Beneath the ruined spiral tower, the underground altar.
The massive composite sealing formula was still quietly engraved at the center of the altar, emitting a vast surge of energy.
Sora and Sara stood at the edge of the altar, looking down at the immensely complex seal.
"This is the place..."
Sara looked at the familiar seal, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes. There was nostalgia for the past prosperity, and even more pain over the destruction and exile.
This Dragon Vein was once the glory of Loulan, and also its curse.
Sora did not have so many emotions. His gaze quickly scanned the entire environment of the altar.
"Step back a bit."
He said this to Sara, then began to form hand signs.
Strands of chakra threads shot out from his fingertips, rapidly sketching simple symbols on the walls and floor around the altar.
These symbols connected with each other, forming a simple barrier that covered the entire underground stone chamber.
"Muffling Barrier, Seal."
With the completion of the final hand sign, a faint blue chakra film, like an inverted bowl, enveloped the altar area.
This was a practical barrier Sora had learned from the Anbu, used to isolate sound and partially suppress the leakage of energy fluctuations. Although it couldn't completely conceal the commotion of a massive energy entity like the Dragon Vein, it could minimize it to the lowest extent.
With preparations complete, Sora took a deep breath, his eyes becoming intensely focused.
Cracking the composite seal set by Namikaze Minato officially began now.
The first step, forming the main framework of the seal, the Four Symbols Seal.
For Sora, who had already mastered the Four Symbols Seal for the most part, understanding its structure and nodes within this composite seal wasn't too difficult.
After over ten minutes of careful operation, Sora's eyes narrowed, and he let out a low shout.
"Four Symbols, Release."
The chakra at his fingertips surged out, precisely striking a seemingly inconspicuous intersection point of the symbols.
Hum.
The light of the entire composite seal flickered slightly. The Four Symbols power that formed the stable sealed space receded like a tide, revealing the more complex sealed core beneath, interwoven with the other two forces.
The Four Symbols Seal was successfully cracked.
Sora relaxed slightly. Losing the stable framework of the Four Symbols Seal, the overall strength of the composite seal dropped by one level.
Next came the part most reliant on Sara, the Bloodline Contract Seal.
Sora looked at the girl beside him.
"Sara, your turn."
"Drip your blood onto the seal's core. At the same time, concentrate your mind, recall the ancient contract regarding the Dragon Vein within your bloodline, and then, in your heart, 'agree' to 'transfer' the ownership of the Dragon Vein to me."
Sara nodded and stepped forward.
She bit her index finger and let a drop of bright red blood fall onto the most complex symbolic core at the center of the altar.
The blood drop fell and was instantly absorbed by the symbol.
Hum.
The entire seal altar suddenly lit up with a dazzling golden light.
Strands of symbolic lines carrying an ancient bloodline aura, as if come alive, writhed and swam in the air, emitting a powerful restraining force.
Sara closed her eyes, placed her hands folded over her ample chest, seemingly communicating with the memories deep within her bloodline.
An aura homologous to that of the seal gradually emanated from her body.
"I, Sara, inheritor of the bloodline of the Queen of Loulan, guided by this blood, witnessed by this contract..."
"Acknowledge the person before me as the owner of the Dragon Vein. The ancient contract is hereby transferred."
As Sara spoke, the writhing golden symbolic lines seemed to find a new target, beginning to slowly extend towards Sora's direction.
Sora could clearly feel a strange power of rules attempting to establish a connection with him. He did not resist, opening his body and mind, accepting this contractual power from the bloodline of the Queen of Loulan.
As the last wisp of golden symbol merged into Sora's body, the dazzling golden light abruptly receded.
The Bloodline Contract Seal was lifted. Or rather, the transfer was completed.
Now, the entire composite seal only had one last barrier left. The natural energy seal from Mount Myoboku.
This seal emitted a rich toad contract aura, like the toughest glue, firmly bonding and suppressing the energy of the Dragon Vein in this place.
Unlike the Four Symbols Seal which had a clear framework, or the Contract Seal with its clear rules and direction, it was more like a pure energy reinforcement and harmonization.
