The night was ink-black, dyeing the Huangpu River into a flowing ribbon of dark silk.
Neon lights shimmered on both banks, outlining the glittering skyline of this international metropolis.
Yet beneath that dazzling glow, an invisible war had already begun.
Outer Geomantic Node – Deep Beneath a Park in Pudong
I followed behind Old Master Shi through a narrow maintenance tunnel, the air thick with damp earth and a heavy, oppressive energy that pressed against the chest.
Liu Siyu was right beside me, her flashlight beam steady against the glistening walls. The deeper we went, the heavier the pressure grew—like something vast and ancient was stirring below our feet.
Old Shi, however, moved as if he were walking through his own backyard. His worn work uniform seemed oddly fitting here.
In his hand was an ancient copper bell etched with mountains and rivers; each time he gave it a faint shake, it released a deep, resonant tone—not bright and clear, but low and profound, vibrating through the stone, resonating with the pulse of the earth itself.
"Feel that?" he asked without looking back, his voice echoing down the corridor.
"The 'water' in the ley lines is about to boil. Those little bastards up top are drawing too much—this whole pot's about to burn dry."
I focused my senses. The yellow jade Pixiu hanging on my chest grew warm, and a wave of restless agitation entered my mind—a cry of pain from the twisted, overstressed earth energy.
Liu Siyu's white jade Pixiu glowed faintly in response, releasing a cool, soothing aura to calm the turbulence around us.
Finally, the tunnel opened into a vast subterranean chamber—not carved by human hands, but naturally formed. The cave walls shimmered with faint phosphorescence, and through the center ran a "river" of soft blue light.
It wasn't water—it was pure spiritual current, a flowing vein of geomantic energy. But now it surged and flickered violently, like a living thing in agony. Stray sparks of light burst against the walls with crackling snaps.
"This is it—a main pump line," Old Shi said, hanging the bell on his belt and placing his palms over the flickering current.
"Today, I'm your plumber. You two—get your jade ready. Place them where I mark. Use your minds as valves. When I say open, you open. When I say close, you close. Got it? Keep it stable!"
Liu Siyu and I exchanged a glance and stepped into position on either side of him.
The soft light of our Pixiu talismans mingled with the blue of the ley stream.
We channeled our will into the jade, focusing until we could sense the wild, boiling energy flow—then began to shape it, to build a gate of consciousness within the roaring "river," just as Old Shi directed.
Oriental Pearl Tower – The Sealed Layer
Meanwhile, the other team faced a very different battlefield.
Using data from Qin Xiao's downed drone and schematics provided by Mo Heng, they had located a hidden maintenance elevator that led to a level which officially did not exist.
"Watch me," Su Rui said. She took a palm-sized metallic disc from her tactical pouch and pressed it onto the control panel.
The runes on the disc lit up, the indicator lights flickered wildly—and after a brief beep, the elevator doors slid open.
"Access override acquired. We've got thirty minutes before the backup alarm triggers."
The elevator descended silently.
Tension filled the air. Er-Ge gripped his sidearm tightly, scanning every corner.
Lin Xuan stood motionless, eyes closed, a yellow talisman trembling slightly between his fingers.
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, a wave of chilling pressure swept over them.
Instead of mechanical equipment, they found a vast, empty hall—its floor made of mirror-black stone engraved with massive, intricate sigils pulsing with dark red light, like veins of congealed blood.
The surrounding walls were not concrete but deep purple crystal, smoke swirling within, radiating eerie energy.
At the chamber's center floated a colossal black crystal, irregularly faceted and slowly rotating. With every turn, it pulsed, channeling waves of power upward through unseen conduits toward the tower's apex.
This was the core of the Reversed Draco Array.
"Energy density's off the charts—communication interference's extreme. Short-range only," Qin Xiao muttered, scanning the readings. "We move fast."
"Fan out. Find the weak point or a control node," Su Rui ordered, pulling her twin rune-engraved batons from her back.
Blue light rippled across the runes as she took point.
Lin Xuan's eyes snapped open. "There! Below the crystal—there's an altar!"
Indeed, beneath the floating monolith was a white jade platform bearing several ritual objects:
an ancient Japanese scroll, a bronze mirror engraved with the eight-headed serpent, and several ominous black magatama stones.
Just as they approached—
—the walls flared to life.
From the glowing crystals burst three shadowy forms, coalescing into shikigami.
One resembled a giant hound wreathed in black fire; another a twisted centipede whose claws scraped the floor with metallic screeches; the third was an amorphous shadow radiating killing cold.
"Knew it wouldn't be that easy!" Er-Ge shouted, opening fire.
His blessed bullets burst in flashes of gold upon contact, staggering the spectral beasts—but not stopping them.
The hound roared and lunged again, even fiercer.
"Physical attacks minimal effect!" Su Rui barked, spinning her batons into a blur of blue light. "Lin Xuan!"
"On it!" Lin Xuan's talisman flared. "Law of Flame Emperor—Purge Evil!"
A searing fireball erupted, slamming into the centipede shikigami, driving it back with a screech.
The shadowy one slithered away, melting into the floor—it was moving toward the leyline connection linking to Old Shi's team.
The chamber exploded into chaos.
Qin Xiao ducked behind crystal pillars, deploying compact EMP grenades to scramble the shikigami's form.
Er-Ge moved with deadly agility, firing precise cover shots to protect Lin Xuan and Su Rui.
Su Rui's twin batons flashed like lightning, deflecting spectral claws and fangs. Each solid hit sent the spirits flickering and howling—the "Demon-Binding Rods" were clearly effective against ethereal foes.
Lin Xuan unleashed a flurry of talismans and hand seals, invoking brief streaks of thunder that blasted the shikigami back—but the floating black crystal pulsed faster, feeding dark energy into them, healing their wounds instantly.
"We have to destroy that altar!" Su Rui yelled, forcing back the shadow spirit. "Lin Xuan, cover me!"
749 Bureau – Temporary Command Node
On the screens, the tower's energy readings spiked wildly, while the leyline data—under Old Shi's control—surged in violent oscillations as he fought to divert the current.
Mo Heng's fingers flew across his holographic console.
"Tower team under heavy assault! Energy flow to shikigami sustained from the core crystal! Old Shi—diversion must accelerate! Cut their supply now!"
Zhang Daozhang sat cross-legged, eyes shut tight, a golden talisman hovering before him, its vermilion runes glowing painfully bright.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he strained against an unseen force.
"Abé no Seimei… held for now… but not much longer…"
The three-minute window felt like eternity.
Two battlefronts—two currents of power—raced toward their critical moment.
Please like, follow, and add to your collection—your support is my greatest motivation to keep writing.