53: A gentle mist lingers, a hidden destiny stirs within.

The aftershocks of the energy impact slowly subsided, and the area around the altar fell into an eerie silence.

The black smoke that the demonic spider had transformed into dissipated into the thick fog, leaving behind a scene of devastation and a faint smell of burning in the air.

That layer of dense gray mist seemed to have been pushed back slightly by the previous force, forming a briefly clear area with a radius of about twenty zhang centered on the altar.

"Lin Xuan, are you alright?" Su Wanqing was the first to sweep to Lin Xuan's side, her cold, clear voice carrying a trace of imperceptible concern.

Her gaze swept over the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth that he hadn't completely wiped away. Her slender, jade-like fingers subconsciously lifted, only to stop halfway. Instead, she handed over a plain white handkerchief. Her profile, bathed in moonlight, remained as pure and aloof as ever, yet her earlobes were slightly flushed.

Lin Xuan took the handkerchief; it felt cool to the touch and carried her unique, crisp, and faint fragrance.

"It's nothing, just some agitation in my Qi and blood." He shook his head, but his gaze remained locked on the diamond-shaped fragment on the altar that was "breathing" faintly.

The immortal abode pivot token in his palm continued to grow hot, and its resonance with the fragment became increasingly clear, yet it was also mixed with a warning-like palpitation.

"That thing was truly terrifying just now." Qu Feiyan also walked over, her red skirt brushing against the scorched marks on the ground.

She seemed to stand casually on Lin Xuan's other side, but in reality, she skillfully formed a subtle pincer position with Su Wanqing.

Her eyes were alluring, glancing at the cardinal edict in Lin Xuan's hand before looking toward the altar fragment, and she chuckled, "However, it seems it has a deep connection with the treasure in your hands, Little Brother Lin. If it weren't for your token just now, I fear we wouldn't have escaped so easily."

As she spoke, she leaned extremely close, her breath like orchids, and her warm aura brushed against Lin Xuan's earlobe, carrying an intoxicatingly sweet fragrance.

Gongsun Yu put away her thunder light silver ring and ran over quickly, her face still flushed with the aftereffects of the fierce battle and worry: "Big Brother Lin, you scared me to death just now! Those three big spiders suddenly pounced over..."

She still felt lingering fear, naturally grabbing Lin Xuan's arm and looking up at him, her clear eyes filled with reliance.

The young girl's vibrant body pressed close to him, and through the thin fabric, he could feel that youthful warmth and a slight trembling.

Three women of distinct styles surrounded him, their faint fragrances wafting over. Although their ways of expressing concern and admiration differed, they all genuinely lingered around him.

Even with Lin Xuan's firm will, in the subtle atmosphere of this battle intermission, he couldn't help but feel his heart waver slightly.

With his arm held by Gongsun Yu, the almost tangible allure of Qu Feiyan on his left, and the hidden concern within Su Wanqing's cold demeanor on his right, he found himself in a momentarily awkward, romantic predicament.

He gently pulled away from Gongsun Yu's hand, not out of dislike, but to keep a clear head.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his roiling Qi and blood along with that trace of unusual emotion, and said in a deep voice, "I am fine. The strange movement of this fragment just now suggests it is likely not a mere inanimate object. We should not stay here long, but we must take this item with us."

His gaze turned back to the altar. The faint light on the fragment's surface was still weak, but the slow, pulsating sensation was becoming increasingly obvious, as if it truly had life.

The vast, awakening intent, though not erupting again, permeated the surroundings like an undercurrent, making the air in this area feel several degrees heavier.

"When I touched it just now, I was repelled," Lin Xuan continued. "However, the cardinal edict has a very strong resonance with it; perhaps... we need to use the power of the cardinal edict to retrieve it."

He attempted to approach the altar again, this time with greater caution.

Seeing this, Su Wanqing stepped forward silently, walking side-by-side with him, moonlight flowing around her, ready to deal with any sudden situation at any time.

Qu Feiyan chuckled, a phantom image of a blood-colored lotus flickering at her fingertips, her gaze scanning the surroundings, alert for any potentially hidden dangers.

Gongsun Yu also gripped her thunder light silver ring, following closely behind Lin Xuan.

As Lin Xuan stepped onto the white jade steps of the altar again, the immortal abode pivot token in his palm shone brightly, actively floating up to hover in front of him.

The pulsation frequency of the diamond-shaped crystal fragment seemed to synchronize with the clear light, and the force of resistance weakened significantly.

Lin Xuan slowly extended his hand. This time, he did not reach directly for the fragment, but instead guided the clear light of the cardinal edict, like a gentle stream of water, slowly wrapping around the diamond-shaped crystal.

The clear light came into contact with the faint light of the fragment, but instead of erupting into conflict again, they began to merge in threads.

The fragment trembled slightly, and the cracks on its surface seemed to be injected with some vitality under the illumination of the clear light; although the radiance remained weak, it stabilized.

Just as the fragment was about to be completely enveloped and retrieved by the clear light of the cardinal edict, a "hum" echoed in Lin Xuan's mind, as if he had heard an extremely distant sigh that had spanned eternal ages.

That sigh contained endless vicissitudes, loneliness, and... a trace of indescribable anticipation.

Immediately afterward, a blurred and incomplete image flashed through his Sea of Consciousness like a stream of light: a towering immortal palace shattering in the starry sky, a burning fragment trailing long flames, falling toward this boundless ink-blue sea.

The massive impact formed these ruins, and also buried a certain deep "pollution" along with an "obsession" of protection here...

The image stopped abruptly.

Lin Xuan's whole body jolted. When he looked again at the fragment that had been completely enveloped by the clear light of the cardinal edict and transformed into a stream of light taken into the token, his gaze was completely different.

This was not just a core fragment of the immortal palace, but also a bearer of a forgotten history, perhaps even related to the secrets of this Desolate Sea, and even the wider world.

With the fragment retrieved, the last bit of faint light on the altar extinguished, and it completely turned into a dead, silent white jade platform.

The briefly clear area around it began to be re-eroded by the thick fog, and the gray mist closed in again from all directions.

"Did it work?" Gongsun Yu asked with pleasant surprise.

Lin Xuan nodded and retrieved the immortal abode pivot token into his palm, feeling an additional silent yet vast power inside the token.

"It worked, but we must leave here immediately. With the fragment taken, the balance here may have been broken."

His premonition was quickly confirmed. The altar beneath his feet began to vibrate slightly, and from the depths of the surrounding ruins came more, and more chaotic, roars of demonic creatures, moving from afar to near, clearly attracted by the commotion just now and the change in aura after the fragment disappeared.

The thick fog surged, and deeper danger was approaching.

"Let's go!" Lin Xuan gave a low shout, and without hesitation, led the three women, sprinting in the opposite direction from which they came—which was deeper into the ruins (according to the new, faint guidance of the cardinal edict).

Four figures quickly disappeared into the thick fog, and behind them, the vibration of the altar grew stronger and stronger, finally collapsing into true ruins amidst a loud roar.

Countless twisted black shadows appeared in the mist, pouncing toward the place where they had just been standing.