"The warship is severely damaged! It needs repair!" The voice of the Chief Tongchui came through the communication talisman. Loran and the others returned to the warship and saw that the deck was covered with cracks, and the navigation sail at the stern had been ripped open by bone blades. Although the Evil-Resisting Vine were regenerating, they were still fragile. A Ze was leading the Water Whisperer to repair the runes on the hull with Soul-Purifying Water, while Liya was using the power of nature to reinforce the sail ropes.
" Elder Cangxuan reports that everything at the Watchkeep is normal, with no Evil Energy leaking out." Snow Spirit Qilin put away the Ice-Fire Communication Crystal, the Ice Talisman glowing with a shimmering white light. "The Ice Talisman senses that the Evil Energy Hive is at the end of the canyon, less than ten miles from us!"
Half an hour later, the warship was repaired and slowly sailed into the end of the canyon. The sight before them made everyone gasp – at the end of the canyon was a huge circular clearing, and in the center of the clearing stood a " Evil Energy Hive " that was a hundred meters tall. The body of the Mother Nest seemed to be formed from countless Evil Bone and black Evil Bone, and its surface was covered with writhing tentacles, on which hung unhatched Evil Energy eggs; at the top of the Mother Nest, a dark red " Fel Crystal Core " with a diameter of ten meters floated, and the surface of the crystal core was wrapped with three layers of black evil bone chains, which was the " Triple Evil Bone Seal " mentioned in the ancient stone tablet; around the crystal core, a blackish-purple Evil Energy barrier enveloped the Mother Nest, and the evil patterns on the barrier were constantly flowing, emitting a suffocating pressure.
"That's the core of the Evil Energy Hive!" Loran pointed to the crystal core at the top. " The Triple Evil Bone Seal requires the combined power of all of us to break—the ice and fire essences of Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin, the natural power of Liya, the water element of A Ze, and my three-elemental Purification Power. Only through the resonance of these five forces can we break the barrier and shatter the crystal core!"
The Chief Tongchui raised his warhammer, the Holy Iron gleaming with golden light. "I'll draw the attention of the Mother Nest! The steam cannons on the warships can temporarily suppress the tentacles; you take the opportunity to set up the resonance array!"
A Ze then led the Water Whisperer to the edge of the warship, where pale blue water elementals condensed into a water-patterned shield in front of him. "Water elementals can temporarily weaken the Evil Energy barrier, buying you time!"
Liya opened the " Illustrated Catalog of Plants," and the pattern of the resonance array appeared on the page. "I have drawn the pattern of the Five-Force Resonance Formation. We need to stand in five corresponding positions and simultaneously inject power to activate the array. Loran, you stand at the array eye, responsible for guiding all the power; I stand in the east, injecting the power of nature; Lei Lin stands in the south, injecting the power of fire; Snow Spirit Qilin stands in the north, injecting the power of ice mist; A Ze stands in the west, injecting the power of water element."
Loran nodded, gripping the Purification Core clone tightly, his gaze fixed resolutely on the Mother Nest: "This is the final battle. Once the Fel Crystal Core is shattered, the evil power of the Rotting Soul Abyss will completely dissipate, and the continent can truly usher in peace. Everyone... are you ready?"
Lei Lin's fiery wings gleamed with a dazzling golden-red light, Snow Spirit Qilin's icy mist condensed into sharp ice shards, Liya's " Illustrated Catalog of Plants " glowed with emerald green light, A Ze's water element flowed around him, the Icefield Wolf's golden eyes were fixed on the tentacles of the Mother Nest, and the Chief Tongchui pressed the fire button on the steam cannons—six cannon barrels were simultaneously aimed at the Mother Nest, and the golden light of the Holy Spring Crystal was ready to be unleashed.
"Ready!" the crowd shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the Evil Bone Canyon with an unwavering determination.
As if sensing a threat, the hive's Fel Crystal Core at the top suddenly erupted with a dark red light, the triple Evil Bone chains on its surface shook violently, and countless tentacles extended from the hive's body, piercing straight at the exploration ship; the Evil Energy barrier's light also became brighter, and the air around the barrier began to distort, as if it wanted to devour everything.
"Fire!" The Chief Tongchui gave the order, and the iron projectiles from the steam cannons roared out, striking the tentacles of the Mother Nest. Golden and blue light exploded on the tentacles, and they instantly disintegrated. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Loran led the group to leap off the warship and take their positions according to the resonance array. The power around the five of them began to converge, and five colors of light—pale white, golden red, bright white, emerald green, and pale blue—intertwined in the array, forming an increasingly bright pillar of light that shot straight toward the Evil Energy barrier.
A decisive battle that will determine the fate of the continent has officially begun at the foot of the Evil Energy Hive. This time, Loran and his companions are no longer fighting alone; behind them lies the hope and unwavering belief of the entire continent.