128: Chapter 128 The Outer Edge of Purple Mountain, the Primordial Royal Court

In the main hall of Chaos Valley, when that emergency message Jade Slip exploded on the table and turned into Shi Potian's urgent and suppressed voice, Lin Ye knew something had happened.

"Exposed... star token has Bloodline resonance... Shi Clan Tribe full search... I'm in the Ancient Mine three li northwest of Valley of Buried Soldiers... can't hold out for long..."

The voice stopped abruptly, and the Jade Slip turned into powder.

Inside the main hall, the atmosphere instantly froze.

Su Qingyue was the first to stand up, a cold light flashing in her icy blue eyes: "I'll go save him."

"Wait." Lin Ye pressed her shoulder, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall.

Zhao Wuji, Chen Hao, and Qin Ruoxue were all there, everyone's expressions incredibly solemn.

Shi Potian was not only the Azure Dragon Hall Master, but also one of the core combat forces of the Heavenly Court. If he fell in Purple Mountain, the blow to the Heavenly Court would be massive.

But more importantly—Purple Mountain was the territory of the Archaic Race, and the Shi Clan Tribe was just one branch. According to intelligence, the entire periphery of Purple Mountain was controlled by a Western player power called the "Primordial Royal Court."

This power was composed of players with various Archaic Race Bloodlines, possessed formidable strength, and was hostile toward the Human Race. If the Heavenly Court entered on a large scale, it would likely trigger an all-out conflict.

"Qin Ruoxue, the latest intelligence on the Primordial Royal Court," Lin Ye asked in a deep voice.

Qin Ruoxue quickly pulled up the data: "Primordial Royal Court, a Western player power, established a month earlier than the Heavenly Court. Core members approximately five hundred, all with Archaic Race Bloodlines, of which the Shi Clan accounts for 40%, the Blood Clan 30%, and the Winged Clan, Shadow Clan, and other Archaic Races account for 30%."

"Leader 'Blood Prince', Rank 55 Blood Clan player, possesses the 'Blood Emperor Saint Physique' (Archaic Race special Physique, blood-sucking recovery effect increased by 200%, all blood-attribute Spell power increased by 50%)."

"Three vice-leaders: 'Rock Emperor' of the Shi Clan (Rank 54, Monolith Saint Physique), 'Fengyi' of the Winged Clan (Rank 53, Gale Saint Physique), and 'Anye' of the Shadow Clan (Rank 52, Shadow Saint Physique)."

"Territory: Controls an area of about three hundred square kilometers on the periphery of Purple Mountain, including three resource points: the Valley of Buried Soldiers, the Ancient Battlefield, and the Bone Forest. They have established a permanent camp 'Archaic Fort' at the entrance of Purple Mountain, with a standing army of two hundred people."

"Attitude: Extremely hostile toward Human Race players, has repeatedly attacked Human Race squads entering the Purple Mountain area, plundering resources and killing for treasures. Currently, they have killed over three thousand Human Race players, including many elite members of other powers."

The data was detailed, but the more one heard, the more alarming it became.

A power composed entirely of the Archaic Race, hostile to humans, with formidable combat strength and the advantage of the terrain.

If the Heavenly Court were to force their way in, the price they would have to pay would likely be unbearable.

"But Shi Potian must be saved," Chen Hao clenched his fist. "He is our brother."

"And he brought back important intelligence," Zhao Wuji added. "The star token has Bloodline resonance; this information is vital for our subsequent actions. If he is captured and the information is leaked, our plan to seize the star token will be completely exposed."

The pros and cons were weighed, clear and distinct.

Saving him carried immense risk; not saving him meant heavy losses and the exposure of their plan.

Lin Ye fell silent for three seconds.

In those three seconds, countless memory fragments of his past and present lives flashed through his mind—the scene of Shi Potian dying for him in his past life, the oath Shi Potian took when joining the Heavenly Court in this life, the hearty laughter during the Azure Dragon Hall martial arts drills...

"I'll go," Lin Ye finally said.

"What?!" Everyone was shocked.

