Chapter 377: Formulating the Plan

Gui Xu's star‑light projection fell on the bronze floor of the Dragon Clan's sacred hall, and seventy‑two pillars engraved with the after‑life curse seeped pale golden Cerebrospinal Fluid. Ao Li's finger brushed the liquid star map, and the radiance of chaotic spirit marrow projected a Holographic Projection of the Dark Abyss Society's mother‑nest onto the cranial sand table— a Chaotic Zigong stitched from three hundred sixty Time‑whale remains, its surface dense with fungal Shenjing Wangluo.

"The defensive restriction in the seventh quadrant is not an Array," the head of Lingxiao Pavilion, Zixiao Real Person, lightly tapped his sword; Great Unity Pure Light pierced the Holographic Projection, "It is an activated conceptual trap." The projection displayed a chilling scene: when an attacker forms the thought of "breakthrough," the outer wall of the mother‑nest sprouts organs that counter it.

The mechanized prosthetic eye of Mo Family giant Ban Shu whirred rapidly, and the Lu Ban ruler in his hand measured terrifying data: "With each breath cycle, the mother‑nest's topology undergoes seven Cantor transformations. Our siege crossbow…" The mysterious iron box behind him suddenly burst open, revealing the mutating Zhushen Crossbow—its body sprouting fungal pupils unique to the Dark Abyss Society.

"Cognitive contamination," Ao Li's Dragon Claw crushed the mutated crossbow mechanism, pus and blood splashed onto the star map, burning a hole, "From the moment we brought back the intelligence, all strategic supplies have been eroding."

Lín Jìn's Star Sand transformation had spread to his bridge of the nose, the Vermilion Bird Zhengtong pulsed in his left eye: "Three layers of cognitive filters are needed." He inserted his Star‑sand‑laden right hand into the sand table, and infernal fire outlined the mother‑nest's quantum threads. Zixiao Real Person instantly flicked sword techniques, laying a Great Unity Dual‑Yin Yang Array in the void: "The Dragon Clan will assault the Heavenly Yuan Position, Lingxiao Pavilion will guard the Three‑Talent Eye…"

"Wrong." The sand table suddenly warped, and the silver‑haired infant's phantom emerged from the chaotic spirit marrow. He grabbed the black‑haired infant's umbilical cord to swing like a seesaw, his small foot kicking apart the strategic deployment: "We should have the little dragon girl sister's Boundary‑cutting Blade pierce the mother‑nest's pineal gland~"

Ao Li's Dragon Horn suddenly erupted with blue light, and the Abyss Return Ruler's incision traced up the cheek along the spine: "Then as you wish." She swung the ruler to slash the phantom, yet a real blade scar remained on the sand table—the mark perfectly coincided with the mother‑nest's energy core.

The Mo Family giant's mechanized hand suddenly went berserk, and a carving knife sprang from his fingertips, swiftly inscribing on the bronze floor. Everyone gasped as ancient Dragon Clan characters automatically appeared, forming a battle formation diagram ten times more intricate than the current plan. Ban Shu's prosthetic eye oozed black oil: "It's not me… it's the residual fungal filaments…"

"Cognitive offering." The black‑haired infant's voice seeped from the floor crack, with withered spores forming an arrow pointing to a flaw in the battle diagram, "Ninety thousand will die here~"

The final plan took shape amid the bloody game:

1. **Dragon Clan Sky‑Air Force** pilots bronze warships, their dragon flame switched to a cognitive cleanser specially made from Time‑whale Brain Fluid.

2. **Lingxiao Pavilion** sets up the Zhou Tian Star Array, its Array Eye inlaid with Zixiao Real Person's Original Destiny Sword soul.

3. **Mo Family** activates the forbidden mechanism "Zao Hua Furnace", forging anti‑concept weapons on site.

4. **Witch Clan** offers a Burial Coffin Sacrifice of three hundred great witches, dragging the battlefield into the Gui Xu mirror dimension.

5. **Buddhist Sect** the nine great relic towers suppress the mother‑nest's consciousness, preventing the Twin Children from intervening directly.

6. **Assault Team** led by Ao Li, carrying chaotic spirit marrow to thrust directly into the mother‑nest's pineal gland.

"All factions must complete preparations within seven days," Ao Li's scales peeled away piece by piece, revealing beneath them a jade‑like sacred corpse material, "The Mo Family mechanisms must…"

Her words were cut off by a harsh metallic tearing sound. Outside the hall, the Zhushen Crossbow formation being drilled suddenly turned fleshy, the crossbow mechanisms opening fangs that bit the controlling Mo Family disciple. Ban Shu's Lu Ban ruler smashed the mutated mechanism, yet within the shredded flesh appeared the Twin Children's palm print: "The devices should be more fun~"

In the bronze sea training ground late at night, Lín Jìn's Star‑sand‑laden right hand was devouring the Vermilion Bird's veil. Bronze patterns crawled up his neck, his voice echoing mechanically: "When my quantum conversion reaches 63%, I can detonate as a dimensional bomb..."

Ao Li's Boundary‑cutting Blade suddenly crossed his throat, the blade reflecting twisted reflections of the two: "The Dragon Clan does not need martyrs." Beneath the sea surface countless fungal pupils suddenly opened, and the reflected Ao Li was thrusting the blade into Lín Jìn's heart.

Screams came from the Lingxiao Pavilion disciples' dormitory. Night‑patrol elder burst in, seeing disciples carving strange symbols into their skin with sword souls — exactly the Dark Abyss Society mother‑nest's topology map. The subdued disciple laughed wildly: "We are rehearsing victory!"

The Mo Family forbidden zone rang with a thunderous roar. When Ban Shu arrived, the "Zao Hua Furnace" had become a womb nurturing reverse‑meme organisms, its walls bearing the silver‑haired infant's graffiti: "Do you like the new toy?"

During the tactical meeting on the eve of the final assault, the sand table suddenly went berserk. The mother‑nest model sprouted fungal tendrils, converting each faction's deployments into nutrients. Zixiao Real Person's sword soul sliced the tendrils, and from the wound spurted Ao Li's dragon blood: "Cognitive assimilation completed 79%."

Ao Li crushed the outer shell of the chaotic spirit marrow, revealing a pulsating New Universe within: "This is not a simulation." She pressed the universe embryo into the sand table, "It is a battlefield bestowed by the Twin Children."

The Holographic Projection surged instantly, pulling everyone into a quantum illusion. They saw themselves die in various gruesome ways: the Dragon Clan warships self‑dissolving during conceptual cleansing, the Lingxiao great array birthing an apocalyptic black lotus, Mo Family mechanisms betraying and piercing allied forces...

"This is the real plan~" the Twin Children sat atop a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, clapping and laughing. The black‑haired infant tore open the illusionary sky, revealing the true starry heavens — there hung three hundred sixty Bronze Coffins, each coffin engraved with the name of an attendee.

Ao Li's Boundary‑cutting Blade suddenly pierced the core of the illusion, and within the creation light burst from the chaotic spirit marrow appeared the code of the Time‑whale's third fold. As everyone broke free of the illusion, the bronze walls of the strategy room were covered, by unknown hand, in the same sentence written in dragon blood:

**Cognition Is Already a Prison**

From outside the hall came the buzzing of the Zhushen Crossbow recharging, and the first ray of dawn fell on the mutated arrows — those arrowheads were sprouting Ao Li's face.