Chapter 18 – Mission Accomplished 任务完成

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan's eyes lit up immediately. He quickly said, "Senior Sister, since you've chosen to protect me, you might as well be a good person to the end and see it through! Help me get close to the Tianhen Golden Wheel. I promise I won't mess around. I just want to take a look, okay?"

Lin Xuefei looked at him coldly, her expression full of helplessness. "Get close to the Tianhen Golden Wheel? Have you had your head caught in the door? That thing isn't something you can just approach casually. It's not only protected by a powerful barrier but also controls the spiritual energy circulation of the entire Treasure Pavilion. You're just a young lad at the Foundation Establishment stage. If you get close to it, it would be a miracle if you could come back alive."

Lin Yuan immediately put on a pitiful expression, clasped his hands together, and said in a soft voice, "Senior Sister~ You know how pitiful I am to be dragged into all this mess at such a young age. Besides, you said you would protect me, right? Can't you protect me all the way? Just let me stay beside it for ten seconds. I promise there won't be any problems at all. If there are, you can blame me!"

Lin Yuan thought to himself, "This body is only 13 and a half years old. It's better to act cute and be shameless than to lose my life. It's not embarrassing."

Lin Xuefei raised an eyebrow and said expressionlessly, "Cut it out. Do you think acting cute will get you through this? I'm not falling for that."

But Lin Yuan didn't give up. He quickly changed his strategy. He pouted his lips and pretended to be wronged, saying, "Senior Sister, look at my skinny arms and legs. What kind of trouble can I cause? Besides, you're so powerful. Can't you even protect me in such small matter? Just have some pity on me."

The corners of Lin Xuefei's eyes twitched slightly. She was obviously a bit impatient, but she was also somewhat at a loss and couldn't help but feel a bit amused by Lin Yuan's series of cheeky words.

"You really have an incredibly thick skin. I'm speechless.," Lin Xuefei said coldly. In the end, she sighed. "Forget it. I'm already in enough trouble, so I might as well take on a little more responsibility. However, I'm warning you, it's only ten seconds!"

Lin Yuan was overjoyed upon hearing this and nodded vigorously like a pounding garlic. "Thank you, Senior Sister! You're truly the kindest, most gentle, and most beautiful person in the world. If I get successful in the future, I'll surely repay you."

Lin Xuefei gave a cold snort. "Stop flattering me. Keep up and don't fall behind, or I really won't care about you anymore!"

Lin Xuefei led Lin Yuan carefully through the layers of complex formations, like mice scurrying through a maze. Finally, they arrived at the place where the Tianhen Golden Wheel was located. The golden wheel hung in mid-air, emitting a mysterious blue light all over. An ancient and powerful aura filled the surroundings, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.

Lin Yuan was slightly shocked in his heart. It was the first time he had felt such a powerful spiritual energy fluctuation. That power was like a surging tide, nearly drowning him and making him difficult to breathe.

"Here it is, the Tianhen Golden Wheel. Remember what you said, just ten seconds. Not a second more!" Lin Xuefei said indifferently. At the same time, she used her spiritual energy to set up a solid protective shield, separating him from the dangerous spiritual energy around the golden wheel, like putting on a suit of armor for Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the golden wheel. He silently recited the reminders from the Jiuchong Ring in his heart. His right hand trembled slightly as he gently touched the golden wheel. In an instant, the ring was like a giant beast awakened from its slumber, starting to absorb the spirituality and some of the golden wheel's abilities frantically.

A bone-chilling power was transmitted to Lin Yuan's body through the ring. He only felt his spiritual sea shake violently, as if a huge stone had been thrown into a calm lake. The voice of the Jiuchong Ring sounded in his mind, "Mission accomplished. 50% of the abilities of the Tianhen Golden Wheel have been replicated, and its spirituality has been seized."

Lin Yuan let out a sigh of relief. But just as he was about to retreat, a bold and almost crazy idea suddenly popped into his mind, "If I create a fake Tianhen Golden Wheel and infuse it with a little bit of the genuine one's aura, it might be able to deceive the Demon Sect and buy us some time... Hehe, I'm such a clever guy."

He struggled in his heart for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth. "I'm going for it! Wealth and honor come from taking risks. Maybe I can make a great contribution this time!"

Lin Yuan activated the ability of the Jiuchong Ring again. This time, he concentrated all his attention and tried to construct a "fake golden wheel" in his spiritual sea. The Jiuchong Ring seemed to be in tune with his thoughts and fully cooperated with him, condensing the small amount of the golden wheel's spiritual energy it had absorbed before into a "fake one" that looked almost the same.

However, during the process of creating the fake, the barrier of the golden wheel seemed to sense something was wrong. The spiritual energy fluctuations around it suddenly became stronger, like an enraged beast, and started to press towards Lin Yuan frantically.

Lin Xuefei frowned and shouted anxiously, "What are you doing?! Do you want to get us both killed?"

