Floating life reflects two lotuses

The side hall returned to silence, but a strange energy fluctuation seemed to linger in the air, sending chills down one's spine. Xiao Jinlian stood before the mural, a hint of doubt and contemplation in her eyes.

"Lian'er, the light and shadow array just now..." Li Heng said in a low voice, trying to organize his thoughts, "...that feeling was like some kind of...summoning."

“That’s right,” Xiao Jinlian nodded gently, her gaze still fixed on the runes in the center of the mural. “This energy doesn’t belong to our space-time; it’s like it’s connected to another space.”

“Another space?” Silan asked in surprise. “Princess, you mean…”

“I can’t be completely sure either, but the energy fluctuations just now seem to have awakened some kind of latent connection.” Xiao Jinlian reached out, her fingers gently tracing the lines of the runes, as if she could feel the faint warmth. “These runes are exactly the same as the ones we saw in the Spirit Offering Secret Land. There must be some kind of resonance between them.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the runes on the mural flickered slightly again, as if in response to her guess. In an instant, a slight tremor came from the ground, and the three of them immediately looked around alertly.

"What's going on?" Silan gripped the dagger in her hand, her voice tinged with tension.

Li Heng stood beside Xiao Jinlian, protecting her side, and said in a deep voice, "Be careful, it might be residual energy from the formation."

Xiao Jinlian took a deep breath and said calmly, "Don't panic, this fluctuation is not an offensive force, it's like..." She paused, her brows furrowing slightly, as if trying to find the right word, "...like a resonance, or rather...a signal."

"A signal?" Li Heng's brows furrowed deeply. "What does that mean?"

“It’s trying to communicate with us.” Xiao Jinlian placed her palm on the mural, closed her eyes, and focused on feeling the faint energy. “It’s not just a guide, but also an invitation, or some kind of test.”

Before she could finish speaking, her palm suddenly felt warm, as if an invisible force had pierced through her body. At the same time, a strange yet familiar image suddenly flooded her mind—

The deep tunnel, the runic stone pillars emitting a faint glow, and the low, ancient chanting echoing in her ears. She saw a spacious stone hall, in which stood a massive stone tablet, covered with intricate runes that almost perfectly matched the lines on the murals. Behind the tablet, a portal of light was faintly visible, as if leading to another world.

Xiao Jinlian suddenly opened her eyes and took a step back, panting.

"What's wrong?" Li Heng quickly steadied her, his eyes filled with worry. "What did you see?"

“Stone tablet… runes… portal…” Xiao Jinlian’s voice trembled slightly. “These runes are the key to the Spirit Offering Secret Land. And that portal… it’s not just an entrance, but more like a bridge connecting two timelines.”

Silan's face turned pale: "Two timelines? Princess, this...this is too unbelievable."

“But that’s the truth,” Xiao Jinlian said calmly, trying to suppress the shock in her heart. “This formation is used to stabilize the soul and energy. If we can decipher it, perhaps we can fully understand the secrets of the Spirit Offering Secret Land.”

Li Heng didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he looked down at the center of the array model. The runes were gradually dimming, but a strange power still lingered in the air.

“Just now,” he began slowly, his voice low and calm, “I also felt that fluctuation. It…it made me feel as if I had touched some distant place. That feeling is indescribable.”

Xiao Jinlian's gaze sharpened, clearly realizing something: "You felt it too? Could it be..." Her gaze swept over him, then turned to the mural, "This formation is not only transmitting information, it is also testing our soul resonance."

“Soul resonance?” Silan hesitated. “What does that mean?”

“If I’m not mistaken,” Xiao Jinlian said slowly, her tone carrying a hint of certainty, “this formation requires at least two souls to resonate in order to truly unlock its secrets.”

Li Heng pondered for a moment, then nodded: "So what should we do next?"

Xiao Jinlian smiled gently, a resolute glint in her eyes: "We must achieve this resonance and fully activate the energy of this formation. Only in this way can we obtain the true key to the Spirit Offering Secret Land."

She raised her hand and touched the runes on the mural again. At that moment, the runes seemed to sense her determination, and a faint light shone again. Accompanied by a low hum, the entire mural began to slowly rotate, revealing a hidden mechanism.

“This is its core,” Xiao Jinlian said in a low voice.

Li Heng nodded and stood beside her, his gaze fixed firmly on the mechanism: "Whatever it is, we must try." He placed his palm on the rune, closed his eyes, and felt the subtle power.

In an instant, the light in the entire side hall became even brighter, and the energy of the rune array began to flow rapidly. They could vaguely feel a strong pulling force.

In an instant, Xiao Jinlian and Li Heng's consciousness seemed to be pulled into a vortex, and a deep chanting sound reached their ears, as if it were a call from ancient times. They simultaneously saw the portal of light, and another world vaguely emerging behind it.

At that moment, the boundary between the two times and spaces seemed to blur.

The runic light within the side hall gradually faded, but the lingering energy waves remained unsettling. Xiao Jinlian stared silently at the center of the formation, her brows furrowed, as if pondering some profound problem.

