Chapter 276: The Terrifying Secret of the Main Umbilical Cord

While everyone was painstakingly exploring the Chan dao Yuzhou and the Hongjun Evil Corpse quantum graveyard, Lín Jìn's actions in the nursery pod never ceased. He knew time was tight; the crisis in Chan dao Yuzhou hung like a high‑suspended sword that could fall at any moment, and locating the Observer's nursery pod and destroying its conspiratorial core was urgent. Following the massive, mountain‑like main umbilical cord, Lín Jìn advanced cautiously, and the surrounding space seemed to warp and deform from the mysterious energy surging within the main umbilical cord, flashing with eerie light.

As he went deeper, the surrounding light grew dimmer, and an oppressive, gloomy aura brushed his face. Lín Jìn, wielding the Abyss Return Ruler, felt its shaft tremble slightly, as if sensing a massive danger ahead. At last, he entered a vast chamber suffused with a pale blue mist, within which Lin Yuan's modified quantum brain was starkly displayed before him.

Lín Jìn's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the scene. The quantum brain that once housed Lin Yuan's intellect and will had been transformed into a massive, terrifying nutrient pump. Countless faintly glowing tubes linked to the quantum brain, continuously channeling a thick, oddly luminous energy fluid outward, and this energy was being fed to the Observer Larva.

"What are these Observers trying to do…?" Lín Jìn muttered, a surge of anger and sorrow rising within him. Lin Yuan, who had seemed to oppose the Observer in secret for ages, had finally met such an end, becoming a tool for cultivating the enemy.

Lín Jìn slowly approached the quantum brain, seeking further clues. The moment he drew near, the surface of the quantum brain suddenly flickered with chaotic light and shadows, as if data were raging wildly. Lín Jìn became alert, gripping the Abyss Return Ruler tightly, ready to face any sudden situation.

However, those lights and shadows were not attack signals. As they continued to flash, Lín Jìn was surprised to discover that deep within the quantum brain a 5‑second unformatted consciousness fragment of Lin Yuan remained. Those five seconds, like a beam piercing the darkness, gave Lín Jìn a glimmer of hope for uncovering the truth.

He focused his mind, trying to decipher this brief yet precious consciousness fragment. Amid the flickering lights, one scene after another flashed through Lín Jìn's mind like slides.

The first image was a vast cosmic starfield, countless stars glittering, yet deep gloom lay hidden behind the beauty. From Lin Yuan's perspective, a huge Observer ship emitting a cold metallic glow floated in the depths of space; its surface was etched with mysterious, eerie runes that, when they flashed, released powerful energy waves.

Then the scene shifted to Lin Yuan standing inside a laboratory bristling with high‑tech equipment. The surrounding instruments glimmered in various colors, humming with operation. Lín Jìn saw Lin Yuan and Ao Li's previous life—the male general—engaged in a heated argument. From their expressions and gestures, Lín Jìn sensed the urgency and seriousness of the matter.

Next, the image blurred, only vaguely showing Lin Yuan surrounded by a group of tall Observers clad in black robes. The Observers brandished strange devices, emitting rays of light that enveloped Lin Yuan. He struggled fiercely, but to no avail; his body was gradually consumed by the light, and his consciousness began to fade.

In the final second, a massive nursery pod emitting a faint glow appeared. Inside, an Observer Larva resembling an embryo was slowly developing, surrounded by intricate energy veins like a cradle of life, yet exuding endless malevolence.

The five‑second consciousness fragment ended, and Lín Jìn snapped out of his daze, his mind racing. From those images, he gathered that Lin Yuan had been trying to thwart a major Observer scheme, and Ao Li's previous life had also taken part. Yet the Observers detected their resistance, captured Lin Yuan and turned him into a nutrient pump to nourish their Larva.

"So that's it… the Observer seeks to cultivate the Larva to achieve some unspeakable goal. And Lin Yuan and Ao Li's previous life have been striving to stop it all." Lín Jìn clenched his fists, his inner fury burning even hotter.

He knew time was of the essence. Nourished by the energy supplied from Lin Yuan's quantum brain, the Observer Larva was likely growing rapidly. Once the Larva matures, the disaster it brings would be incalculable.

