Chapter 1223 Ancient Ruins

The "Ancient Soul Refining Ruins" in northern Ninja Realm lie hidden beneath a perpetually unmelting glacier. The massive stone gate at the entrance is engraved with twisted soul refining runes, shimmering a faint golden glow in the moonlight. Three days ago, Shangguan Mo pried intelligence from a captive from Iwagakure: deep within the ruins lies a "Soul Refining Origin Crystal Core," capable of completely stabilizing the Tailed Beast energy within the Starfall Scorpion, even allowing it to unlock its Tailed Beast form. Standing before the stone gate, the soul refining runes on his fingertips resonated with the stone. Behind him, the Starfall Scorpion twitched its tail nervously, its green Seven-Tails chakra surging beneath its iron shell, evidently sensing the danger lurking within the ruins.

"Don't be nervous. This time we're here to 'upgrade.'" Shangguan Mo patted the Meteoric Scorpion's shell. The iron felt cool to the touch, yet he could clearly sense the surging life energy within. He inserted the fragment of star-core iron he had brought back from Meteor Valley into the groove of the stone door. Runes instantly illuminated, and the stone door slowly opened. A cold wind mingled with ancient chakra blew in, causing the Meteoric Scorpion's pincers to subconsciously tighten.

Stepping into the ruins' passage, the ice walls on either side were inlaid with countless glowing soul refining crystals, sealed within them long-lost soul refining rituals. Shangguan Mo pulled out a parchment scroll and compared it with the ruins map. His fingertips traced the marking "Level 1: Soul Crystal Guard." Just as he felt a surge of alarm, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the end of the passage. A "Soul Crystal Giant Bear," the size of a tailed beast, emerged from the shadows. Its body was coated in translucent soul refining crystals, and the cold light of its claws could easily cut through steel. It was the guardian beast guarding the passage.

"Looks like I'll have to get past you first." Shangguan Mo raised his hand to summon the Meteoric Scorpion. Green tailed beast chakra coalesced within its tail, and the warmth of the meteorite's fire melted the surrounding ice. The Spirit Crystal Bear roared and lunged, its claws slamming into the Meteoric Scorpion's shell. With a crisp clang, fine cracks appeared on the black iron shell. A surge of green chakra instantly repaired the cracks—this was the Meteoric Scorpion's core ability: rapid self-healing, harnessing the life energy of the Seven-Tails.

"Now!" Shangguan Mo unleashed a soul-refining rune, which attached itself to the Spirit Crystal Giant Bear's crystalline shell, instantly triggering a violent explosion. The Meteorite Black Scorpion seized the opportunity with its pincers, gripping the bear's hind legs. The meteorite fire from its tail flowed through the bear's wounds, its green chakra wreaking havoc within it. The Spirit Crystal Giant Bear let out a shrill roar, its body gradually stiffening, ultimately disintegrating into a pile of shattered soul-refining crystals. The ancient chakra that emanated from the crystals automatically drifted toward the Meteorite Black Scorpion, where it was absorbed by its iron shell, fueling the meteorite fire from its tail.

"Having absorbed the energy of the Spirit Refining, it's indeed become stronger." Shangguan Mo's eyes flickered with delight as he observed the newly added golden lines on the Starfall Black Scorpion's shell. He picked up a complete Spirit Crystal and discovered a Spirit Refining ritual hidden within, detailing how to activate the Origin Crystal Core using the Tailed Beast's chakra. This further confirmed his certainty that the Crystal Core deep within the ruins held the key to the Starfall Black Scorpion's evolution.

Passing through the passage, a circular spirit refining hall emerged. In its center, three "attribute crystals" of different colors hovered—red for fire, blue for water, and yellow for earth. A riddle was engraved on the hall's stone tablet: "Using the spirit beast as a guide, blend the power of the three attributes to unlock the path to origin." Shangguan Mo frowned in thought. The core attributes of the Meteorite Scorpion were fire (the fire of the meteorite) and earth (the black iron of the star core), but water was missing. This clearly represented a test set by the ruins.