"I'll go alone," Lin Ye's tone brooked no argument. "The fewer people, the smaller the target, and the easier it is to infiltrate and evacuate. Furthermore, my Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body can simulate various auras; its disguise effect is better than Shi Potian's Tyrant Body."

"But it's too dangerous!" Su Qingyue said anxiously. "That's the Primordial Royal Court's base! If you're surrounded..."

"I know what I'm doing," Lin Ye interrupted her. "Besides, I'm not going to force my way in; I'm going to save someone. As long as I find Shi Potian and bring him out, the mission is complete."

He looked at Qin Ruoxue: "Is there a detailed location for the Ancient Mine Shi Potian mentioned?"

Qin Ruoxue pulled up the map of Purple Mountain and quickly marked it: "Three li northwest of the Valley of Buried Soldiers, there is indeed an abandoned Ancient Mine. It's the ruins of where 'Purple Mountain Divine Iron' was mined in ancient times, later abandoned when the vein was exhausted. The internal structure of the mine is complex with many forks; it's indeed a good place to hide."

"But it's only five li from the Primordial Royal Court's camp. Once the exit is blockaded, it becomes a dead end."

Lin Ye looked at the map, his brain working rapidly.

Ancient Mine, many forks, complex terrain.

This was unfavorable for escaping but favorable for hiding and guerrilla tactics. If one could maneuver within the mine, stall for time, and wait for rescue...

"Prepare the following items for me," Lin Ye began to list. "Disguise props, aura-masking talismans, earth-escape talismans, healing potions, and... enough explosives to collapse the mine."

The last item made everyone freeze.

"Collapse the mine?" Zhao Wuji's eyes widened. "Then Shi Potian..."

"If I really can't get him out, I'll create Chaos to give him a chance to escape on his own," Lin Ye said calmly. "Besides, collapsing the mine can also block pursuers and buy us time."

This was the worst-case scenario, but it had to be prepared for.

"Additionally," Lin Ye looked at Su Qingyue, "take a team to wait on the periphery of Purple Mountain. You don't need to enter the Primordial Royal Court's controlled area; just prepare a teleportation array and a medical point at the edge. Once we come out, immediately assist with the evacuation."

"Chen Hao, what's the progress on your mecha?"

Chen Hao was startled: "The first prototype is 85% complete, but it hasn't undergone combat testing, and the control System is unstable..."

"That's enough," Lin Ye said. "Transport it to the periphery of Purple Mountain to serve as a deterrent if necessary. The Primordial Royal Court has never seen a mecha; the sudden appearance of a steel behemoth can cause psychological shock."

"Zhao Wuji, you're in charge of logistics and coordination to ensure the supply of all materials."

"Qin Ruoxue, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion is to monitor the Purple Mountain area comprehensively. Report any movement immediately."

Command after command was issued, and the entire Heavenly Court began to operate at high speed once again.

Half an hour later, Lin Ye was ready.

He had changed into a set of dark grey light armor, covered by a color-changing "Phantom Cloak." On his face, he wore the Thousand Illusion Mask, adjusted to the features of the Winged Clan—fair skin, pale gold eyes, silver-grey hair, and several faint feather patterns behind his ears.

The Winged Clan, a branch of the Archaic Race, excelled at flight and wind-attribute Spells. He chose this race for disguise because the Winged Clan had a high status within the Primordial Royal Court and their numbers were relatively small, making it harder to be seen through.

Regarding his aura, he circulated the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body to simulate the "Lightness of Wind" aura unique to the Winged Clan. Although not as pure as a true member of the Winged Clan, with the addition of the Phantom Cloak and the aura-masking talisman, it was enough to deceive most probes.

Hanging at his waist were three earth-escape talismans, five explosive talismans, and two bottles of Advanced healing potions. On his back was an ancient-looking longsword with Winged Clan script carved on the scabbard—a standard Winged Clan weapon bought from an auction to increase the credibility of his disguise.

"Be careful with everything." Su Qingyue pressed an icy blue jade pendant into Lin Ye's hand. "This is a protective talisman I refined using Vast Cold Spiritual Power. It will automatically activate upon encountering fatal danger, forming an absolute ice-seal shield that lasts for three seconds."

