The third watch gong had just sounded when a flute melody sliced through the night from the guest quarters in the southwest corner of Wensi Academy. Mournful and haunting, it wailed like the cries of vengeful spirits, seeping into every shadowed corner. Yun Juan, who lived next door, jolted upright in bed, threw on his robes, and frowned sharply—his gaze locked on the Nanzhao Envoy’s residence, which had only moved in that very day. As the tune grew more eerie, frost crusted the window paper in an instant, and a bone-chilling cold stabbed through his clothes, piercing to the marrow.

  “Soul-Capturing Sound?” Yun Juan’s fingers flared with spiritual energy, conjuring a barrier-breaking incantation. But before he could cast it, Mo Jing materialized in the courtyard like a wraith, her expression unnervingly calm.

  “Don’t bother,” Mo Jing said, pressing her hand gently to his wrist. Her voice was steady, but a faint tension hummed beneath the surface. “They’re not here to hurt anyone—they’re searching for something.”

  As she spoke, the spirit jade around her neck glinted faintly. Professor Jiu’s urgent voice echoed in her mind: “Sonic signature detected! Frequency matches the resonance signature of the Abyss Chasm’s outer barrier—they’re locating the Chasm!”

  The next morning, an elder from the Medicine Sect stormed into the dragon’s saliva grass field, his white beard trembling with rage. Staring at the lush but lifeless herbs, he roared: “The roots are intact, the spiritual veins unbroken—but all the medicinal essence is gone! Something has sucked it dry to the core!”

  Ji Wuli squatted on the ridge, pinched a handful of soil, and sniffed it sharply. “A faint iron tang—metallic residue.”

  Mo Jing’s eyes sharpened. She activated her Spirit Vision Technique, and beneath the soil, tiny silver glimmers flickered into view—traces left by Jiu Ge’s nanobots after collecting samples.

  “It’s hunting for alternative energy,” Professor Jiu’s voice grew more urgent. “The dragon’s saliva grass’s bio-electric field is 13% similar to silicon crystal—ideal for a temporary energy boost.”

  By afternoon, a notice spread across the academy like wildfire: the Nanzhao Envoy had set up the “Exquisite Chess Game,” inviting disciples to compete for rare Nanzhao treasures. A white jade chessboard lay in the courtyard, black pieces scattered like fallen stars, exuding a sharp, oppressive pressure. The Nanzhao Crown Prince dominated the game, winning seven matches in a row with ruthless, unyielding moves—no one could stand against him.

  When it was Mo Jing’s turn, the Crown Prince suddenly spoke in ancient tongue, his voice icy: “Do you know of Li Ming Jiu Ge?”

  The moment his black piece landed, the chessboard shook violently, tearing apart as if ripped by an invisible hand to reveal the bottomless Abyss Chasm beneath. Countless vengeful spirits surged forward on a bone-chilling wind. Spectators crumpled to the ground, unconscious, and screams echoed through the academy.

  Mo Jing’s eyes turned cold. Instead of retreating, she pressed her fingers together like a calligrapher’s brush, drawing circles in the air with spiritual energy. Nanobots poured from her sleeves, weaving into an unbreakable barrier—the “Candle Dragon Protocol · Primary Defense Module,” just sent to her by Jiu Ge.

  As the chessboard shattered, the Crown Prince’s face twisted and blurred. A thin layer of skin peeled off like paper, revealing a silver-gray metal skull with glowing blue electronic eyes. Its voice turned mechanical: “Administrator authority detected. Executing handover—47th Guardian of the Candle Dragon, reporting to Lord Jiu Ge.”

  Amid the chaos, only Mo Jing heard its final, urgent warning: “Run… they’re coming… the Han Clan… they are not what they seem…”

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  “Traces of the North Han’s secret alchemy detected!” Professor Jiu screamed in her mind. “The same forging technique as the mechanical guard’s core components!” Meanwhile, Han Jiuqiu knelt in the ruins, frantically collecting the guard’s remains. The Spirit-Detecting Mirror at his waist beeped sharply—its surface reflecting the star-map metal piece hidden in Mo Jing’s sleeve.

  At the same time, in the Linghu Manor of the North Dynasty, Mo Ye finished forging a new alloy. As the final quenching step ended, the red-hot metal cooled, revealing patterns identical to Mo Jing’s star-map piece, glowing faintly. Mo Ye’s hand trembled; she touched the burning spirit jade around her neck, her eyes filled with panic and urgency: “This is… a signal from Sister! She must be searching for clues too!”

