132: Echoes of Starlight and the Rekindling of the "Spark"

The "star chain" guiding Formation was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake; the faint ripples of the call pierced through layers of space and vanished into the endless unknown.

Inside the Shelter, there was total silence. Six pairs of eyes stared intently at the complete star core at the center of the altar and the Formation runes slowly revolving around it; even their breathing had quieted.

One breath, two breaths... ten breaths... time trickled by, yet the altar showed no change. The star core continued to emit a steady but not particularly bright light.

Zhao Iron Pillar was getting a bit impatient and scratched his head. "Boss, is our Formation... not strong enough? Is it too far for them to hear?"

Senior Brother Zhang pushed up his glasses, his brow furrowed as he murmured, "Theoretically, it should work... Could our estimation of the star core's resonance frequency be off? Or is the energy guidance path not optimized enough?"

Even in Ying's eyes, a trace of hard-to-detect disappointment flashed. Was this fantastical "star chain" plan merely a pipe dream after all?

Just as everyone's hearts were gradually sinking—

Suddenly!

The star core at the center of the altar flickered extremely subtly, almost imperceptibly!

It wasn't an increase or decrease in brightness, but a high-frequency throb, like a heartbeat! At the same time, an extremely fine "thread of light" composed of pure starlight, connecting to some distant direction, flashed above the Formation and instantly merged into the star core!

Although that "thread of light" was as thin as a strand of silk and its duration was so brief it was negligible, it had truly appeared!

"There's a reaction!" Wen Youyi suddenly opened his eyes, his voice carrying an irrepressible excitement!

He sensed it most clearly! Just now, a faint yet incredibly pure surge of star core Origin power had crossed an unknown distance, following that instantly formed "star power channel" to flow into the altar's core! Although the amount was tiny—almost negligible—it proved that the "star chain" plan was feasible! A star core fragment in a distant place had truly responded to their call!

"It's a success! We succeeded!" Senior Brother Zhang almost jumped for joy, his face flushing red.

Ying and the other two Purifiers also let out long sighs of relief, smiles of relief appearing on their faces. This faint light represented infinite hope!

Although Zhao Iron Pillar didn't quite understand what that momentary change meant, seeing everyone's expressions, he knew it was a good thing and let out a wide, silly grin.

However, this was only the beginning.

Over the next few hours, the star core at the altar's center produced several more similar faint throbs! Each time, a wisp of fine Star Power flowed in from a different direction!

Some Star Power was slightly stronger, while others were even weaker, as if they might cut out at any moment. This confirmed their suspicion—the responding star core fragments were scattered everywhere, in varying states and at different distances.

But regardless, the trickles had already begun to converge!

With the injection of this external Star Power, the altar itself seemed to radiate a hint of vitality. The light of the runes on its surface stabilized slightly, and the starlight falling from the phantom starry sky overhead seemed to grow a bit denser. The most obvious change was that the sense of "absolute safety" within the Shelter felt even more solid!

"Great!" Wen Youyi felt the subtle changes in the altar and the Shelter, his heart surging with excitement. "As long as the 'star chain' remains unbroken, energy can be continuously replenished, and the Shelter can maintain itself or even slowly grow!"

More importantly, this responding Star Power acted like lighthouses in the dark, allowing him to roughly sense the directions of those star core fragments! Although he couldn't pinpoint their exact locations, it meant that those "Seed" teams carrying the fragments might still have survivors! They might be hiding in some corner, struggling to survive, and had sensed the Shelter's call in the dark, responding to it!

"The Kindling... has not been completely extinguished!" Wen Youyi's voice carried a hint of a sob.

This news was even more exciting than the energy replenishment. Their comrades might still be alive! People were still persevering in the cause of resistance!

The starlight of hope not only illuminated the Shelter but also pierced through the mists of despair, reflecting those figures who were still trudging through the darkness in the distance.

"We need to optimize the 'star chain' Formation!" Wen Youyi quickly calmed down. "The current efficiency is too low! We need to make the call clearer, the channel more stable, and allow more responding Star Power to converge more smoothly!"

With a successful precedent, everyone's motivation soared. Senior Brother Zhang and Ying immediately threw themselves into the work of optimizing the Formation, making adjustments based on the problems exposed during the energy transmission just now.

While Wen Youyi assisted, he also used that faint connection to try and send a more stable "Star Language," filled with comfort and encouragement, toward those responding directions.

[Hold on. Hope still remains. starlight guides the way home.]

He knew that those surviving comrades needed more than just energy right now; they needed the conviction to keep going.

Starlight Sanctuary, this tiny, dilapidated refuge, had now truly become a gathering place for scattered sparks, a lighthouse guiding the resistance forward in their darkest hour.

(End of Chapter)