Lin Ye took the jade pendant; it was cold to the touch, and he could feel the pure cold power contained within.

"Wait for my news."

Having said that, he activated the teleportation array.

Destination: Periphery of Purple Mountain, a hidden valley thirty li from the Valley of Buried Soldiers.

That was a secret observation point previously established by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, with a simple disguise Formation, making it difficult to discover.

A flash of light occurred, and Lin Ye's figure disappeared into the teleportation array.

Purple Mountain.

When Lin Ye stepped out of the teleportation array, the first thing he felt was a heavy and ancient pressure.

The entire mountain range was shrouded in pale purple mist; those mists were not water vapor but a condensation of some special Spiritual Qi. They flowed slowly, sometimes gathering into strange shapes and sometimes dispersing like light gauze.

The air was filled with a faint smell of blood and the scent of rusted metal, the lingering aura of an Ancient Battlefield. In the distance, the sounds of clashing weapons, the shouts of warriors, and the neighing of warhorses could be faintly heard—not real sounds, but echoes of the land's memory.

Purple Mountain, one of the dao arenas of the Ruthless Great Emperor.

Legend has it that this Empress had slain countless powerful enemies here, buried her own past, and left behind endless legends. Every inch of land here could hide an Opportunity or bury a Killing Intent.

Lin Ye restrained his aura, activated the color-changing function of the Phantom Cloak to blend his color with the surroundings, and then expanded his Divine Sense, moving cautiously toward the Valley of Buried Soldiers.

Along the way, he saw many figures of Archaic Race players.

There were Shi Clan warriors over two and a half meters tall, their bodies covered in rock-like skin, carrying massive stone hammers or battle-axes as they patrolled the mountain paths, each step making the ground vibrate slightly.

There were Blood Clan players with pale faces, crimson pupils, and fangs showing at the corners of their mouths; they moved as swiftly as ghosts, often flashing past and leaving only an afterimage and a faint smell of blood.

There were Winged Clan members with wings on their backs circling in the air on patrol; they had excellent vision and could spot anomalies on the ground from a hundred meters high.

There were also those Shadow Clan assassins who blended into the shadows and were almost invisible; they lurked in the darkness, waiting for an Opportunity like venomous snakes.

The defense System of the Primordial Royal Court was even more rigorous than described in the intelligence.

Not only were there patrol teams on the ground, but the sky, the shadows, and even the underground (Lin Ye sensed faint life fluctuations beneath the ground, possibly some kind of Archaic Race good at burrowing) were filled with sentries.

This was a three-dimensional, all-encompassing defense network.

Trying to infiltrate silently would be extremely difficult.

But Lin Ye wasn't trying to infiltrate the Primordial Royal Court's camp; he was going to the Ancient Mine to save Shi Potian. The mine was northwest of the Valley of Buried Soldiers, relatively remote, and the guards should be fewer.

He avoided the main roads and Advanced along the shadows of the ridges. The Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body gave him powerful sensing abilities and adaptability to the environment, allowing him to perceive the movements of patrol teams in advance and avoid them in time.

An hour later, he arrived at the edge of the Valley of Buried Soldiers.

Looking down from a high point, the Valley of Buried Soldiers was a massive sunken area filled with all sorts of broken weapons. Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hooks, forks, shields, and armor... dense and boundless. Some weapons had rusted into iron scraps, while others still shimmered with a cold light, even emitting faint spiritual fluctuations.

In the center of the Valley of Buried Soldiers, Lin Ye saw the Shi Clan Tribe's camp.

It was a simple fortress built of giant stones, with watchtowers and walls around it. In the center of the camp, there was indeed an altar, and a silver-white token floated above it—even in daylight, the starlight flowing on the token's surface was visible.

That was the star token.

But Lin Ye had no time to look closely now; his target was the Ancient Mine to the northwest.

It took another half hour to circle to the northwest side of the Valley of Buried Soldiers and find the abandoned mine.

