The Chess Player's Plans, the Fragments' Resonance

The remains of the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers gave one last mournful cry in the gale. At its broken core, pale azure wind elements were being devoured bit by bit by black frost, like veins draining of blood. Tang San stood before the wreckage, the Proof of Balance jade pendant burning hot. Most of the points of light representing the various energy nodes had gone out, leaving only those at the Far North Ice Plains and the Deep Sea Forbidden Land flickering faintly.

"He's racing against time." Lin Ye's Golden Crow Fire flickered wildly in his palm, as though sensing a deeper danger. "Li Mo is collecting the fragments faster and faster. Clearly, opening the 'passage' requires a particular moment."

Xiao Wu clenched her fists, her nails nearly digging into her palms. "He said 'the whole continent will thank him.' What did he mean? Opening the passage... isn't it meant to release the power of the Dark Plane?"

"Not necessarily." Tang San gazed in the direction Li Mo had disappeared, the Chaos Azure Lotus spinning rapidly inside him as he tried to decipher the energy trail Li Mo had left behind. "If he really founded the Shadow Pavilion, then he must know far more about the Dark Plane than we do. Perhaps... destruction isn't his goal at all, but something else."

Tai Long carried a broken branch over his shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "Who cares what his goal is? Let's find him first! Dai Mubai is still waiting for us to avenge him!"

At the mention of Dai Mubai, everyone's expressions darkened. News from the medical institute said that although the dark energy in Dai Mubai's body had been suppressed, it had left behind a strange aftereffect-his Soul Power often went out of control as it circulated, and his Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul would even briefly show black markings. Clearly, there was something more sinister hidden in Li Mo's attack.

"We have to stop him from getting the last two fragments." Tang San put away the jade pendant and turned his gaze north. "The seal in the Far North Ice Plains is connected to the power of the Ice Plains Ancient Dragon, and the Sea God Trident guards the Deep Sea Forbidden Land. Those two places are the last barriers."

"Split up?" Lin Ye asked.

Tang San shook his head. "Li Mo's strength is unfathomable. Splitting up would only let him pick us off one by one. The Far North Ice Plains are closer, so we'll go there first and reinforce the seal. At the same time, we'll use the Proof of Balance to send a warning and put the guardians of the Deep Sea Forbidden Land on alert."

Without further hesitation, the group set out for the Far North Ice Plains. Along the way, Tang San went over Li Mo's motives again and again. If the Shadow Pavilion was his chess piece and the Shadow Sect Master his puppet, what had he spent a thousand years painstakingly planning and collecting dark ore fragments for? The word "thank" was no empty boast. A truth capable of overturning everything they knew had to be hidden behind it.

Seven days later, the frigid wind of the Far North Ice Plains struck like a knife. The Ice Plains White Bears and the Ice Soul Giants had already received word and built a defensive ice wall outside the Forgotten Ice Cave. When the bear leader saw Tang San and the others, he immediately approached with a low growl, pointing a paw toward the depths of the cave, his eyes full of unease.

"Has something unusual happened inside?" Tang San asked.

The bear leader nodded vigorously, then turned and led them into the cave. Unlike last time, the ice inside was no longer smooth. Spiderweb cracks covered it, and thin wisps of black Qi seeped from them, intertwining with the energy emitted by the Nine-Headed Ice Serpent's seal to form a strange balance.

At the center of the altar, although four of the Nine-Headed Ice Serpent's heads had not awakened, a layer of black frost covered its body-the same chilling power Li Mo had left on the remains of the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers. At a junction of the sealing chains, a dark-gold fragment floated in midair, emitting fluctuations from the same source as the other fragments. Clearly, Li Mo had already been here, but had failed to take it.

"Why didn't he take the fragment?" Oscar pointed at the dark-gold fragment, his face full of confusion. "With his strength, the Ice Soul Giants and the white bears couldn't have stopped him."

Tang San approached the fragment, and the Proof of Balance jade pendant suddenly flew out and resonated strongly with it. The Chaos Azure Lotus pattern on the pendant intertwined with the dark markings on the fragment, forming a miniature energy vortex in midair. The paths of countless moving stars could be faintly seen within it.

"Because he needs all the fragments to resonate together." Understanding flashed in Tang San's eyes. "A fragment on its own can't activate the passage. They must all be gathered and activated within a particular energy field. The sealing power of the Far North Ice Plains is too strong. Forcibly removing the fragment would cause an energy imbalance and disrupt the stability of the resonance."

Lin Ye leaned closer to the vortex, and his Golden Crow Fire suddenly grew docile. "The energy in this vortex... it's neither light nor darkness. It's more like... the origin of space?"

"It's an embryonic form of the laws of space." Tang San reached out and touched the vortex, and a familiar tremor came from the Chaos Azure Lotus. "The Shadow Pavilion's dark ore comes from the gap between the Dark Plane and this continent. It contains the power of spatial rifts. What Li Mo intends to do isn't open the Shadow Gate, but use the fragments to construct a new spatial passage connecting to some unknown plane."

