Chapter 178: Root Star Sea, First Meeting of Consciousness

The instant they entered the Holy Tree's core, it was as if they had plunged from a doomsday battlefield thick with gunpowder and death straight into the tranquil star sea of the universe's first breath.

The deafening battle cries from outside, the roars of corrupted creatures, the thunderous collapse of city walls… all that clamor was utterly shut out. What unfolded before Priestess Liyana was a space beyond words—a vast expanse woven from countless roots flowing with silver-white and emerald light.

These roots were not solid matter, but pure conduits formed of refined natural energy and the order of moonlight. They wove crisscrossing across one another like a river of stars, flowing and turning slowly, radiating a warm, serene, life-filled brilliance. At the center of the space, an immense energy core—vast as a small sun, emanating a soft moon-white halo—hung quietly suspended. It was the true will and source of power of the Moon Shadow Holy Tree, the foundation that sustained the entire grove's existence.

Dense, almost liquid life energy and the breath of order saturated the entire space, instantly nourishing and soothing Priestess Liyana's battle-weary body and spirit. Yet this ultimate purity and order was like deadly poison to the "guest" she had brought!

The cocoon of chaotic light wrapped in moonlight power let out a sharp, ice-meets-fire hiss the instant it entered this pure space! The harmonious chaotic light flowing across the cocoon's surface shattered in an instant! The dark-purple annihilation energy, as if violently provoked, swelled and surged wildly, trying to corrupt this purity! The emerald thorn-order portion greedily absorbed the surrounding natural energy, growing abnormally active; while the milky stardust light instinctively resonated with the moon-white core at the center, growing brighter!

The cocoon of light trembled violently, like a bomb about to explode! Xiang Lingna's pained consciousness fluctuations grew even more intense!

【Pain! It hurts! It's tearing! Out! Let me out!】

Priestess Liyana's face changed drastically! She immediately drove her moonlight power at full strength, trying to suppress the cocoon's rampage. But within this Holy Tree core space, her power seemed to dissolve into the ocean, its effect negligible. Worse still, the cocoon's rampage triggered energy fluctuations throughout the entire root space! The slowly flowing energy river of stars began to grow chaotic, and the moon-white core at the center also wavered slightly, radiating an intent of wariness and rejection!

"Xiang Lingna! Calm down! Channel the power within you! Like you did just now!" Priestess Liyana called out anxiously, trying to soothe Xiang Lingna's consciousness with her spirit force.

Yet Xiang Lingna's consciousness was completely drowned by the violent conflict and pain, unable to respond at all. The cocoon's swelling grew more and more violent, and the dark-purple energy began to pollute the surrounding pure silver-white roots like ink!

At this critical moment!

Hum——!!!

Within the cocoon of light, that spark of stardust belonging to Lin Mo, stimulated by the Holy Tree core's immense power of order, seemed to be infused with boundless energy and suddenly erupted! This time, what erupted was no longer mere light, but a clear, tenacious will-projection bearing Lin Mo's unique imprint!

A blurry phantom of Lin Mo, formed of pure stardust light, slowly materialized above the cocoon! Though utterly illusory, the anxiety, concern, and familiar tenacity in those eyes—Priestess Liyana would never mistake them!

"Lin Mo!" Priestess Liyana cried out involuntarily, a surge of immense joy and heartache welling up within her.

The stardust phantom Lin Mo did not look at Priestess Liyana; his gaze locked onto the violently trembling cocoon of light the very first instant, onto the core of Xiang Lingna's pained, struggling consciousness within. A wave of intent filled with soothing and firm guidance, like a warm tide, surged directly toward Xiang Lingna:

"Xiang Lingna! Don't be afraid! Look at me! Follow my light!"

This intent, like a lighthouse in the darkness, instantly pierced through Xiang Lingna's chaotic pain! Her blurred consciousness seemed to find its backbone!

【Lin Mo… brother?】

"It's me! Focus your spirit! Feel the power within you! Don't resist it! Understand them! The thorn-order is your guardian, the stardust is your guide, and that dark power… treat it as a tool! As a blade in your hand! Use your will to master it! Just like when you tore apart the rotclaw shackles underground!" Lin Mo's intent was swift and clear, carrying an unquestionable guiding force.

Following Lin Mo's guidance, Xiang Lingna's chaotic consciousness began to coalesce with difficulty. She no longer instinctively rejected the violently conflicting energies within her, but tried to "feel" them—the tenacious guardianship of the emerald thorn-order, the warm guidance of the milky stardust light, and the coldness and destruction of the dark-purple annihilation energy… each power carried its own unique "texture" and "emotion."

