A crack of milky white light, like a scar on the earth, stretched across the ancient, moss-covered stone slabs. However, no one cared about this mysterious sealed node now, for a more pressing crisis loomed from three directions.
From the east, five figures clad in advanced Gene Alliance combat uniforms rushed towards them. Leading them was none other than Captain Harold, the exoskeleton officer wearing a monocular electronic lens, who had previously clashed with Lin Xingyun on the islands of Manila Bay. His equipment was now even more sophisticated, the weapon modules on his back flashing a dangerous light, his eyes cold as a machine. Behind him, the team members also exuded a formidable aura, wielding strangely shaped energy weapons, clearly an elite squad.
From the shadows of the jungle to the west and south, three sorcerers dressed in pitch-black, ancient garb emerged silently. Leading the group was a hunched old woman, wielding a snake-skull staff. Her face was covered in bizarre tattoos, her eye sockets sunken like two black holes. She exuded a sickening aura of decay and coldness. She was none other than the witch, the leader of the "Shadow Serpent" in this area. Behind her were two sorcerers. One held a wriggling black pottery jar, while the other had a nearly transparent silk thread entwined between her fingers. The other end of the thread disappeared into thin air, connecting to an unknown object.
The five Star Sea Shamans surrounded the rift, back to back, trapped between three forces: the Gene Alliance, the Shadow Serpent, and the unknown seal beneath their feet. The air froze, thick with murderous aura, even the chirping of birds and insects in the forest vanished. "It seems we've discovered something interesting." Captain Harold's electronic eyes flashed red as he scanned the rift, then glanced at Lin Xingyun and the other group, along with the witch's group. "However, clearing out the small fry is a necessary step before enjoying the main meal." He clearly considered both the Star Sea Shaman and the Shadow Serpent obstacles to be eliminated.
The witch let out a hoarse laugh, like a night owl: "Iron Golem, your eyes only see the surface light. The power dormant beneath this rift is beyond the comprehension of you brute-force warriors. It belongs to an ancient darkness, and belongs to my lord, the 'Sleeping God'!" Her words revealed a disturbing message, as if she had some understanding of what lay beneath the seal.
Lin Xingyun's mind raced. A head-on confrontation between the three parties would be a dead end. We must exploit the contradictions between the enemies! He took a deep breath and spoke loudly, "Haunted woman! You seek the sealed object. The Gene Alliance, on the other hand, seeks all the spiritual energy of this land! If they succeed, using their iron instruments to format and drain all the energy here, will there be any place for you, the 'Sleeping Gods'?"
His words precisely addressed the hag's concerns. The Shadow Serpent sought a specific, ancient energy imbued with yin properties. If it were indiscriminately plundered or destroyed by the Gene Alliance, it would be a complete waste.
The hag's cloudy eyes turned toward Lin Xingyun, a glint of cunning and scrutiny flashing in them. "Boy, what are you trying to say?"
"A temporary ceasefire!" Lin Xingyun declared firmly. "Repel these foreign marauders first! Otherwise, no one will get what they want! As for what lies beneath the rift, it'll be up to each of us to determine!"
Captain Harold snorted coldly, "A temporary alliance of foolish natives? Perfect for dealing with them all!" Without further hesitation, he raised his arm, and a beam of blazing white energy instantly shot towards Buakaw, who stood at the forefront!
The battle erupted instantly! But the situation subtly shifted!
Just as the energy beam was about to strike Buakaw, several shadowy tentacles suddenly shot out from the hands of the sorcerer behind the witch. Instead of attacking Buakaw, they narrowly entangled Captain Harold's arm, deflecting the energy beam and shattering a nearby ancient tree!
"Witch! You!" Harold was shocked and furious.
"Hmph, Iron Puppet, your noise is disturbing me," the witch said sinisterly, tacitly accepting Lin Xingyun's offer of temporary "cooperation." Though evil, she was not foolish and clearly understood that the Gene Alliance posed a greater threat at this moment.
This sudden turn of events caught the Gene Alliance team off guard!
"Opportunity!" Lin Xingyun shouted. "Dilawang, disrupt their formation! Aisha, create a protective barrier, focusing on defending against energy attacks! Nguyen Thi Mai, create environmental obstacles! Buakaw, follow me, a swift and decisive battle!"
