sbdcsierra Chapter 40: 7 Heroic Spirits
Chapter 40: 7 Heroic Spirits
"It's Su Qing!" Cheng Xu reported urgently, "She suddenly appeared in the altar area and saw through Liu Wei's disguise! Su Yan is confronting her, but the situation is bad!"
Li Shancheng's heart tightened, but he couldn't stop what he was doing. The eleventh node was complete, leaving only the last one. But this node was located at the deepest part of the bridge pier, requiring him to completely dive into the structure.
"Shancheng, you need to hurry!" Xu Qingqing's voice came through, panting. "The guards are regrouping, we're surrounded! Sister Su said we can only hold out for ten minutes at most!"
"Understood." Li Shancheng gritted his teeth and charged straight towards the bottom of the bridge pier. There, there was a hidden crack, just big enough for one person to pass through.
Entering the bridge pier reveals a stunning sight. It has been transformed into a small energy conversion station, with walls covered in pipes and runes. At its center is a rotating energy core, constantly drawing power from the earth's veins and channeling it upwards. The final crucial node lies directly beneath this core.
However, to get close to the core, one must pass through three energy barriers. Each barrier has a different frequency and requires corresponding energy characteristics to pass through.
The first layer, the Kan position, is associated with the water element. Li Shancheng simulated the power of the Kan position and easily passed through.
The second layer is the Fire attribute. He activated the power of the Vermilion Bird Feather, though weak, it was enough.
The third layer, the Dui position, is associated with the metal element. The fragments of the White Tiger Blade resonated, helping him pass through.
We've finally reached the core. The last node is a complex array of runes that controls the stability of the entire energy conversion station. Modifying it will cause the piers to lose their balance and the energy flow to become disordered.
But just as Li Shancheng reached out to make the changes, the core suddenly emitted a bright red light. A cold voice echoed throughout the space:
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Li Shancheng."
It was Lin Han's voice.
"I guessed you'd travel by water," the voice continued. "The merman cyborg is just an appetizer; the real gift is here."
The core red light coalesced into a human figure, not a physical object, but a holographic projection. Lin Han's image appeared before Li Shancheng, dressed in an exquisite suit, his expression eerily calm.
"Your growth rate is astonishing," Lin Han said. "From an ordinary person who knew nothing to someone capable of defeating Su Qing's clone, it only took you less than ten days. Is this the true potential of the Wen Shu bloodline?"
"This isn't potential, it's responsibility." Li Shancheng watched the projection warily, while quickly analyzing the core structure. The knowledge of the Book of Light flowed rapidly, searching for weaknesses.
"Responsibility? What a heavy word." Lin Han smiled. "Your grandfather said the same thing back then. But in the end, he chose to run away, choosing to let his family live an ordinary life. Why do you think he did that?"
"Because he knows how dangerous this road is."
"No, because he knows this path is meaningless." Lin Han shook his head. "Guarding the array's core, maintaining balance, protecting ordinary people... but ordinary people have no idea you exist, nor will they thank you. You are like gardeners in the shadows, painstakingly cultivating the garden, but the garden's owner doesn't even know the garden exists."
"It's not for gratitude."
"What for?" Lin Han took a step closer. Although it was just a projection, the oppressive feeling was real. "For a hollow mission? For an ancient vow? Or for... satisfying your own feeling of 'being needed'?"
Li Shancheng remained silent. He had asked himself these questions late at night as well.
"Join us." Lin Han extended his hand. "You possess the Wen Shu bloodline, the Book of Light, and the rare Seven Star Harmony talent. You were born for the 'New World.' Together, we can create a perfect reality, a world where there's no need for hiding, no need for sacrifice, and where everyone can be happy."
"At the cost of hundreds of lives?" Li Shancheng retorted. "At the risk of the collapse of the existing structure?"
"A necessary sacrifice." Lin Han's expression remained unchanged. "The birth of a new life is always accompanied by pain. After the labor pains come eternal happiness. Isn't it worth it?"
"It's not worth it," Li Shancheng said firmly. "Because your definition of 'happiness' is a boring existence that strips away all differences, all individuality, and all freedom. That's not happiness; that's imprisonment."
Lin Han's expression finally changed, turning from calm to icy: "That's a real shame. You could have become the 'God of Wisdom' of the new world, but now you can only become nourishment for the altar."
The red light suddenly intensified, and the core began to spin rapidly. The energy inside the entire bridge pier became chaotic, and the runes on the walls lit up one after another before burning out due to overload. This was not an attack, but a self-destruct program—Lin Han was going to blow up the entire bridge pier and bury Li Shancheng here.
