106: Chapter 106 Lotus Seeds Break Through Silence, Star Veins Return

The Void Lotus Seed hovered in Lin Yue's palm.

Silver radiance flowed like water, the phantom galaxy within slowly rotating, each rotation causing subtle ripples in the surrounding space.

Lin Yue could clearly sense the pure spatial Origin contained within the lotus seed.

This Origin was a hundred times purer than the lotus platform refined by the Black Lotus Cult, devoid of any corrosive malevolence, containing only the most primitive, clean power of spatial rules.

"The Grotto-heaven lies dormant, naturally requiring seven days to recover."

He murmured to himself, "But if I forcibly infuse it with spatial Origin to stimulate the World Tree's Origin core, perhaps I can awaken it early..."

But the risks were equally immense.

The spatial Origin within the Void Lotus Seed was too potent; if infused too quickly, it could overwhelm the dormant Grotto-heaven's structure, causing spatial collapse.

If infused too slowly, it might be instinctively rejected by the Grotto-heaven, wasting this treasure in vain.

I must find that critical point.

Lin Yue closed his eyes, his Divine Sense sinking into the Grotto-heaven mark deep in his palm.

The mark was dim, like a hibernating seed.

But his deep connection with the Grotto-heaven remained, allowing him to vaguely sense its internal state—the continent was silent, the spirit fields stagnant, the Spirit River frozen, the face on the World Tree's trunk had tightly shut its eyes, falling into deep slumber.

Only deep within the tree's body, that intelligence core still emitted faint life fluctuations at an extremely slow frequency.

That's the spot.

Lin Yue brought the Void Lotus Seed close to the mark.

Hum—

The lotus seed's surface erupted with brilliant silver light, spatial Origin beginning to flow like a trickling stream into the mark.

The initial infusion proceeded smoothly.

The dormant Grotto-heaven, like parched land, instinctively absorbed the spatial Origin.

The mark gradually glowed with faint light, the sense of stagnation within the Grotto-heaven began to loosen.

But just as the infusion reached one-third, a sudden anomaly occurred!

The phantom galaxy within the Void Lotus Seed suddenly accelerated its rotation, the output of spatial Origin abruptly increasing severalfold!

"Not good!"

Lin Yue's expression changed.

The spatial Origin within the lotus seed actually had a "burst phase"—just like some spirit fruits release a massive amount of Spiritual Qi instantly upon ripening!

A violent torrent of spatial Origin surged into the Grotto-heaven mark, instantly covering its surface with countless fine cracks!

Inside the Grotto-heaven, the continent began to tremble, the spirit fields cracked, the Spirit River broke its flow!

The World Tree's trunk shook violently, the slumbering face showing an expression of pain.

If this continued, the Grotto-heaven would collapse!

"Haotian... wake up!"

Lin Yue gritted his teeth, frantically injecting his own spiritual power and Divine Sense into the mark, attempting to stabilize the Grotto-heaven's structure.

But the power of the Middle Golden Core Stage was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot before the torrent of spatial Origin.

The cracks grew more numerous and deeper.

Just as the Grotto-heaven was about to completely shatter—

Deep within the World Tree's trunk, that intelligence core suddenly erupted with dazzling golden light!

The golden light spread like a tide; wherever it passed, tremors subsided, cracks repaired.

A face, seventy percent similar to Lin Yue's but appearing more ancient and majestic, slowly opened its eyes on the World Tree's trunk.

"Master... why... awaken..."

Haotian's voice was weak, yet carried undeniable authority.

"The Grotto-heaven is on the verge of collapse; it needs your power to stabilize it!"

Lin Yue urgently exclaimed.

Haotian's gaze swept over the Grotto-heaven, instantly understanding.

Its trunk trembled slightly, all its roots simultaneously lit up, like a giant net firmly locking the collapsing continent in place.

At the same time, it opened its "mouth" and took a fierce inhale toward the surging torrent of spatial Origin!

Not absorption, but—diversion!

The violent torrent of Origin was forcibly split into three streams by Haotian.

One stream was channeled into the Grotto-heaven's earth veins to stabilize the spatial structure.

One stream was injected into the World Tree itself to repair the intelligence core's depletion.

The final stream was refined and compressed by Haotian into tiny spatial runes, imprinted on the inner walls of the Grotto-heaven's barrier.

The entire process lasted exactly ten breaths.

When the last wisp of spatial Origin was digested, the Grotto-heaven not only regained stability but also increased its barrier strength by thirty percent!

And the face on Haotian's trunk, though still weary, had mostly regained the sparkle in its eyes.

"Void Lotus Seed... a good thing."

It commented, "Pity, only seventy percent of the spatial Origin was digested; the remaining thirty percent dissipated."

"Being able to awaken early is already fortunate."

Lin Yue let out a long sigh of relief, "How is the Grotto-heaven's condition? How much functionality can it recover?"

"Basic functions have recovered seventy percent."

Haotian closed its eyes to sense, "Spirit fields, Spirit River, and Mineral Veins can operate normally. Advanced functions like Spiritual Vein Feedback and spirit plant acceleration require twelve hours to fully recover. As for authority abilities..."