Miraculously, under the pressure of this ultimate pure order environment within the Holy Tree core, under Xiang Lingna's will to actively "feel" rather than "resist," and under the powerful guidance and harmonizing of Lin Mo's external stardust will, those three violent energies once again showed signs of being "tamed"!

The cocoon's swelling stopped. Though the tri-colored light flowing within remained mottled, the conflict visibly weakened. The dark-purple energy no longer charged blindly, but was entwined and channeled by the emerald thorn-order like vines, ultimately flowing into the gentle current of light formed by the stardust. The entire cocoon, like a massive, slowly beating energy heart, began to contract and expand in a relatively steady rhythm.

Lin Mo's stardust phantom grew a touch more solid. He looked at Priestess Liyana, his eyes filled with weary yet relieved light: "Sister Liya… outside… how is it? The Doctor, he…"

Priestess Liyana quickly gave a brief account of the fierce battle outside and the Doctor's frenzied revenge after Lin Mo's soul escaped, finishing Heavy and Solemn: "…The Holy Tree core has temporarily suppressed her rampage, but the Doctor's power is too strong, the grove's defenses won't hold much longer! We must find a way, fast!"

Lin Mo's phantom furrowed his brow tightly. He felt Xiang Lingna's gradually steadying consciousness within the cocoon, and felt the immense, refined power of order within the Holy Tree core space. A bold idea took shape in his heart: "Xiang Lingna is establishing a preliminary 'connection' with the power within her… perhaps… we can borrow the Holy Tree's power to perform a deeper 'purification' and 'fusion'? Not to destroy that dark power, but… to 'transform' it, make it a controllable part of her?"

"Transform the source of annihilation? How could that possibly—?!" Priestess Liyana was shocked.

"Under normal circumstances, impossible. But Xiang Lingna has Wang Ting's thorn-order within her, my stardust power, her own chaotic nature, and… the purest order-furnace of the Holy Tree core! More importantly…" Lin Mo's gaze turned to the slowly beating cocoon of light, a strange gleam in his eyes he himself hadn't noticed, "She seems… to be born with a 'talent' for containing and harmonizing these conflicting powers? Like… a special 'key'…"

Just then, another sudden change!

The Holy Tree core energy, temporarily and steadily absorbed by Xiang Lingna's cocoon, seemed to have stirred certain ancient memories buried deep within this root star sea! Among the flowing silver-white and emerald root star-rivers around them, some extremely ancient root fragments flickering with a dim golden glow, as if awakened, slowly surfaced into blurry image shards!

Within the images: an ancient forest of boundless emerald green… a towering tree reaching into the clouds, radiating endless life-brilliance (the World Tree)… and then… a "meteor" falling from the sky, burning with dark-purple flames… the "meteor" struck the ground and transformed into a pale humanoid… the forest began to wither… the World Tree let out a wail… the final image froze on a seed wrapped in thorns and moonlight, shot forth from the core of the withered World Tree (the prototype of the Moon Shadow Holy Tree)… at the same time, a blurry, grand fragment of intent, like an ancient sigh, echoed through the space:

【…Seed of Annihilation… Sower… Calamity of the Epoch… Key… Hope… in the chaos… sprouts…】

Lin Mo and Priestess Liyana shuddered simultaneously! Seed of Annihilation? Sower? Calamity of the Epoch? These terms matched astonishingly with the "X-Abyss Spore" and "Sower" archive fragments Zero had once analyzed at the Prism Hub! The Doctor… the pale humanoid… he truly was an executor of the "Sower"! And Xiang Lingna… this "key"… could she be tied to the hope of resisting the so-called "Calamity of the Epoch"?

The shock of this discovery even outweighed the crisis outside!

Yet before they could digest this earth-shattering information—

Rumble rumble rumble!!!!

The entire Holy Tree core space violently shook all at once! As if a magnitude-ten earthquake had struck! The flowing root star-rivers were forcibly twisted and torn! The moon-white core at the center dimmed sharply! A terrifying force—cold, brutal, carrying an absolute will to destroy—was crashing down from outside, slamming hard against the Holy Tree's defensive barriers!

The Doctor's all-out strike had begun! He was going to forcibly tear open the Holy Tree's turtle shell and take back the "key"!

"Priestess Liyana! Prepare to channel the Holy Tree's power! Xiang Lingna! Focus your spirit! The final fusion… begins!" Lin Mo's stardust phantom let out a desperate cry, transforming into a streak of light that plunged back into Xiang Lingna's cocoon of light!