27: Chapter 27 The Aftermath of the War, Heavenly Signal

The morning sun over Shimu Village was exceptionally warm; golden light spilled over the houses under reconstruction, and the 'thump-thump' sound of carpenters hammering wood intertwined with the laughter of children, completely dispelling the haze left by the Netherworld Faction crisis.

In the square in front of the temple, a monument made of fragments of undead cores was gradually taking shape—the monument was engraved with the six golden characters 'Souls of the Wronged Soldiers,' and a transparent corpse core fragment was embedded at the top, emitting a soft, purifying halo in the sunlight.

Lin Chen stood before the monument, holding Li Mo's diary in his hands.

The handwriting on the last page of the diary was scrawled and trembling, recording that Earth Earl had once mentioned, 'The Ancient Heavenly Court possesses the power to restrain the Netherworld; if one wishes to overthrow the order, one must first destroy the foundation of the Ancient Heavenly Court.'

He rubbed the edge of the page, and the golden light from outside the Netherworld Hall appeared in his mind—that must be the signal emitted from the Heavenly Court Ruins, and perhaps the key to countering the Netherworld Faction was hidden within.

'Lord Lin Chen, all the wounded have recovered, and the anti-grievance equipment has also been repaired.' Little Warmth walked over hurriedly. The soul-crossing bell in her hand had been completely recast, and three undead core fragments were embedded in the bell body; when shaken, it could emit a clear sound that soothed the soul.

'The villagers said they want to host a victory banquet for us to thank us for guarding Shimu Village.'

Lin Chen nodded, his gaze looking toward the horizon.

Last night, he used the bluestone slab to strengthen his Earth Vein Perception and clearly captured that the golden signal came from 'Meteorite Valley' to the northeast of Shu Dao Mountain—ancient books recorded that it was once an auxiliary altar of the Ancient Heavenly Court, which was later abandoned due to a Starfall.

'After the victory banquet, we will split into two teams.' Lin Chen gathered everyone to the square and unfolded the newly drawn map.

'Mad Blade will lead half of the players to stay in Shimu Village to assist the villagers in reinforcing their defenses and training the newly joined villager warriors; I will take Shadow Blade, Night Shadow, Qing Yao, Starfall, and Little Warmth to Meteorite Valley to investigate the Heavenly Court signal.'

The victory banquet kicked off at twilight.

The villagers brought out their prized rice wine and roasted meat, singing and dancing around the bonfire.

The Descendant of Lu Ban held the newly crafted 'Heavenly Court Signal Receiver,' excitedly showing it to everyone: 'This thing can amplify the golden signal and also locate the specific position of the ruins. I added earth vein spirit sand to it, so it can work normally even if it encounters residual Netherworld energy.'

Late at night, the exploration team led by Lin Chen set off quietly.

Meteorite Valley was about a hundred miles away from Shimu Village. The mountain forests along the way had regained their vitality, and small animals could occasionally be seen scurrying through the woods.

Qing Yao couldn't help but sigh: 'I didn't expect that in just a few short months, we went from fighting against bone cores to destroying grievance cores, and now we are going to explore the Heavenly Court Ruins. It feels like a dream.'

'This dream isn't over yet.' Lin Chen looked at the outline of the valley visible in the distance.

'Although Earth Earl has been eliminated, there may still be remnants of the Netherworld Faction. Only by finding the power of the Ancient Heavenly Court can we completely protect the Three Realms.'

Upon reaching the entrance of Meteorite Valley, the signal receiver of the Descendant of Lu Ban suddenly emitted a 'beep' sound, and a clear golden trajectory appeared on the screen, pointing directly to the depths of the valley.

The scene inside the valley was completely different from the outside—the ground was covered with huge meteorite craters, the bottom of which glowed with a faint golden light, and the air was filled with pure, sacred energy, forming a sharp contrast with the resentment of the Netherworld.

'The energy here is so pure!' Little Warmth raised the soul-crossing bell, and the fragments on the bell body resonated with the surrounding golden light, emitting a crisp ringing sound.

'This kind of energy can nourish the soul; it is even more powerful than holy light energy.'

Following the golden trajectory, the group arrived in front of a dilapidated stone platform.

