The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 547 Soul-Sacrificing Chains
Lena bit her lip, her fingers gripping the hilt of her knife, but she couldn't hide the deep pain in her heart—she knew this was not just a tactical operation, but a farewell to life and death, an ultimate sacrifice to her people and the world.

As night deepened, heavy snow fell like ink-stained silver sand, drifting endlessly.

But a solemn and dignified atmosphere enveloped the camp, as sacred and solemn as a sanctuary in an ancient temple.

Zellos led the three elders to the center of the altar, a platform carved from pure obsidian, inlaid with dozens of radiating blue-silver rune stone tablets. These runes seemed to carry the interwoven fabric of the torrent of time and space and the spiritual network.

"Please take your positions around the altar," Zellos solemnly instructed. "The mental link array must be perfectly activated, or the consequences will be unpredictable."

Everyone responded silently and went to their designated positions.

They closed their eyes and meditated, gradually drawing their consciousness deep into their bones, using incantations recorded in ancient texts to slowly activate the potential hidden within their Star Eye bloodline.

At the same time, one should constantly adjust one's own soul frequency in order to achieve the maximum resonance effect.

Beside the campfire, the team members waited quietly without uttering a word, but each of them could feel an unusual, electric-like fluctuation rising in the air. It was the prelude to the gathering of powerful spiritual energy, and an irreversible sign that the final battle of destiny was about to erupt.

Time seemed to blur and become boundless, leaving only the low chanting of rituals and the faint echoes of runes in one's ears.

Suddenly, a beam of light, interwoven with blue and silver, shot out from the bottom of the obsidian platform, like a celestial river cascading down to the sky, enveloping the entire camp in dazzling brilliance.

The beam of light then split and spread, forming countless fine indigo energy threads that meandered and coiled in the air, as magnificent and beautiful as the Milky Way hanging above the night sky and shining stars, yet also bringing a chilling cold that pierced to the bone.

Zellos and the two elders' faces turned from pale to ashen.

Their brows were furrowed, and their muscles were taut and trembling from extreme exhaustion, but they did not back down in the slightest.

An oppressive yet solemn and majestic aura emanated from their bodies, merging with the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth to resonate and form a powerful network of soul shackles, creating a final barrier to prevent the spread of pollution.

Amy's eyes showed worry, yet her gaze remained firm: "This is... completely beyond the scope of conventional magic. It's using the physical body to bear spiritual power for physical reduction. If this backlash gets out of control..."

Her voice trembled slightly before she was interrupted, for a violent tremor suddenly came from the center of the formation. The tremor seemed to tear apart the spatial barrier, accompanied by a chilling and agonizing scream. A faint but extremely painful wave of energy surged from the bottom of the altar.
Lena stepped forward, her face resolute and determined, and gripped the wrist of one of the three elders tightly.

The cold wind tousled her hair, but it couldn't extinguish the burning flame in her eyes.

"Please persevere, we will definitely not let you down!"

The voice, though low, was powerful and resonant, causing ripples of emotion to spread throughout the surrounding silence.

Time continued to flow, and the chain of stars was gradually woven into a complete structure.

In this process, each energy thread acts like an invisible bond, compressing and binding the vast power of heaven and earth into a single point. These points happen to converge within three life forms, who are sacrificing themselves as the core to resist the spreading erosion.
Suddenly, a dazzling blue-silver light burst forth from the chest of one of the altar elders, causing him to stiffen abruptly. His skin began to rapidly crystallize and harden, as if he had been sealed inside a transparent, icy coffin.

As the cold, crystalline patterns reflected from the crystal surface transformed into intricate spatial and temporal totems, the last incantation he uttered vanished with the wind: "May the stars bear witness to our protection."

The other two reacted violently, their faces contorted in extreme pain, yet they stubbornly persisted, unwilling to become the weak link in the chain.

As the third-place finisher was forced into crystallization, a dazzling and complex illusion of cosmic stars suddenly rose up around the altar, as if the sky was truly filled with countless stars, illuminating the boundless darkness into an epic chapter of glory!
Outside the camp, the wind howled and the snow swelled wildly, but at this moment no one cared about fear or exhaustion, because they knew that this was a huge price to be paid before the dawn of victory could unfold, a hope that the eternal guardians of their tribe had paid with their lives!
David knelt on the ground, slowly raising his head to look at the colossal body covered with strange rune crystals—where three immortal heroes who once dominated the wasteland and vowed to protect their homeland were sealed away.

