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Everyone was both surprised and delighted to see Chen Ye appear, and they immediately surrounded him.

"Brother Chen! Are you alright? How did you find us?" Jiufeng looked Chen Ye up and down. Although he was pale and weak, his eyes were bright, and he did not seem to have suffered a fatal injury. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's a long story." Chen Ye felt a warmth in his heart seeing that his companions were all safe and sound. "Let's leave here first and find a safer place. I'll explain in detail later. It's too close to the Tower of Eternity here; it's not safe."

Everyone nodded and immediately packed up (there wasn't much to pack), following Chen Ye as they moved towards a relatively secluded and easily defensible ravine further down the sacred mountain.

During the journey, Chen Ye briefly explained his experience of being teleported to the Ancestral Mausoleum, passing the Trial of Loyalty, obtaining important information and items, entering the Lost Garden, passing the Star Speaker's Dream Test, and obtaining the first fragment of the Holy Spirit Heart. As for the dangers of the dream collapse and the Nightmare Lord's attack, he omitted some details to avoid causing everyone excessive worry.

Even so, everyone was deeply moved and filled with both envy and admiration for Chen Ye's extraordinary experiences.

"Young friend Chen is blessed with great fortune and extraordinary encounters!" Jade Void Daoist exclaimed. "You have visited all these legendary sacred sites, such as the ancestral mausoleum and the Lost Garden, and even received the recognition and gifts of the sages."

"Most importantly, we've obtained the first fragment!" Jiufeng exclaimed excitedly. "According to the Ionian prophet, collecting two fragments will allow us to resonate with and sense the third fragment, and we can even try to open the 'Primordial Chamber' of the Temple of Origin! We're one step closer to our goal!"

Chen Ye nodded, but his expression was not relaxed: "But time is also more pressing. The starlight converges, and there are less than ten hours left. We must enter the Tower of Eternity before then, obtain the Star Key of Wisdom by passing through the Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor, and defeat the guardians or fallen ones inside the tower to obtain the Star Key of Courage."

He took out the structural diagram of the Tower of Eternity that he had obtained from King Odin (the information recorded on the black stone tablet had been integrated into his mind and could be manifested by thought), and shared the tower's internal structure, the location of the Star Key sockets, and especially the warnings about the eighth level, the Lair of the Fallen, with everyone.

Upon seeing the complex structure and clear danger markings, everyone fell silent.

With their current strength, the chances of them breaking into the Tower of Eternity, passing the Trial of Wisdom, and facing at least Nascent Soul level "Guardians/Fallen Ones" are extremely slim.

"Brother Chen, what are your plans?" Dongxu Daoist asked.

Chen Ye pondered for a moment and said, "First, we must recover our condition as soon as possible, especially mine. Then, I need time to digest the knowledge I gained in the Ancestral Mausoleum and the Wise Sage's rehearsal, and prepare for the Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor. This may take several hours."

"Secondly, regarding the Key to Courage... a direct confrontation is definitely not an option. We need more information. Odin's structural diagrams show that there is a lair of fallen ones on the eighth floor, with abnormal energy. Perhaps we can find a way to use the environment, rules, or... other 'things' within the tower to deal with them."

He recalled some scattered information about Aion's "cleaning procedures," "energy circulation system," and "defense mechanisms" found in the mausoleum. Perhaps he could find exploitable vulnerabilities or advantages within them.

"Finally, and most importantly... we might need some 'helpers.'" Chen Ye looked at the vast area at the foot of the Holy Mountain, shrouded in a pale golden barrier of light. "Senior Xinghui said that there might still be remnants of the Holy Spirit Clan's power or other 'neutral entities' that haven't been completely corrupted in the Holy Mountain area. If we can find them, we might be able to get more information about the current situation inside the tower, or even... cooperate."

This idea is very bold. Searching for a surviving, unpolluted "helper" on a sacred mountain so severely eroded by the Dark Abyss is like finding a needle in a haystack.

But this seems to be the only way to increase the chances of winning.

"Time is too tight," Zhiyin said softly. "Ten hours are needed to recover, prepare, find help, and climb the tower..."

"We will do our best." Chen Ye's gaze was firm. "We have no way out. The convergence of starlight is our only chance. If we miss this opportunity, we don't know when the next one will come. The pursuit of the Dark Abyss will not give us any time."

He looked at the "Star Key Resonance Disc" in his hand; the pointer still pointed to the mountaintop. He tried to inject a trace of holy blood power into the disc, hoping to expand its sensing range and search for other possible "Star Key Fragments" or special energy sources.

