Chapter 182: Stardust Builds the Wall, Chaos the Furnace

The ruins of the Prism Hub lay like the cold carcass of a colossal beast, silent in the shadow of despair. Zero's intermittent electronic tones, like a final pulse, hammered at Xiang Lingna's taut nerves. The Doctor's tracking beacon hung overhead like a suspended blade, its countdown ticking remorselessly on the cold screen—less than 3 standard hours.

"Plan C…activate Lord Lin Mo's residual stardust…combine with the nascent Chaos energy within you…use the Hub's residual energy as fuel…forcefully construct…a temporary Stardust Sanctuary…success rate incalculable…risk level: Annihilation-grade…"

Zero's words pierced her heart like an icicle. Annihilation-grade risk…meant that failure was utter obliteration, and might even trigger a spatial collapse, erasing the last trace of her and Zero. But as she surveyed the surrounding ruins and felt the faint, candle-in-the-wind stardust will of Lin Mo deep within her consciousness, Xiang Lingna knew this was the only path to survival.

"Tell me…what to do!" Xiang Lingna's voice was hoarse yet resolute. She struggled to stand upright; the dark-purple crystalline stump of her right arm grew faintly hot, and the dormant Chaos power within her, as if sensing her resolve, began to slowly awaken, carrying a cold, destructive vitality.

"Step one: locate…Lord Lin Mo's stardust core…guide it to…the external interface…" Zero's projection pointed to a dust-covered, relatively intact cylindrical metal pedestal beside the console wreckage. That was the Prism Hub core's backup energy node—now also the only platform capable of bearing their mad plan.

Xiang Lingna closed her eyes, sinking her consciousness deep into her body. Within a sea of chaotic energy, that faint, milky-white stardust glow was so conspicuous, yet so fragile. She carefully guided her nascent will, like the gentlest touch, to envelop that speck of stardust.

【Brother Lin Mo…help me…one last time…】Xiang Lingna's consciousness conveyed plea and resolve.

The stardust glow flickered ever so faintly, as if in response. Xiang Lingna gathered every ounce of focus, guiding that speck of light along the channel built by her will and nascent energy, struggling, bit by bit, to move it out from her chest! The process felt like tearing away part of her soul, bringing tearing agony, but she gritted her teeth and endured.

Hmm…

A speck of faint yet pure milky-white starlight finally broke free from Xiang Lingna's body, hovering in the air, drifting slowly toward the metal pedestal like a firefly returning to its nest, and settling gently into the energy-interface groove at the pedestal's top.

"Stardust core…in position…" Zero's projection data stream flickered wildly. "Step two: guide…Chaos energy…inject into node…fuse with stardust…construct 'Sanctuary' energy framework…Warning! Energy conflict risk…extreme!"

This was the most dangerous step! Xiang Lingna drew a deep breath, no longer suppressing the dormant Chaos power within her. She raised that dark-purple crystalline right arm; light flowed at the broken end, pointing at the metal pedestal. A stream of Chaos energy—mingling the Thorn Order's tenacity, the guiding light of stardust, the essence of the Sacred Tree's power, and the cold, controllable Annihilation rot—roared into the metal pedestal like a bursting lava flow!

Boom——!!!

The metal pedestal instantly erupted with blinding, searing light! The three-colored, motley Chaos energy met the pure stardust light like sworn enemies of fire and water, engaging in a brutal slaughter and struggle within the cramped node! The pedestal groaned under the unbearable load, its metal surface instantly turning red-hot as fine cracks spread across it! Wild energy turbulence sliced through the surrounding air and metal wreckage like blades out of control!

"Argh!" Xiang Lingna felt as if her right arm had been thrown into a furnace; the Chaos energy was being frantically drained and consumed by the conflict within the node, and the agony nearly made her faint! She held on desperately, pouring her entire will into it—not to fight, but to guide! To fuse! Just as she had done at the Sacred Tree's core in the end!

She "watched" the wild energy turbulence within the node, no longer afraid, and forcefully cut her nascent will into it! The Thorn Order became a tenacious network of veins, attempting to frame the boundaries of chaos; the stardust light acted as lubricant and catalyst, harmonizing within the cracks of conflict; and that cold Annihilation rot was forcibly compressed and shaped by her will into the "steel girders" supporting the framework! The pure order lingering from the Sacred Tree's power became the furnace fire tempering it all!

This was an excruciatingly painful and delicate process, like weaving silk within a hurricane! Xiang Lingna's face was paper-white, sweat poured down like rain, and her body swayed on the verge of collapse. The dark-purple crystal of her right arm, under the frantic energy output, deepened in color, and even began absorbing the stray metal particles in the surrounding air, emitting a faint hum.

Zero's projection also entered an extreme state; data streams cascaded down like waterfalls as it calculated every minute fluctuation of the energy flow at full capacity, and through the surviving Hub system, precisely—injected like a scalpel—the final 3% of stored energy into the critical balance points of the node's conflict, forcibly keeping the node from total collapse!

"Warning…energy output…exceeds safety threshold by 300%…node structure…at critical point…"

"Chaos energy…fusion rate with stardust…0.5%…0.8%…1.2%…slowly rising…"

"Spatial stability anchor…generating…progress…1%…"

On the screen, the countdown representing the tracking beacon had jumped to the final ten minutes!

Xiang Lingna's consciousness began to blur; overexhaustion pushed her to the brink. The energy conflict within the node remained violent; though the fusion rate was slowly climbing, it was still far too short of constructing a stable "Sanctuary" framework!

Just then, the dark-purple crystalline stump of Xiang Lingna's right arm, having absorbed enough metal particles and stray Chaos energy, suddenly underwent a mutation! Countless tiny energy circuits within the crystal seemed to light up, emitting a deep purple glow! It was no longer merely a passive channel for outputting energy, but had become an independent energy converter and amplifier!

Hmm!

A stream of Chaos energy—more powerful, more condensed, bearing Xiang Lingna's Will Brand—suddenly blasted out from the crystalline stump, pouring fiercely into the metal pedestal node!

This force was like a stabilizing spike! The wild, conflicting energy flow was instantly forcibly suppressed and gathered! The Thorn Order's veins grew clearer, the stardust light's guidance smoother, the Annihilation rot framework sturdier! The fusion rate skyrocketed like riding a rocket!

"5%…10%…20%!!" Zero's voice carried a note of incredulous electronic tremor. "Chaos core…spontaneous evolution?! Spatial anchor…generation accelerating!"

Xiang Lingna also felt the change in her right arm; that crystal seemed to have become an extension of her body's will! Her spirit lifted; seizing the chance, she poured her final strength, along with her newfound sense of control, into it all!

"Construct! Stardust Sanctuary!!!"