The surface of the stone platform was engraved with complex astrological runes, and a broken golden crystal was embedded in the center, which was the source of the signal.

Just as Lin Chen was about to reach out and touch the crystal, a burst of rapid footsteps came from outside the valley. More than a dozen people wearing silver armor rushed in, their spears pointing at the group: 'Do not touch the sacred relics of the Heavenly Court!'

The leader was tall, and the word 'Court Guardian' was engraved on his armor. A golden token hung from his waist, and the patterns on the token matched the astrological runes on the stone platform.

'Who are you? Why did you trespass into the auxiliary altar of the Ancient Heavenly Court?' His voice was cold, and his eyes were full of vigilance.

'We are here to investigate the Heavenly Court signal and want to find a way to counter the Netherworld Faction.' Lin Chen raised his hands to indicate no malice.

'Not long ago, the Netherworld deity Earth Earl tried to activate the grievance core to destroy the order of the Three Realms, and we have already eliminated him.'

'Earth Earl?' A flash of surprise appeared in the eyes of the Guardian Leader, but it immediately returned to coldness.

'Even if you eliminated Earth Earl, you have no right to touch the sacred relics of the Heavenly Court! Meteorite Valley is the territory of the Court Guardians. Leave immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite!'

Night Shadow approached Lin Chen quietly and whispered: 'The material of their armor is special, and their weapons are imbued with sacred energy. A direct confrontation might put us at a disadvantage.'

Lin Chen nodded and said to the Guardian Leader: 'We have no malice; we just want to understand the situation of the Ancient Heavenly Court. Nowadays, there are still remnants of the Netherworld Faction in the Three Realms. If we can get the help of the Ancient Heavenly Court, we can completely protect all living beings.'

The Guardian Leader was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Suddenly, the token at his waist emitted a golden light and projected an image—in the image, a magnificent city was suspended in the clouds, countless soldiers in golden armor were patrolling the city, and a huge golden crystal was embedded at the top of the palace in the center of the city, exactly the same as the fragment on the stone platform.

'This is an image of the Ancient Heavenly Court.' The leader's voice softened a little.

'A thousand years ago, the Netherworld Faction invaded the Ancient Heavenly Court, the city was destroyed, and the sacred relics were scattered everywhere. The mission of us Court Guardians is to protect these sacred relics and wait for someone who can revitalize the Ancient Heavenly Court to appear.'

He put away his spear and said to Lin Chen: 'You were able to eliminate Earth Earl, which shows that you have enough strength. But if you want to obtain the power of the Ancient Heavenly Court, you must pass the test of the Court Guardians—within three days, eliminate the remaining Netherworld Faction in the periphery of Meteorite Valley to prove your sincerity.'

Lin Chen agreed immediately: 'We are willing to accept the test!'

The Guardian Leader nodded and took out a map from his arms: 'This is the location of the remnants of the Netherworld Faction. They are hiding in the "Shadow Cave" outside the valley. They are good at hiding and sneak attacks, so you must be careful.'

The group took the map, and the signal receiver suddenly sounded again. A new branch extended from the golden trajectory on the screen, pointing in the direction of the Shadow Cave.

Lin Chen knew that this was not only the test of the Court Guardians but also the first step for them to gain the trust of the Ancient Heavenly Court.

'Let's go!' Lin Chen led the group towards the Shadow Cave.

The Guardian Leader looked at their backs and muttered to himself: 'I hope you are the ones we are waiting for. The future of the Ancient Heavenly Court depends on you.'

Outside the Shadow Cave, black resentment was slowly seeping out, forming an invisible barrier with the sacred energy of Meteorite Valley.

Lin Chen gripped the bluestone slab tightly, a firm light flashing in his eyes: 'Let the final cleanup battle begin!'

And in the depths of the distant Heavenly Court Ruins, in a sealed palace, a huge golden crystal suddenly lit up and projected an image—in the image, a person in a black robe was giving orders to a group of Netherworld creatures: 'The Court Guardians have appeared, and Lin Chen and the others will soon find the Heavenly Court Ruins. Before they obtain the power of the Ancient Heavenly Court, they must be eliminated!'