The disc's pattern lit up slightly, and the sensing range seemed to have expanded a little, but it was still limited.

Suddenly, on the surface of the disc, in addition to the two stable points of light pointing to the mountaintop and the fragment in his arms, a third point of light flickered extremely faintly in a certain direction slightly below the waist of the holy mountain!

The light was very dim, appearing and disappearing intermittently, seemingly very far away, or perhaps shielded by something. Moreover, its fluctuation properties... were different from the purity of the Holy Spirit Heart and the chaos of the Tower of Eternity, carrying a strange, cold sense of order.

“That is…” Chen Ye’s heart skipped a beat.

The third point of light flickered extremely erratically, like a faulty signal, and was located roughly in the lower part of the Holy Mountain, near the Plain of Sighs. Its energy fluctuations gave Chen Ye a very peculiar feeling—cold, precise, and orderly, completely different from the warm holiness of the Holy Spirit's Radiance, the chaotic evil of the Dark Abyss, and even the ancient majesty of the Holy Mountain itself.

The "Star Key Resonance Disc" senses either a "Star Key Fragment" or a "Special Energy Source." This third point of light is clearly not a fragment of the Holy Spirit Heart (the fragment is in Chen Ye's arms), nor is it likely to be the chaotic energy of the Tower of Eternity (the direction is wrong, and the fluctuations are different).

"Could it be... some kind of unrecorded relic of the Holy Spirit Clan? Or... something else?" Chen Ye pondered.

"Brother Chen, what's wrong?" Jiufeng noticed the change in his expression.

Chen Ye informed everyone of the discovery of the "Star Key Resonance Disc" and described his feelings about its wave characteristics.

“Cold, precise, orderly…” Daoist Yuxu stroked his beard in thought, “It sounds like the aura of some kind of… ‘creation’? Besides starships and sacred artifacts, the Holy Spirit Clan seems to also have technologies like ‘puppets’ and ‘constructs’.”

"Constructs?" Chen Ye recalled seeing scattered records of the Holy Spirit Clan's "Star Spirit Constructs" and "Autonomous Guardians" technologies in the Holy Light Outpost and the Ancestral Mausoleum. These technologies were highly advanced, capable of creating mechanical or energy entities with a certain degree of intelligence and execution capabilities, used for auxiliary work, guarding important areas, and so on. "If they are indeed surviving Holy Spirit Clan constructs, they might be able to provide assistance, or at least information." Dongxu Daoist's eyes lit up. "Unlike living beings, they are not easily corrupted by the Dark Abyss. As long as their core programs are not damaged, they might still retain some functionality and... loyalty?"

“But we can’t let our guard down,” Chen Ye said cautiously. “So much time has passed, who knows if their programs have malfunctioned or been interfered with by other forces? Besides, that signal is very weak and intermittent. It could mean that the distance is very far, the energy is about to run out, or... it could mean that it’s being blocked or interfered with by something.”

He glanced at the sky (the changing light of the barrier) and estimated the time: "From our current position, it would take at least two or three hours to get there and back, plus possible negotiations or battles. And that's assuming everything goes smoothly."

"There are less than ten hours left until the starlight converges; we must seize every moment." Jiufeng frowned. "Brother Chen, you still need time to recover and digest the knowledge. How about we split up?"

"Split up?" Chen Ye looked at her.

“Yes.” Jiufeng nodded. “You stay here and recover as quickly as possible to digest the knowledge and prepare for the tower challenge. The rest of us are in relatively better condition, so we can go and investigate the signal source. If there are any constructs that can help, we will try to communicate with them and bring them back; if it is a trap or trouble, we can try our best to maneuver and retreat in time.”

"No, it's too dangerous." Chen Ye immediately rejected the idea. "The situation in the Holy Mountain area is unclear, and the attributes of that signal source are unknown. If you go alone and encounter a Nascent Soul level enemy or a trap, it will be difficult to even retreat."

“Brother Chen, we are not a burden,” Jiufeng said solemnly. “We have also experienced many battles along the way, and our strength and experience have improved. Moreover, we are a team, and we cannot let you bear all the dangers alone. Gathering intelligence and finding possible assistance are our duties.”

Daoist Yuxu also spoke up, saying, "Young friend Chen, Jiufeng is right. You bear the core inheritance, which is crucial to completing your mission. You must focus your main energy on recovery and preparations for the tower challenge. It is more appropriate for us to handle the investigation. We will act cautiously, prioritizing investigation, and will never take unnecessary risks."

