[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-all-heavens-from-a-wasteland-farm-to-a-d":3,"chapter-lord-of-all-heavens-from-a-wasteland-farm-to-a-d-lord-of-all-heavens-from-a-wasteland-farm-to-a-d-chapter-221":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of All Heavens: From a Wasteland Farm to a Divine Court of Myriad Worlds",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2344414,4582,"Chapter 221: Absolute Desperation and the Whispering Engine","lord-of-all-heavens-from-a-wasteland-farm-to-a-d-chapter-221",221,"\u003Cp>The air in the altar room froze again. The shock of the newly revealed information had not yet subsided when the imminent invasion alert raised everyone’s heart to their throats!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn you, Doctor! Your nose is sharper than a hellhound’s!” Groona cursed, her powered armor joints groaning under strain as she stormed to the room’s entrance, her massive battle-axe held horizontally before her, crimson eyes locked on the energy-churning corridor outside. “Come to pick up scraps? Ask my axe if it’ll allow it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elli also struggled to her feet, snatching up the short knife on the ground. Though her face was pale, her gaze remained as cold as ever; she silently took her place beside Groona, showing her resolve to fight to the death. Xiang Lingna also forced herself upright; though the glow of the crystal on her right arm had dimmed, it still stubbornly pulsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zero’s analysis doused this grim atmosphere with icy water: “Enemy strength far exceeds our current state. Direct confrontation yields survival probability below 3.7%. Recommendation: Evacuate immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evacuate? Where to?” Groona roared. “Behind us is a dead end! Ahead are those bastards!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not entirely a dead end,” Zero replied, projecting the Ark’s structural diagram recently extracted from the information orb onto the wall—a single point highlighted: the altar room they stood in. “This room has a secondary emergency evacuation route leading directly to the Ark’s lower maintenance network. Theoretically, it can bypass the main combat zones and reach… the outer perimeter of the ‘Shadow Engine.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entrance to that passage lay directly beneath the empty platform in the center of the room! It required a specific energy signature to activate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To the Shadow Engine?” Lingna gasped. “That traitor ‘Shadoweye’ and the corrupted seed are down there! Isn’t that even more dangerous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Risk and opportunity coexist,” Zero calmly analyzed. “First, the Doctor’s target is clearly the Energy Well’s core zone; his forces are concentrated there, leaving the lower levels relatively vacant. Second, ‘Shadoweye’ stole the seed only recently; the corruption process may not yet be complete—recovery is still possible. Third, the Shadow Engine’s environment is extremely chaotic, with frequent energy storms that could be used to hinder pursuers—or even… harness their power against the Doctor’s troops.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the only path to survival! Better to storm into the more dangerous lower levels than remain here to be surrounded and annihilated by the Doctor’s army—perhaps they could still seize a sliver of hope, even fulfill the High Priestess’s final wish and prevent the seed’s total corruption!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No time to hesitate! Go!” Elli made her decision instantly, knowing the cost of delay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone hurried to the platform. Zero’s console emitted an energy stream, activating the hidden runes beneath it. The platform hummed softly, sliding slowly aside to reveal a deep, vertical passage below—narrow enough for only one person, descending into darkness. A cold wind, thick with the stench of oil and chaotic energy, rushed upward from below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Groona, hold the rear! Lingna, come with me!” Elli grabbed the icy ladder inside the passage first and slid down swiftly, wincing as the motion tugged at her wounds. Lingna followed close behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Groona stood guard at the entrance, casting one last glance at the corridor outside, where energy fluctuations had intensified—she could now hear the heavy footsteps of the Cleansers and the hum of charging energy weapons. She sneered, pulled the last remaining high-explosive dwarf mine from her armor’s waist, set the delay, and hurled it hard into the corridor’s bend. Only then did she turn, her massive frame barely squeezing into the passage as she slid down rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!! A violent explosion echoed above, followed by chaotic screams—clearly, the dwarf mine had done its job well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vertical passage stretched endlessly downward, its walls cold metal. Only faint, ominous crimson light and a low, monstrous breathing-like rumble drifted up from below. The deeper they went, the thicker and colder the air became, the stronger the chaotic energy currents, and the more frequently tiny arcs of electricity leapt across the metal walls, raising the hair on their necks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After descending for an unknown duration, their feet finally touched solid ground. The three and the AI slid out through a similar exit onto a narrower maintenance corridor, choked with thick pipes and discarded cables. The air was suffocating—reeking of sulfur, ozone, and something… rotten. Flickering crimson emergency lights cast everything in an ominous hue. The walls were lined with massive energy conduits, pulsing like veins; many had ruptured, leaking dangerous, multicolored energy liquids that pooled on the floor, radiating heat and radiation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The environment here was far worse than the wasteland they’d left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Location: Outer Maintenance Layer of Shadow Engine. Radiation level: High. Recommend activating minimal shielding,” Zero warned. Its scanning beams were severely disrupted here, becoming unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Groona’s armor radiation counter blared shrilly; she cursed as she adjusted the settings. Elli and Lingna moved cautiously, avoiding the energy pools and obvious radiation sources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corridor twisted like a labyrinth. Following the vague route Zero had extracted from the structural map, they struggled forward toward the engine’s core. Along the way, they