Chapter 77 Seal Restoration

On the battlefield, billows of smoke rose like a black dragon writhing and roaring, mercilessly blocking out the sky so tightly that not a single ray of light could penetrate. The pungent smell of gunpowder filled the air wantonly, interweaving with the thick, almost tangible, and indissoluble smell of blood, creating a suffocating and oppressive atmosphere. Broken limbs were scattered everywhere, like broken dolls, lying lifelessly on this devastated land. The glaring scarlet blood trickled together, meandering along the uneven ground, like streams weeping blood, reflecting the extremely tragic scene of the battlefield and telling the story of the thrilling and life-and-death battle that had just taken place.

Just as the monsters temporarily stopped their frenzied attacks, this brief respite was extremely precious, like a ray of dawn breaking through the darkness. Lin Yu suddenly raised his head. His originally determined face was now covered with a mixture of dust and sweat stains. The dust, sticking to his face due to the sweat, traced messy and mottled mud marks on his cheeks, as if they were the marks of vicissitudes engraved by the passage of time. His eyes were bloodshot, like a fine cobweb stained with blood, but there was a resolute and determined light in them, like a cold star. In this dim and bloody battlefield, it became a bright spot of hope in everyone's heart. He summoned all his strength and roared hoarsely, "Brothers, this is the moment! Hurry up! Accelerate the restoration of the seal! This is our last chance in this desperate battle. For the homeland we love deeply behind us, use up our last bit of strength!"

Upon hearing these words, everyone endured the extreme fatigue as if their bodies were about to fall apart and the intense, piercing pain from their wounds. Gritting their teeth tightly, relying on their indomitable willpower like steel, they swayed their bodies and struggled to get up. Their bodies trembled slightly, and their steps were unsteady, but after just a few shakes, they immediately stabilized their postures and, without hesitation, threw themselves wholeheartedly into the extremely tense and crucial work of seal restoration.

The cultivators carefully stretched out their trembling hands. The veins on their hands stood out, and their hands were covered with wounds and bloodstains, yet they firmly held the last batch of extremely precious materials, which were like rare treasures. These materials emitted a mysterious and powerful light all over, with a gorgeous and dazzling color. As the light halo circulated, it seemed to be whispering ancient and legendary past events. Each piece seemed to contain an endless source of spiritual power, profound and alluring. They murmured words under their breath, their voices low and hoarse but full of power, as if ancient incantations were echoing in the air. Their hands deftly danced out a series of spells, their finger techniques light and elegant, just like colorful butterflies dancing, agile and wonderful. As the spells were cast, the spiritual power flowed in like a trickling stream, and the materials gradually became soft and warm, as if a vivid soul had been injected into them, giving them the rhythm of life. Then, they concentrated intently and precisely embedded these softened materials into every tiny gap and damaged part of the seal. Their movements were gentle, slow, and cautious, as if they were meticulously carving a peerless and rare treasure, allowing no room for the slightest error.

The cultivators who were proficient in the art of runes had a focused and solemn expression. They held a sharp carving knife in their hands. The carving knife stood steadily in their hands, like a natural extension of their arms, integrated with them. They used their powerful and majestic spiritual power as a guide and infused it into the carving knife. In an instant, when the carving knife touched the seal, it burst into a dazzling light, as if a star had fallen to the mortal world. On the seal, they moved the knife as fast as flying and engraved a series of more powerful, complex, and mysterious defensive runes. The runes sparkled with a brilliant golden light, their lines smooth, natural, and elegant, interweaving with each other. They were just like vivid and strange creatures, quickly and closely integrating with the seal, adding a powerful and majestic force to the seal, as if putting on an indestructible and golden-glowing sacred armor for it, making it exude a solemn and majestic aura.