Dilawang immediately chanted a spell, and the ground shook slightly. Several broken stone statues seemed to come alive, shifting positions, disrupting the Gene Alliance team's attack. Aisha's batik barrier shone brightly, focusing on defending against energy weapons. Nguyen Thi Mai waved her hands, and the surrounding moisture condensed into a thick fog. The ground became muddy and slippery, greatly limiting the Gene Alliance members' mobility.
Lin Xingyun and Buakaw, like tigers descending from the mountains, pounced directly on Captain Harold! With Shadow Serpent holding the other team members back, they could concentrate their attacks on their strongest point!
Buakaw's iron fists embodied the violent power of the earth. Each blow was devastating, forcing Harold to fully engage his exoskeleton armor. Lin Xingyun, like a ghost, wielded the Shadow Serpent Witch Mark, flickering around Harold, his dagger focused on the weak points in his armor joints and energy ducts! More crucially, Lin Xingyun periodically activated the "Compassionate Buddha Hand Mark." While the peaceful golden light had little effect on Harold himself, it effectively purified and dispelled the sporadic sorcery the Shadow Serpents unleashed, attempting to attack them as well, thus preventing them from being attacked from both sides.
The battle became extremely bizarre and intense. The Gene Alliance was an obvious target, enduring the Star Sea Witches' frontal assaults and the Shadow Serpents' cunning sneak attacks. Meanwhile, the Star Sea Witches and the Shadow Serpents maintained a fragile, mutually cautious "understanding," working together to deal with the formidable enemy before them.
Captain Harold, despite his formidable strength, gradually fell behind under these unfavorable circumstances, facing both frontal and unfavorable attacks. His armor was damaged in many places, and his energy levels plummeted. "Retreat!" Seeing the situation was hopeless, Captain Harold decisively ordered the remaining troops to retreat, fighting as they retreated towards Ta Prohm Temple.
The Genetic Alliance temporarily retreated, leaving only the Star Sea Witches, the Shadow Serpents, and the crack still emitting a milky white light.
The brief alliance collapsed in an instant.
The witch's black hole-like eyes immediately fixed greedily on the crack, and the two sorcerers behind her also advanced.
"Now, it's time to settle our affairs, boy." The witch pointed her snake skull staff at Lin Xingyun. "Get out of the way, and perhaps I'll consider leaving you with your bodies intact."
Lin Xingyun stood with his sword across his shoulders. Although slightly breathless from the fierce battle, his eyes remained firm: "If you want to get through, you must first step over our corpses."
Just as the two sides were on the verge of a new round of conflict, a new change occurred!
The milky white light in the crack suddenly flickered violently, and a low, ancient heartbeat, as if from the depths of the earth, echoed! "Boom... boom... boom..."
The heartbeat carried a strange rhythm, as if resonating with the stones of Angkor Wat! In the direction of Bayon Temple, the enormous Buddha's face seemed to shift slightly, its compassionate gaze seeming to transcend space, casting a piercing gaze upon this small clearing!
The witch's face suddenly changed, and she exclaimed, "'It' is awakening! Impossible! The time has not come yet!"
Before she finished her words, the milky white light within the cracks suddenly contracted, and then, like a geyser, a gentle yet irresistible beam of light erupted, soaring into the sky! Countless tiny golden runes could be faintly seen flowing within the beam!
A vast, compassionate, yet supremely majestic will instantly enveloped the entire place!
Before this will, the evil auras of the witch and her sorcerers melted like ice and snow, and they let out shrill screams. They stared at the beam of light in horror, no longer caring for anything else. They disintegrated into black smoke and vanished into the jungle. Lin Xingyun and the other four were also shaken by this will, but what they felt was not pain, but a warm comfort and a heavy sense of anticipation. The beam of light persisted for several seconds, then slowly converged, finally converging into a vague, light-like Buddha figure above the rift. Its finger seemed to point in the distant direction of Bayon Temple.
Then the shadow dissipated, and the rift returned to calm, but the ancient heartbeat remained like a brand in everyone's heart.
Dilawang gazed toward Bayon Temple and murmured, "The ancient guardian... is calling us. The true secret lies beneath that 'Khmer smile.'"
The crisis was temporarily averted, but it also led to a greater mystery. The Star Sea Shaman's final destination was now clear.
(End of Chapter 19)