83: Chapter 83 Initial Exploration of the Array Platform, Abnormal Movement of the Mark

Before night completely fell, Lin Muchen squatted beside the scattered bones.

He reached out and picked up a blackened arm bone.

The bone was very light, with fine cracks on its surface.

"System, analyze this bone, and the surrounding battle traces."

[Scanning...]

[Bone analysis: Bone carbonization is severe, suspected to have suffered high-intensity fire or poison attribute spell erosion. Time of death exceeds five hundred years.]

[Analysis of surrounding traces: The ground has gashes of varying depths, the deepest reaching three inches, with faint residual sharp metallic Qi.]

[The edge of the stone platform has explosive impact marks, consistent with spiritual power collision or Magical Artifact self-detonation characteristics.]

[Comprehensive judgment: A melee involving at least three Cultivators occurred here, with high combat intensity. One or both sides used lethal spells and Magical Artifacts.]

[The battle affected the Ancient teleportation array platform, causing some Array Patterns to break and energy pathways to be damaged.]

Lin Muchen threw the bone back to the ground.

"They fought over the Ancient Teleportation Array?"

[High probability.]

[It also does not rule out an interception battle to prevent someone from using the Ancient Teleportation Array.]

He stood up and walked to the half-rusted broken sword.

He used his toe to pry the sword out of the soil a little.

The sword body was so rusted that its original appearance was almost unrecognizable, but the hilt was ancient in style, with a blurry emblem on it, like a star surrounded by clouds.

"Is this pattern familiar?"

[Comparing with database...]

[No exact match found.]

[The style is three-tenths similar to the decorative patterns on the edge of the Starfall Art Jade Slip previously obtained by the Host, both containing star elements.]

Lin Muchen nodded.

He didn't touch the sword, turning to walk back to the center of the array platform.

He squatted down, his fingers pressing on the core Array Patterns that glowed with a faint silver light.

The touch was cold, with a subtle tingling sensation similar to static electricity.

"Can it still be used?"

[Core Array Pattern integrity 62%, multiple energy pathways broken.]

[central energy node is extremely depleted, residual energy is less than one-thousandth.]

[Assessment: The array platform is severely damaged, but the core structure has not completely collapsed.]

[If spiritual power is injected into the Array Patterns, some functions can be attempted, but a complete teleportation cannot be achieved.]

[Forcibly connecting the broken parts carries the risk of energy backflow or Array Pattern collapse.]

"Let's try."

Lin Muchen didn't hesitate.

He mobilized the spiritual power in his Dantian, slowly injecting it into the Array Patterns beneath his feet through his fingers.

Buzz—

One of the five grooves in the center of the array platform lit up with a faint white light.

Immediately after, the second, then the third... all five grooves lit up sequentially.

But the light was very dim, like a flickering candle in the wind.

The silver lines on the Array Patterns, starting from the grooves, spread out like blood vessels with faint streams of light.

However, the light stream extended less than a foot before hitting a broken section.

It stopped abruptly.

The remaining Array Pattern areas remained dim.

"Energy can't get through."

Lin Muchen frowned.

He increased his spiritual power output.

More light streams surged from the grooves, attempting to rush past the broken section.

But it was useless.

The broken part was like an invisible wall, firmly blocking the light stream.

The light stream accumulated at the front end of the broken section, becoming brighter and brighter, emitting sizzling sounds.

[Warning: Energy is accumulating at the broken section, and pressure continues to rise.]

[Continued injection may lead to localized Array Pattern overload and disintegration.]

Lin Muchen immediately withdrew his hand.

The light stream instantly dissipated, and the light from the grooves also dimmed.

The array platform returned to silence.

"Tsk, it's blocked."

He was a little annoyed.

This Ancient Teleportation Array was like a rusted faucet; no matter how hard you turned it, no water would come out.

Unless... you scraped off the rust and reconnected the pipes.

But that required specialized Formation knowledge and corresponding Materials.

He currently had neither.

Just as he was thinking.

Suddenly.

A violent tremor came from his In my arms.

Lin Muchen was startled, reached into his In my arms, and pulled out the green stone fragment wrapped in a five-colored light cocoon.

The fragment vibrated wildly in his palm.

On the surface of the light cocoon, the five-colored flowing light fluctuated violently, as if something inside was thrashing about, trying to break free.

[Emergency Warning!]

[Detecting abnormally active Divine Thought mark within the green stone fragment!]

[The mark is attempting to break through the Five Elements Energy isolation!]

"What?"

Lin Muchen's expression changed.

He immediately activated his Dantian, and more Five Elements Energy surged out, reinforcing the light cocoon.

The light cocoon thickened by a layer, and the five-colored light became even brighter.

But the fragment's vibration didn't weaken at all; instead, it became more intense.

Buzz buzz buzz—

It vibrated so much that his palm felt numb.

[Analyzing...]

[The mark is actively absorbing the residual spatial energy in the valley!]

[Energy source: Trace spatial fluctuations emanating from the damaged array platform, and ancient spatial attribute remnants deposited in the valley's geological structure.]

[Absorption speed: Moderate.]

[Consequence: The consumption of Five Elements Energy isolation is accelerating. Estimated isolation duration will shorten from twelve days to... seven to nine days.]