"You think I'm just a projection?" Lin Han's figure began to blur. "No, I am the controller of this energy core. My consciousness is connected to the entire system. If you destroy this place, it's the same as killing me—but I'll take you down with me."
A crazy gamble. But Li Shancheng had no time to hesitate. The self-destruct program had been initiated, and the countdown had begun: 60 seconds.
He has 60 seconds to accomplish three things: modify the last node to reverse the energy flow; retrieve the five relic fragments and implant them into the core; and then escape.
The first task was to modify the nodes. He worked with both hands simultaneously: his left hand continued the original disguise modification, while his right hand began inscribing the reversal runes. Multitasking pushed his mental limits. His head throbbed, and he saw double, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.
The node modification was complete, and energy began to flow backward. But the core self-destruct program did not stop; instead, it accelerated—Lin Han was desperately resisting.
The second step was to implant the fragments. Li Shancheng took out five fragments of relics from a specially made container: three fragments of Tianquan, a Vermilion Bird Feather, and a fragment of the White Tiger Blade. As soon as the fragments came into contact with the energy field, they immediately resonated strongly, forming light bands that connected with each other to create a fragmented pentagon.
He pushed the fragment toward the core. The core resisted fiercely, and the red light collided violently with the fragment's multicolored light, causing the entire space to tremble and cracks to spread across the walls.
30 seconds.
"You can't stop it!" Lin Han's voice distorted. "Even if you destroy this node, we still have six! The Seven Star Sacrifice Array only needs four nodes to activate! You've lost, Li Shancheng!"
"Then destroy four." Li Shancheng poured all his power into the fragments, forcibly suppressing the core's resistance. The fragments began to merge into the core, and the multicolored light gradually suppressed the red light.
15 seconds.
The fusion is complete! The core structure begins to change, transforming from a stable energy converter into an unstable energy hybrid. The five different relic powers clash and attract each other, creating a chain reaction.
But the self-destruct sequence has 15 seconds remaining.
Thirdly, after escaping Li Shancheng, he turned and rushed towards the entrance, but the crack had already begun to collapse, and large chunks of concrete fell, blocking the way.
There was no turning back. He looked upwards, to the top of the bridge pier, where it connected directly to the bridge deck. If he used all his strength to thrust upwards...
He gathered all his remaining strength—the Wen Shu, Kan Wei, Li Wei, Dui Wei, and the little core energy he had just absorbed—and poured it all into his feet. Then, he leaped upwards.
It wasn't a simple jump, but an explosion of energy. Like a cannonball, he burst through layers of concrete and hurtled towards the bridge surface.
It burst forth from the bridge pier and leaped into the air. Below, the light inside the bridge pier reached its peak, dazzling with vibrant colors, and then...
0 seconds.
An explosion occurred. But it wasn't an ordinary explosion; it was a "silent burst" triggered by an energy overload. There was no sound, no shockwave, only a dazzling light emanating from inside the bridge pier, and then the entire pier began to "dissolve"—not shatter, but transform from matter into pure energy, surging upwards towards the altar.
Li Shancheng landed on the bridge, staggering a few steps before regaining his balance. Looking back, he saw that two-thirds of the third pier had disappeared, and the remaining part was rapidly collapsing. Meanwhile, the altar in the center of the bridge was beginning to spiral out of control due to the sudden influx of massive and chaotic energy.
One by one, the runes on the altar overloaded and burned out, the seven modified carriers screamed in agony, and the fragments of relics embedded in their chests vibrated violently, as if trying to break free of their restraints. The researchers maintaining the ritual tried in panic to stabilize the system, but to no avail.
"Mountain City! This way!" Xu Qingqing's voice came. She, Liu Wei, and Su Yan were being besieged by more than a dozen guards, and their situation was critical.
Li Shancheng rushed forward, taking care of two modified beings who tried to stop him along the way. He had already exhausted most of his power, but suddenly his grandfather's ring emitted a warm light, and an ancient and powerful force surged from it—not an external force, but a dormant part of his own bloodline that had been awakened by the ring.
This is the essence of Li Mingxuan's lifelong cultivation, the seventy-second generation guardian, sealed in the ring, awaiting inheritance by his descendants.
Power surged in like a river, sweeping away all fatigue. Li Shancheng's eyes gleamed with a silvery light, each step leaving a glowing footprint on the bridge. He charged into the enemy ranks, not with brutal assault, but with precise pressure points—each movement striking the enemy's energy nodes, temporarily incapacitating them without killing them.
Ten seconds later, all the guards fell to the ground.