The mine entrance was hidden behind a pile of rocks, partially buried by collapsed stones, leaving only a gap barely large enough for a person to pass through. Vines and moss grew around the gap, looking as if no one had been there for a long time.

But Lin Ye keenly discovered traces of the vines having been recently pushed aside, and there were faint footprints on the ground—more than one person's.

Shi Potian was inside, but the pursuers might have already arrived.

He restrained all his aura and floated into the mine like a feather.

The inside of the mine was pitch black, but that was no problem for Lin Ye. The vision of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body remained clear in the darkness; he could see the excavation marks on the walls, scattered Ore fragments, and... bloodstains.

Fresh bloodstains extended inward along the mine tunnel.

Lin Ye's heart tightened, and he increased his speed.

The interior of the mine indeed had many forks, like a maze. Fortunately, the bloodstains provided guidance, and he followed them deep inside.

After walking for about two li, faint sounds of fighting and roars came from ahead.

"...Human Race scum! You dare to disguise yourself as our race!"

"Hand over the secret of the star token! We'll spare your life!"

"A trapped beast still fighting, let's see how much longer you can hold out!"

Lin Ye held his breath, pressed against a rock wall, and slowly peeked his head out.

Ahead was a relatively spacious mine hall.， It is about half the size of a basketball court.. Central Hall， Shi Potian leaned against the rock wall， Covered in blood， But it still stands.. He held a battle sword with a blunted blade in his hand.， Three Stone Clan players' corpses lay at my feet..

Surrounding him were twelve Archaic Race players—six Shi Clan, four Blood Clan, and two Winged Clan. Leading them was an exceptionally tall Shi Clan warrior, estimated to be around Rank 53, likely the captain of this pursuit squad.

"Captain Yanshan, stop wasting words with him!" a Blood Clan player licked his lips. "Take him down directly, extract his Soul and refine his spirit, what secret can't we find out?"

"Exactly." Another Winged Clan player flapped his wings. "This human's Physical Body is very strong; his blood must be delicious..."

Shi Potian spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned: "Want my life? Then come and get it! Let's see how many more of you have to die!"

The Tyrant Body aura on him had weakened significantly, but those eyes still burned with unyielding Battle Intent.

Captain Yanshan snorted coldly and raised the stone battle hammer in his hand: "Form the array! Trap him to death!"

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

The six Shi Clan Tribe players stepped forward simultaneously, causing the ground to shake. Six streaks of earthy yellow light rose from beneath their feet, intertwining in the air to form a hexagonal cage, trapping Shi Potian inside.

This was the Shi Clan Tribe's battle Formation, "Dungeon Cage"; it not only restricted movement but also continuously drained the trapped person's stamina and energy.

Shi Potian let out a roar, his Hegemon Body activating once more as golden patterns emerged on the surface of his skin.

He slashed his blade at the cage's wall of light; the blade light collided with the wall, emitting a harsh screeching sound, but the wall only swayed slightly without breaking.

"It's useless," Captain Yanshan sneered. "This Dungeon Cage can't be broken by someone in the Dragon Transformation Realm for a while, let alone you, someone in the Four Extremities Realm?"

Four Blood Clan players also attacked, chanting incantations and forming hand seals. Four blood-colored chains shot out from the void, winding toward Shi Potian.

That was the Blood Clan's "Blood Soul Chains"; once entangled, it would continuously drain the target's vitality and blood until they were weak and died.

Two Feather Clan players drew their longbows in the air, cyan wind arrows condensing on the bowstrings, locking onto Shi Potian's vitals.

A desperate situation.

A flash of determination crossed Shi Potian's eyes; he prepared to burn his Hegemon Blood to make one last stand.

But just at this moment—"Hum..." A strange humming sound suddenly echoed through the mine.

The sound was very faint, yet it caused everyone's movements to pause for a moment.

Immediately afterward, on the rock walls at the top of the mine, the embedded "Purple Mountain Divine Iron" Ores, which had long since lost their luster, suddenly lit up with a faint purple light.

The purple light flickered like breathing, growing brighter and brighter.