Lin Yu stood tall and proudly in front of the seal. Although his clothes were tattered and torn, and the fluttering strips of cloth were stained with blood and dust, he exuded an aura that made people feel at ease and was extremely powerful, like a towering mountain, holding up a sky of hope for everyone. From the palms of his hands, a thick and heavy chaotic power surged out. The black chaotic power was like boiling and tumbling hot magma, surging wildly, emitting a mysterious and profound aura as if from the beginning of the ancient chaos, making people feel intimidated. His eyes were as sharp as torches, and his gaze was firmly fixed on the seal, carefully and keenly searching for the part of the seal that had been most severely eroded by the evil forces. In those eroded places, the black evil aura was like a ferocious viper, coiling tightly, exuding a nauseating stench, as if it were a lair of death and darkness. Lin Yu took a deep breath, suppressed the tension and solemnity in his heart, and slowly transmitted the chaotic power. When the chaotic power collided with the evil forces, there was immediately a sharp "sizzling" sound, as if the forces of good and evil were engaged in a thrilling and life-and-death battle on this silent battlefield. Every collision erupted with a powerful and violent energy fluctuation, like surging waves crashing against the surrounding air, making Lin Yu's clothes flutter and crackle, as if playing a passionate battle song.

With the concerted efforts of everyone and racing against time, the seal finally began to change significantly. The originally dim, weak, and precarious light, which was like a dying candle in the wind that could go out at any moment, gradually became bright and stable. That light was like the rising sun, breaking through the shackles of the thick darkness, shining with a dazzling and hopeful radiance, illuminating this battlefield shrouded in haze. The wisps of black evil forces that were trying to erode the seal, under the illumination of this rejuvenated light, were like ghosts that could not stand the light. They began to slowly retreat, twisting their bodies reluctantly and fleeing backward. The speed of their erosion significantly slowed down, and finally, they were temporarily contained within a certain range, as if blocked by an invisible but indestructible barrier, unable to act recklessly any longer.

As the last rune was perfectly engraved, the nerves of Lin Yu and the others, which had been stretched to the limit, finally relaxed a little. At that moment, they felt as if all the strength in their bodies had been completely drained in an instant. Their legs went weak, and they could no longer support their extremely tired bodies. They all collapsed and sat on the ground covered with gravel and bloodstains. The sharp gravel pressed against their backs and limbs, but they seemed to be oblivious to it, immersed in this momentary relaxation. Although everyone's faces were covered with dust and sweat, their hair was messily stuck to their foreheads, their clothes were tattered, scarred, and stained with blood, looking extremely embarrassed, there was a relieved smile in their eyes without exception. This smile was like the first ray of sunlight breaking through the ice in spring, warm and bright, full of hope and longing for the future, dispelling the haze and fatigue in their hearts.

Lin Yu struggled to raise his arm, which felt as heavy as a thousand catties. He casually wiped the sweat off his face with his dirty sleeve. The sweat mixed with the dust, leaving a dirty mark on his face, but he didn't care at all. He looked at the rejuvenated seal with a complicated expression, his heart filled with mixed feelings and a multitude of emotions. He knew deeply that although this had only temporarily alleviated the current crisis, the evil forces were still eyeing them in the dark, like a hungry wolf hiding in the depths of the darkness, greedily eyeing its prey, and could launch a more deadly attack on them at any time, extinguishing this hard-won ray of hope again. But at least they had done their best to buy more precious preparation time for the Spiritual Domain and the Cultivation World, giving the countless living beings in these two worlds a chance to catch their breath and survive, so that they would not immediately fall into endless darkness and despair.

"Everyone, take a rest first and recover your strength," Lin Yu's voice carried a trace of unmaskable fatigue, like the dull sound of a worn-out bellows, but it contained unwavering power. It resounded in everyone's ears like a sonorous bell, deafening. "After we take a short rest, we will immediately return to the Spiritual Domain, report the situation here truthfully to the major forces, and then jointly discuss and formulate a more comprehensive and rigorous response plan for the next step. We bear the hopes and fates of countless people. No matter how difficult and dangerous the road ahead may be, we must grit our teeth and persevere! This is our mission and our responsibility!"

Upon hearing these words, everyone nodded vigorously. Their eyes were full of trust and admiration for Lin Yu, like shining stars. Then, they began to close their eyes and regulate their breath, quickly forming seals with their hands, circulating their spiritual power, and seizing this short and precious time to recover their spiritual power and adjust their own state, ready to face the more arduous and cruel challenges ahead. They all knew clearly in their hearts that this life-and-death battle against the evil forces had just opened its heavy and heroic prelude. The road ahead was long and difficult, but they were not afraid at all, because they were the last line of defense to protect this world and the spark of hope, and they would surely burn to the end.