Chapter 47: The Struggle of the Melted Heart: The Thorn

Deep within the earth vein fissure, an orange-red light cluster pulsed like a newborn sun, each beat triggering tremors in the land and radiating vast, primal power. Yet the dark purple energy threads entwining it, like parasitic worms, emitted a cold, decaying aura as they greedily corroded the nascent earth vein seed, seeking to imprint its withered mark at its core!

“Roar—!” Above the wasteland, the Doctor’s projection twisted and flickered amid violent energy fluctuations, emitting a distorted, furious roar: “The earth vein heart?! You’ve forcibly catalyzed the core of this dimensional fragment?! Madman! An uncontrollable energy source! You’ll destroy this place!”

He knew better than Lin Mo how dangerous a forcibly activated and corrupted earth vein core could be! It was like a super bomb ready to explode, scattering lethal withering spores! This exceeded his plan of “capture and study”—it had become pure disaster!

“Destroy it! Must destroy it!” The Doctor’s projection instantly turned icy cold; all prior intentions of recruitment vanished. His virtual fingers danced rapidly, as if manipulating something. Below, the two “Clearers” shaken off-balance by the tremors suddenly flared brilliant red in their optical sensors, emitting piercing alarms—then forcibly stabilized their frames, ignoring Wrench and Lin Mo entirely. Their four mechanical legs surged with force, becoming two steel whirlwinds, charging fearlessly toward the earth vein fissure! The bio-cannons on their backs flared wildly with green light, targeting the pulsing orange-red core deep within the fissure!

The Doctor intended to detonate the earth vein core! Better to destroy this precious energy source than let it fall into Lin Mo’s hands—or spiral completely out of control!

“Stop them!” Lin Mo’s pupils shrank. Ignoring the searing pain from clashing forces within his body and the spreading purple markings on his skin, he roared. He forcibly activated the [Seed of Life], attempting to summon the sword Chuxing hovering above the molten pool, soaked in the remnants of earthfire!

Hum!

The dark golden sword vibrated again, its runes glowing. A denser, emerald-silver spiral blade formed instantly—yet this time, its condensation was slightly slower, its glow dimmer. Forcibly activating the earth vein core drained both Lin Mo and the sword immensely!

Shhh!

The spiral blade shot through the air, slashing toward the lead “Clearer.” Pthsh! It cleanly severed one mechanical leg. The monster lost balance, tumbling to the ground. But the second “Clearer” had already reached the fissure’s edge—its bio-cannon glowing with maximum green energy!

“No—!” Wrench’s eyes bulged. He snatched a rock and hurled it with all his strength—yet it was like a fly trying to topple a tree!

At this critical moment!

“Ugh…” A faint moan came from beside him. It was Ally! She had somehow forced her eyes open amid the violent tremors and energy shocks! Though her gaze remained hazy, her face as pale as paper, blood seeping through her bandaged chest staining her torn priestess robe, her right hand clutched tightly—around half a broken, purple-tinged withered thorn, its tip stained with withering energy!

With every last ounce of strength, she hurled the thorn toward the “Clearer” about to fire!

The motion was weak, the trajectory crooked. The half-thorn floated limply toward its target, unable to even reach the towering machine’s body.

Yet—

As the thorn flew several meters from the “Clearer,” an anomaly erupted!

Deep within the earth vein fissure, the dark purple energy thread entwining the orange-red core shuddered violently—as if powerfully drawn by a kindred force! An invisible suction instantly gripped the flying withered thorn!

Shhh!

The thorn accelerated like iron filings pulled by a magnet—becoming a purple-black streak, striking precisely… into the bio-cannon’s charging muzzle of the “Clearer”!

Hssss—!!!

Like cold water poured into hot oil! The Can green bio-corrosive fluid and the withered thorn infused with the essence of the withered claw erupted in violent, unpredictable reactions inside the barrel!

Boom!!!!!

The bio-cannon on the “Clearer”’s back swelled, twisted, then exploded like an overinflated balloon! Thick sludge—mixing Can green corrosion fluid and deep purple withering energy—spewed outward like fireworks! The blast wave utterly shredded the machine, and the nearby crippled companion was swept into the explosion, reduced to burning scrap wreathed in eerie green-purple flames!

