Juchen had already entered the Octagon Tower. I quietly watched the distant sky, still unsure what Juchen meant by the Eye of Time. But now, everyone was looking at Loraine Locke, and my confusion about her identity only deepened.
Everyone was waiting for Loraine Locke to explain. The strange words Juchen just said, and his attitude toward her, made it all the more mysterious. Yet Loraine Locke seemed unwilling to reveal anything about herself. Slowly, she raised a finger and pointed to the distant horizon. In the orange clouds, a trace of blackness appeared. I stared in confusion, unable to sense anything unusual. My perception was fully spread out—if there was even the slightest disturbance, I would feel it.
"It will start soon. The Eye of Time's self-correction. All of this began when Ethan Zhang ignored everything and traveled back in time."
Rufina Howard hung her head in guilt. Redmond, standing beside her, seemed to notice something and placed a hand on her head.
"What are you thinking, girl? None of this is your fault. Since he chose to save you, you shouldn’t blame yourself. Lift your head."
Redmond muttered harshly. Meanwhile, John Chou was already floating upward. He glanced back at Soren Black, who nodded and, with a swoosh, drifted out over the lake.
"Curse Mark Engraving."
With a hum, streaks of violet light appeared instantly on the water’s surface, forming a precise pattern—like a diamond lattice—spreading in all directions. Then John Chou turned to Isabelle Frost.
"I understand. Leave this to me."
In an instant, Isabelle Frost transformed into drifting Spider Lily Petals, scattering around the Octagon Tower. I heard a series of crisp ringing sounds as the petals rose, gradually turning into Red Spider Lilies of various colors. Ding Dacheng burst into loud laughter and, with a wave of his hand, unleashed a surge of powerful ghost energy. I stared at him in surprise—the ghost energy was completely different from anything I had felt before, containing a force I’d never experienced.