It paused: "Weather Control can be used, but the range is only half of usual. Rule Bestowal is temporarily unavailable due to excessive Origin consumption. Intelligence abilities like Spatial Perception and Tactical Deduction can operate normally."

Enough.

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Yue's eyes.

With Weather Control, Haotian's restored Tactical Deduction, and his own strength... this battle would be worth fighting!

"Haotian, deduce the optimal solution for the current battle situation."

"Deducing..."

Three breaths later, Haotian opened its eyes.

"Option one: Master leverages the Grotto-heaven's Spiritual Qi enhancement, cooperates with the Qinglan Three Elders to launch a frontal assault on the Black Lotus Ancestor. Success rate: forty percent. Cost: one of the Qinglan Three Elders may perish, Luoxia City may suffer thirty percent destruction."

"Option two: Master alone restrains the Black Lotus Ancestor while the Qinglan Three Elders cooperate with the Thunder-fire Formation to eliminate the Black Prison Lotus Venerable. First cut off the wings, then combine forces against the Ancestor. Success rate: fifty percent, but Master faces extremely high risk, possibly severe injury."

"Option three..."

A strange glint flashed in Haotian's eyes.

"Utilize the residual spatial Origin resonance of the Void Lotus Seed, combined with the Grotto-heaven's newly acquired spatial barrier runes, to set up a 'Void Turbulence Trap' above Luoxia City."

"This trap is formless and intangible; even Nascent Soul Cultivators unskilled in spatial Dao would find it hard to detect. Once triggered, it induces small-scale spatial turbulence, insufficient to kill a Nascent Soul but capable of severely damaging their Physical Body and disrupting their spiritual power circulation."

"At that moment, Master and the Qinglan Three Elders strike together... success rate: seventy percent."

Seventy percent!

Lin Yue's spirits lifted.

"How long to set up the trap?"

"Half a quarter-hour."

Haotian replied, "But it requires Master to guide part of my roots to the high altitude outside the city and continuously inject spiritual power to maintain it—this will expose some anomalies of the Grotto-heaven, possibly alerting the Black Lotus Ancestor."

Exposure risk... Lin Yue weighed it briefly.

Compared to the city falling and people dying, this risk was worth taking.

Moreover, the Black Lotus Ancestor was currently locked in fierce battle with the Qinglan Three Elders and might not be able to spare attention to detect subtle spatial fluctuations.

"Begin setting up."

"As you wish."

Haotian's trunk trembled slightly; three roots, fine as hair yet incredibly tough and golden, extended from the Grotto-heaven's barrier, followed Lin Yue's Meridians, pierced through the mark in his palm, and silently vanished underground.

The roots traveled through the earth veins, soon reaching the high altitude outside the city.

They began weaving spatial runes in the Void like invisible tentacles.

Lin Yue sat cross-legged, motionless, continuously channeling his spiritual power into the roots to maintain the runes' stability.

The entire process was stealthy and swift.

Outside the city, in the sky, the battle between the Qinglan Three Elders and the Black Lotus Ancestor had reached a fever pitch.

Qing Yunzi wielded his jade ruler, unleashing streams of Qinglan Sword Qi like pouring rain.

Elder Cloud Crane, though injured, brandished a horsetail whisk with impenetrable defense, each sweep stirring up gale-force whirlwinds.

The other Elder, named "Pine Waves," formed hand seals, manifesting a thousand phantom green pines behind him, pine needles shooting like arrows, targeting the weak points in the Black Lotus Ancestor's protective spiritual light.

The three cooperated seamlessly, the Qinglan Three Talents Formation operating at its peak, temporarily blocking the Black Lotus Ancestor's frenzied onslaught.

But everyone could see the three Elders were at their limit.

Qing Yunzi's forehead was beaded with sweat, Elder Cloud Crane's shoulder wound continuously seeped blood, and the phantom green pines behind Elder Pine Waves had dimmed significantly.

As for the Black Lotus Ancestor, though also wounded by Sword Qi and pine needles, with over a dozen bloody gashes on his body, his aura remained ferocious.

The hundred-zhang black lotus phantom behind him had turned from pitch-black to dark crimson—a sign of his life essence blood burning to its extreme!

"Qinglan Sect... after today, there will be no place for you in the Southern Realm!"

The Black Lotus Ancestor roared, suddenly clapping his hands together!

The hundred-zhang black lotus phantom exploded!

Not collapsing, but transforming into billions of palm-sized black lotuses, raining down like a storm upon the Qinglan Three Elders and Luoxia City below!

Each black lotus contained corrosive spiritual power and the Black Lotus Ancestor's wrathful will!

This was his ultimate killing move—Ten Thousand Lotuses Bury the World!

"Not good!"

Qing Yunzi's expression changed drastically, "This move's range is too vast; we can protect ourselves, but the city..."

He looked downward.

The Thunder-fire Formation's light was as faint as a candle in the wind, utterly incapable of blocking this onslaught of ten thousand lotuses.

The Cultivators in the city also saw this scene, despair beginning to spread.

Yet, at this critical moment—

"Now!"