He clenched his fists, crushing the snow, then stood up steadily and declared in a deep, resonant voice: "They built all of this with their lives! From now on, we must be even more courageous! We cannot let their sacrifices go to waste!"

Lena's eyes were filled with tears, but her gaze became even brighter; Amy silently prayed and offered her blessings; Lia raised her staff and waved it to cast a purifying wave, sweeping away the remaining evil and corruption.

Everything returned to silence, leaving only the drifting white snow covering the frozen, crystalline giant body, like an eternal, tranquil sculpture commemorating history.
As dawn broke, the new suppression barrier that stretched across the sky fell like a galaxy, with countless fine, shimmering lines forming an intricate grid that temporarily halted the widespread pollution that had once raged on.

However, the trauma left by this catastrophe is not only in nature, but also etched in people's hearts: too much life was sacrificed and life is now fragmented, requiring much more effort to repair and restore.
As the pale purple-gold dawn broke through the sky, everyone gathered at the edge of the dilapidated camp, looking into the distance at the new sealing and restraining structure that was still swaying but indestructible.

At this moment, there were no words, only silence, but that belief was thicker and more solid than any rock—it belonged to this world, and to those who gave their lives for it!
The frigid winds of the far north remained relentless and biting, sweeping across the edges of the cracks, carrying a mixture of icy and corrosive odors that pierced to the bone.

The thick, gray clouds hung low in the sky, as if a giant beast might leap out at any moment and tear the earth to pieces.

In the distance, the ley lines opened like a giant maw, emitting a cold and eerie light amidst the endless darkness and the intertwining of scarlet veins.

That is the wound this land least wants to be touched, and also the place with the deepest pollution and the most severe crisis.

David stood before the massive crack, his gaze as solemn as ice.

He was clad in a frost wolf battle robe, surrounded by azure flames, looking like a hunter from the North ready for battle.

He took a deep breath of the biting cold air to suppress the unease and restlessness surging in his heart.

At this moment, he must delve into the earth's veins that have been swallowed by pollution and use his own power to explore the secrets hidden in the darkness.

“David,” Zelllos stood at the edge of the camp, the ancient runic slab hanging by his side, his face as solemn as an ancient rock, “this crack is the largest source of infection we have detected. You must bring back detailed data so that we can formulate our next countermeasures.”

David nodded without saying a word.

He knew how heavy the responsibility on his shoulders was, and he understood what dangers lay ahead.

Beneath the blanket of ice and snow, he strode forward, gradually approaching the massive fault line where the scarlet veins stretched to their limit, seemingly threatening to devour the heavens and earth. The ice beneath his feet crunched, each step seeming to awaken an ancient, dormant power—a bizarre force entangled with time and reality, intertwined with life, death, and destruction.

Upon entering the edge of the crevice, a powerful, unstable energy immediately rushed towards him, violently shaking his body and soul like a raging tide crashing against a rock wall.

David clenched his fists, igniting the power of his Frostwolf bloodline to its limit, using the ghostly blue flames to construct a mental shield against external interference.

The cold wind howled like a knife cutting his cheeks, but his eyes remained resolute and unwavering, each step he took was steady and decisive.

Where the scarlet mycelium twists and stretches, countless tiny parasitic spores drift in the wind, eroding every inch of the air like living poison needles, filling one's breath with a bitter, putrid smell.

"We cannot allow them to spread further."

He muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the mottled obsidian-shaped cliff in front of him. It was a fault relic that stretched dozens of feet underground like a huge skeleton, covered with traces of time and space distortion, and was also the most severely infected by the spore parasites.

As they went deeper, the strange vibrations became increasingly intense.

Not far away, a fragment of shattered spacetime floated in mid-air, its surface gleaming with a cold, silvery blue light, yet constantly showing tiny cracks, sharp and threatening like a blade.

These fragments seem to be some kind of spatial debris, silently cutting the boundary between reality and illusion, posing a deadly threat to anyone who gets close.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound shattered the silence, like shards of glass constantly striking the eardrums, making one's nerves tense.

A much larger and accelerating fragment of spacetime suddenly emerged from the shadows and hurtled toward David with lightning speed!
"Oops!"

