In the nick of time, Lin Yi suddenly thought of the sixth fragment obtained from the altar. With all his might, he fused the fragment's power with his own spiritual energy and the device's energy. In his Sea of Consciousness, a brilliant light burst forth, and the resonance level instantly increased to 29%!
"Just a little more!" Lin Yi could feel his consciousness gradually fading and his control over the body slipping away bit by bit. Outside Myriad Sound Valley, the attacks of the three major sects had pushed the protective formation to the brink of collapse. Once the formation shattered, Myriad Sound Valley would be devastated.
Lin Yi's consciousness teetered on the verge of collapse in the darkness. The phantom of the 426th adapter transformed into chains, coiling around the core of his Sea of Consciousness. The sound of the protective valley - guarding formation cracking outside pounded on his nerves like a death knell. The countdown on the device interface was brutally stark: [Remaining defense of consciousness core: 03:17], while the resonance level stubbornly remained stuck at 29%.
"Haha! Give up the fight!" The voice of the 426th adapter was filled with twisted glee. "You think fusing the fragments will get you through? I tried every method back then, and in the end, wasn't I still betrayed by this device..." His words cut off abruptly as Lin Yi suddenly turned his gaze deep into his Sea of Consciousness—where the initial code of the black device slumbered, flickering with mysterious and dangerous light.
"If the usual methods don't work..." Lin Yi coughed up blood, but his smile was one of resolve. He forcefully activated the [Partial Spatial Law Modification Permission] that he hadn't fully mastered yet, constructing a miniature multi - dimensional space within his Sea of Consciousness. The residual consciousnesses were immediately thrown into chaos, their attack trajectories deviating in the distorted space.
Meanwhile, the battle outside Myriad Sound Valley had reached a fever pitch. The Blood Fiend Sect Master formed seals with his hands, transforming the Blood River Formation into a giant blood - colored dragon that crashed into the last line of defense of the protective formation. The black - robed man of the Nether Sect led the elite disciples, unleashing seventy - two Nether Banners to create a vortex that devoured spiritual energy. And the cultivators of the third sect chanted eerie incantations in the shadows, the surface of their artifacts showing patterns similar to the Nine Star Meteorite Palaces mark on Lin Yi's chest.
Yun Ge stood at the core of the formation, three strings of her guqin already broken. Looking at Lin Yi's trembling figure, she took off the jade pendant around her neck—the keepsake left by the First Valley Master of Myriad Sound Valley, which was now resonating with the star meteorite iron in Lin Yi's body. "No matter what you're going through, I believe in you!" She channeled the power of the pendant into the protective formation, and miraculously, the light patterns of the formation began to repair.
In his Sea of Consciousness, Lin Yi's multi - dimensional space started to collapse, but he also found the breakthrough at the last moment. He sank his consciousness into the device's initial code, using himself as a catalyst to forcefully rewrite the resonance algorithm. The intense pain almost made him lose consciousness, but at that moment, the resonance level on the device interface began to jump wildly: 29.1%, 29.3%, 29.7%...
"Now!" Seizing the opportunity, Lin Yi activated the [Consciousness Purge Program]. Dazzling light burst from the core of the device, and the residual consciousnesses let out ear - piercing screams as they dissipated in the radiance. Before vanishing, the phantom of the 426th adapter wore an expression of disbelief. "You... you actually rewrote the device's underlying logic..."
In reality, Lin Yi's eyes snapped open, shining with a light that didn't belong to this world. With a wave of his hand, the blood - colored dragon and the Nether Banner formation that charged towards Myriad Sound Valley disintegrated into pure spiritual energy the moment they touched the quantum barrier in front of him. The cultivators of the three major sects were horrified to find their artifacts trembling uncontrollably—the device had initiated the forced formatting program for all low - dimensional creations that had made illegal contact with star meteorite iron.
"Your farce ends here." Lin Yi's voice seemed to come from the depths of the universe, carrying a terrifying majesty(awe - inspiring authority). A projection of the device appeared in his palm, and he pressed the confirmation button towards the void. In an instant, the attack formations of the three major sects collapsed completely, and the cultivators were sent flying like broken kites. The bone flute in the black - robed man's hand of the Nether Sect even turned directly to dust.
But the battle was not yet over. The device interface suddenly popped up an emergency alert: [Abnormal expansion of the multiverse rift detected] [Warning: Temporal backlash caused by the consciousness purge program]. Lin Yi looked up at the sky to see the clouds above Myriad Sound Valley twisting. A crack exuding a chaotic aura slowly opened, from which countless eerie roars emanated...
Yun Ge's gaze was fixed on the strange, swirling light surrounding Lin Yi. The strings of her guqin trembled and let out a mournful hum, disturbed by the surging spiritual energy. As the master of Myriad Sound Valley, she was well - versed in all forms of spiritual energy fluctuations within the valley, yet the power before her was like nothing she'd ever witnessed. The paths traced by those glimmering lights mirrored, in an uncanny way, the patterns etched upon the star meteorite iron altar left behind by the First Valley Master. "Lin Yi, the power you're wielding… is it connected to the star meteorite iron?" Her words were soon drowned out by the deafening roars echoing from the void.
