104: Han Li's warning monument

The conquest of the Zerg Nest Planet was nearing its end.

The once overwhelming and despair-inducing dark red Zerg swarm had now transformed into docile miners and laborers, operating like precision machinery under the absolute will of the newborn Winged Blade Ant Queen.

They gnawed through the mountains, stripping away rare metal veins rich in spiritual energy, which were then continuously transported back to the Floating Ink City by teams of worker ants.

Inside the city, damaged structures were being rapidly repaired, and the energy shields were lit up once again; although not at their peak, they were already stable.

The massive body of the Starry Sky Whale still lay prone outside the city, but the swarm that once covered its surface had long since dispersed, revealing wounds that were mottled and tattered from being gnawed, even exposing the stark white bones beneath.

Countless worker ants were busy along its body, secreting a special restorative mucus mixed with the essence of consumed metals to fill its wounds and reshape its muscles and bones.

Its low, mournful cries had turned into weary gasps, but its life force was gradually recovering.

Mo Yuan stood on the newly repaired command platform, his gaze sweeping over the constantly refreshing resource inflow data and city repair progress on the light screen.

The Winged Blade Ant Queen's mental link continuously transmitted detection information regarding the planet's subterranean mineral structure; several massive Thunder Crystal Mine deposits with astonishing reserves had been located, and mining teams were currently en route.

Everything was developing in a positive direction, even far exceeding expectations.

This Zerg Nest Planet was simply a massive treasure trove waiting to be excavated.

"Abnormal energy signal detected, source: Planet North Pole, Frozen Magnetic Storm Core Area." A cold notification sound suddenly rang out, interrupting the busyness on the platform.

The light screen switched to show the planet's North Pole—this was the area most severely affected by the previous magnetic storm vortex, the ground covered in thick, lightning-flickering permafrost, with the violent aftermath of the magnetic storm still raging within, forming a dead zone.

Deep within that ice layer, an extremely faint yet exceptionally stable energy source, which felt completely out of place with the surrounding violent environment, was marked.

Its energy spectrum... carried a hint of a familiar, upright, and peaceful wood-attribute life Dao intent, yet it was incredibly restrained.

Han Li?

Mo Yuan frowned slightly. Had that person been lurking on the side all along? Or was it...

"Dispatch a squad of Thunder Abyss Octopus (Sequence 024), led by a Mirror Demon (sequence 014) replica, to investigate." He issued the command.

The Thunder Abyss Octopus could absorb thunder-magnetic power, making them the best suited to explore that environment.

A moment later, ten Thunder Abyss Octopus led by a Mirror Demon replica arrived at the target area.

The octopus tentacles emitted a deep blue thunder light, easily breaking through the hard ice and penetrating deep underground.

The Mirror Demon replica hovered in the sky, its mirror-like body flickering as it transmitted the scene below in real-time.

Beneath the ice layer, there were no caves or ruins as expected, only a massive piece of black mysterious ice with a surface as smooth as a mirror.

And that strange energy source was emanating from within this mysterious ice.

"Scanning mysterious ice structure... composition abnormal, unable to parse."

"Energy source located in the very center of the mysterious ice."

"No signs of life or trap runes detected."

The Mirror Demon replica fed the information back.

"Break it open," Mo Yuan commanded.

The tentacles of the Thunder Abyss Octopus wrapped in thunder, piercing toward the black mysterious ice like drills.

However, the thunderous drilling strikes, which were enough to tear through alloys, could only leave shallow white marks on the surface of the mysterious ice!

The hardness of this mysterious ice far exceeded imagination!

A flash of surprise passed through Mo Yuan's eyes, then he said coldly, "Joint attack on one point, use the 'Spirit-Absorbing Tentacles'."

The tentacles of the ten Thunder Abyss Octopus intertwined, thunder light gathering to form a condensed, dark blue thunder pillar that slammed heavily onto a single point of the mysterious ice!

At the same time, the suckers at the tips of their tentacles emitted a faint light, beginning to crazily absorb the energy of the mysterious ice itself!

Sizzle—!

This time, a tiny crack was finally torn open on the surface of the mysterious ice!

Immediately after, the crack spread like a spiderweb, and finally, it shattered with a boom!

