End of the Magic Era

After bringing all seven people to their positions, Lin Yun charged into the central area of the array while a flood of law runes kept merging with the air.

A faint fluctuation started spreading out and a huge wheel shadow appeared behind Lin Yun. The endless law runes were like a swarm, spreading in the surroundings according to specific trajectories.

As they spread out, the number of law runes kept on decreasing and all the runes disappeared, merging with the array.

This was how a real array cracking was done, forcibly depriving the array of its control before using the location of the seven core nodes to simultaneously crack it.

This had a very high requirement on the number and quality of law runes. But thankfully, Lin Yun’s law runes and this array’s law runes were constructed in the same way, saving up a lot of energy.

As the wheel shadow behind Lin Yun kept spraying runes, the array started changing. Some of the areas were deprived of their control around Lin Yun, and it spread like a plague.

And at the same time, the metal tiles in Laibo and his six junior apprentices’ hands slowly started shining as Lin Yun’s array cracking was in progress. From the center of the metal tile, those dark runes and patterns shone one after another and rays of light slowly spread outward.

Following Lin Yun’s actions, even the law runes floating around the core nodes started slowly merging with the surroundings and weakened the effects of the core nodes, weakening the energy transmission of the core nodes in the process.

All arrays needed energy to keep operating. Cutting off the supply of energy was the most simple cracking method.

After half an hour, an energy storm slowly rose inside the calm array and fierce and tyrannical energy wreaked havoc within the array. The places not under Lin Yun’s control were filled with brutal destruction power.

The dozen-meter-wide areas around the seven core nodes were calm, even the air seemed unable to flow. But outside those areas, the fierce energies were wreaking havoc. A large amount of energy was poured out, but the core nodes’ runes were weakened and the energy could only leak into the array to form this kind of destructive power.

The torrent of data flowing in Lin Yun’s eyes was already indistinguishable. It looked like his eyes were filled with light and the Magic Array was operating at maximum performance. The Spell Wheel was also frantically revolving and Lin Yun’s mana consumption was a lot higher than during a fight.

Half an hour later, the energy storm within the array was on the brink of exploding.

Sensing the berserk power outside the core nodes, cold sweat trickled down Laibo’s forehead. If he hadn’t experienced Lin Yun’s alchemy skill first-hand, he would have been unable to remain calm.

On another side, Mariana was also a bit scared and kept encouraging herself.

“It’s alright, these things can’t hurt the powerful Mariana, there is no need to worry, there is no need to worry. I can break this array…”

As for Constantine, he was pale from fear. His hands were shaking and his eyes were firmly stuck onto the metal tile he was tightly grasping, afraid of missing the timing when the metal tile was fully illuminated.

‘Sh*t, that damned Mafa Merlin! How is that very simple? How can this be called cracking an array?

‘That fierce power is like an elemental storm. I’ll die as long as there is one mistake… Sh*t, is that that Mafa Merlin’s plot?

‘No, if he wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t have bothered to save us before. I can’t fail or I’ll die…’

Cold sweat was drenching Constantine’s back, his legs also slightly went soft, but he was tightly grasping onto the metal tile as he feared that it would escape his hands from the shaking.

As everyone from the Secret Monastery was worrying about the array potentially exploding, the law runes in front of them finished merging with the core nodes. At that moment, the runes at the core nodes formed a notch.

The metal tile fit the notch and they only needed a single glance to know that they had to put the tile into it.

And at the same time, the last darkened runes of and patterns of the metal tiles shone.

The seven of them didn’t dare to be careless and immediately inserted the metal tiles into the notches.

The seven metal tiles resonated and the slight differences in timing became negligible under the effect of that resonance.

The light of the seven metal tiles spread out simultaneously and coordinated with the law runes Lin Yun had set up, as well as with Lin Yun in the center of the array, to sever the energy transmission of the seven core nodes.

Having lost the energy transmission of the seven core nodes, the huge amount of energy gathered in the array became the source of energy the array needed to consume to keep operating.

The chaotic and fierce energy storm slowly weakened before dissipating in less than ten minutes. Not a single wisp of energy was left inside the array.

Once all the energy dissipated, the flood of law runes Lin Yun released invaded the array with irresistible momentum.

After invading the array’s key spots, Lin Yun spat out a few more law runes. In an instant, the entire array was thoroughly paralyzed and could be called an empty shell that was no longer threatening.

But at that moment, a wisp of incomparable power burst out from underneath the array and the seven members of the Secret Monastery were instantly kicked out of the range of the array. Only Lin Yun who had been standing in the center remained.

The dense fog within the array dissipated and all the paralyzed spots truly lost their functions. But under the burst of power coming from underground, the empty shell formed a scarlet barrier enveloping everything within ten kilometers.

There was only a ten-story mage tower in the center of those ten kilometers, and atop that mage tower was an extremely complicated law rune. Wisps of power were linking this law rune to the entire barrier.

And outside that mage tower, the scarlet eyes of inactive puppets suddenly shone with light.

Of over a hundred level 39 puppets, seventy were melee puppets and thirty were casting puppets.

There was as many as eight Heaven Puppets! Three five-meter-tall huge puppets, three two-meter-tall four-arms puppets, as well as two casting puppets!

