27: Chapter 27 The Black Robe Vanishes, the Soul Imprint is Branded On

The darkness felt like it had tangible weight, pressing heavily upon Lin Yuan's senses. Only the faint, pale golden glimmer emitted by the Void God Spark deep within his soul outlined the blurry contours of his surroundings in the absolute pitch black: a rough concrete vaulted ceiling, damp, moss-covered walls, and a muddy, uneven ground with occasional puddles beneath his feet. The air was thick with heavy moisture, a musty odor, and a strange scent... one that had settled over decades, a mixture of steel, dust, and a faint, lingering aroma of incense.

The pull originated from ahead, faint but persistent, like a spider silk in the darkness, guiding him. He walked extremely slowly, each step accompanied by the stinging pain of his wounds and a burning sensation in his lungs. Yet, his mind was highly focused; the "Compatibility" property of the Void God Spark was passively operating, helping him adapt to this dark, oppressive environment and keeping him alert for any abnormal energy fluctuations.

Behind him, the infrasonic-like humming of the "spirit-probing pulse" coming from the entrance had become blurred, as if it had been weakened and refracted by the thick layers of earth and the complex structure of the air-raid shelter. He was safe for the moment, but time was running out.

The deeper he went, the wider the passage seemed to become. Abandoned signs, scattered old wooden crates, and rusted pipes appeared sporadically. The sense of attraction also became clearer, pointing distinctly toward the left passage at a fork in the road.

Just as he approached the fork, the Void God Spark suddenly sent a more distinct throb. At the same time, he keenly sensed that deep within the pitch-black passage to his right, there seemed to be an extremely faint, cold, and evil aura residue, originating from the same source as the Black-robed Man! It was very faint, almost dissipated, but the "Compatibility" property of the Void God Spark was exceptionally sensitive to this energy pattern he had "dealt with" before.

Had Mr. Mo's people been here? Or had a similar entity been active here before?

Lin Yuan's heart tightened, and he became even more vigilant. He chose the left passage where the attraction originated, while simultaneously diverting a sliver of his attention to keep an eye on any movement from the right.

The left passage seemed to slope downward. After walking about a hundred meters, the space ahead suddenly opened up. The glimmer of the Void God Spark illuminated a small underground hall. This was clearly not a standard air-raid shelter structure.

The hall was an irregular circle, about twenty meters in diameter, with a higher vaulted ceiling. The walls were built of ancient blue bricks, some parts of which were mottled and peeling. In the center of the floor, there was an incomplete circular pattern made of white stone slabs, about three meters in diameter. The lines of the pattern were primitive, seemingly some long-lost sacrificial or formation markings, but most were worn and illegible. In the center of the pattern stood a low, square pedestal, also built of blue bricks. On the pedestal... it was empty, leaving only a faint impression where something had seemingly been enshrined.

The sense of attraction originated from this empty pedestal! More precisely, it originated from the pedestal itself and the incomplete formation pattern on the ground!

Lin Yuan walked closer, and the reaction of the Void God Spark became even more intense. He reached out and cautiously touched the cold blue brick pedestal.

In an instant, an extremely faint, yet incomparably pure and desolate stream of information surged into his consciousness through his fingertips!

"...Void... NA... Return... Hidden..."

"...Catastrophe of the Dharma-Ending Age... The Torch is not passed..."

"...Using this remnant body as a sacrifice, to guard this leyline with a sliver of clarity..."

"...Successor... If you hold the 'Void' intent... you may activate this... and inherit my unfinished duty... and also obtain my... meager legacy..."

The information was intermittent, filled with the wear and tear of time, but the core meaning was clear: this place was once a miniature shrine or a guarding site for an ancient "God of Ruins" (or a similar entity)! This unknown predecessor, at the moment of some "Catastrophe of the Dharma-Ending Age," had used their own divine body or core as a sacrifice to guard this place, protecting a "sliver of clarity" for this leyline. The core of the shrine (the statue or token) had long since dissipated or been taken away over the long passage of time, leaving only this empty pedestal and the incomplete formation. However, within the pedestal and the formation lay the final intent of this predecessor and a faint trace of inheritance authority or energy imprint related to the concept of the "Void"!

The attraction of the Void God Spark was precisely because of this homologous concept of the "Void"!

"Inherit my unfinished duty... and also obtain my meager legacy..." Lin Yuan repeated, muttering. Duty? Was it to continue guarding this leyline? Or something else? And what was the legacy?

He looked around. In the corners of the hall, some severely weathered pottery shards and remnants of incense burners were scattered, clearly long abandoned. Although the incomplete formation on the ground contained a special energy structure, it was too damaged, and it seemed to be closely connected to the leyline, so it could not be easily tampered with.