"Indeed the most troublesome one." Sora frowned deeply.
The Sage Arts and sealing system of Mount Myoboku were unique, vastly different from the mainstream shinobi system.
He had very little understanding of it. Forcibly cracking it posed a great risk.
But things had come to this point. There was no turning back.
Sora concentrated his spirit once more, maximizing his perception.
He no longer tried to understand the entire structure of this Mount Myoboku seal. He changed his approach, looking for the weakest "point" connecting this seal to the Dragon Vein's own energy, and to the altar's physical structure.
Just like unraveling a complex ball of yarn, when you can't find the end, sometimes you need to find that single thread that bears the most critical weight, yet is also the easiest to cut.
"Natural energy... harmonization... stabilization..."
Recalling descriptions from the sealing scrolls of the Uzumaki clan, and combining it with his Azure Dragon Fruit's sensitivity to natural energy, Sora carefully probed.
Chakra once again coiled around his fingertips, but this time it was not a gentle probe. It carried a hint of sharp, unmatched aura. He applied the nature transformation of Wind Release chakra to his fingertips.
"Found it."
Right at that subtle balancing point where the energy of the Mount Myoboku seal and the violent energy of the Dragon Vein itself rubbed against and restrained each other, Sora struck.
He pointed his fingers like a sword. Wind Release chakra containing ultimate cutting power, like a scalpel, precisely pierced into that "point."
Sss.
The originally seamless light of the Mount Myoboku seal trembled violently and began to collapse rapidly.
Boom.
The moment the Mount Myoboku seal was forcibly broken, the Dragon Vein energy that had been firmly suppressed beneath the triple seals, like a primal beast breaking free from its cage, let out an earth shattering roar.
Despite the obstruction of the muffling barrier, this energy fluctuation still spread outwards from the Loulan ruins as the center, covering a not insignificant distance.
"Not good. Underestimated the Dragon Vein's power."
Sora's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected the Dragon Vein breaking free to have such a massive energy fluctuation.
Must finish this quickly.
Sora rapidly formed hand signs and slammed his palms onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique, Seal."
White smoke flashed. The egg shaped energy shell constructed with eight Sea Dragon Jades as its core appeared at the center of the altar, directly facing the surging fountain of Dragon Vein energy below.
"Now. Draw it into the shell."
Sora roared, fully activating the composite sealing formula engraved inside the shell.
Hum.
The egg shaped shell erupted with unprecedented suction force. The originally violent, rampaging Dragon Vein energy, which seemed intent on destroying everything, as if it had found a vent, frantically surged towards the azure blue egg shaped shell.
The light was blinding, energy flowed torrentially, illuminating the entire underground altar as bright as day.
The massive influx of energy caused the light on the surface of the egg shaped shell to flicker violently, but its structure remained exceptionally stable. The energy network formed by the Sea Dragon Jades efficiently channeled and constrained this terrifying power, gradually accommodating it.
This process lasted nearly ten minutes.
When the last wisp of Dragon Vein energy was absorbed, the egg shaped shell had become dazzling like a small sun. Its entire body flowed with thick, earthy yellow light. Esoteric symbols faintly flickered on its surface, emitting a heart palpitating energy fluctuation.
Success.
Suppressing the excitement within him, Sora stepped forward and extended his hand.
As if sentient, the egg shaped shell drew in its light, slowly shrank, and ultimately transformed into a stream of light that merged into Sora's body. It hovered near his dantian energy sea, faintly forming a strange resonance with his own chakra.
An unprecedented feeling of fullness instantly spread throughout Sora's limbs and bones.
"This is the feeling. Unprecedented fullness."
Sora could sense what kind of terrifying energy was contained within that egg shaped shell.
It was no longer a violent, uncontrollable natural force. It was the "Dragon Vein" that belonged to him, Sora, tamed and constrained by the "artificial tailed beast" technology, something that could be guided and utilized.
Feeling that vast ocean like source of power within his body, the corner of Sora's mouth finally couldn't help but curl up into a smile.
The Dragon Vein was acquired.
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