefield Wolf lay at his feet, the Fallen Star Iron dagger gleaming coldly, as if it too was anticipating the adventure to come. Deep within the abyss, a faint rustling sound came from the darkness. The Evil Energy Hive sensed the tremor of the seal, and countless eyes lit up in the darkness—an abyss exploration concerning the survival of the continent was about to begin.
The guardian legend of " Qilin of Falling Maple " is shifting from "defense" to "proactive attack," and this time, they will confront the root of darkness.