323: Legendary chalcedony, sealing formation

The Stone Pillar was covered in runes.

Below the Stone Pillar was a circular Altar.

The Altar was oval-shaped with nine steps leading upward.

A glittering golden coffin sat atop the Altar.

Lifelike carvings of rare and exotic beasts adorned the coffin.

More importantly, directly above the coffin, a fist-sized, crystal-clear Bead was embedded, radiating a brilliant and dazzling glow.

Under the sunlight, the Bead refracted a rainbow of colors; it was magnificent and stunning, looking like a piece of art.

"What a beautiful Bead!" Yang Mi's eyes sparkled as she stared unblinkingly at the Bead, her gaze filled with greed and desire.

Clearly, she had recognized the value of that Bead!

"Is this the legendary Jade Marrow?" Ye Bai was also quite surprised.

He had long heard legends of the Jade Marrow, said to be a rare treasure born from heaven and earth, possessing infinite uses.

"Jade Marrow? What is that?" Yang Mi asked in confusion.

Ye Bai explained the matter of the Jade Marrow to Yang Mi.

Yang Mi's eyes immediately lit up.

"Is that for real? Does the Jade Marrow really exist in legends?" she asked, full of doubt.

Ye Bai nodded and said, "Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, you can try it for yourself."

"Of course I don't believe it!" Yang Mi curled her lip and said, "However, I would like to see what this legendary treasure looks like."

With that, she stepped toward the Stone Platform.

However, just as she approached the Stone Platform, the array upon it suddenly activated.

The moment Yang Mi neared the Stone Platform, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and a powerful force surged from the array on the Stone Platform, violently repelling her.

"Ah!" Yang Mi cried out as she fell to the ground, her face showing a mix of terror and anger. "What on earth is this thing?"

Ye Bai frowned and hurried forward to help Yang Mi up. "There's something strange about this array; it seems we can't approach it easily."

Meng Ziyi stood to the side, her face pale with fright. "We should leave this place quickly; it feels too dangerous."

Ye Bai shook his head. "Since we've already come this far, there's no reason to retreat. If we can get this Jade Marrow, it will be of extraordinary significance to us."

Yang Mi rubbed her sore backside. "Hmph, I don't believe in this nonsense. I'm definitely getting my hands on that Jade Marrow."

Ye Bai carefully observed the runes around the Stone Platform, trying to find a way to break the array. "Look at these runes; there seems to be a pattern between them, like an ancient language telling the secret of how to open it."

Meng Ziyi leaned in. "Can you understand these runes?"

Ye Bai nodded. "I know a little, but it will take time to decipher them."

Yang Mi was a bit impatient. "How much longer? What if there are other dangers here?"

Just then, an eerie howling sound echoed from all around, as if countless Ghosts were weeping. Meng Ziyi was so scared she clung tightly to Yang Mi. "I'm so afraid. Could there really be Ghosts here?"

Although Yang Mi was also afraid, she forced herself to remain calm. "Don't be afraid, Ye Bai is here."

Ye Bai took some tools out of his backpack and began to probe around the Stone Pillar. "This array should correspond to the surrounding environment. We need to find the formation eye first."

After some searching, Ye Bai found a tiny indentation on one side of the Stone Pillar, shaped like a star. "This should be the key to the formation eye."

Yang Mi said excitedly, "Then how do we open it?"

Ye Bai took out a specially made key, a Divine Artifact he had collected during his years as a grave robber. "I hope this key will be useful."

He carefully inserted the key into the indentation and turned it gently.

Suddenly, a burst of intense light shot out from the Stone Pillar, illuminating the entire space.

As the light flickered, the array on the Stone Platform seemed to loosen slightly.

Seeing this, Ye Bai shouted to Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi, "The chance is here, let's go together."

The three of them rushed toward the Stone Platform. But just as they were about to reach the coffin, several Black Shadows appeared, pouncing toward them as if they were alive.

"Watch out!" Ye Bai shouted, brandishing his weapon to fight the Black Shadows.

Not wanting to be outdone, Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi picked up nearby tools to fight back. Yang Mi swung her shovel and shouted, "What are these things? There's no end to them!"

Meng Ziyi screamed in terror, "There seem to be more and more of them; we're going to be overwhelmed!"

While dealing with the Black Shadows, Ye Bai observed the surroundings. He discovered that these Black Shadows were surging out from a Hidden Hole beneath the Stone Platform. "Cover me, I'm going to block that Hidden Hole."

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi worked together to buy time for Ye Bai. Ye Bai rushed to the Hidden Hole, took a huge stone from his backpack, and used it to block the opening with all his might. The number of Black Shadows gradually decreased until they finally vanished.

"Whew, it's finally settled." Yang Mi wiped the sweat from her forehead.

The three of them returned to the front of the coffin. The light from the Jade Marrow was even more dazzling now, as if it were calling to them.

Ye Bai walked around the coffin, carefully examining the carvings on it. "These carvings seem to be a hint, telling us how to open the coffin without triggering other mechanisms."

Yang Mi said impatiently, "Then hurry up, I can't wait any longer."

Following the hints on the carvings, Ye Bai pressed several buttons at specific locations on the coffin. With a series of clicks, the coffin lid slowly opened.

The light of the Jade Marrow instantly enveloped the entire space, its brilliant rainbow glow making it hard for the three of them to keep their eyes open.

"So beautiful!" Meng Ziyi praised.

Yang Mi reached out to take the Jade Marrow, but Ye Bai stopped her.

"Don't be in such a hurry; there might still be mechanisms around the Jade Marrow."

Hearing this, Yang Mi immediately stopped her movements and stared warily at the surroundings. "Ye Bai, will there be danger?"

Ye Bai smiled and pointed to the runes on the Stone Pillar. "These are ancient sealing runes. As long as these runes are destroyed, the Restriction can be lifted."

Yang Mi realized, "So you already knew this was a Sealing Array?"

"That's right!" Ye Bai smiled, then looked at Meng Ziyi. "Ziyi, please keep watch for us."

Meng Ziyi said solemnly, "Okay."

Ye Bai stood before the Stone Pillar, his hands quickly forming seals before he struck the surface of the Stone Pillar heavily. In an instant, countless runes manifested in the void, falling like shooting stars.

Yang Mi stared nervously at Ye Bai, fearing that these runes might hurt him.

After a short while, the countless runes fell to the ground, turning into streaks of Spiritual Energy that converged onto the Stone Pillar.

"Is it done?" Yang Mi asked excitedly.

"Almost." Ye Bai I patted the dust off my clothes: "I'll first restore peace to this place."