"It can absorb energy on its own?"

Lin Muchen stared at the wildly vibrating fragment in his hand, his eyes chilling.

This thing, has it gained sentience?

[The mark possesses basic stress response and energy absorption instincts, which should be one of the backup programs preset by its original owner.]

[Current inference: The Host injected spiritual power into the array platform, activating a faint response from the platform. The resulting spatial fluctuations were perceived and locked onto by the mark, thereby triggering its active state.]

"So, by touching this array platform, I essentially pressed the switch on this tracker?"

[Correct.]

[Even with isolation, the mark can still perceive homologous spatial fluctuations and react.]

Lin Muchen cursed.

"What now? Can strengthening the isolation suppress it?"

[Attempting.]

[However, the mark absorbing external energy will cause the isolation consumption to continuously increase.]

[Suggested plan one: Immediately destroy the green stone fragment to completely eliminate the mark carrier.]

[Suggested plan two: Attempt to repair the array platform, activate the complete teleportation function, and leave this place before the mark triggers.]

[Suggested plan three: Maintain the current situation, leave the valley as soon as possible, and find other ways to deal with the mark.]

Lin Muchen didn't speak.

He looked down at the constantly vibrating fragment in his hand, then looked up at the damaged array platform beneath his feet.

Destroying the fragment is the simplest.

Ending it once and for all.

But this fragment is a key, a clue.

If it's destroyed, he'll never know where this Ancient Teleportation Array leads.

Repair the array platform?

He glanced at the complex Array Patterns and broken sections.

"System, scan the array platform, give a feasibility assessment for repair, and a specific plan."

[Scanning...]

[Repair feasibility assessment: Low.]

[Main difficulties: A total of seventeen broken Array Pattern sections, requiring bridging with pure spatial attribute materials.]

[The central energy node is depleted, requiring injection of a large amount of spiritual power or spatial attribute crystals to activate.]

[Some auxiliary Array Patterns are missing, requiring completion.]

[Required resources: Spatial attribute bridging Materials (such as 'Void Stone', 'Boundary Pattern Silver'), high-purity spiritual power source or spatial crystals, knowledge of ancient Array Pattern completion.]

[Host currently possesses: None.]

[Estimated points needed for exchange: spatial attribute materials approximately 3000-5000 points.]

[Energy source approximately 2000-4000 points.]

[Array Pattern knowledge approximately 1500 points.]

[Total estimated: 6500-10500 points.]

[Current points: 6200 points.]

Not enough money.

And even if he had enough points, exchanging for those Materials would take time.

The mark's isolation might only last seven or eight more days.

"If I don't bother with repair, but just try to safely activate a teleportation once to see where the other side is, is that possible?"

[Secondary scan...]

[Searching for a safe activation path within the array platform's existing structure.]

[Analyzing...]

The System was silent for a few seconds.

The fragment in Lin Muchen's hand was still vibrating.

Only the sound of the wind and his own breathing filled the valley.

[Potential solution found.]

[At the core of the array platform, there are five hidden 'emergency energy interfaces', suspected to be reserved by the builder to deal with energy node damage.]

[Interface location: At the ends of the five main branches of the Array Patterns, buried under rubble.]

[Principle: Bypass the depleted central node and directly inject balanced Five Elements spiritual power into the five branches, which can briefly activate the array platform's basic teleportation function, but stability is extremely poor, the teleportation coordinates may shift, and the duration will not exceed three breaths.]

[Risk: High.]

[Uneven spiritual power injection may lead to localized Array Pattern overload.]

[Teleportation process may be interrupted due to energy instability, causing spatial turbulence.]

[Coordinate shift may lead to an unknown landing point.]

"Unknown landing point?"

[Meaning it may not reach the preset destination, but instead be randomly teleported to any location within the associated coordinate range.]

"How large is the associated coordinate range?"

[Based on residual Array Pattern information, the radius does not exceed three hundred li.]

Three hundred li.

Still within the Vast Mountain Range.

But whether it's a mountain gully or a beast's lair, he wouldn't know.

Lin Muchen licked his somewhat dry lips.

High risk, low reward.

Even the chance to take a look was unstable.

He looked down at his palm.

The vibration of the green stone within the five-colored light cocoon seemed to have weakened slightly.

But the light of the cocoon was also a little dimmer than before.

The isolation was being consumed.

Time was passing.

He stood by the broken array platform, with five-hundred-year-old bones beneath his feet, and a key with a tracking mechanism in his hand.

Ahead lay an unknown teleportation, possibly containing Opportunity but also fraught with traps.

Behind lay safely leaving, but giving up on exploration.

How to choose?

He closed his eyes.

In his mind, the gurgling sound of the newly dug canal on Origin Star flashed.

The image of Elder Yan of the Chen Tribe kneeling before the altar flashed.

The surging spiritual power in his Foundation Establishment Stage second layer Meridians flashed.

Then he opened his eyes.

"System."

"List all the repair plans, safe activation plans, and the consequences of destroying the fragment."

"I need to make a decision."

[Scheme list generating...]

Night completely enveloped the valley.

Only the faintly trembling five-colored light in Lin Muchen's palm.

Was still glowing.