The conclusion sent a chill down everyone's spine. What did an unknown plane mean? A more powerful civilization, or a more terrifying disaster? Was Li Mo's so-called "thanks" a blessing or a curse?

Just then, a tremendous crack of breaking ice came from deep within the cave. A white light suddenly appeared where the Ice Plains Ancient Dragon slept. Immediately afterward, the entire cave began to shake violently, and the Nine-Headed Ice Serpent's sealing chains creaked under the strain. Its fourth head slowly opened its eyes!

"This is bad! The seal is about to break!" Tang San's expression changed drastically. "Li Mo didn't come to take the fragment because he contaminated the Ice Plains Ancient Dragon's resting place with dark frost. He wants to use the ancient dragon's power to break the seal and let the fragment come free on its own in the chaos!"

The Ice Plains Ancient Dragon's Qi surged up from beneath the ground, intertwining with the Nine-Headed Ice Serpent's dark energy and the chilling power Li Mo had left behind, forming a threefold assault. Sheets of ice around the altar exploded, and the dark-gold fragment's fluctuations grew increasingly violent. It was on the verge of breaking free of the seal.

"Tai Long, reinforce the chains!" Tang San roared as Blue Silver Grass and Lin Ye's Lotus Flame surged toward the Nine-Headed Ice Serpent at the same time. "Lin Ye, use your Lotus Flame to purify the dark frost! Xiao Wu, notify the Ice Soul Giants and have them use the power of the ice plains to suppress the ancient dragon's awakening!"

"Understood!"

Tai Long transformed into a Great Strength Gorilla and smashed both fists, shining with golden light, into the junctions of the chains. Every blow made the chains burst with blue light, temporarily stabilizing the seal; Lin Ye's Lotus Flame turned into threads of golden rain, washing over the black frost on the Nine-Headed Ice Serpent. The frost melted wherever it met the fire, only for more to pour out from beneath the ice; Xiao Wu's Teleportation flickered through the cave, and soon dozens of Ice Soul Giants came riding waves of ice. They pressed their hands to the ground, sending pure power of the ice plains underground in an attempt to soothe the restless Ice Plains Ancient Dragon.

Tang San, meanwhile, drove the Chaos Azure Lotus with all his might. Seven-colored light flowed into the Proof of Balance, contending with the vortex around the dark-gold fragment. He could feel the fragment's resonance calling to the others, and faint but distinct answers came from the distant southern swamp and the direction of the Mist Forest.

"We can't let them resonate!" Tang San gritted his teeth and poured all his Soul Power into the jade pendant. "Oscar, give me your strongest amplification sausage!"

Oscar immediately tossed him a sausage trailing seven-colored smoke. "Super Invincible All-Attribute Amplification Sausage! It lasts a quarter of an hour!"

The instant his Soul Power surged, Tang San brought forth the core power of the Chaos Azure Lotus. A seven-colored lotus seed floated in midair, giving off a gentle yet irresistible light. The lotus seed, the Proof of Balance, and the dark-gold fragment formed a triangle, forcibly suppressing the violent spatial fluctuations.

The Nine-Headed Ice Serpent's fourth head closed its eyes in pain within the light, the Ice Plains Ancient Dragon's Qi gradually subsided, and the Lotus Flame stopped the black frost from spreading. The cave slowly stopped shaking, and the dark-gold fragment fell back onto the altar. Its dark-gold surface had grown much dimmer, however, clearly having expended a tremendous amount of energy.

"It's stable for now." Tang San breathed a sigh of relief, but his body swayed. The backlash from the all-attribute amplification sent his Qi and blood surging.

Lin Ye caught him, his brow tightly furrowed. "But the fragments' resonance has already been triggered. Li Mo will definitely sense it. I'm afraid he's probably already on his way to the Deep Sea Forbidden Land."

Tang San looked in the direction of the Deep Sea Forbidden Land. The last point of light on the Proof of Balance was flickering violently, as though sending a distress signal.

"We're going to the Deep Sea Forbidden Land immediately." Tang San wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze exceptionally resolute. "No matter what passage Li Mo wants to open, we have to stop him there. This is our last chance."

The Ice Plains White Bear leader walked over to Tang San and placed an ice crystal containing the Ice Plains Ancient Dragon's Qi in his hand. It was a gift from the Ice Plains Ancient Dragon, capable of drawing on a trace of the ancient dragon's power at a critical moment.

Tang San tightened his grip on the ice crystal and nodded to the bear leader, then led everyone out of the cave. The wind of the Far North Ice Plains was as bitterly cold as ever, but this time, their steps were firmer than ever.

On the shore of the Deep Sea Forbidden Land, Li Mo stood on a black reef, toying with five fragments in his hand. He looked up at the churning fog, a meaningful smile curling his lips. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Deep within the fog, the seal on the Sea God Trident was loosening, and the last fragment's Qi was growing clearer. All seven fragments would soon be gathered, and the outline of a spatial passage loomed in and out of view above the sea, emitting a heart-stopping pressure.

A decisive battle that would determine the continent's fate was about to begin on this black shore. And in Li Mo's eyes, alongside ambition, there flickered a trace of indescribable... compassion.