Chapter 211

Lyana’s faint, nearly drowned-out moan exploded in Lin Mo, Ai Li, and Lingna’s ears like thunder. All three turned their heads simultaneously, their gazes locking onto the warm crimson crystal beside her.

Lyana still lay motionless, eyes tightly shut, her brows furrowed as if trapped in a nightmare of unbearable agony. Her long silver eyelashes trembled violently, beads of cold sweat glistened on her forehead, and her pale, paper-thin lips were bitten until not a trace of color remained. Most chilling of all, the dark purple crystal at her forehead—long dormant—was flickering erratically! Its glow was no longer the blinding, sinister radiance of before, but weak and chaotic, like a candle guttering in the wind: now a flicker of eerie violet, now crushed into dimness by an invisible force.

The emerald seed of the World Tree beside her seemed strongly drawn, its life-giving radiance no longer steady, but pulsing like breath—unsteadily matching the dark purple crystal’s erratic flashes in a disturbing tug-of-war.

“Sister Lyana!” Lingna cried out, stepping forward—but Lin Mo seized her arm.

“Don’t get close!” Lin Mo’s face was grim. His perception far outstripped Lingna’s—he could clearly sense two opposing, equally powerful forces clashing dangerously within Lyana herself! One cold and lifeless, brimming with hunger to consume; the other weak yet stubborn as thorns, defiant of death! Her remaining Moon Priestess power and the World Tree seed’s vitality were fighting the invasive spores!

Approaching now would risk being swept into the out-of-control energy vortex—or disrupting her internal struggle.

“Ugh…” Lyana moaned again, her body twitching faintly, fingers clutching the dust beneath her until her knuckles turned white. A dark purple, living-like pattern crept silently from beneath the forehead crystal, slithering like a venomous snake across her temple—but as if blocked by some force, its progress was agonizingly slow.

Meanwhile, beyond the cave’s perimeter, the multiple spatial disturbances Zero had warned of intensified.

Hssss—!

On the cave’s left side, where clusters of deep-blue crystals grew, shadows tore open like curtains. Two shadow stalkers slipped out silently, their crimson electronic eyes instantly locking onto Lyana—the source of the most abnormal energy fluctuations! Without hesitation, they blurred into two streaks of ground-hugging black smoke, charging straight toward her!

Almost simultaneously, similar energy-tearing sounds erupted from the right and rear! At least three more shadow stalkers had breached the cave’s energy shield and attacked from different directions! Their tactic was unmistakable—use numerical superiority to simultaneously pin down Lin Mo and the others, targeting Lyana, who was defenseless as she fought the invasion within her!

“Stop them!” Lin Mo growled, unleashing Star Dust energy without reserve! He clasped his hands, summoning two blazing light swords, then lunged forward to meet the two fastest shadow stalkers on the left. His swords slashed, leaving trails of pure white light that flickered the cave between brightness and gloom. The natural suppression of Star Dust over corrupted energy made the stalkers hiss in caution, slowing their advance as they parried with energy claws, locked in fierce combat!

Ai Li stood like a she-panther guarding her territory, holding the front of Lyana against the attackers from the right. Her speed reached its peak; her alloy shortblade became a series of precise, lethal silver threads, each block and slash intercepting the stalkers’ attacks dead-on—sparks flew, the hiss of colliding energy never ceased! But wounded as she was, facing two coordinated shadow stalkers in relentless assault, she could only barely hold ground, retreating step by step—drawing closer to Lyana!

Lingna was frantic. Her power could affect shadow stalkers, but their speed was too great for her to lock onto targets. She tried channeling emerald light for area suppression, but with little effect—and her distraction cost her: a stalker slipped unseen from behind, seizing an opening!

A black energy spike pierced silently toward Lingna’s back!

At that critical moment—

Hum…

The corrupted milky-white crystal tree suddenly trembled without warning! The black corruption coiled around its roots churned violently! A denser, colder aura of death spread outward!

This aura seemed to violently stir Lyana, who was already battling the invasion within!

She snapped open her eyes!

