342: Dark Crystal

Returning to the Alliance Headquarters, Lin Feng and his group received a hero's welcome. Ji Ziyue and Xiao Xing were waiting at the entrance early on, their eyes full of concern and expectation. Lin Feng stepped forward quickly and told them everything about the Alliance process with the Phantom Moon Galaxy and the matter of the "heart of light."

Ji Ziyue lightly stroked the "heart of light," her eyes flashing with contemplative light: "The power contained in this gemstone is beyond imagination, but we cannot lower our guard; the newly rising dark forces will certainly not let this go." Xiao Xing nodded slightly and added: "The priority is to analyze the power principles of the 'heart of light' so that the Alliance's technology and magic can undergo Fusion with it, strengthening our overall power."

The Alliance's scientific research team moved into action rapidly, studying day and night to conduct compatibility tests between the energy fluctuations of the "heart of light" and the Alliance's existing weapons and equipment. Meanwhile, magic scholars were also exploring how to better guide and amplify the power of the "heart of light" through magic arrays.

During this period of intense research, the Alliance's intelligence department intercepted some mysterious signals. After decryption by technicians, these signals were found to originate from a forgotten ancient galaxy—the Jin Yan Galaxy. The signals repeatedly contained obscure incantations and a blurry star map, with some kind of powerful force seemingly hidden at the center of the map.

Lin Feng volunteered to lead an elite squad to the Jin Yan Galaxy to investigate. When they arrived at the Jin Yan Galaxy, the sight before them stunned everyone. The entire galaxy was permeated with blazing flames, and massive rivers of lava surged between planets; the scorching heat could be felt even through the spaceship's protective layers.

The squad carefully landed on a relatively stable planet. Just as they stepped off the spaceship, they were attacked by a group of Flame Creatures. These creatures were condensed from pure fire, appearing in various forms and possessing extremely high attack power. Lin Feng quickly directed the team members to set up a defense, while he used the power of the "heart of light" to form a protective barrier around them, resisting the attacks of the Flame Creatures.

Zhao Yu and Yin Ping were not to be outdone. Zhao Yu cast water magic, attempting to suppress the power of the Flame Creatures, but the flames here seemed to have a special resistance to water magic, making the effect negligible. Yin Ping brandished her soft whip, its tip carrying a biting chill; every strike caused the approaching Flame Creatures to falter.

Just as the battle reached a stalemate, Lin Feng suddenly discovered that these Flame Creatures seemed to be controlled by some mysterious force. He concentrated his mind, relying on the perception granted by the "heart of light" to search for the source of this mysterious power. Finally, beneath a massive lava lake, he discovered a hidden ancient ruin.

Lin Feng led the team members to break through the layers of obstruction from the Flame Creatures and reached the entrance of the ruin. The ruin was filled with an ancient and mysterious aura, its walls covered in strange runes and patterns. They went deep into the ruin along a passage and, in its depths, discovered a massive magic array. Floating at the center of the magic array was a black crystal emitting an eerie light.

Just as everyone was wondering what it was, the black crystal suddenly released a strong pulse, enveloping everyone within it. Lin Feng felt as if his consciousness was being sucked into an endless dark space, with various strange voices echoing in his ears. Relying on his tenacious will, he struggled to remain conscious and tried to find a way to escape the predicament.

After groping in the darkness for a long time, Lin Feng suddenly remembered the "heart of light." He concentrated his mind and channeled the power of the "heart of light," and a beam of pure light instantly dispelled the darkness. As the light shone, the power of the black crystal was gradually suppressed, and everyone finally escaped the predicament.

Lin Feng carefully observed the black crystal and found that it had inextricable links to the dark forces they had encountered before. He speculated that this black crystal might be the key to the newly rising dark forces. If they could control this crystal, perhaps they could completely destroy the dark forces.

Just as Lin Feng was considering how to handle the black crystal, a violent tremor suddenly came from outside the ruin. Everyone rushed out of the ruin to see a massive Dark Vortex appearing in the sky, with countless Dark Creatures swarming out of the vortex and pouncing toward the planet they were on. An even more intense battle was about to begin.