His eyes narrowed, and his entire body was engulfed in a violent azure flame, unleashing the power of his Frostwolf bloodline to its limit. At the same time, he nimbly dodged the attacks, but he still couldn't completely avoid the excruciating pain caused by the sharp blades slicing across his skin.

A trickle of blood silently slid down his arm, but his eyes became even more profound and resolute, and he continued to advance without the slightest hesitation!

As you venture deeper, the atmosphere becomes exceptionally dense and chaotic, as if you were in the heart of a nightmare. An invisible pressure firmly locks your breathing rhythm, making you feel that every expansion of your lungs is a test of your will to live.

A faint whisper could be heard in the surrounding air, a sound that seemed to come from an ancient abyss, or perhaps to travel through the torrent of time, slowly echoing in the mind, possessing an ominous magic that lured fallen souls toward their doom.
David stopped, closed his eyes, and listened intently. A blurry image appeared in his mind: a dark abyss churning with waves, countless tentacles intertwining and shifting among the stars; bloodthirsty creatures swarming forth to devour all light; and an endless stream of corrupting energy threatening to completely erode all life in the world.
No, it's not possible.

His lips trembled as he struggled to resist the intrusion of his mind.

But the whispers grew clearer, some words seemingly understanding his inner fears and desires, gentle yet alluring: "Give up the struggle. Join us and embrace true power. You will transcend the mundane and be embraced by the stars."

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw illusion and reality intertwined and distorted, even the moss covering the frozen soil twisted into strange patterns.

His muscles were tense as he silently recited the clan's special will incantation to stabilize his mental core and prevent his consciousness from being swept away by temptations. But each effort felt like struggling against the current in the eye of a storm.
At this very moment——

A sudden, tremendous force swept in from behind!
Reina arrived just in time. She wielded her silver-bladed longsword to sever the mycelial tentacles that were trying to encircle him, shouting, "David! Hold on! We haven't lost yet!"

Her face was pale but her gaze was firm as she used all her strength to stop the parasites emerging from the shadows from trying to kidnap her ally's mind.

Amy quickly cast a healing spell, infusing David, who was severely injured but stubbornly resisting, with holy energy, gradually restoring some of his consciousness.

At the same time, Lia deployed her Holy Shield, creating a protective barrier for the entire team to prevent the spread of external interference.
Time flows slowly yet cruelly, each moment like an ordeal in purgatory.

But through unwavering faith and teamwork, they managed to salvage the consciousness that was on the verge of collapse and drowning in darkness, preventing it from becoming completely lost and degenerate into a link in the chain of pollution!
Finally, after a long and agonizing ordeal—

The intense pain gradually subsided as the skin's surface dissolved, and the scab at the cut solidified and froze into a crystal-clear scar with a faint blue glow.

These scars, like inscriptions, are embedded in his strong muscles, symbolizing a temporary end to this psychological war, but only a brief respite before the real battle begins.
The entire camp was shrouded in a solemn and oppressive atmosphere. The heavy snow continued to fall, and they knew that this was only the prelude to a larger disaster. A broader, more terrifying, and more unpredictable fate awaited them.

And that call from the whispers of the abyss will strike again on some sleepless night in the future, lurking silently in everyone's dreams with an irresistible and fearful air.
Under the cover of night, the earth is silent, yet it exudes an indescribable, terrifying, and real presence.

The warriors withstood the pressure and stood firm, forging a defensive line with their blood, taming the catastrophe with their faith, and continuing hope little by little.

The biting winds of the far north are still as sharp as knives, as if they want to tear the earth and the sky apart.

The night grew darker, thick, dark clouds hung low, obscuring the stars, leaving only endless darkness and frost intertwined to create a frigid night.

A suffocating sense of oppression permeated the air at the edge of the crack, a deathly stillness and chill brought about by the pollution of the earth's veins.

In the camp, everyone stood around the last rune array in front of the rift, their faces filled with exhaustion and tension.

Amy stood in the center, wearing a pure white robe, her silver hair disheveled by the cold wind, but her eyes shone with a firm and ardent light.

She took a deep breath of the bone-chilling fresh air, slowly closed her eyes, and let her consciousness sink deep into her body.

“This is the only way to stop the crack from expanding,” she whispered to the person beside her, her voice soft yet unwavering, “and it is also the greatest sacrifice.”

Lena gripped her twin swords tightly and replied, word by word, "No matter the cost, we must not give up hope."

(End of this chapter)