"What's going on?" Captain Yanshan looked around vigilantly.

"Is it the mine's defense mechanism?" a Feather Clan player said uncertainly. "Ancient records state that the Ancient Mines of Purple Mountain all have self-destruct Formations to prevent the Ore veins from being stolen..."

Before the words could finish, the purple light suddenly flared brilliantly.

Countless rays of purple light shot out from the rock walls, intertwining and rotating in the air, eventually condensing into complex runes.

Those runes were ancient and mysterious, emitting a heart-palpitating fluctuation.

"No! This isn't a defense mechanism!" Captain Yanshan's expression changed drastically. "This is... some kind of summoning Formation!"

A summoning Formation?

Lin Ye was startled.

He suddenly remembered a legend from his past life—deep within the Ancient Mines of Purple Mountain, the "War Puppet" from the Ruthless Great Emperor's youth was buried.

It was a Puppet she had refined using the remains and weapons of her enemies, guarding her Daoist sanctum.

Could this mine be the resting place of the War Puppet?

And now, because of the fluctuations of the battle, or because of the aura of Shi Potian's Hegemon Body, or for some other reason... the Formation had been activated?

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Captain Yanshan made a decisive choice and turned to run.

But it was already too late.

The ground of the mine hall suddenly cracked open, and six pale skeletal hands reached out from the fissures.

Immediately afterward, six complete skeletons crawled out.

These skeletons were not ordinary white bones; their skeletal surfaces were covered in a dark purple metallic luster, and ghostly blue Soul flames burned in their eye sockets.

Each skeleton held a broken but still sharp weapon in its hand, emitting an aura equivalent to the Peak of the Four Extremities Realm.

What was even more terrifying was that after they appeared, they immediately locked onto all living things present—whether it was Shi Potian or the Archaic Race players.

"War Puppets! It's the Ruthless Great Emperor's War Puppets!" a Blood Clan player screamed in terror.

The six War Puppets moved simultaneously.

Their speed was as fast as ghosts, appearing before the Archaic Race players almost instantly.

The weapons in their hands swung down, bringing with them shrill whistling sounds as they cut through the air.

"Puchi!" A Blood Clan player's head flew into the air, blood spraying.

"Kacha!" A Shi Clan Tribe player's stone armor was cleaved open by the bone blade in the War Puppet's hand, and their chest was pierced through.

Screams, roars, the sounds of weapons colliding, and bones shattering intertwined together.

In just three seconds, four Archaic Race players were slain.

Captain Yanshan roared, his stone warhammer smashing toward a War Puppet.

The War Puppet did not dodge or evade, meeting it head-on with the bone shield in its hand.

"Boom!" Amidst the loud noise, the bone shield shattered, but the War Puppet's other hand had already pierced through Captain Yanshan's abdomen.

"Ugh ah..." Captain Yanshan looked down at the bone spike protruding from his back, his eyes full of unwillingness, and then he turned into white light and disappeared—death in the game, returning to the resurrection point.

The remaining Archaic Race players completely collapsed and fled in all directions.

But the exit of the mine had already been blocked by the War Puppets; like turtles in a jar, they were chased down and slain one by one.

The entire process took less than a minute.

Twelve Archaic Race players, all annihilated.

As for Shi Potian, because he was trapped in the Dungeon Cage, he was temporarily safe—the War Puppets seemed somewhat wary of that energy cage and did not attack immediately.

But the cage's energy was decaying, and once it disappeared...

Lin Ye knew he couldn't wait any longer.

He took a deep breath and rushed out from his hiding place.

The Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body operated at full power, and the Chaos Domain unfolded—although the range was only five meters, it was enough.

He rushed toward Shi Potian, swinging the longsword in his hand, and the Chaos Sword Qi slashed against the light wall of the Dungeon Cage.

"Kacha!" The light wall shattered upon impact.

Seeing Lin Ye, Shi Potian's eyes erupted with surprise: "Boss!"

"Let's go!" Lin Ye grabbed his arm and turned to run deep into the mine—the exit was blocked by the War Puppets, so they could only flee deeper inside.

