Sprout of Revival and the Shadow Sower

Morning in the wilds of Jiangnan was shrouded in a light mist like gauze over the hills and streams. Compared to the bitter cold of Northern Continent of Jizhou and the desolation of Meteorite Valley, the air here was moist and fresh, fragrant with soil and vegetation. Yet as Su Yan walked through it, his brow furrowed slightly. The faint yet stubborn abnormal "Resurrection" fluctuations transmitted by the Compass were like a discordant note in a beautiful melody, shattering the tranquility.

Following the Star Map's guidance, he arrived at a patch of woodland near a river bend. This was the site of a Turbid Flow Node he had cleared before. At the time, he had purified a contaminated water source and restored the violent Water Tribe creatures nearby to normal. But now, the Compass clearly showed that near that purified spring, a faint yet unmistakable abnormal energy carrying an aura of decay and chaos was quietly seeping from underground like a poisonous mushroom.

"Sure enough, it grew back." Su Yan crouched down and carefully examined the patch of somewhat darkened earth, where the surrounding plants had begun to wither. Little Big Dipper also leaned closer and sniffed. It immediately sneezed in disgust, the star markings on its body flickering as it showed obvious rejection toward the aura.

Su Yan did not purify it immediately. The Compass, now at 40% repair progress, had granted him a new but weak ability—[Source Tracing]. It could consume a great deal of Spiritual Power to briefly trace the origin of abnormal energy or retrieve "information fragments" from its recent contacts.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed his palm against the Compass. Spiritual Power surged into it like a tide as he activated the Star Qi Drawing Art with all his strength, using the Power of Stars to steady his mind. The runes on the Compass spun rapidly, silver light converging into a slender beam that shone onto the abnormal patch of ground.

In an instant, fragmented and blurry images flashed through Su Yan's mind as though from a film:

· Image One: Deep in the night, beneath dim moonlight. A humanoid silhouette shrouded in a blurry black shadow, its exact form impossible to discern, appeared soundlessly at the river bend. In its hand, it held a strange object resembling the root of a rotting plant, dripping thick black liquid.

· Image Two: The shadow inserted the pointed end of the object into the center of the node Su Yan had previously purified. The black liquid seeped into the soil and combined with the faint abnormal data residue left underground. Like nutrients and seeds, it rapidly gave birth to new, more concealed abnormal fluctuations.

· Image Three: After completing the "sowing," the shadow slowly faded away as if merging into the night, leaving behind only an almost imperceptible lingering trace of energy steeped in the meaning of "ending" and "decay."

The images stopped abruptly there.

Su Yan jerked his hand back. His face was slightly pale, and fine sweat beaded at his temples. [Source Tracing] consumed an enormous amount of Spiritual Power, but the information it yielded was vital!

"The Sower!" A cold gleam flashed in his eyes. So it was not natural Resurrection after all. Someone was doing this deliberately! That shadow holding the strange object was one of the culprits constantly creating and restoring these abnormal nodes! Its energy had the Same Origin as the Rule Tumors in the depths of the netherworld, but it was more concentrated and... more purposeful.

"Is it probing us? Or setting up some greater formation?" Alarm bells rang in Su Yan's mind. The shadow's actions were clearly organized and premeditated. Its goal was definitely not as simple as creating a little chaos.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, he looked again at the patch of "seeded" ground. Now that he had found the source, he could no longer hold back.

"Little Big Dipper, try Star Fire." Su Yan gave the order. He wanted to see whether Little Big Dipper's newly comprehended skill, which fused the purification power of ice flames, would prove exceptionally effective against these newborn abnormalities carrying the Sower's aura.

Little Big Dipper gave a low growl and opened its mouth, spewing a slender yet concentrated silver-white flame. Ice-blue sparks danced along its edges as it landed precisely on the darkened ground.

Sizzle—!

Like a hot knife through butter, the moment Star Fire touched the newborn abnormality, a violent sound of energy annihilation rang out. The black, decayed energy rapidly melted beneath the flames, and even the underground "roots" were burned away. The process was far more efficient and thorough than the previous purification with [Soul Chasing Talisman]!