What eyes they were! Her once-clear emerald irises had turned a strange pale violet—empty, dazed, yet deep within lay endless pain and a hint… of chilling unfamiliarity! As if another consciousness was awakening inside her!

“Sister… Lyana?” Lingna froze, chilled by that gaze, her movements halting.

Pfft! Though the ambush spike had veered slightly due to the tree’s disturbance, it still scraped hard across Lingna’s shoulder, spraying blood. The corrosive energy surged in instantly—she screamed, half her body going numb!

And Lyana—or the alien consciousness controlling her body—seemed stirred by Lingna’s blood and pain. Those pale violet eyes locked onto her instantly. One pale hand shot up, fingertips wreathed in a terrifying strand of dark purple annihilation energy, poised to strike!

“Lyana! Wake up!” Lin Mo saw this, eyes blazing with fury—he wanted to rush back but was pinned down!

Ai Li also saw the turn of events—but she was driven back by two stalkers, unable to break free!

Just as the annihilation energy was about to launch—

Lyana’s body convulsed violently! The dark purple crystal on her forehead flared wildly; her raised hand trembled uncontrollably—as if two consciousnesses fought fiercely for control! Her face twisted in agony, her vacant eyes flickering between familiar emerald glimmers and cold violet coverage.

“N…o… h…arm…” she forced out broken syllables—her own voice, thick with struggle and pain!

Finally, the strand of annihilation energy whipped around, slamming violently into the crimson crystal beside her!

Boom! The crystal instantly corroded and shattered into countless fragments!

Lyana, as if drained of all strength, closed her eyes and collapsed again, unconscious. The glow of her forehead crystal dimmed once more, yet the purple veins spreading from it had sunk deeper.

All this happened in the blink of an eye!

The shadow stalkers, confused by the sudden turn and the surge then collapse of annihilation energy, hesitated for a split second.

“Now!” Zero’s electronic voice blared. It had hovered above the battlefield not idle—but had been calculating the stalkers’ energy frequencies and teleportation patterns with full intensity!

Several ultra-fine, nearly invisible threads of pale blue energy shot from Zero’s console—not at the stalkers themselves, but at specific points in the space around them!

Hum! Hum! Hum!

The targeted points erupted into tiny interference fields! The shadow stalkers, mid-teleport and adjusting for new attacks, slammed into invisible energy nets—their short-range shadow teleportation instantly disrupted and backfired! Their forms blurred and twisted, emitting pained, chaotic shrieks, their movements freezing completely!

Opportunity!

Lin Mo and Ai Li would not miss this perfect opening!

“Die!” Lin Mo roared, merging his light swords into one pure-white meteor that tore through the two frozen stalkers before him! Star Dust erupted, purifying them into ash!

Ai Li slid like a ghost along the ground, her alloy shortblade slicing with cold intent, precisely severing the energy cores of two other stalkers! Blade flashed—cores shattered—black smoke rose!

The last stalker, slowed by Lingna’s life-energy burns and struggling to vanish into shadow, was finished by a precise energy shot from Zero.

The battle began in an instant—and ended in an instant.

Silence returned to the cave, broken only by the heavy breathing of the four and the fearful clicking of the crystal clusters.

Lingna clutched her wounded shoulder, pale-faced, staring at Lyana’s unconscious form, heart still pounding. The Lyana of moments ago—strange, terrifying.

Lin Mo walked to Lyana’s side, examining her condition closely, brow furrowed. The situation was worse than imagined—the annihilation spores weren’t just corrupting her body; they were trying to invade her consciousness!

Ai Li silently shook the black blood from her blade, then moved to guard the cave entrance. Her posture remained upright, but her trembling fingers betrayed the pressure she’d endured and the worsening of her wounds.

Zero’s console dimmed significantly—its precise interference had drained immense power. “Shadow teleportation interference protocol effective. But resistance may develop. Next attack will be far more difficult.”

And now, beneath the corrupted crystal tree, the black substance—having absorbed the scattered annihilation energy and the negative emotions of battle—grew more active, spreading further, even beginning to extend black tendrils toward nearby smaller crystal clusters.

The immediate crisis had passed—but a darker cloud loomed over every heart. The threat within Lyana was far more terrifying than any external enemy.