25: Broken monument and out-of-control "net"

Having successfully acted as the "oriole," robbing the Blazing Sun Sect's Blazing Edge Team, Wen Youyi and The core five people quickly fled the area, finding a relatively hidden rock fissure to hide in.

"Haha, refreshing! That was so refreshing!" Zhao Iron Pillar suppressed his excitement and whispered, "Let's see if that guy dares to be arrogant again! Little Wen, quickly check what good stuff is in the pouch?"

Wang Wu and the others also stared eagerly at the Storage Pouch in Wen Youyi's hand. This was the private collection of an Inner Sect Disciple (Blazing Edge was clearly an Inner Sect Disciple of the Blazing Sun Sect), and it was undoubtedly a Treasure Trove to them.

Wen Youyi was also full of anticipation, attempting to use his Divine Sense to probe the Storage Pouch. There was a simple Restriction at the mouth of the pouch, but since the owner was severely injured and weak, the Restriction was easily broken open, rendering it useless.

The space inside was not large, about one cubic meter. There were many items, but most were Blazing Sun Sect Cultivation Technique Jade Slips and Fire Attribute Materials that they couldn't use. There were nearly a hundred Spirit Stones, including several Mid-Grade Spirit Stones whose Spiritual Qi was noticeably much denser!

"We're rich! We're really rich!" Wang Wu looked at the few glittering Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, his breathing quickening. One Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was theoretically equal to one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, but the actual exchange rate often included a premium, and crucially, the Spiritual Qi within was purer, greatly benefiting Cultivation.

Besides the Spirit Stones, there were also some Medicinal Pills for healing and restoring spiritual power, all of which were of much better quality than what they had used before. What interested Wen Youyi the most was a crimson red token, neither metal nor jade, engraved with complex flame patterns, as well as several red Talismans brimming with Spiritual Qi, clearly specialties of the Blazing Sun Sect.

"This token might be an identity certificate or a keepsake; we'll keep it for now. As for these Talismans..." Wen Youyi picked one up, feeling the violent Fire Spiritual Power contained within. "The power should be considerable, but the attribute doesn't match ours, so we must use them cautiously."

He fairly distributed the Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills among everyone. The Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, in particular, were designated as strategic team reserves and kept under Wen Youyi's unified management. The unusable Cultivation Techniques and Materials were also put away, perhaps to be exchanged for other things later.

"With these resources, we'll have even more confidence in the Ancient Ruins!" Zhao Iron Pillar rubbed his hands together.

Wen Youyi nodded, but he wasn't blinded by the spoils: "Resources are merely external things; the key is still ourselves. How did everyone feel about the 'Spiritual Power Linkage' just now?"

When this was mentioned, everyone immediately started talking over each other.

"It felt quite wondrous, like the five of us became one person. Although the spiritual power was small, the circulation was exceptionally smooth!"

"It just takes too much mental effort to maintain; my head felt a bit dizzy."

"And we can't be too far apart. During the sneak attack just now, I almost couldn't keep up with the rhythm."

Wen Youyi listened carefully, constantly analyzing and optimizing in his mind. This crude "local area network" ark 1.0 version still had many issues: unstable connection, mental drain, distance limitations, and extremely low transmission "bandwidth" (the amount of Spiritual Power that could be shared was negligible).

"We need practice, and even more, we need... an 'upgrade.'" A light of curiosity shone in Wen Youyi's eyes. "The environment of the Ancient Ruins is special; it interferes with The Great Net. Perhaps something that can upgrade our 'Small Net' is hidden right here!"

After resting, The core five people maintained a cautious "linkage" state and began exploring deeper into the Ancient Ruins. They avoided the area where the Blazing Sun Sect had fought earlier, choosing a direction that looked more desolate but had faintly abnormal energy fluctuations.

The deeper they went, the stranger the environment became. Beneath the dark red sky, the ground was covered in twisted fissures, some bottomless, from which chaotic energy storms faintly blew out. Occasionally, they could see the massive skeletons of unknown creatures half-buried in the soil, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

They even saw the ruins of a dilapidated palace far in the distance, but it was enveloped by a powerful Restriction halo and Spatial Rifts, making it impossible for them to approach.