[System: Successfully cleared a Resurrection abnormal node! Gained 8,000 experience points.]

[System: Your summoned beast 'Little Big Dipper' has slightly increased its resistance to 'Breath of the End'.]

"Just as I thought!" Su Yan was delighted. Because Little Big Dipper's "Star Fire" contained the Power of Order for purification from the [Heart of the Ice Flame Shard], it held an elemental advantage over abnormalities derived from the "Breath of the End"!

He immediately set off for several other "Resurrection" nodes marked on the Star Map. Sure enough, near each of those nodes, he used the Compass's [Source Tracing] ability to capture residual information about the shadow holding that strange root-like object, though some traces were older than others.

Without exception, all those nodes were easily purified by Little Big Dipper's "Star Fire."

"It seems this Sower operates across a wide area, and it's extremely cautious, always choosing to act in the dead of night when no one is around." Su Yan organized the information, his brow tightly furrowed. "I need to find a way to catch it, or at least learn where it came from and what it wants."

Simply cleaning up after it would always leave him one step behind. He needed to take the initiative.

He fixed his target on an existing abnormal node on the Star Map. It had not yet undergone "Resurrection," but it lay relatively central to several resurrected nodes and showed fairly active energy readings. Located deep within a dense bamboo grove, the node was marked "Bone Erosion," capable of slowly eroding the Life Force of creatures within its range.

Su Yan decided to set an ambush there.

He spent most of the day making careful arrangements around the node. Not only did he set multiple trigger traps using [Immobilization Talisman] and his self-created [Star Lock Talisman], which had the effect of star-based confinement, but he also used the bamboo grove's terrain to set up several simple illusion formations and visual deceptions. Finally, he and Little Big Dipper hid in a dense bamboo crown upwind of the node, concealing all their auras like patient hunters waiting for their prey.

Time passed second by second, from afternoon to dusk, then until night fell.

The bamboo grove grew dim. Only the chirping of insects and the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind could be heard. Little Big Dipper shifted uneasily, but Su Yan gently held it still.

"Be patient, buddy. A hunter's most important virtue is patience."

The moon climbed to the center of the sky, cold moonlight streaming through gaps in the bamboo leaves and scattering mottled patches of light across the ground.

Just before midnight, at the hour when yin energy was strongest between heaven and earth, a vague black shadow almost completely blended into the night appeared soundlessly at the edge of the bamboo grove like a ghost.

It was here!

Su Yan's spirits lifted. Holding his breath, he stared intently at the shadow through the gaps in the bamboo leaves.

The shadow moved strangely. It did not walk, but drifted in an erratic glide, making almost no sound. As expected, it held that strange root-like object dripping black liquid, floating straight toward the "Bone Erosion" node.

Just as the shadow stepped into the node's range and prepared to drive the object in its hand into the ground—

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Several prearranged [Immobilization Talisman]s and [Star Lock Talisman]s activated at once! Silver talisman light and starry chains burst from the ground and bamboo stalks, twisting toward the black shadow like spiritual serpents!

Yet the shadow's reaction was astonishingly fast!

The instant the talismans activated, black light flashed across its body. Its form distorted like a reflection in water, and most of the immobilizing and binding effects passed straight through it, striking empty air! Only the final starry chain formed by a [Star Lock Talisman], because it contained a trace of the Power of Order, barely managed to wrap around its left arm!

"Hmph!" The shadow let out a muffled snort with the scrape of metal in its voice, seemingly caught off guard. It jerked hard, and the starry chain creaked under the strain as its light rapidly dimmed.

"Now!" Knowing the trap would not hold it long, Su Yan immediately leaped down from the bamboo crown! While still in midair, he launched a [Soul Chasing Talisman]! The purple lightning talisman, enhanced by the Power of Stars, shrieked through the air toward the shadow's head!

At the same time, Little Big Dipper pounced from the side like a streak of purple lightning, targeting the shadow's right hand holding the strange object! It opened its mouth and unleashed its strongest [Star Fire], silver-white ice flames shooting directly at the opponent's wrist!

