At first light the next morning, the sky had only just begun to pale.
By the time dawn broke, the core spirit vein in Evershade was already ringed in layer after layer of Sylvan guards.
The core spirit vein lay in the deepest part of Evershade, inside the Spirit Vein Sanctum.
At the center of the sanctum stood a massive stone altar.
The whole altar had been carved from smooth, warm spirit jade, and every inch of it was covered in ancient Sylvan sigils.
A faint green spiritual light moved through the sigils, and the altar gave off a weighty, solemn presence.
At the center of the stone altar sat a deep springwell.
Milky-white spirit spring water flowed within it.
Ripples spread across the surface of the spirit spring, and rich spiritual essence came rushing straight at them.
But mixed into it was a trace of murkiness, faint enough to miss if one wasn't looking for it. That was the sign the spirit vein had begun to rot.
Around the springwell sat eight spiritual crystals, each one about the size of a fist.
They were green from end to end and packed with vast spiritual essence, yet their glow had gone dim.
The cause was plain enough. The spirit vein had run dry, and the supply of spiritual essence was no longer enough.
Chief Greenwood, Elder Alder, Elder Cillian, and several other Sylvan elders had all gathered there.
Dressed in the Sylvan Kin's ancient ceremonial robes, they stood around the stone altar.
Their faces were set. Their hands formed seals as ancient Sylvan incantations moved under their breath.
The chant was low and far-reaching, rolling through the entire sanctum.
As the incantation rose, the sigils on the stone altar shone brighter and brighter.
Green spiritual light wound around the stone altar, answering the spirit spring flowing inside the springwell as if the two were breathing together.
The Sylvan Kin gathered along the outer edge of the secret realm with their hands pressed together, faces set in solemn devotion.
Not a sound came from them. They could only pray in silence.
In their eyes, unease and hope stood side by side. This was the Sylvan Kin's last hope.
Jared and Gwendolyn stood at the center of the stone altar.
Gwendolyn stood beside Jared, ice-blue spiritual power moving quietly around her body.
Her attention stayed on every stir in the surroundings, guarding Jared's safety.
Jared drew in a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
The aura around him gradually settled, growing steady and heavy.
He slowly raised both hands until his palms faced each other, and the chaotic force inside him began to pour out in a slow, steady stream.
At first, it was only a faint thread of violet spiritual light spilling from his palms.
That light was pure, yet overbearing, carrying the raw presence of the world at its beginning.
Against the green spiritual essence around it, the contrast was stark.
As Jared's focus settled deeper, the chaotic force swelled harder and harder.
Violet spiritual light kept surging out of him without end.
It gradually gathered into a thick pillar of flame that covered the entire stone altar.
Inside that pillar, countless tiny violet motes of light could be seen flickering faintly.
That was the nascence of the chaotic force, radiating a powerful nourishing power.
Jared slowly opened his eyes. Something in them locked into place.
Then both hands drove down at once, and the violet pillar of chaotic light plunged straight down in an instant.
It shot directly into the spirit spring at the center of the stone altar.
"Weng..."
A low, heavy hum rolled out and shook the entire secret realm.
The instant the pillar of chaotic force plunged into the spirit spring, the spring erupted into violent motion.
Milky-white spring water twisted together with the purple chaotic force.
In the next breath, they formed a swirling vortex streaked with purple and white.
The ancient sigils carved across the stone altar flared with sudden brilliance.
Green spiritual light wound itself around the purple-white vortex.
Together, they spread into a massive radiant barrier that sealed the entire stone altar inside it.
The eight spiritual crystals around it seemed to sense the nourishment of the chaotic force.
Their dim glow slowly began to brighten.


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