Time was tight, and there was no time for careful study. Lin Yuan made a prompt decision, attempting to communicate with the Void God Spark to see if he could generate a deeper resonance with the "Void" imprint remaining in the pedestal and formation, to obtain the so-called "legacy."

He pressed his palm completely onto the pedestal, concentrating all his focus, and guided the faint spark of the Void God Spark deep within his soul, slowly "imprinting" its fluctuations onto the pedestal.

The pale golden light of the spark, like a water droplet falling into an ancient well, quietly merged into the cold, rough blue bricks.

At first, there was no reaction. Just as Lin Yuan thought his Void God Spark was too weak to trigger this ancient imprint—

Hum...

The entire floor of the hall, that incomplete white stone slab formation, suddenly lit up extremely faintly! The light flashed and vanished, so quickly it felt like an illusion. But Lin Yuan clearly felt that inside the pedestal, a warm, heavy, and desolate aura, as if bearing everything like the earth, was triggered by the Void God Spark and, following his arm, flowed extremely slowly into his Godhead!

This aura did not convert into Power of Faith, nor did it directly enhance his strength. It was more like a "fragment of authority" or a "completion of a concept," merging into his Void God Spark!

[Void God Spark (Prototype) gains a trace of 'Leyline Affinity' property.]

[Void God Spark (Prototype) gains a trace of 'Vestige Resonance' property.]

[Spark stability slightly increased.]

[Obtained incomplete information fragments: vague records regarding 'Catastrophe of the Dharma-Ending Age', 'Leyline Node', and 'Duty of Guardianship' have been sealed.]

[Warning: While accepting the 'legacy', you have vaguely sensed the 'Duty of Guardianship' of this place (content unknown, status: dormant/inactive).]

It really was a gain! "Leyline Affinity" would allow him to be more sensitive and operate more smoothly when dealing with leyline energy; "Vestige Resonance" might help him discover and understand more similar ancient ruins or residual powers. As for that vague "Duty of Guardianship," it could be ignored for now, as long as he didn't actively trigger it.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred!

From the direction of the passage entrance, deep within the right fork where the Black-robed Man's evil aura residue had come from, a suppressed, angry grunt suddenly erupted, followed by the crisp sound of something shattering, and the chaotic fluctuation of uncontrolled energy!

Lin Yuan instantly withdrew his hand, flashed behind a thick load-bearing pillar at the edge of the hall, and held his breath, concentrating.

A few seconds later, a rush of hurried and slightly staggering footsteps, accompanied by a thick smell of blood and even more chaotic evil aura, charged into this hall from the right passage!

It was that Black-robed Man! But his state at this moment was extremely terrible!

The gray mist covering his face had thinned significantly, vaguely revealing the face of a middle-aged man, pale, twisted, and covered in black veins, with dark purple blood spilling from the corners of his mouth. His left arm was severed at the shoulder; at the wound, there was no normal flesh, but constantly writhing, living-like gray-black mist, frantically trying to re-condense into the shape of an arm, yet constantly dissipating, emitting a nauseating burnt stench and evil aura. His aura was more than a notch weaker than before, but the ghostly green light in his eyes burned with even more frantic rage and shock.

After charging into the hall, he also seemed stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting to meet Lin Yuan here, and even less expecting to see that glowing pedestal and formation (although the light had faded, the residual energy fluctuations remained).

"You?!" The Black-robed Man's voice was hoarse and broken, filled with disbelief. "How are you here?! And this... this is... the aura of the 'Void'?!" He looked violently at the empty pedestal, his ghostly green light flickering violently, as if he had seen something extremely incredible and deeply desired.

Lin Yuan's thoughts raced. The opponent had clearly encountered misfortune in the right passage, likely triggering some ancient restriction or residual protection here, leaving him severely injured. This was an opportunity! But at the same time, the opponent's state was even more dangerous, like a trapped, wounded beast.

"It seems your luck isn't very good." Lin Yuan walked out slowly from behind the pillar, his tone calm, trying his best not to reveal his own weakness. "This place doesn't seem to welcome guests like you... who are covered in evil aura."

"Shut up!" The Black-robed Man growled lowly. The mist on his severed left arm surged frantically, yet it could never condense into shape, instead making his aura even more chaotic. He stared fixedly at Lin Yuan, then looked at the pedestal, greed and killing intent intertwining in his eyes. "I didn't expect... this crappy underground place to hide such 'ancient ruins'! The 'Void' legacy... perfect! Using your spark, and the 'Void' power here, it will be enough to compensate for my losses, and even... help me break through!"

He clearly regarded Lin Yuan's Void God Spark and the power of this shrine ruin as a "great tonic" for healing and advancement!