Faced with the sudden pincer attack, the shadow was clearly caught off guard. It raised its left arm, still wrapped in the starry chain, to block the [Soul Chasing Talisman], while its right hand sharply recoiled in an attempt to evade Little Big Dipper's Star Fire.

Sizzle!

The [Soul Chasing Talisman] exploded against its left arm. Though it failed to inflict serious damage, its body shuddered violently and part of its black aura scattered. Little Big Dipper's [Star Fire] grazed its wrist, igniting the black liquid smeared over the strange root-like object. It immediately gave off a corrosive hiss, releasing a plume of foul black smoke!

Roar! The shadow released an angry rather than pained roar, as though the object mattered more to it than its own body. With a sudden burst of strength, it finally shattered the dimmed starry chain and rapidly retreated, merging into the shadows even faster.

How could Su Yan let it escape? The [Body Double Technique] activated instantly, two phantoms flanking it from either side. At the same time, starlight gathered at his fingertips, and another [Soul Chasing Talisman] shot forth to block its retreat!

Little Big Dipper clung to it like a Bone-Attached Sore, chasing relentlessly and firing [Star Fire] in rapid succession, forcing the shadow to dodge in disarray.

However, the shadow was far stronger than Su Yan had expected, at least above level 30. Its movement technique was also bizarre, and it possessed strong resistance to both physical and magical attacks. Most of Su Yan's attacks were deflected by its ability to shift between solid and insubstantial states. Even when attacks struck, they dealt limited damage.

Just as the shadow was about to merge once more into the darkness deep within the bamboo grove, Su Yan gritted his teeth and frantically poured over half of his remaining Spiritual Power into the Compass!

"Star Power Resonance, suppress!"

Silver light burst from the Compass. A concentrated Star Light Pillar did not strike the shadow, but instead shone on an open patch of ground before it! The Power of Stars briefly resonated with the Earth Vein, forming an invisible force field imbued with the suppressive power of order!

The shadow crashed into the force field, and its body abruptly stalled. Its ability to shift between solid and insubstantial forms seemed severely disrupted, becoming far more solid!

"Perfect chance!" Su Yan's eyes lit up as another [Immobilization Talisman] flew out!

This time, the silver talisman struck firmly against the shadow's back!

The shadow's movements instantly froze!

Seizing the chance, Little Big Dipper lunged forward and bit down on the shadow's right hand gripping the strange object, while [Star Fire] erupted at point-blank range!

Crack! Something seemed to shatter.

The shadow let out a shrill scream and violently broke free of the immobilizing effect. It struck Little Big Dipper with a backhanded palm, sending it flying. But the tip of the strange root-like object in its right hand had already been bitten off by Little Big Dipper. The remaining portion was covered in icy cracks, continuously leaking black energy.

The shadow turned back and glared venomously at Su Yan. Its gaze was cold, lifeless, and filled with inhuman malice. It did not linger. Its body turned into a streak of black smoke and vanished into the depths of the bamboo grove at even greater speed, abandoning even its damaged object.

Su Yan did not pursue it. The opponent was powerful, and cornering it might not end well. He hurried to Little Big Dipper, which had been knocked away. After taking that blow, the little creature had lost more than half its health. It bared its teeth as it struggled to its feet, looking somewhat weak, but its eyes remained fiercely fixed on the direction in which the shadow had disappeared.

"Good job, buddy!" Su Yan fed it Golden Wound Medicine with a pained heart before walking toward the damaged object the shadow had left behind.

[Corrupted Jianmu Root] (Damaged) (Quest Item/Special)

Description: A section of Jianmu root that should have contained vibrant life has been thoroughly polluted and distorted by concentrated "Breath of the End," becoming a tool for sowing "abnormalities." It is now damaged, and its energy is continuously leaking away. Perhaps it can yield clues about the "Sower."

Su Yan carefully put away the black root section, which still emitted an Ominous Aura. Though he had failed to keep the shadow behind, destroying its sowing tool and obtaining a key item was already a tremendous gain.

He glanced in the direction where the shadow had vanished, his gaze profound.

"Sowers"... who exactly are you? What is your purpose?

He felt as though he had lifted another corner of the black curtain concealing the truth. And behind that curtain lay even deeper darkness and danger.