But the six War Puppets had already turned around, their ghostly blue Soul flames locking onto the two of them as they pursued.

Their speed was astonishingly fast; even with Lin Ye using the Void Step, he could only barely pull away a little distance.

Moreover, the terrain deep in the mine was complex, with more and more fork roads; some were dead ends, while others led to deeper, unknown areas.

"Running like this isn't a solution!" Shi Potian coughed up blood while running. "My injuries are too severe; I won't be able to hold on for long!"

Lin Ye thought rapidly.

The War Puppets were guarding the mine, so their range of activity might be limited.

If he could find their "control core," or find a safe zone...

Suddenly, he remembered a guide about the Purple Mountain War Puppets he had seen in his past life.

It was a post a player had made on a forum, saying that in a certain Ancient Mine, he had discovered an "Altar Room."

On the altar was enshrined a "Control Token," and after activating it with a special method, one could temporarily control the War Puppets for ten minutes.

At the time, many people thought it was a fabricated story because no one could reproduce it.

But Lin Ye now felt that it might be true.

"Find the Altar Room!" he said to Shi Potian. "There should be an altar enshrined with the Control Token deep in the mine!"

"Altar Room?" Shi Potian was stunned. "What does it look like?"

"It should have ancient runes, with a stone platform in the center, and there might be a purple token on the stone platform..."

The two of them observed the mine tunnels on both sides while fleeing.

The War Puppets were getting closer and closer; the nearest one was already less than ten meters away from them, and the bone blade in its hand could swing down at any moment.

Just as Lin Ye was preparing to use a Ground Escape Talisman, Shi Potian suddenly pointed to a fork in the road on the left: "Over there! There's light!"

Lin Ye looked over, and deep within that fork, there was indeed a faint purple light shining through.

Without hesitation, the two of them rushed in.

This fork was not long, and at the end was a relatively small stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, there was indeed a stone platform, and on the stone platform was enshrined a palm-sized, entirely purple token covered in ancient runes.

[War Puppet Control Token (Damaged)]

[Type: Special Item]

[Quality: Legendary (Damaged)]

[Description: A fragment of the War Puppet control token refined by the Ruthless Great Emperor, it can only control War Puppets in a specific area and has a time limit.]

[Effect: After injecting Spiritual Power to activate it, it can control War Puppets within a radius of 100 meters (quantity ≤ 6), with a duration of 10 minutes.]

[Usage Count: 1/1 (This is a one-time consumable item)]

[Note: Requires a specific activation method; an incorrect method will cause the token to self-destruct.]

Found it!

But here came the problem—what was the activation method?

A line of ancient text was carved on the stone platform; it was not Human Race text, nor was it Archaic Race text, but rather... a type of even more ancient, more mysterious rune.

Lin Ye didn't recognize it.

Shi Potian didn't recognize it either.

Meanwhile, behind them, the six War Puppets had already rushed into the stone chamber, blocking the exit.

The ghostly blue Soul flames flickered, and the pale bone blades were raised.

A desperate situation descended once again.

But this time, Lin Ye actually calmed down.

He stared at the line of runes on the stone platform, and in his mind, fragments of memories from his past life surged.

Ruthless Great Emperor... runes... control method...

Suddenly, he remembered seeing similar runes in a Secret Realm in his past life.

They were "Ancient Divine Script," a type of long-lost writing.

At that time, that Secret Realm required deciphering the Divine Script to pass, and he had paid a great price to learn the basic methods of deciphering it from an NPC.

Although he had only learned a little bit of the basics, perhaps...

Lin Ye concentrated all his mental energy, attempting to decipher them.

First character: It looked like a kneeling humanoid figure, but with three rays of light on its head... was it "Submission"? Or "Awe"?

Second character: Like intertwined chains... "Binding"? "Control"?

Third character: The pattern of a heart, but with flames inside the heart... "Heart's Blood"? "Life Fire"?

Fourth character: A broken ring... "Damaged"? "Incomplete"?

Put together...