Lin Yue suddenly opened his eyes.

Outside the city, high in the sky, the three golden roots simultaneously retracted.

The Void Turbulence Trap was set!

"Haotian, activate the trap!"

"Trap triggered."

Haotian's voice was calm.

The next moment, a hundred zhang above the Black Lotus Ancestor's head, the Void silently split open a fine seam.

No light, no sound.

But as the billions of falling black lotuses approached that seam, they suddenly began to twist, deform, and disintegrate!

As if an invisible maw was voraciously devouring everything!

"Spatial turbulence?!"

The Black Lotus Ancestor looked up in horror.

He sensed it—the structure of that Void had been disrupted, inducing small-scale but extremely violent spatial turbulence!

The turbulence was formless and intangible, yet more terrifying than any Spell.

Because it acted directly on space itself!

"Retreat!"

The Black Lotus Ancestor hesitated not, pulling back in a frantic retreat.

But it was too late.

The spatial turbulence expanded like a vortex, instantly enveloping him!

"Ah—!!"

A piercing scream echoed across the sky.

The protective spiritual light around the Black Lotus Ancestor shattered like paper, his Physical Body cut by invisible spatial blades, instantly gaining over a hundred deep, bone-exposing wounds!

Blood rained down.

Even more terrifying, the spatial turbulence disrupted the flow of heaven and earth's spiritual power, causing stagnation in the circulation of spiritual power within his body.

This stagnation was a fatal flaw!

"Qinglan Three Elders, strike!"

Lin Yue's roar came from the city.

Almost simultaneously, he had already shot into the sky, the dragon thunder sword in hand, its blade's thunderlight unprecedentedly blazing!

With the Grotto-heaven's seventy percent functionality restored and Spiritual Qi enhancement, his current strength was infinitely close to the Late Golden Core Stage!

"Qinglan Unites, Sword Slays Evil!"

Qing Yunzi and the other two Elders hesitated not, pouring all their remaining spiritual power into the jade ruler in Qing Yunzi's hand.

The jade ruler erupted with brilliant light, transforming into a three-hundred-zhang-long cyan giant sword!

The giant sword and the dragon thunder sword's thunderlight, one left, one right, simultaneously slashed toward the Black Lotus Ancestor trapped in the spatial turbulence!

"No—!!!"

The Black Lotus Ancestor's eyes bulged with rage, desperately burning his life essence blood, trying to break free from the spatial turbulence.

But severely wounded, his resistance was futile.

The cyan giant sword severed half his body.

The dragon thunder sword's thunder pierced his Dantian.

The two forces collided and erupted within him.

Boom—!!!

The Nascent Soul Cultivator's Physical Body exploded!

Flesh and blood rained down upon the wilderness.

Only a fist-sized, pitch-black Nascent Soul with lotus patterns on its surface fled in panic, transforming into a black light attempting to escape.

"Trying to flee?!"

A cold glint flashed in Lin Yue's eyes as he clenched his left hand.

[Grotto-heaven Authority: Weather Control·Localized]

[Target: Hundred-li radius in the Nascent Soul's escape direction]

[Effect: Extreme Cold Thunderstorm]

Crack—

The sky suddenly darkened, thunder and hail simultaneously descended!

The Black Lotus Nascent Soul was enveloped by the extreme cold thunderstorm, its speed plummeting.

Lin Yue took a step, arriving before the Nascent Soul, the dragon thunder sword thrusting down without hesitation!

"Lin Yue! If you dare kill me, the Black Lotus Cult won't spare you! Our cult leader is already at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, he..."

Before the words finished.

The sword tip pierced the Nascent Soul.

Thunder power erupted, completely erasing the residual Divine Soul will within.

A pure Black Lotus Nascent Soul Crystal, containing Nascent Soul Origin, fell into Lin Yue's hand.

The battle was over.

The sky cleared.

The Qinglan Three Elders descended from the sky, their auras weakened, but relief evident in their eyes after surviving the calamity.

Qing Yunzi looked at Lin Yue, offering a solemn bow: "City Lord Lin, today's favor, the Qinglan Sect will remember."

"Likewise."

Lin Yue returned the bow, his gaze turning toward the distance—the Black Prison Lotus Venerable had long since transformed into a black light and fled when the Ancestor perished.

He did not pursue.

Do not pursue a desperate foe; moreover, after today's battle, Luoxia City needed time to recuperate.

"Return to the city."

Lin Yue looked downward.

In the city, countless pairs of eyes looked up at the sky, filled with excitement, awe, and hope.

This battle, Luoxia City had won.

Won bitterly, but won nonetheless.

From this day forth, the Southern Realm's landscape would completely change.

And Lin Yue, holding the Black Lotus Nascent Soul Crystal in his hand, his gaze profound.

The Grotto-heaven's dormancy remained for one more day.

After full recovery, absorbing this Nascent Soul crystal... the World Tree's intelligence might advance another step.

Then, facing the Black Lotus Cult's potential retaliation and the deeper threat of the Spirit Devouring Clan, he would have sufficient confidence.

The road was long.

But each step was taken firmly.