Deep within the subterranean palace, fresh blood wound along the damp steps like bizarre, sinister talismans. The soft sword in Nian'an's hand let out a pained hiss amid the billowing mercury vapor, its blade gradually dissolving into a puddle of silvery droplets. The Princess in her arms suddenly struggled violently, her blood-stained fingertips clutching fiercely at Nian'an's lapel. Deep within her pupils, a bronze astrolabe was spinning frantically, as if trying to break free from its restraints and burst right out of her eye sockets.
"Sister, look at those lodestones..." The Princess's voice was hoarse and trembling, the black blood oozing from her fingertips dripping onto the icy ground like strange, grotesque ink-blossoms. She raised her hand with great difficulty, pointing toward the star chart suspended in the air. Those once-stationary lodestone particles were now suddenly awakening as if summoned by an invisible force, beginning to vibrate violently. "They're reassembling the warnings left behind by the Founding Emperor."
Before her voice had even faded, three hundred and sixty lodestone particles suddenly plummeted like shooting stars, slithering between the seams of the blue bricks and converging into a glowing stream. Nian'an's heart tightened, and without a single moment of hesitation, she sprinted out of the subterranean palace, following the trail of light. Yet the sight awaiting her made her draw in a sharp breath—amidst the dilapidated ruins of the Imperia…
Chapter 72