"What was this damned place like before?" Zhao Iron Pillar clicked his tongue as he looked at the desolate scene before him.

After walking for about half a day, a relatively intact area of ruins appeared ahead. It looked like a collapsed plaza, and in the center stood half of a giant Stone Stele.

The Stone Stele was dark gray, covered in marks of age and cracks. It was engraved with ancient, faint writing and patterns, exuding an aura of desolate majesty and tragedy.

Wen Youyi’s heart stirred, and he signaled for everyone to approach and observe.

Just as they were about thirty meters away from the Stone Stele, the anomaly occurred!

That half-section of the Stone Stele seemed to be activated by their presence. The faint patterns on its surface suddenly lit up with weak, intermittent white light!

At the same time, Wen Youyi suddenly felt that the restrictive feeling of the invisible "spirit net" that had always enveloped them had, at this moment... vanished?!

It wasn't the "signal weakening" they experienced due to the Ancient Ruins' environment before; it was a complete and utter... disconnection!

It was as if a constantly connected WiFi had suddenly had its network cable pulled!

"What's going on?" Zhao Iron Pillar and the others also sensed the abnormality. It was a sudden feeling of lightness, as if a thousand catties had been lifted, but this was immediately followed by a strange emptiness and discomfort.

Wen Youyi suppressed the shock in his heart and carefully sensed the surroundings. That constant "protocol" connection that drained their power had indeed been forcibly interrupted by some kind of force within the range covered by the Stone Stele's light!

Was this the effect of the Stone Stele?!

He looked at the broken stele emitting the faint white light, his eyes growing intensely hot. This thing could actually block the "spirit net"?!

However, before they could rejoice, another, far more dangerous sensation suddenly descended!

Losing the suppressive "order" imposed by the "spirit net," the already chaotic Spiritual Qi around them instantly became violent, like wild horses running loose! Visible, multicolored streams of Spiritual Qi Turbulence generated out of thin air like uncontrolled tornadoes across the plaza ruins, raging wildly!

"Watch out!" Wen Youyi roared, grabbing Zhao Iron Pillar, who was closest to him, and rapidly retreating!

A stream of turbulence mixed with sharp metal and corrosive energy grazed past their bodies, plowing a deep gully into the ground!

Wang Wu and the others were also scrambling to dodge the suddenly erupting Spiritual Qi storm.

This change came too quickly and too fiercely!

Wen Youyi understood instantly. Although the "spirit net" drew power from them like shackles, to some extent, it also maintained the basic "order" of the external Spiritual Qi. Once this order was broken, especially in a naturally chaotic place like the Ancient Ruins, the result was what they saw now—the Spiritual Qi completely losing control and forming a destructive storm!

This broken stele was a double-edged sword! It could sever the chains of the "shepherds," but it could also unleash a far more terrifying "flood"!

"Retreat! Get out of this area quickly!" Wen Youyi decided instantly, leading everyone to struggle backward against the raging turbulence.

When they retreated about one hundred and fifty meters, the light from the broken stele gradually dimmed, and the surrounding violent Spiritual Qi Turbulence slowly subsided, as if losing its power source. Meanwhile, the suffocating, invisible binding sensation of the "spirit net" surged back like a tide, enveloping them once more.

The core five people slumped onto the ground, panting heavily, still reeling from fear. In that moment, they had truly tasted the flavor of "freedom," but they had also experienced the uncontrolled danger lurking behind it.

"What... what the heck was that Stone Stele? That was terrifying!" Zhao Iron Pillar patted his chest, filled with lingering fear.

Wen Youyi looked at the half-section of the broken stele, which had returned to silence in the distance, his expression incredibly complex.

He had found something that could counter the "spirit net," but this path seemed even more difficult and dangerous than he had imagined.

"Perhaps... what we need isn't a crude 'disconnection,' but rather establishing a more stable and safer... 'Inner Network'?

A grander and more difficult goal quietly surfaced in his mind.

(End of Chapter)