"Want it? Come and take it yourself." Lin Yuan said coldly, while keeping his hand behind his back. His fingertips quietly gathered the last trace of Power of Faith remaining in his body, mixed with the newly acquired "Leyline Affinity" and "Authority of Order" from the Void God Spark, drawing an extremely crude, yet intended-to-trigger, temporary rune on his palm to stir the residual formation and leyline energy here.

He was gambling, gambling that although this ancient shrine was dilapidated, it was still connected to the leylines and had an instinctive repulsion towards "evil energy" and "violent intrusions"! He was gambling that the "Void" aura of his Void God Spark and his "Leyline Affinity" would allow him to slightly "borrow" some of the power here!

"Seeking death!" Although the Black-robed Man was heavily injured, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. He suddenly raised his right hand, and the remaining gray mist condensed frantically, turning into a gray-black evil light arrow that was much more refined but clearly lacking in stamina, whistling shrilly as it shot straight at the center of Lin Yuan's forehead!

Although this strike was far inferior to the previous "ten thousand infant banner" technique, in Lin Yuan's current heavily injured state, it was still difficult to take head-on!

Lin Yuan did not dodge—he couldn't dodge anyway. Just as the evil light arrow was about to hit him, he slammed his palm, which had the rune drawn on it, onto the load-bearing pillar beside him! At the same time, he fully activated the trace of "Void" aura and "Leyline Affinity" characteristic newly obtained from the Void God Spark!

"Legacy of the God of Ruins, by the leyline as proof! Evil spirits, begone!"

He roared out loud, both to bolster his own courage and to attempt to trigger the "rules" of this place!

A miracle happened!

On the load-bearing pillar his palm struck, the mottled blue bricks on the surface suddenly revealed extremely faint, yet definitely existing, ancient rune phantoms! At the same time, the incomplete white stone slab formation on the ground also lit up faintly once again!

The leyline energy of the entire hall seemed to have been gently plucked by an invisible hand! A heavy, vast, and ancient fluctuation, filled with a sense of repelling alien evil energy, suddenly spread out from the center of Lin Yuan's palm!

The gray-black evil light arrow shooting towards Lin Yuan, the moment it was swept by this fluctuation, actually behaved like snow under the sun; its speed plummeted, its light dimmed, and its power was weakened by nearly half out of thin air!

Although the remaining power still struck Lin Yuan, blasting him away again to crash against the wall and causing him to spray blood, worsening his injuries, but... he didn't die! The repulsive force of the leyline fluctuation had saved his life!

And the Black-robed Man who released this strike suffered an even more terrifying backlash!

Just at the moment he launched his attack and his evil energy was at its peak, the faint light of the incomplete formation on the hall floor seemed to have activated some long-dormant counterattack mechanism! Several strands of earth-yellow leyline baleful energy chains, as thin as hair but extremely condensed, shot out without warning from several key nodes of the ground formation patterns, fast as lightning, instantly wrapping around the Black-robed Man!

"No—! What is this?!" The Black-robed Man let out a scream of extreme terror! The gray mist and evil energy on his body surface were dissolving frantically as if encountering a nemesis! Those earth-yellow chains, seemingly carrying the weight and judgment power of the earth, tightly squeezed into his body (or rather, energy body), frantically extracting and purifying his evil power!

What was even more terrifying was that at the wound of his severed left arm, the mass of gray-black mist that kept squirming, the moment it touched the leyline baleful energy, hissed violently like hot oil poured on snow, emitting a large amount of black smoke, rapidly withering and dissipating!

"Ah—!! Master, save me!!" The Black-robed Man screamed repeatedly, struggling desperately, yet he was completely unable to break free from the chains that seemed rooted in the earth. His aura withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, the gray mist on his body surface completely dissipated, revealing a gaunt body underneath covered in strange black runes; at this moment, those runes were rapidly dimming and disintegrating under the erosion of the chains.

Lin Yuan struggled to crawl up and sat against the wall, watching this scene in shock. These residual restrictions of the ancient shrine were actually so powerful! It seems the means used by that fallen God of Ruins senior to guard this place were specifically targeted at evil spirits!

This was simply a godsend!

Seeing that there was no hope of breaking free and his aura growing weaker, a flash of crazy malice and determination crossed the Black-robed Man's eyes. He suddenly turned his head, staring fixedly at Lin Yuan, and used his last bit of strength to roar: "Optimizer! God of Ruins! You won this time... but Master will not let you go! The 'ten thousand infant banner' will be completed! You... and this city... will all become sacrifices! I will be waiting for you... down below—!!!"

Before his voice faded, his remaining body suddenly swelled, and then, like a popped balloon, it exploded with a bang!

But what exploded was not flesh and blood, but extremely concentrated malicious evil energy and a pitch-black, brand-like stream of information!