The black - robed man of the Nether Sect staggered to his feet amidst the rubble. His left eye had been reduced to a charred, smoking hollow, a gruesome aftermath of the mysterious force's impact. Staring at the ever - expanding rift in the sky, he suddenly broke into maniacal laughter. "Well played, 427th adapter! You think defeating us spells victory? The abominations emerging from that rift are beyond even the device's—" His taunts were cut short as a blood - red chain shot out from the rift, ensnaring him and dragging him into the depths of darkness.
The Blood Fiend Sect Master's face drained of all color as he clutched desperately at the disintegrating Blood River Command Flag. A seasoned cultivator with three centuries of experience, he felt a primal fear he'd never known before. The aura seeping from the rift evoked memories of the chaos described in ancient tomes, harking back to the very birth of the universe. "Fall back! Sound the retreat and alert all disciples at once!" His urgent command was lost as countless alien creatures, their exoskeletons glistening with star meteorite iron, poured forth from the yawning chasm.
Lin Yi's device interface flashed wildly, bombarding him with a stream of alarming prompts: [Emergency protocol activation failed] [Dimensional stabilization program collapsed]. As he prepared to channel the mysterious power once more, Yun Ge's hand shot out, seizing his wrist. "Stop! Don't use that power again!" She positioned her guqin between them, the strings crackling with the unique sound - wave spiritual energy of Myriad Sound Valley. "Ever since these creatures appeared, the stronger your power surges, the more ferocious their attacks become. Ancient records in Myriad Sound Valley indicate that star meteorite iron shares a strange resonance with chaotic entities. In your current state, you're practically a beacon drawing them in!"
Lin Yi's pupils constricted sharply. A scan from the device confirmed her suspicions—the alien creatures within the rift were indeed homing in on energy signatures similar to those of star meteorite iron. Even more alarming, the star meteorite iron fragments within his body began to resonate uncontrollably, as if answering the call of some malevolent force lurking deep within the rift. His fingertips quivered involuntarily, and the device emitted a searing pain, protesting against the excessive strain. He watched in dread as the approaching creatures' exoskeletons, adorned with swirling star meteorite iron patterns, seemed to echo the seal on his chest. A deafening, mechanical rumble resounded from the clouds, and the edges of the rift (distorted and warped), unleashing a tidal wave of smell (rotten, putrid energy).
"But if we don't halt the rift, the entire world will be consumed!" Lin Yi's voice trembled with a desperation he'd never shown before. He delved once more into the core of the device, only to find the initial code in a state of disarray, a consequence of his earlier forced rewrites.
Just then, a raspy voice pierced the chaos. "Perhaps… there's another way." The old priest of Myriad Sound Valley shuffled forward, leaning heavily on a staff intricately engraved with star - like patterns. A strange glint flashed in his cloudy eyes. "What the First Valley Master left at the star meteorite iron altar wasn't merely inheritance; there was also…" His words were abruptly cut off by a violent spatial tremor. A charred fragment of star meteorite iron plummeted from the sky, landing at Lin Yi's feet with a thud.
The device interface immediately lit up with a special prompt: [Remnant of the 0th adapter detected] [Initiating cross - dimensional resonance protocol requires 30% resonance]. Lin Yi's eyes darted between the patterns on the fragment, identical to those of the device, and the old priest's weathered palm, where the same mark was clearly visible.
"So you're…"
"No time for explanations!" The old priest slammed his staff onto the ground, triggering a deep rumble from beneath Myriad Sound Valley. "Use your power to stabilize the rift. Yun Ge and I will activate the 'Falling Star Boundary - Sealing Formation' left by the First Valley Master. Whatever you do, don't let anything from the rift get anywhere near the core secrets!" Before Lin Yi could press for answers, the ground beneath them heaved violently. Beads of sweat rolled down the old priest's wrinkled forehead as he gritted his teeth and intoned an ancient incantation. The star patterns atop his staff flared brightly, interweaving with Yun Ge's sound - wave light net to form a translucent shield overhead. The alien creatures let out ear - piercing shrieks as they crashed into the shield. Where their star meteorite iron - patterned exoskeletons made contact, tendrils of purple smoke billowed forth.
Yun Ge's fingers flew across the guqin strings, weaving a net of light from sound waves that held the alien horde at bay—for now. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Lin Yi forced the device interface into defense mode. He knew that this battle was not just about safeguarding Myriad Sound Valley; it was about mending the dimensional wound torn open by his ill - fated forced resonance with the mysterious power.
Deep within the rift, a pair of colossal eyes bathed in eerie blue light slowly opened. Countless chains, adorned with star meteorite iron patterns, began to snake outward. And at the core of the device, a long - sealed memory stirred, threatening to unlock the truth about the 0th adapter, the first multiverse war, and the true origins of the enigmatic black device...