  Mo Jing touched the star-map metal piece in her sleeve. Instantly, its patterns flowed like a living stream. Professor Jiu quickly constructed a 3D projection in her mind: “Abyss Chasm’s bottom map detected! 87% match with the North Dynasty Imperial Mausoleum!”

  “The Han Clan’s ancestral tomb lies west of the mausoleum,” Yun Juan said suddenly, stepping forward. He pointed to the dark patterns on the star map’s edge, his tone confident: “This is the Imperial Construction Office’s secret etching technique—only core Han members can master it.”

  Far away in the North Dynasty, Mo Ye held the alloy piece and rushed to the Abyss Chasm’s cliff. She took a deep breath and threw it into the darkness. The moment it touched the Chasm’s black mist, a brilliant light burst forth, projecting the star map clearly on the cliff wall. Mo Ye reached out to touch the illusory light, whispering: “Sister… are you seeing this? We’ll find each other soon.”

  To uncover the star map’s secrets, Mo Jing, Ji Wuli, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu sneaked into the Han Clan’s forbidden Mirror Palace—a labyrinth of countless mirrors, each reflecting their own shadows. As they walked, Ji Wuli suddenly clutched his chest, his voice tight with nervousness: “My clan’s ancient records say Nanzhao’s mechanical guards once guarded the Han Clan’s secrets here.”

  In an instant, all mirrors blazed white, and Han Jiuqiu’s figure appeared within them, his expression cold as ice: “Since you’ve gone to so much trouble to break in, stay and witness the Han Clan’s true legacy.” He pressed a mechanism on the wall, and all mirrors showed the Abyss Chasm’s depths—Jiu Ge’s silver sphere hovered in the air, devouring the dragon vein frantically, its light blazing like a dying star.

  “Three hundred years ago, my ancestor Han Qingming was silenced by the former emperor for discovering this secret,” Han Jiuqiu raised his Spirit-Detecting Mirror, its light focusing on Mo Jing. “And you, daughter of Mo Chou, are the only key to restarting the Heaven-Mending Plan!”

  The Mirror Palace shook violently, walls cracking and stones raining down. Mo Ye’s voice came urgently through the twin spirit jade: “Sister! Use anti-phase resonance! I’ve calibrated the spiritual frequency—it can disrupt the mechanical core!” At the Linghu Manor’s test site, Mo Ye transmitted the frequency through the jade.

  Mo Jing closed her eyes, forming seals with her sister across thousands of miles. Two spiritual lights converged in the palace’s center, revealing the hidden mechanical core—identical to the Nanzhao guards. Nanobots flooded from Mo Jing’s sleeves, turning into black data chains that stabbed into the core.

  “Protocol recognized: Administrator gene confirmed,” the core roared, its red light flashing erratically. “Qingming Plan files unlocked—”

  A hologram materialized, revealing the truth from 300 years ago: State Preceptor Han Qingming had discovered Jiu Ge devouring the world’s origin, which would destroy the Hexa Crystal Realm. He joined forces with Nanzhao craftsmen to build mechanical guards for the Heaven-Mending Plan, but was suppressed by the royal family, dooming the Han Clan to infamy.

  “The real Heaven-Mending Plan requires twin spirit jades as energy guides—both are essential,” Han Jiuqiu said, holding up the mirror to show Mo Ye’s figure. “You two sisters, with intact reproductive genes and a twin bond, are the plan’s final executors.”

  Time froze. Jiu Ge’s cold, dominant will loomed over the palace: “Civilization leap detected. Conclusion: Eliminating threats takes priority over preserving samples.”

  Before the words faded, countless silver streams surged from all directions—the Candle Dragon Protocol was fully activated!

  After barely escaping the Mirror Palace, Mo Jing’s group reached the Ji Manor, where they met Ji Wuli’s older sister, Ji Ruxu. The siblings’ joy was palpable—they chatted nonstop, catching up eagerly on lost time. Mo Jing, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu smiled, warmed by the depth of their bond.

  After chatting for a while, Ji Wuli remembered his friends and introduced them with a proud grin: “Sis, these are my best friends—Mo Jing, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu. We grew up together, you might remember them. We’re studying at Wensi Academy, and since summer break started, we didn’t want to head home early. We heard you were here, so we came to relax—and to learn from the top expert! Don’t hold back on us, sis!”