When they saw these puppets, the six members of the Secret Monastery all paled.

Laibo’s face also turned green and his voice shook.

“Sir Mafa, what’s going on…”

Lin Yun frowned as he looked at that mage tower. He then looked at those puppets and the barrier above his head before finally figuring out that strange feeling he had been having.

“This is a test. The thing I need might be in that mage tower. This array is a test left behind by the former owner of these ruins.

“That array was only testing alchemy knowledge, it was only an array but it required a large amount of knowledge related to puppeteering techniques.

“And after cracking the array comes the test of strength.

“This barrier should be powering the entire ruins, it’s simply impossible to forcibly tear it open with our strength. The only way should be to enter the mage tower and cut off the source of energy.

Lin Yun slowly took out his Draconic Staff and the Book of Death. This was an overt plot, it looked more and more like a pure and cruel test.

The array was weird, and an isolating barrier would immediately appear after cracking it. This barrier wasn’t something complex, its power was determined by the energy supply.

But it was too lacking in terms of technique, there was no margin to crack it. He had to either forcibly tear open the isolating barrier, or get rid of the puppets before him, enter the mage tower, and shut down the energy supply.

Now, Lin Yun was even more certain that the Reedpush Plate was in this mage tower. Only that kind of thing would get such a serious treatment from Bill George. Maybe Bill George was unwilling to dismantle it when he obtained it. But he also felt that this thing was too precious and destroying it would be a shame.

He set up so many things and then made those who would come here in the future go through heavy tests. No one knew what happened to Bill George, legends reported him missing. He might have been lost in the depths of the void, unable to come back.

As for the letter obtained by the Merlin Family, its true sender might have been Bill George. When Bill George was lost in the depths of the void, he might have sent this clue here in the hopes that someone qualified could find the Reedpush Plate after passing multiple trials.

His test was extremely bloody, there was only two outcomes, pass or die. This showed that Bill George didn’t want unqualified people leaking out information about this place.

“Get rid of the puppets and we can leave!”

As he raised his Draconic Staff, Lin Yun’s eyes shone with fighting intent. Eight Heaven Puppets, all of which possessed an ability rune. With their outstanding cooperation, they could tear Laibo apart within five minutes.

There was also a hundred level 39 puppets. Lin Yun felt that if he had been alone, there would have been a high probability of him dying here.

His fighting intent flared up. Lin Yun could already feel the gate in the depths of his soul burning up. The small cracks covering that gate were slowly enlarging as wisps of terrifying power could already be felt from the other side of the door.

Laibo’s expression had turned somewhat green, but Lin Yun had already taken the initiative to rush out.

Four colored lights blossomed on the Book of Death and the Purple Dragon Incarnation’s shadow shot out of the Draconic Staff. It held the several-dozen-meter-tall wheel shadow behind Lin Yun as Lin Yun burst with a terrifying aura.

The Ten Thousand Spell Wheel and the Book of Mantras were floating next to Lin Yun as the facade of an ordinary person was instantly replaced by a terrifying monster. His mana turned into a fountain squirting out as boundless mana gushed out from Lin Yun. The terrifying waves of mana spread out one after another.

Laibo gulped when he saw Lin Yun’s actions. He then gritted his teeth and looked at those puppets before roaring to Mariana and the others.

“Stay by my side, don’t act on your own. This is your last test. As long as we walk out of here, this trip to gain experience would be considered accomplished perfectly. There are no cowards in the Secret Monastery!”

Laibo’s mind was in chaos after seeing Lin Yun charging towards the puppets without looking back.

What they encountered this time was different to what they encountered last time. They faced four Heaven Puppets last time, and they hadn’t appeared simultaneously.

Last time’s Heaven Puppets didn’t have many high grade ability runes, and the most threatening ability rune of the casting puppets was only an elemental buff.

But this time, the elemental runes of the eight puppets clearly weren’t low grade. Especially those two casting puppets. The radiance emitted by their ability runes already enveloped their entire bodies. This was the sign of an upper grade ability rune.

Without Extraordinary Power, even if Lin Yun could burst out with the power of a 2nd Rank Heaven Mage, he might not necessarily be able to kill these puppets.

Laibo gritted his teeth. There was no way out this time. Only by getting rid of these puppets could he leave this place alive.

Lifeforce burst out on the surface of Laibo’s body, as if flaring up, but it instantly decreased as deathless aura’s radiance rapidly spread over a hundred meters.

Song of Sacrifice instantly turned white and the fierce power kept spreading as deathless aura became thicker and thicker.

Four of those six Heaven Rank melee puppets instantly charged at Laibo.

Those five-meter-tall puppets were wielding two pillar-like greatswords and the runes on their chests shone brightly, instantly thickening the aura those puppets emitted.

The earth fiercely shook with every single step and cracks started spreading on the ground that was as solid as a planar barrier.

One of the puppets swung its greatsword towards Laibo. Laibo dodged the attack, but was forced to block the second greatsword.

Song of Sacrifice, which was exuding a radiant white deathless aura, clashed with one of the puppets’ one-meter-wide greatsword and a transparent shockwave instantly spread out from the point of impact.