Lin Yuan gritted his teeth and endured the huge pressure. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. "Senior Sister, hurry and block the barrier fluctuations! Just five more seconds, please!"

Lin Xuefei gritted her teeth and cursed in her heart, "This kid is really a troublemaker!" But she still let the spiritual energy in her hands surge and forcefully suppressed the spiritual energy fluctuations of the barrier with her own aura. "Lin Yuan, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, I'll teach you a good lesson when we get out of here!"

Finally, Lin Yuan successfully completed the "fake golden wheel". He quickly hid it deep in the formation where it was and erased his own aura. Then he turned back to Lin Xuefei and forced a flattering smile. "We can talk about the explanation when we're get out of here safely! Senior Sister, I really owe you this time. I'll treat you a big meal when we get out!"

At the same time, the situation on the battlefield reached a stalemate. The strange formation of the Demon Sect had trapped the elders of the Yintian Sword Sect and the Yiyuan Sect, but the leader of the Longevity Sect and the grand elder were still tenaciously resisting Song Muqing. The two sides fought back and forth, neither giving in to the other.

Bai Moli and Meng Xinghe were sent to the outer formation to clear the fluctuations of the resentful souls. The two of them cooperated tacitly, just like an old pair of partners who had worked together for many years. But their seemingly random actions triggered a key point in the formation, like accidentally igniting a powder keg's fuse.

Bai Moli took out the talisman of the fire seed used for alchemy and muttered softly, "These resentful souls are so annoying. They stick to us like chewing gum and won't go away. Just disperse already!" She casually threw the talisman into the formation, but it unexpectedly triggered a strong backlash of spiritual energy, directly tearing a corner of the formation, like ripping apart a tattered piece of clothing.

Meng Xinghe was taken aback for a moment. Then he pretended to be calm and swung his sword, further expanding the broken part. He muttered in a low voice, "Hey, can't you be a bit more careful and not just throw things around like that?"

Bai Moli giggled. "Who knew it would have such an effect? I call it a lucky accident. Maybe it's a good thing after all."

The formation was damaged, and the power of the resentful souls began to go haywire. The power that had trapped the elders of the Yintian Sword Sect and the Yiyuan Sect gradually weakened, buying the orthodox side some precious time to catch their breath.

The leader of the Longevity Sect seized the opportunity. The Hualin Sword shone brightly, and a sharp sword qi rushed straight towards Song Muqing's heart. Song Muqing nimbly sidestepped to avoid it and sneered, "Orthodox folks are mediocre. With such skills, you still think you can beat me?"

The leader said in a solemn voice, "The outcome is still uncertain. It's not clear who will win yet!" At the same time, the turmoil of the formation slightly disrupted Song Muqing's plan. She frowned and looked towards the distant Treasure Pavilion. A cold light flashed in her eyes, and she thought to herself, "Could something have gone wrong in the Treasure Pavilion? I have to go and take a look."

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林远闻言,眼睛顿时一亮,连忙说道:"师姐,既然你选择保护我,那就好人做到底,送佛送到西呗!帮我靠近天痕金轮,我保证,绝对不会瞎搞,就看一眼,行不?"

林雪霏冷冷地看着他,神色中满是无奈:"靠近天痕金轮?你是不是脑袋被门夹了?那东西可不是随便能靠近的,它不仅有强大的结界守护,还牵动着整个藏宝阁的灵气循环.你一个刚到筑基期的小毛孩靠近它,能活着回来那才叫见鬼了."

林远立刻摆出一副可怜兮兮的表情,双手作揖,语气软绵绵地说道:"师姐～你也知道我这么小就被卷进这些乱七八糟的事里,多可怜啊～而且,你不也说要保护我的吗?难道就不能保护到底嘛?只要让我待在它旁边十秒,我保证,绝对不会出任何问题,要是出了问题,你拿我是问!"

林远心里想着:"这副身体才 13 岁半呢,卖萌可耻总比丢命强,不丢人,不丢人."

林雪霏眉头一挑,面无表情地说道:"少给我来这一套,你以为卖萌就能过关?我可不吃这一套."

但林远不死心,又迅速改换策略,他撅起嘴巴,假装委屈巴巴地说道:"师姐,您看我这小胳膊小腿的,能翻起什么风浪?再说了,您这么厉害,难道连这点小事都护不住我?您就当是可怜可怜我这个小可怜吧."

林雪霏眼角微微抽动,显然有些不耐烦,但却被林远这一连串无赖的言语弄得有些哭笑不得.

"你这脸皮厚得真是无敌了,我算是服了你了." 林雪霏冷声道,最终却叹了口气,"罢了,反正我已经够麻烦了,就再多担点责任吧.不过,我警告你,就十秒!"

林远闻言大喜,连忙点头如捣蒜:"谢谢师姐!您真是世上最温柔,最善良,最美丽的人,以后我要是发达了,一定好好报答您!"