"With a heart of awe... bind the life fire... to the damaged token..."

No, the order might be wrong.

Cold sweat seeped from Lin Ye's forehead; there wasn't much time left.

The War Puppets had already closed in to within five meters, the cold light on the bone blades stinging his skin.

Shi Potian gripped his battle blade tightly, preparing to make one last stand.

Just at this critical moment, a flash of inspiration struck Lin Ye's mind.

He bit his fingertip, squeezed out a drop of essence blood, and dripped it onto the token.

Then, he extended his right hand, palm facing down, and pressed it onto the surface of the token.

At the same time, his left hand quickly formed a seal—that was not a Spell seal from the cultivation System, but a gesture he had learned from that NPC in the Secret Realm, specifically used for communicating with the Ancient Divine Script.

"With blood as the guide, with the Soul as the contract, token of damage, hear my command!"

The low voice echoed in the stone chamber.

The purple light on the token suddenly flared brilliantly; those ancient runes seemed to come alive, floating up from the surface of the token, rotating and rearranging in the air, finally transforming into six streaks of purple light that shot toward the six War Puppets.

The streams of light sank into the War Puppets' foreheads, and the ghostly blue Soul flames in their eyes instantly turned purple.

Then, the six War Puppets stopped their movements simultaneously, lowered the bone blades in their hands, faced Lin Ye, and knelt on one knee.

Like the most loyal of guards.

Success!

Shi Potian let out a long sigh of relief, sat down on the ground, and gasped for air.

Lin Ye also felt a wave of exhaustion; the previous deciphering and activation had consumed a large amount of his mental energy and Spiritual Power.

But he didn't dare to rest, because the token only had a ten-minute effect.

"Can you walk?" he asked Shi Potian.

Shi Potian struggled to stand up: "I won't die."

"Then let's go." Lin Ye put away the token (although it had already been used, it still had value as a souvenir) and ordered the War Puppets to clear the path.

The two walked out of the stone chamber and returned along the original path.

With the War Puppets escorting them, the journey was unobstructed.

The corpses of the Archaic Race players who had been blocking the mine had already disappeared (after a player dies, their corpse refreshes after a certain amount of time), leaving behind only some dropped equipment and items.

Lin Ye didn't pick them up—time was tight, and these items might be marked; picking them up would instead expose their whereabouts.

Ten minutes later, they finally exited the mine.

Outside, the sky was approaching dusk, and the fog of Purple Mountain had become even denser.

Lin Ye ordered the War Puppets to guard the entrance, then supported Shi Potian and moved quickly toward the rendezvous point.

But just as they had left the mine for less than a mile—

"Swish! Swish! Swish!" Three blood-colored arrows shot in from the side, at tricky angles, aiming straight for their vitals.

Lin Ye had long been prepared; the Chaos Domain unfolded, and after the arrows entered the Domain's range, their speed plummeted, and he easily deflected them.

"Come out." He said coldly.

From behind the rocks not far ahead, a team of people emerged.

Ten people, all of them Archaic Race players—five Blood Clan, three Feather Clan, and two Shadow Clan.

Leading them was a young man wearing a blood-colored robe, with a pale, handsome face and pupils as scarlet as blood.

His level: 55.

His ID: Blood Prince.

The leader of the Primordial Royal Court had come in person.

Blood Prince looked at Lin Ye, a flash of surprise crossing his scarlet pupils, which then transformed into cold Killing Intent.

"Feather Clan? No... this aura... it's a Human Race disguise."

He licked his lips, revealing a cruel smile:

"To be able to disguise yourself so well, and to be able to escape from the War Puppets... you must be that Lin Ye from the Heavenly Court, right?"

"I didn't expect you to deliver yourself to my doorstep."

"Just right, old and new grudges, let's settle them all at once."

Following his words, dozens more Archaic Race players appeared successively from the surrounding shadows, the sky, and the ground.

They formed a surrounding Formation, encircling Lin Ye and Shi Potian in the center.

Killing Intent filled the air.

The first direct conflict between the Primordial Royal Court and the Heavenly Court was about to erupt.