The evil energy explosion was mostly absorbed and purified by the leyline chains, but a small portion still surged towards Lin Yuan. And that pitch-black stream of information, as if alive, bent in mid-air, actually dodging the interception of the leyline chains, and at an incredible speed, instantly submerged into the center of Lin Yuan's forehead!

Lin Yuan had no time to react; he only felt a cold, stinging pain in his soul, as if bitten by a venomous snake!

[Warning! Marked by 'Curse Soul Seal'!]

[Effect: Your soul aura will be continuously sensed, tracked, and weakly attracted by specific evil rituals (such as the 'ten thousand infant banner'). At the same time, when dying or when the soul is extremely weak, the soul seal will erupt, polluting and attracting resentful spirits and evil entities within a hundred miles.]

[Removal Method: Unknown (requires extremely high-level purification or special ritual). Current Status: Imprinted, weakly active.]

Damn! Lin Yuan's heart sank. This counterattack from the Black-robed Man before his death had actually planted such a vicious thing on him! This meant it would be much easier for Mr. Mo to find him in the future, and if he were ever heavily injured or dying, it would attract even more trouble!

He hurriedly looked within, and sure enough, on the periphery of his godhead, there was an extremely tiny black mark, constantly emitting cold and evil fluctuations, like a maggot attached to a bone.

After purifying most of the evil energy explosion, the leyline chains slowly retracted back into the ground formation, and the light disappeared completely. The hall returned to calm, with only the heavy smell of blood, the stench of burning, residual evil energy, and Lin Yuan's heavy panting.

He struggled to crawl over to the small pile of ashes left behind after the Black-robed Man's self-detonation and poked it with a broken wooden stick. In the ashes, besides some charred bone fragments, there were two things not completely destroyed: a black metal piece with burnt edges (seemingly some kind of token or key fragment), and a small, dark-red crystal that looked like solidified blood but was as hard as stone, emitting a rich aura of resentment and essence blood.

Lin Yuan carefully wrapped these two things in cloth and put them away. These were all clues, perhaps they would be useful.

After handling this, he could no longer hold on, collapsed to the ground, and his consciousness began to blur. His injuries were too severe, he had lost too much blood, and his soul was also throbbing with pain from the impact of the soul seal.

He glanced at the system.

[faith reserve: 0.001 (on the verge of extinguishing)]

[Void God Spark: Stable (weak), new characteristics taking effect]

[Status: Dying and heavily injured (multiple fractures, internal bleeding, residual evil energy erosion, soul trauma)]

[Negative Status: Curse Soul Seal (weakly active)]

[divine breath countdown: 22 days 20 hours 11 minutes]

Can't pass out here... There are still people from "Lingxiao" outside... Must...

Using his last bit of strength, he fumbled out the small bag from his bosom containing the "ning-shen jade" fragments (the black market deal hadn't gone through, but Boss Qian had gotten him a small sample for backup) and placed the cold fragment under his tongue. A faint, cool aura slowly spread, barely holding onto his consciousness that was about to collapse.

Then, he forced himself to crawl with difficulty towards the deeper part of the hall, to a small side chamber that seemed to have been used by the former priests for resting or storage.

Regardless, first find a relatively hidden place to treat the most fatal wounds, and wait... for a glimmer of faint hope, or, an inevitable end.

Darkness once again gently and cruelly enveloped him.

Only deep within his godhead, that cluster of fire—the Void God Spark—which had absorbed the legacy of the "Void," continued to emit a weak but tenacious pale golden halo, as if silently guarding the last spark of hope amidst the ruins of a desperate situation.

And on the ground, the incomplete white formation patterns, in a corner unnoticed by anyone, were extremely slowly absorbing the faint "Void" aura dissipating in the air, coming from Lin Yuan's blood and the Void God Spark, as if a riverbed that had been dry for too long had finally welcomed a drop of nectar—insignificant, yet carrying a familiar taste.

Far away in a secret location on the other side of the city, Mr. Mo, who was sitting cross-legged in the center of countless strange runes, suddenly opened his eyes. The black ring on his finger was slightly hot.

"Heisha's soul lamp... has gone out." His voice was flat, with no discernible joy or anger. "Trash. However, the 'Curse Soul Seal' was triggered... and there is the aura of the 'Void'..."

He stood up slowly and walked to an ancient bronze mirror covered in water stains. The mirror surface was blurry, but it gradually reflected a hazy soul phantom, carrying a pale golden glimmer, yet entangled by a black mark.

"Found you... my 'new sacrifice', and 'best vessel spirit candidate'."

The corners of his mouth curled into an arc of cold anticipation.

The darkness underground and the conspiracy above ground fermented simultaneously.

And the countdown, still coldly, second by second, ticked away mercilessly.