Lín Jìn resolved to immediately relay this crucial discovery to his companions in Chan dao Yuzhou. He produced a communication device, attempting to link with Chan dao Yuzhou. However, the device emitted a harsh electric buzz, and the screen displayed "Signal interference, unable to connect."

"Damn! The Observer must have sensed my move and jammed the comms." Lín Jìn frowned, realizing that he would now have to face further dangers and challenges alone.

At that moment, the energy fluctuations around the main umbilical cord intensified, as if sensing Lín Jìn's presence and repelling him. Arcs of electricity leapt from the cord's surface, striking toward Lín Jìn. He swiftly swung the Abyss Return Ruler, its shaft blazing, forming a shield that blocked the arcs.

"I can't linger here; I must quickly find a way to destroy this nutrient pump and halt the Observer Larva's growth." Lín Jìn thought, deflecting the arcs while devising a plan.

He examined the connection between the quantum brain and the main umbilical cord, seeking a weakness. Under the relentless arcs, Lín Jìn's shield began to waver as its energy waned. Meanwhile, the cord's repulsive reaction grew stronger, with more arcs raining down.

Lín Jìn knew passive defense wouldn't work. Spotting the right moment, he flashed forward, charging at the junction of the quantum brain and the main umbilical cord. In an instant of proximity, he thrust the Abyss Return Ruler into a fissure of the junction, attempting to sever the energy conduit.

The moment the Abyss Return Ruler entered, a powerful recoil surged, making Lín Jìn's arm tingle and nearly causing him to release the ruler. He gritted his teeth, gathered his whole strength, and forced the ruler deeper.

As the Abyss Return Ruler penetrated further, the surging energy within the main umbilical cord became wildly destabilized. The flickering lights on the quantum brain's surface grew more chaotic, emitting low, rumbling booms.

Suddenly, a sharp wail erupted from inside the quantum brain, followed by a massive burst of energy from the junction that hurled Lín Jìn backward. He crashed heavily onto the ground, spitting a spray of fresh blood.

"Cough… cough…" Lín Jìn struggled to his feet, eyeing the main umbilical cord and quantum brain still steadily channeling energy, realizing this approach was futile.

At that moment, Lín Jìn suddenly recalled the clue about the Nüwa Stone Cipher he had found earlier in the nursery pod. Perhaps harnessing the power of the Nüwa Stone could solve the current predicament.

Lín Jìn focused his mind, attempting to summon the power of Ao Li's soul fragment within the Seed Core, thereby unlocking the Nüwa Stone's hidden ability. He shut his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the depths of the Seed Core, and in that chaos strained to locate the emerald glow of Ao Li's soul fragment.

After a hard search, Lín Jìn finally found Ao Li's soul fragment. He whispered Ao Li's name, trying to forge a deeper connection with the fragment. The fragment quivered faintly, as if sensing Lín Jìn's urgency and resolve.

"Ao Li, I need your strength; the Nüwa Stone may be the key to breaking all this. Help me…" Lín Jìn prayed silently in his heart.

Ao Li's soul fragment flared brilliantly, a gentle yet potent force streaming from it along Lín Jìn's meridians to fill his entire body. Lín Jìn felt his body surge with power, and mysterious information about the Nüwa Stone surfaced in his mind.

According to that information, Lín Jìn understood that to activate the Nüwa Stone's hidden power, he must locate the seven energy nodes distributed around the quantum brain and inject the stone's power into them in a specific order.

Lín Jìn opened his eyes, his gaze resolute. He surveyed his surroundings, beginning the search for the seven energy nodes. Beneath the pale blue mist, the hunt was not easy, but guided by keen perception and steadfast will, Lín Jìn located each hidden node one by one.

Upon finding the first node, Lín Jìn carefully poured the Nüwa Stone's power into it. The node flickered with emerald light, as if a dormant power had been awakened. He then swiftly sought the second node.

While searching for the second node, the main umbilical cord launched another assault. This time, a horde of energy‑formed monsters surged from the cord. The beasts, resembling ferocious demons, lunged at Lín Jìn with snarling claws.