Dongxu, Zhiyin, Wanyi, and Shijian all nodded, indicating their willingness to go.

Looking at his companions' firm and earnest gazes, Chen Ye was moved, but also more worried. He knew that the dangers lurking in the Holy Mountain region were far more than just the creatures of the Dark Abyss.

“Alright then,” Chen Ye finally conceded. “You can go, but you must agree to a few conditions: First, the search area centered here must not exceed fifty miles. If the signal source is found to be outside this range or the situation is too complicated, return immediately. Second, bring enough Holy Light Grenades and recovery potions. If you encounter danger, do not hesitate to use them immediately. Third, I will temporarily give you the ‘Star Key Resonance Disc,’ which may help you locate and determine the attributes of the signal source. Fourth, you must return here to regroup within three hours, regardless of whether you find anything.”

He briefly explained to Jiufeng how to use the "Star Key Resonance Disc" (mainly how to inject spiritual power to activate and read the light spot information), and then distributed most of the Holy Light Grenades and recovery potions to them.

"Brother Chen, you should keep this disc. You'll probably need it more when you're climbing the tower," Jiu Feng declined.

“I’ve memorized the tower’s internal structure, and I also know the location of the Star Key socket. This disc is currently low on energy, so its effectiveness is limited in the complex environment inside the tower. It might be more useful for field exploration.” Chen Ye placed the disc in Jiu Feng’s hand. “Remember, safety first.”

"Understood!" Jiufeng carefully put away the disc.

Without further delay, the group immediately set off, carefully infiltrating the rugged forests and rocky cliffs of the sacred mountain in the general direction indicated by Chen Ye.

Chen Ye stayed in the mountain valley, found a relatively secluded crevice in the rocks, set up simple concealment and early warning restrictions, and began to focus on recuperating and digesting the vast amount of knowledge in his mind.

He first circulated the power of his Holy Blood, combining it with the residual medicinal power of the Holy Spirit Spring within his body to repair the hidden injuries and fatigue in his physical body. The powerful restorative ability after the Holy Blood baptism began to manifest, and with the blessing he received in the mausoleum and the fusion with the "Seed of Truth," his injuries improved at an astonishing speed, and his parched meridians were once again filled with the warm spiritual power of his Holy Blood.

At the same time, he diverted a portion of his mind to delve into his sea of ​​consciousness, beginning to organize the knowledge of "basic star runes" and "energy structure analysis" instilled by the Grand Scholar Hermes, as well as the dynamic logical deduction experience gained from the Sage Sophia's rehearsal.

This knowledge acted as a key, unlocking the door to a deeper understanding of the Star Codex. Many previously obscure star charts, rune combinations, and principles of energy circulation became clear. His application of the "Light of Enlightenment," and his perception and control of stellar power, were subtly improving.

More importantly, he began to try to understand the Ionian prophet's description of the "three-phase balance" energy harmony and the basic structure of the Eternal Star Array. Although it was only a superficial understanding, it gave him a more concrete understanding and preparation for the "Corridor of Star Puzzles" and the possible energy environment inside the Tower of Eternity that he was about to face.

Time flew by as I focused on my practice and study.

About two hours later, Chen Ye's condition had recovered to about 70-80%. Not only were his injuries basically healed, but his spiritual power was also abundant, his holy blood was more refined, and his soul had become more solid and sharp due to absorbing a large amount of profound knowledge.

He opened his eyes, and it seemed as if stars were flowing within them, a flash of wisdom appearing and disappearing in an instant.

He looked in the direction where Jiufeng and the others had left, calculating the time in his mind. There was still about an hour left until the agreed-upon three hours.

He took out the emerald green fragment of the Holy Spirit's Heart from his robes and carefully sensed it. Inside the fragment, the boundless life force and the essence of the Holy Spirit flowed quietly, resonating faintly with the holy blood within him. He could sense that this fragment seemed to be more than just an energy crystal; it also seemed to carry some kind of... faint "consciousness" or "imprint," but it was too dormant to be awakened.

“At least two pieces need to be collected to generate a stronger resonance and sense the third piece…” Chen Ye pondered. “Or, perhaps using pure holy blood to activate it… could we try to activate a trace of its spirituality and obtain more information?”

He carefully separated a wisp of pure holy blood power and slowly infused it into the fragment.

The fragment trembled slightly, and the emerald green light on its surface brightened, as if a galaxy were flowing within. A warm, inclusive, and vibrant feeling, like someone turning over in their sleep, was conveyed very vaguely. (End of Chapter)