"Princess, is this formation really connected to the Spirit Offering Secret Ground?" Silan broke the silence, her voice filled with hesitation and curiosity.

“It not only connects to the secret place of offering spirits,” Xiao Jinlian said slowly, her tone becoming more somber, “it also hides an even greater secret. And this secret can only be unraveled through in-depth exploration.”

Li Heng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the dimmed runes: "Although the formation has lost its function, the location it points to is clearly of great importance. What should we do next?"

Xiao Jinlian did not answer immediately, but turned around and looked at the Taoist priest standing in a corner of the side hall: "Shouldn't you tell us more?"

The Taoist priest raised his eyes, his gaze complex as he looked at the three. His face remained expressionless, but his voice carried a hoarse, weary quality: "What do you want to know?"

"The origin of this formation," Xiao Jinlian looked directly at him, her tone leaving no room for doubt, "and your understanding of the Spirit Stream."

The Taoist priest remained silent for a moment, as if considering his words. Then he sighed, "Now that you have discovered the secret here, I no longer need to hide it. This Taoist temple does indeed have close ties with the Lingjian Organization."

Upon hearing this, Silan tensed up immediately, her hand instinctively tightening its grip on the dagger: "Are you from Lingjian?"

"It used to be." The Taoist priest lowered his head slightly, his eyes showing a hint of heaviness. "Decades ago, I was ordered to build this Taoist temple to protect the power of the runes and prevent them from falling into the hands of those with ulterior motives."

“Guardian runes?” Li Heng frowned, his tone becoming more scrutinizing. “Then why not completely destroy these things instead of letting them continue to exist?”

The Taoist priest gave a wry smile and shook his head: "Do you think these runes are just simple patterns? Their essence is the convergence of energy, a bridge connecting heaven and earth. If they are destroyed easily, it may trigger an even greater disaster."

"Then what is the Spirit Offering Secret Ground?" Xiao Jinlian pressed, "What is its relationship with these runes?"

"The Spirit Offering Secret Land is the core of the runic power, and also the place that the Spirit Stream Organization has always tried to control." The Taoist priest's voice was low and slow, each word seemingly weighing heavily on one's heart. "But it is also a huge cursed place. If the power gets out of control, the whole world may fall into chaos."

Just as the three were processing the Taoist priest's words, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall. Immediately afterwards, the main door was kicked open, and a group of assassins in black rushed into the side hall, their long, gleaming swords pointed directly at Xiao Jinlian and the others.

"It's Consort Yan's men again!" Si Lan whispered, quickly stepping in front of Xiao Jinlian.

Li Heng drew his longsword and calmly said to Xiao Jinlian, "Take care of yourselves. We can handle this."

Before she could finish speaking, an assassin charged forward, blade aimed straight at Si Lan's throat. Si Lan nimbly dodged to the side, then swiftly thrust her dagger towards the assassin's waist with a clean and decisive movement. On the other side, Li Heng swung his sword to meet three assassins, his sword flashing like lightning, sharp and precise, each strike carrying a deadly threat.

Xiao Jinlian quickly retreated to the mural, trying to protect the formation from being destroyed. However, the assassins' target was clearly not just her; many others headed straight for the formation.

"They're trying to destroy the formation!" Xiao Jinlian exclaimed, then gritted her teeth and pressed her palm against the center of the formation, attempting to activate the remaining runic energy.

"Don't let them get close!" Li Heng commanded while fighting. His swordsmanship was as fluid as flowing water, forcing the enemy back several steps, but the number of assassins was simply too great, and they gradually closed in.

Silan was also covered in sweat. Although she was nimble with her dagger, she was struggling against several enemies. Panting, she called out to Xiao Jinlian, "Princess, hurry!"

At this critical moment, Xiao Jinlian finally activated the core of the formation. A stone slab hidden behind the mural slowly rose, revealing an ancient artifact inlaid with strange runes.

"It's this!" Xiao Jinlian took off the antique without hesitation and hugged it tightly to her chest. "This is the key."

Li Heng rushed to her side and shielded her as they retreated towards the back door: "Let's go!"

The Taoist priest stood up and stood behind the crowd, coldly saying to the assassins, "None of you should ever try to touch the power of the runes."

After saying that, he made a hand gesture and released a net of runes that trapped the assassins.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the three quickly withdrew from the side hall and ran down the mountain path.

Back outside the Taoist temple, Xiao Jinlian unfolded the ancient artifact and examined it carefully, discovering that its runes once again pointed to a familiar location—the imperial tomb.

"It seems our next step must be to go to the Imperial Mausoleum," Xiao Jinlian said softly, her eyes filled with determination. "That is the key to uncovering the secrets of the Sacrifice of Spirits."

Li Heng nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "In that case, let's be fully prepared. No matter who it is, they shouldn't try to stop us."

Silan wiped the sweat from her brow and gripped her dagger tightly: "Princess, when do we depart?"

Xiao Jinlian glanced at the distant horizon and slowly said, "We will set off for the imperial mausoleum early tomorrow morning."