林雪霏冷哼一声:"少拍马屁,跟紧了,别掉队,不然我可真不管你了!"

林雪霏带着林远小心翼翼地穿过层层复杂的阵法,就像在迷宫中穿梭的老鼠,最终来到了天痕金轮的所在之地.金轮悬浮在半空之中,通体散发着幽蓝色的神秘光辉,周围弥漫着一股古老而强大的气息,仿佛在诉说着岁月的沧桑.

林远心中微微一震,他第一次感受到如此强大的灵性波动,那股力量如同汹涌的潮水,几乎要将他淹没,压得他喘不过气来.

"喏,天痕金轮就在这儿.记住你说过的,就十秒钟,多一秒都不行!" 林雪霏淡淡地说道,同时用灵力布下一层坚固的防护罩,将他与金轮周围的危险灵气隔开,就像给林远穿上了一层铠甲.

林远深吸一口气,缓缓走向金轮.他在心中默念着九重戒的提示,右手微微颤抖着,轻轻触碰金轮.刹那间,戒指仿佛被唤醒的巨兽,开始疯狂吸收金轮的灵性与部分能力.

一股冰冷刺骨的力量通过戒指传导到林远的身体中,他只感觉自己的灵海猛地一震,仿佛平静的湖面被投入了一颗巨石.九重戒指的声音在脑海中响起:"任务完成,已复制天痕金轮 50% 的能力,并夺取其灵性."

林远松了口气,但就在他准备撤离时,脑中突然冒出了一个大胆得近乎疯狂的想法:"如果我再复制一个假的天痕金轮,注入少许真品气息,或许能迷惑魔教,拖延时间... 嘿嘿,我可真是个小机灵鬼."

他心中挣扎了一瞬,最终咬了咬牙:"拼了!富贵险中求,说不定这次就能立大功了!"

林远再次启动九重戒的能力,这一次,他全神贯注,尝试在灵海中构造一个 "假金轮".九重戒指仿佛与他心意相通,全力配合他,将之前吸收的少量金轮灵气重新凝聚成一个外形几乎一模一样的 "赝品".

然而,造假过程中,金轮的结界似乎察觉到了异常,周围的灵气波动猛然变强,如同被激怒的猛兽,开始向林远疯狂逼压而来.

林雪霏眉头一皱,焦急地喊道:"你在干什么?!你是不是想害死我们两个?"

林远咬牙顶着巨大的压力,额头冒出细密的冷汗:"师姐,快帮我挡住结界的波动,再给我五秒钟!就五秒,拜托了!"

林雪霏咬了咬牙,心中暗自骂道:"这小子,真是个惹祸精!" 但她还是手中灵力涌动,强行用自身的气息压制住结界的灵气波动:"林远,你最好给我一个合理的解释,不然等出去了,我非得好好收拾你一顿不可!"

最终,林远成功将 "假金轮" 完成,他迅速将其隐藏在原地的阵法深处,抹去自己的气息,然后回头对林雪霏挤出一个讨好的笑容:"解释什么的,等我们安全脱身再说吧!师姐,这次多亏了你,出去请你吃大餐!"

与此同时,战场上局势陷入了僵持.魔教的诡异阵法困住了音天剑派和一元宗的长老,但长生派掌门与大长老仍在顽强抵抗宋沐晴,双方你来我往,互不相让.

白茉莉与孟星河被派往外围阵法清除怨魂波动,两人配合默契,就像一对多年的老搭档.但看似不经意的举动却触动了阵法的某个关键节点,就像不小心点燃了火药桶的导火索.

白茉莉取出炼丹用的火种符箓,轻声嘀咕:"这些怨魂真是烦死了,跟个牛皮糖似的甩都甩不掉,给我散了吧!" 她随手将符箓投入阵法中,却意外引发了灵气的强烈反弹,直接撕裂了阵法一角,就像撕开了一件破旧的衣服.

孟星河愣了一下,随即故作镇定地挥出一剑,将破裂的部分进一步扩大.他低声吐槽道:"喂,你能不能别这么随便乱扔东西?"

白茉莉嘻嘻一笑:"谁知道会有这种效果?我这叫误打误撞,说不定还是好事呢."

阵法受到破坏,怨魂的力量开始紊乱,困住音天剑派与一元宗长老的力量逐渐削弱,为正道一方争取了宝贵的喘息机会.

长生掌门抓住机会,化霖剑光芒大盛,一道凌厉无比的剑气直逼宋沐晴的心口.宋沐晴侧身敏捷地躲避,冷笑道:"正道之人,也不过如此嘛,就这点本事,还想打败我?"

掌门沉声说道:"胜负尚未分明,鹿死谁手还不一定呢!" 与此同时,阵法的动荡让宋沐晴的计划微微受挫,她眉头一皱,看向远处的藏宝阁,眼中寒光乍现,心中暗自思忖:"难道藏宝阁那边出了什么变故?得去看看."