Lín Jìn did not retreat; wielding the Abyss Return Ruler, he engaged the monsters in fierce combat. The ruler danced in his hand, emitting sharp beams that repelled the approaching beasts. Yet the monsters kept coming, and Lín Jìn began to feel strained.

Just as Lín Jìn was about to falter, he suddenly noticed that the monsters recoiled intensely from the emerald glow emitted by the Nüwa Stone. Whenever the light flashed, the beasts instinctively withdrew.

A thought sparked in Lín Jìn; he concentrated the Nüwa Stone's power, forming a greenish aura around his body. When the monsters touched the shield, they emitted a mournful shriek and retreated.

Seizing the moment the monsters dared not approach, Lín Jìn quickly located the second node and infused it with the Nüwa Stone's power. As the second node activated, the first's glow brightened, and a kind of energy resonance seemed to arise between them.

Lín Jìn continued searching for the remaining nodes. While seeking the third node, he encountered a powerful energy vortex. The vortex spun relentlessly, generating a strong suction that tried to pull Lín Jìn in.

Lín Jìn knew that being drawn into the vortex would mean endless ruin. He wielded the Abyss Return Ruler's power to counter the vortex's pull, while also employing the Nüwa Stone's power to seek a weakness.

After much effort, Lín Jìn discovered a weak spot at the vortex's core. Timing it right, he condensed the Nüwa Stone's power into a sharp beam and fired it at the center.

With a deafening blast, the energy vortex shattered. Lín Jìn successfully located the third node and infused it. At this point, the first three nodes formed a stable energy triangle, radiating a powerful wave of power.

When searching for the fourth node, Lín Jìn ran into a squad of mechanical guardians left by the Observer. The towering guardians were equipped with various advanced weapons and launched a fierce assault on Lín Jìn.

Lín Jìn deftly evaded the guardians' attacks while using the Nüwa Stone's power to disrupt their electronic systems. In the heated battle, he gradually discerned their attack pattern. Seizing a flaw, he sliced off a guardian's arm with the Abyss Return Ruler, then rushed toward the fourth node.

When the Nüwa Stone's power was injected into the fourth node, the energy triangle resonated with it, forming a more complex energy structure.

The search for the fifth node proceeded relatively smoothly, but as Lín Jìn prepared to inject the Nüwa Stone's power, the node suddenly emitted a massive electric current to block him. Lín Jìn was prepared; he used the Nüwa Stone's power to create an insulating shield, successfully repelling the current and channeling the power into the node.

The sixth node was hidden within a region of spatial distortion. Lín Jìn stepped in cautiously, constantly adjusting his posture to adapt to the warped space. After a hard exploration, he finally located the sixth node and successfully activated it.

At this point, only the final node remained. Lín Jìn could feel that once the last node was activated, the Nüwa Stone's hidden power would be fully released, perhaps breaking the current impasse.

However, the final node was guarded by a massive energy shield. The shield radiated multicolored light, containing immense power. Lín Jìn tried to strike the shield with the Abyss Return Ruler and the Nüwa Stone's power, but each attack was easily reflected.

Lín Jìn fell into contemplation, carefully recalling the information about the Nüwa Stone in his mind, seeking a way to breach the shield. After some thought, he discovered a subtle link between the shield's energy frequency and a particular vibration of the Nüwa Stone.

Lín Jìn focused, adjusting the Nüwa Stone's power frequency to gradually match the shield's energy frequency. As the frequencies converged, the shield began to tremble faintly.

Lín Jìn increased his output, and finally a sliver of crack appeared in the shield. He seized the chance, pouring the Nüwa Stone's power fully into the fissure. Under the massive force, the shield shattered with a thunderous burst.

Lín Jìn did not hesitate to channel the Nüwa Stone's power into the final node. In an instant, the seven nodes simultaneously erupted in dazzling emerald light, intertwining to form a massive energy pillar that shot toward Lin Yuan's quantum brain.

The quantum brain shuddered violently under the impact of the energy pillar. The surging energy within the main umbilical cord became chaotic, and the energy conduits feeding the Observer Larva began to rupture, spraying the energy fluid everywhere.

Lín Jìn stared anxiously at the quantum brain, uncertain whether his efforts would succeed in destroying the nutrient pump and halting the Observer Larva's growth……