"Let's go!" Su Yan pulled up the injured Liu Wei, Xu Qingqing brought up the rear, and Li Shancheng led the way. The four of them rushed towards the edge of the blockade zone.
But just as they were about to break through, a white figure blocked their way.
Su Qing.
She looked somewhat disheveled; her white robe bore scorch marks, and the light in her golden left eye was unstable, clearly indicating that the battle with Su Yan had taken a heavy toll. However, the Seven Star Measuring Ruler in her hand still emitted a dangerous glow.
"You've ruined three years of my hard work." Su Qing's voice was icy cold. "President Lin's projection has been destroyed, the altar core is overloaded, and the entire carrier is scrapped. You did a good job, Li Shancheng."
"Get out of the way." Li Shancheng stood in front of the others.
"Get out of the way?" Su Qing laughed, a twisted smile. "No, I want you all to stay here and die with me for my defeat."
She raised the measuring ruler high, and seven stars lit up simultaneously, but not for attack, but for... summoning.
The bridge trembled, and spatial rifts appeared simultaneously in seven directions. From the rifts emerged seven figures—no, not people, but seven phantoms dressed in ancient attire, each holding a glowing object: a book, a jade seal, a sword, a bronze mirror, a bell, a compass, and a token.
"The spirits of the Seven Star Guardians..." Jiang Han's voice suddenly came through the earpiece, filled with shock, "She actually summoned ancient spirits! Yamashiro, run! This is not something you can fight!"
But it was too late. The seven heroic spirits attacked simultaneously, seven beams of light intertwining into a net that enveloped the four. It wasn't an energy attack, but rather "law suppression"—a power that directly affects the existence itself.
Li Shancheng felt his existence beginning to blur, as if he were being erased from reality. Xu Qingqing, Su Yan, and Liu Wei also fell into the same crisis; their bodies began to become transparent.
At this moment of despair, Grandpa's ring suddenly flew off his finger and hovered in mid-air. The inscription on the ring emitted an unprecedentedly intense light, and within the light, the illusory figure of an old man appeared.
The spirit of Li Mingxuan.
"Qing'er, stop." The old man's voice was gentle but full of authority.
Su Qing's golden left eye suddenly contracted: "Master...Master?"
"You've strayed too far, child," sighed Li Mingxuan's illusory figure. "The responsibility of a Guardian who has left their post is to protect the flame of life, not to extinguish it."
"But they want to stop the new world!" Su Qing roared. "Master, didn't you also want to change this imperfect world back then? I'm just fulfilling your ideal!"
"My ideal is not destruction." Li Mingxuan shook his head. "When I left back then, it wasn't because I gave up, but because I understood a principle: true change is not imposed on others, but guided, educated, and given time. The 'perfection' you force through violence is nothing more than another form of tyranny."
He looked at the seven ancient heroes: "Seniors, please return. The mistakes of later generations should not be borne by you."
The seven heroic spirits seemed to understand. They stopped what they were doing, looked at the measuring ruler in Su Qing's hand, then at Li Mingxuan, and then... vanished at the same time, returning to the void.
"No!" Su Qing screamed, trying to summon it again, but the light of the Measuring Ruler had already dimmed.
Li Mingxuan's illusory figure turned to Li Shancheng, his eyes filled with kindness: "Child, you have done well. The future of the Wen Shu bloodline is entrusted to you."
"Grandpa..." Li Shancheng wanted to say something, but the illusory figure had already begun to dissipate.
"Remember, the power of the Seven Stars is not for control, but for understanding. Understanding the world, understanding others, understanding yourself... this is the true path of protection."
After uttering the last sentence, the phantom completely disappeared, and the ring returned to Li Shancheng's hand, but the light on it had been extinguished, turning it into an ordinary silver ring.
Su Qing knelt on the ground, clutching the measuring ruler, and sobbed softly. It wasn't a cry of anger, but a cry of despair and collapse. Thirty years of belief had utterly crumbled in that moment.
"Sister Su..." Li Shancheng looked at Su Yan.
Su Yan walked up to Su Qing, squatted down, and gently hugged her: "Auntie, we're home."
In the distance came the sound of sirens and the footsteps of reinforcements from Hanshan Technology. The time had come.
"Cheng Xu, evacuation plan!" Li Shancheng shouted into the headset.
"The speedboat is in position 300 meters downstream!" Cheng Xu responded.
The four rushed to the riverbank and jumped onto the waiting speedboat. The engine roared, and the speedboat sped into the dark river, leaving the chaotic Twin Dragon Bridge behind.