The Andean snowline glows with biting light at dawn as Team Rebellion's SUV crunches over frost-crusted roads. The spiritual pattern antenna on the roof emits a piercing whine—Sakura's cherry-blossom modified "Extreme Temperature Detector," now flashing red wildly.
"Abnormal spiritual energy two kilometers ahead," Sakura's fingertips brush the dashboard screen, Sakura Patterns on her hand forming a navigation map. "Coordinates show a dormant volcano, but satellite images..." Her voice trails. "The snow there is burning, like fire pulsing under ice."
Lin Ye grips the wheel, his spiritual pattern core warming slightly. Fused with Life Spiritual Patterns, it resonates sharper—this isn't ordinary fire. Sealed Fire-Ice Spiritual Patterns surge from the earth, weaving a red-blue light net between snow and volcano.
"Stop the car." He jams the brakes.
The SUV halts at the glacier's edge. They disembark to a stunning scene: a thousand-meter glacier like a sapphire wall, split at its center, spewing scarlet lava that collides with snow, creating violent steam. Suspended in the mist are ice crystals etched with the same spirals as spiritual cores, pulsing in rhythm.
"This is..." Xiaotao crouches, her Starmoon bracelet touching an ice crystal. Deep blue light resonates with scarlet halos. "Ancient texts mention this! The 'Fire-Ice Spiritual Pattern Altar,' for balancing polar cold and volcanic heat."
"Fire-Ice Spiritual Patterns?" Ajiu's Shadow Raven circles the chasm. "Sounds like fire-ice symbiosis—but how to balance?"
As she speaks, the ground quakes. Glaciers surge like waves while lava flows upstream, clashing mid-air into a storm of fire-ice shards. Lin Ye's core blazes, golden flames carving a safe path through the chaos, revealing a figure in the chasm: a woman in a fire-ice cloak, left face encrusted in ice, right glowing like lava, her wrist core pulsing with the elements.
"The Fire-Ice User!" Sakura's Patterns dim. "The polar guardian sealed five hundred years ago—her core manipulates fire and ice, but went berserk from imbalance."
The woman raises a hand, ice and lava condensing into a dual-color spear that stabs Lin Ye. He meets it with a flaming fist, Burning Heaven Flames steaming on contact—the elements merge into purple mist.
"Interesting," her voice a mix of ice cracks and magma roars. "Three hundred years, you're the first to resonate with my patterns."
Ajiu's Shadow Ravens dive, wings whipping up fire-ice debris, but the woman blocks them with an ice barrier. Xiaotao's bracelet blazes, blue energy forming a net that fire and ice corrode instantly.
"Her core is absorbing fire-ice energy!" Lin Ye's pupils contract. He senses the core expanding, its spirals matching glacier and volcano—another fragment of the Star Beast, restoring power through elements.
"Team Rebellion, coordinate!" he yells. "Xiaotao, stabilize the fire-ice core with Starmoon; Ajiu, tear the barrier with Shadow Ravens; Sakura, disrupt her patterns with Sakura!"
Xiaotao's bracelet glows blue, Starmoon energy forming a stable light cocoon at the core. Ajiu's Ravens become a dark purple mist, shredding twisted pattern links in the chasm. Sakura's Patterns bloom into cherry trees, pink petals revealing human contours on the woman's fire-ice face.
"You... Why... not destroy me?" the woman's voice trembles.
Lin Ye's core flies out, clashing with hers. Golden flames wrap pink Sakura, blue Starmoon, and purple Shadow energy, surging into the fire-ice core like a dragon. The woman screams as fire and ice gush from her, turning to purple mist on contact with light—purified spiritual energy.
When the elements settle, the woman collapses, her core shattered. Her face emerges—a woman in her thirties, left eye ice-blue, right eye lava-red, her broken core still glowing faintly.
"I am Isabella," she rasps, brushing ice from her face. "Five hundred years ago, I guarded polar balance. To stop the Star Beast, I fused with its core... and was backlashed."
She raises a hand, fragmented core glowing. "Now, the Star Beast's consciousness wants to reincarnate through me. And you..." Her gaze scans Team Rebellion's cores. "Are the only hope to lay it to rest."
Lin Ye crouches, picking up a half-jade pendant at Isabella's feet, etched with glacier-volcano spirals, its back inscribed: "When fire-ice tears resonate with lava flames, the Star Beast shall return to its place."
"The other half of the pendant..."
"In the volcano's crater." Isabella points to the fire-ice exposed ground, revealing a stone door lintel inscribed with "Polar Heart." "Five hundred years ago, I sealed the Star Beast's body with it. Now, Rebellion's resonance is needed to open it."
—
Beyond the Polar Heart door lies an underground palace, a central altar holding seven dark golden spiritual cores—those of the seven guardians, one etched with the "Rebellion" totem matching Lin Ye's core.
"This is..."
"Cores of past guardians." Isabella chokes up. "I tried to awaken the Star Beast with them, but it devoured more patterns. Now, use Rebellion's resonance to strip the Star Beast's consciousness from the cores."
Lin Ye's core burns hot. Consciousnesses of past guardians flood his mind: "Use your bond, not core power."
"Xiaotao! Ajiu! Sakura!" he yells. "Take my hand!"
Four cores blaze, weaving the "Rebellion" totem over the altar. Golden flames, blue Starmoon, purple Shadow, and pink Sakura energies merge into a golden cocoon enveloping the seven cores.
"By the name of Rebellion," Lin Ye's voice thunders. "By the oath of partners—
"Let the Star Beast return, and spiritual patterns find eternal peace!"
The cocoon explodes. Light from the seven cores merges into the Rebellion core, the Star Beast's consciousness shrieking its last before dissolving into purple mist. Isabella's broken core cracks, fire-ice mist dissipating, her pupils returning to their uncorrupted brown.
"It worked..." She collapses. "Thank you, Rebellion."
—
At dawn, the Andean snowline glows gold. Team Rebellion sits by the volcano's crater, watching Isabella repair the fire-ice damaged mountain with patterns. Sakura holds the half-pendant, merging it with Lin Ye's core to form a whole, spirals now pulsing with fire-ice light.
"Where to next?" Ajiu holds a volcanic rock, her Raven preening in her hair.
"Amazon Rainforest," Lin Ye looks to the horizon where fireflies flutter. "Rumors say patterns there converse with animals—maybe clues to Life Spiritual Patterns."
"I'll pack extra bug spray!" Xiaotao leaps, bracelet glowing blue. "Amazon insects are fierce!"
Sakura smiles, Sakura Patterns blooming as tiny repellents. "I'll keep bugs away with cherry blossoms."
Isabella stands, her core warm on her wrist. "As guide, I'll show you polar 'living fossils'—millennium-old ice caves with frozen pattern memories."
Lin Ye gazes at his Rebellion core, sensing global pattern vibrations—like countless heartbeats resonating in clouds. He touches the core, murmuring: "Pattern meaning lies not in temples or deserts."
"Then where?" Ajiu tilts her head.
Lin Ye looks into the rainforest, where fireflies carry lanterns, tree frogs leap on leaves, and soil breathes spiritual energy.
"Wherever life blooms."
The SUV roars to life, wheels crushing frost as it ventures on. Team Rebellion's patterns shine in the sun, weaving with rainforest green and snow-white into a new totem—a star trail unfurling toward the Andean horizon.