The moment the mysterious ice shattered, a pure and vast life Dao intent erupted, instantly dispelling the surrounding cold and magnetic storms, forming a gentle Domain.

And in the center of the shattered mysterious ice, there was no Heaven And Earth Treasure, but rather... a stone stele about nine feet tall, appearing a gentle cyan-gray throughout, as if polished from the most ordinary mountain stone.

The surface of the stele had no ornate decorations, only two lines of text.

The characters were not carved or written, but rather seemed to be branded directly onto the essence of the stele using an overwhelmingly powerful Dao intent; they were written with iron strokes and silver hooks, exuding a sharp Sword Intent that could sever Karma and reveal one's true nature!

Every stroke seemed to contain supreme Law, making one's heart tremble upon looking at it.

And the content of the inscription caused Mo Yuan, who was watching this scene through the Mirror Demon replica, to have his pupils suddenly constrict!

"Heavenly Dao Golden Mark is a shackle"

"The magic bottle will consume its master"

A mere ten characters, yet they struck like two bolts of thunder from the Nine Heavens, crashing heavily into Mo Yuan's heart!

Especially the four characters for "shackle" and "consume its master," which were dark red in color, as if written in fresh blood that had not dried even after ten thousand years, emitting an ominous and warning aura that made one's Soul tremble!

Han Li! This was absolutely Han Li's handiwork!

Had he long anticipated that Mo Yuan would come here? Had he even calculated that Mo Yuan would conquer the Zerg Nest Planet and discover this stele he had hidden within the dead zone?

This stele had stood here for who knows how many years, as if waiting for this day, waiting for Mo Yuan's arrival to leave behind this cold, ominous prophecy!

Heavenly Dao Golden Mark... is a shackle? The magic bottle... will consume its master?

Mo Yuan's mind was shaken violently.

The Heavenly Dao Golden Mark was something that appeared on its own after the magic bottle merged with the Dao; it repaired the bottle's body, strengthened the great array, and possessed infinite power, always serving as his important reliance for resisting Heavenly Punishment and increasing his strength—how could it be a shackle?

And the magic bottle... the magic bottle had long been bound to his life; although it occasionally had backlashes, it had always been under his control—how could it consume its master?

Was this alarmist? Was it Han Li's scheme? Or... some cruel truth he had yet to perceive?

Just as his mind was in turmoil, after the stele finished conveying its message, the handwriting on it began to fade slowly, and that vast life Dao intent also retracted; the entire stele seemed to have exhausted all its power, becoming like ordinary stone, and then, under the gaze of the Mirror Demon replica, it quietly turned into a pile of ordinary cyan-gray powder, blown away by the cold wind, leaving no trace.

It was as if it had never existed.

Only those ten red warning characters, like a red-hot branding iron, were deeply imprinted into Mo Yuan's Sea of Consciousness, refusing to fade.

The command platform was deathly silent; all sequence units felt their master's aura, which had suddenly become extremely cold and suffocating.

Mo Yuan slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the ripples in his eyes had been forcibly suppressed, leaving only a deeper coldness and vigilance.

He raised his Thunder God Arm, his fingertips brushing over the faint, gold-glowing lightning scar on the body of the magic bottle in his arms.

Shackle? Consume its master?

The corners of his mouth curled into a cold and paranoid arc.

Even if it is a shackle, for now, it is a Sharp Weapon that helps me break free from a larger cage! Even if you wish to consume your master, it remains to be seen if you, this object, have such sharp teeth!

Han Li, did you leave these words to disturb my Dao Heart, or is there truly something to it? Regardless, my path will only be walked by myself!

"Continue extracting resources, repair the Starry Sky Whale."

"Accelerate the cultivation progress of the 'Star Corpse Guard'."

"Objectives remain unchanged, proceed according to plan."

His commands remained calm, without the slightest wavering.

But only he himself knew that the ten red warning characters had already become like a poisonous thorn, deeply embedded in the deepest part of his will.

Regarding the magic bottle, regarding the Heavenly Dao Golden Mark, for the first time, he felt a... doubt that he was not fully in control.

And this doubt was often the beginning of every storm.