The explosion’s shockwave struck the earth vein fissure; the orange-red core surged violently, rocks crumbling from its edges!

“Ally!” Lin Mo gasped, stunned and elated, staring at the figure collapsing once more into unconsciousness.

“Nice job, Ally boss!” Wrench, barely escaped, jumped up and down in excitement.

Yet the crisis was far from over!

“Worthless!” The Doctor’s projection grew even more blurred by the explosion, his voice thick with rage. He stared at the chaos below—at the pulsing earth vein core—at Lin Mo—at the sword he coveted yet feared—and his eyes hardened with malice.

“If I cannot control it… then bury it utterly!” The Doctor’s projection slammed both hands downward! An invisible data wave pierced through space!

Around the depression, the scorched ground—previously blasted by “Scavengers,” ravaged by earthfire, and shattered by battle—suddenly glowed with dozens of faint blue points! These points rapidly linked, forming a complex energy matrix covering more than half the depression!

【WARNING! High-intensity spatial lock field detected! Target area: center of depression (including earth vein fissure)! Effect: spatial solidification!】

【This field will drastically enhance spatial structural stability, preventing spatial jumps or tears—and will greatly amplify the power and radius of any energy source detonated within. Equivalent to creating a sealed… high-pressure bomb casing!】

The Doctor activated his hidden backup! He would detonate the earth vein core within the spatial field’s confinement, annihilating Lin Mo and all others—and everything in this region!

“Initiate… Final Purification Protocol!” The Doctor’s projection issued a cold command.

Deep within the earth vein fissure, the orange-red core, suppressed by the spatial field, pulsed wildly, chaotically! At its center, the dark purple thread writhed and swelled like a creature provoked! Orange-red and dark-purple light clashed and intertwined furiously! A destructive energy storm, capable of leveling the entire depression, was being forcibly catalyzed and brewed!

“Damn it!” Lin Mo’s face turned ashen. He felt clearly the impending, explosive pulse rising from the earth beneath him! Space was sealed—he could not escape! And Ally, Lingna, and Wrench were all incapacitated!

“Boss! What do we do?!” Wrench stared at the glowing blue field net around them and the increasingly violent light within the fissure, his soul nearly fleeing his body.

Dead end! Truly, ten-to-zero, no hope!

Just as Lin Mo neared despair, the dark golden sword Chuxing hovering above the molten pool in his hand vibrated again! This time, the hum was no longer low or clear—it carried a strange rhythm, like countless thorn vines howling in a gale!

At the hilt, the runes formed from life-light threads and lunar silver lines erupted in unprecedented radiance—not emerald or silver-white, but a deep, ancient gold, as if weathered by countless ages! An ancient, resilient force, steeped in protection and sacrifice, awakened with a thunderous roar from within the sword!

This force resonated powerfully with the final protective will transmitted by Liyana—the will woven into the remnants of the World Tree! The sword Chuxing broke free of the molten pool’s hold on its own, becoming a streak of dark golden light, flying Zhudong into Lin Mo’s hands!

Heavy in his grip. Warm. A sense of bloodline connection surged through his entire body. Lin Mo felt a sudden “boom” in his mind—countless images flashed: elves praying devoutly in the withered forest, the World Tree towering, casting shade over all, Liyana dancing beneath the moon, and… that ancient giant tree collapsing amid the withering mist, its final roots plunging deep into the earth vein, guarding the last remaining Jingtu !

This was… the Mark of Thorns! The ancient will of Liyana and her people—to protect the world, to root themselves in the earth vein—etched as the final legacy upon this sword, forged from the essence of the elf world and the wasteland’s earth vein!

“Root… protect… earth vein…” Lin Mo’s intuition flared. He whispered softly. Clutching the heavy sword Chuxing with both hands, blade pointed downward, he poured every ounce of his strength, will, and devotion to protect his companions into it—and drove it down with all his might into the trembling, erupting earth beneath him!

“In the name of Thorns—ROOT!”