saw more signs of battle and destruction—giant claw marks torn into thick metal walls, dried, blackened blood not belonging to any known species, and shattered remnants of ancient elf weapons and armor. Clearly, a brutal battle had raged here before and after the Ark’s crash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Groona, leading the way, halted and signaled silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the corner ahead came clear, non-mechanical sounds—a heavy, dragging step, the screech of grinding metal, and a low, dreamlike moan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something was ahead. And not just one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three crept cautiously to the corner and peered around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a slightly more open area ahead, filled with valves and control nodes, several tall, twisted figures wandered aimlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their bodies appeared stitched together from discarded machinery, pipes, and even elf corpses; seams flickered with unstable energy arcs and dark purple corruption. Their “heads” were twisted sensors—or simply exposed, pulsing energy cores—emitting meaningless red light. Their arms had been modified into giant pincers, drills, or cutters, mindlessly scraping at walls and pipes, leaving deep gouges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What were these things? Had the Ark’s automated repair drones been corrupted and mutated? Or were they the creations of the traitor “Shadoweye”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Detecting highly chaotic entities… composed of mechanical parts, biological remains, and corrupted energy… no intelligent response… wandering by instinct… attack all non-similar energy sources…” Zero analyzed swiftly. “Threat level: Medium. But quantity unknown. Combat will generate loud noise, likely attracting more enemies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No direct assault. Only stealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three held their breath, using piles of debris and the shadows of thick pipes to inch forward. Groona’s powered armor was now a liability—even with output reduced to minimum, its faint operational hum echoed unnaturally loud in the deathly silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the nearest twisted entities seemed to hear something. Its head—made of gears and cables—snapped around with a clatter, its single crimson eye sweeping the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elli immediately pulled Lingna behind her, pressing herself flat against the cold pipe, stopping even her breath. Groona froze, her axe blade slightly raised, ready to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the entity did not detect them. After wandering a few steps, it turned away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They passed the area unscathed. Ahead, the corridor sloped downward; the temperature rose sharply, the air now scorching like an oven. The deep, monstrous breathing of the engine grew louder, vibrating their very hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, they reached the end of the maintenance corridor. At its terminus stood a large observation platform, half-destroyed, made of reinforced glass and metal frames. Looking down—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight before them made even seasoned Groona draw a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below lay an unimaginably vast abyss. At its center floated a twisted, broken, yet stubbornly functioning behemoth—the Shadow Engine. It was no conventional machine, but more like a forcibly torn and warped spatial rift generator. Countless thick, energy-charged conduits and crystal clusters, like monstrous tentacles, connected to it, feeding chaotic energy to sustain its operation and prevent total collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At its core spun a swirling vortex of dark red chaotic energy, tearing at surrounding light. Terrifying lightning erupted within it, illuminating the abyss walls—covered in massive, scar-like spatial fissures. Tiny, twisted, indescribable shadow creatures tried to crawl out of those cracks, only to be shredded or shoved back by the engine’s chaotic energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The environment here had reached its worst extreme—spatial structure was critically unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a relatively intact metal platform at the engine’s perimeter, they saw their target—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure clad in tattered ancient elf robes, shrouded in twisted shadows, stood facing away from them at the platform’s center. In his hands, he held the Thorn Box—open. Inside, the once-pure emerald World Tree seed, “Dawn,” was now mostly a horrifying purplish-black, with only a tiny core still stubbornly glowing faint green, resisting the corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Purplish energy tendrils spread from the seed, connecting to the core vortex of the Shadow Engine, drawing immense chaotic energy to accelerate the corruption. Simultaneously, threads of corrupted energy flowed back into the engine, making the chaotic vortex even wilder and more unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure was undoubtedly the traitor “Shadoweye.” He was performing the dangerous ritual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Target located,” Zero whispered. “Seed corruption level: 71%… and rising rapidly…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must be stopped. Now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how to reach him? The platform hung suspended above a storm-wracked abyss, connected only by a few narrow, crumbling maintenance walkways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they watched, “Shadoweye” seemed to sense something. Slowly, he turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the hood was not the monstrous face they expected, but an extremely pale, almost beautiful elf face—filled with fanaticism and obsession. His eyes were pure black, devoid of whites; his lips curled into a twisted, inhuman grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah… new guests…” His voice was hoarse and ethereal, echoing as if not from a throat. “Come to witness… the birth of a new world? Or… to become the first sacrifice after ‘Dawn’ falls completely?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1646,"2026-06-21T00:09:54.226Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ec0b65f556b536a8c6a51cbfb54fcdfa229967d006b3f61ad3ac2283fa6b8bcd","lord-of-all-heavens-from-a-wasteland-farm-to-a-d-chapter-222","lord-of-all-heavens-from-a-wasteland-farm-to-a-d-chapter-220",247,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-all-heavens-from-a-wasteland-farm-to-a-d-cover.jpg"]