Chapter 49: Moon Fall's Purification, the Elves' Gift, and the Doctor's Afterimage

A streak of dark purple light, like an evil dragon breaking free of its cage, tore through space with a piercing shriek and lunged straight at the Doctor's nearly transparent projection! Wherever it passed, the air seemed drained of all life in an instant, leaving behind a faint yet heart-chilling trail of grey decay.

"No! Don't come any closer!" The Doctor's projection let out a genuine scream of terror for the first time! He knew better than anyone the horror of that wisp of pure Corruption Mark essence! It represented the ultimate decay and pollution, possessing a lethal corrosive power against any energy body or even spiritual consciousness! His projection was itself a condensation of high-dimensional data and spiritual force, utterly defenseless against such power!

Yet the streak of light moved swift as lightning, and the Doctor's projection was already extremely weak from the collapse of the spatial cutting network, leaving him no way to dodge!

Pfft!

The dark purple light pierced straight through the Doctor's projection's chest without the slightest obstruction!

"Gyaaaaah——!!!" An inhuman shriek, mingled with electronic static and the agony of a soul being torn apart, echoed across the hollow! The Doctor's projection was instantly wrapped and corroded by the dense dark purple energy! The projection twisted and flickered violently, like a signal-distorted image, the data streams composing his body going madly chaotic and collapsing! The outlines of his gold-rimmed glasses and white robe blurred and warped within the purple haze like melting wax figures!

"My... consciousness... no... data... corruption..." The Doctor's halting thought waves, brimming with ultimate agony and terror, spread outward. He tried to sever his link with the projection, but that wisp of Corruption Mark essence, like the most vicious virus, had already followed the spiritual link back, corroding toward his main consciousness!

At the center of the hollow, Lin Mo was also stunned by this sudden turn of events. He had not expected that dormant Corruption Mark to actively attack the Doctor!

"Now!" Sister Ai Li's weak yet ice-cold voice rang out once more! At some unknown point she had struggled to sit half-up; the wound on her chest had torn open again from the exertion, fresh blood staining the bandages red. But in her hand she gripped tightly that Moonlight Crystal, covered in cracks, its core branded with purification runes!

The crystal seemed to sense that escaped wisp of Corruption Mark essence, as well as the Doctor's projection being corroded by it; the pure silver light at its core flickered violently, radiating a strong desire to reject and purify!

"Lin Mo... guide... the crystal... purify it!" Sister Ai Li's voice carried an unquestionable resolve as she hurled the crystal toward Lin Mo with all her might!

Lin Mo understood instantly! Enduring the enormous drain of maintaining the Root Domain, his left hand shot out like lightning and firmly caught the flying Moonlight Crystal! It was ice-cold to the touch, but the silver light at its core carried a burning will to purify!

He no longer hesitated, pouring the portion of power he had just recovered from stabilizing the Ley Line Heart, together with the Seed of Life's yearning for life and purification, entirely into the crystal!

Hum——!!!

The Moonlight Crystal erupted with an unprecedented, pure and blazing silver radiance! As if a miniature moon had risen in Lin Mo's hand! The cracks on the crystal's surface were filled by the silver light, and the purification runes at its core came alive, projecting a beam of light condensed to the extreme, woven from countless fine silver thorns and crescent patterns—the Moonlight Purification Spear!

"In the name of the Moon God—purge the filth!" Lin Mo roared, aiming the Purification Spear at the mass of Doctor's projection wrapped in dark purple energy, howling as it collapsed!

Whoosh——!

The silver Purification Spear tore through the air, carrying the majesty of washing away all decay, and in an instant pierced through the dense mass of dark purple energy!

Sizzle sizzle sizzle——!!!

Like scalding holy water poured upon filthy snow! The piercing sound of purification rang to the heavens! The dense dark purple energy boiled, evaporated, and dissipated madly beneath the pure moonlight radiance! The Doctor's projection's agonized wail was forcibly cut short, its twisted outline melting and collapsing within the silver light like thin mist under a blazing sun!

"No... my research... annihilation..." The last wisp of unwillingness from the Doctor's projection completely dissipated, together with that wisp of pure Corruption Mark essence, utterly annihilated and purified beneath the might of the Moonlight Purification Spear, reduced to nothingness!

The light of the Purification Spear dimmed along with it; the Moonlight Crystal completely lost all its luster, becoming a grey-white stone block covered in cracks, slipping from Lin Mo's hand. Sister Ai Li collapsed once more from exhaustion.

In the hollow, only the Ley Line Heart remained, quietly suspended deep within the fissure in the earth, radiating a steady orange-red glow, along with the dark-gold thorn roots swaying gently around it, gradually becoming illusory. The blue light net of the spatial lockdown field had long vanished, and the Doctor's projection and threat had vanished like smoke.

Silence as of death.

Wrench and Xiang Lingna poked their heads out from behind the roots, looking at the devastated yet miraculously calmed hollow, their faces filled with the blankness of those who had survived a calamity.

Lin Mo leaned on his dark-gold battle blade, gasping violently, sweat mingled with blood and mud streaking his cheeks. Had he won? No, it was a pyrrhic victory. Sister Ai Li was grievously wounded and near death, Priestess Liyana... he suddenly looked toward the thorn passage node deep within his consciousness!

The node still existed, and had even become more stable and brighter due to the stabilization of the Ley Line Heart and the resonance of the thorn root domain. But the spiritual link connecting the other end... was like a candle guttering in the wind, so faint it was almost imperceptible! Only a will, deep and sorrowful, carrying endless sacrifice and entrustment, lingered in the depths of the node like a final echo.

Priestess Liyana...!

Lin Mo's heart sank. He tried to extend his thought toward it, but all he felt was a cold, deathly withered mist, and deep within the mist, a massive, furious presence roaring with the rage of a hunter who had lost its prey—Rotclaw!

"Sister Liyana..." Xiang Lingna seemed to sense something as well; her little face was filled with sorrow, tears sliding silently down.

Just then, that stable thorn passage node suddenly transmitted once more a wisp of extremely faint yet perfectly clear fluctuation! No longer Priestess Liyana's consciousness, but like a segment of... preset information stream!

The information stream instantly surged into Lin Mo's mind, transforming into images and thoughts one after another:

Image One: Deep within the withered forest, the remains of the World Tree completely shattered, turning into silver dust carrying a faint glow that filled the sky. At the center of the dust, a wisp of faint yet incomparably pure emerald radiance (like the most primordial Seed of Life) slowly rose and merged into that stable thorn passage node.

【Priestess Liyana's thought (residual): The last... World Tree Seed... merges into the passage... stabilizes... origin... hope...】

Image Two: The Withered Wood Technique staff completely shattered; the fragments of the Moonlight Gem at its tip turned into countless tiny silver gleams, like fireflies; part of them merged into the passage node, while another part, as if drawn by something, pierced through space and silently vanished into Sister Ai Li's body, especially the wound on her chest.

【Priestess Liyana's thought (residual): Moonlight... fragments... purify... protect... Sister Ai Li...】

Image Three: In the withered forest, all the surviving elven souls not yet fully corrupted (faint silver specks of light), guided by Priestess Liyana's will, surged toward the thorn passage node like a hundred streams returning to the sea, transforming into streams of pure soul-origin energy and pouring into it!

【Priestess Liyana's thought (residual): The clanspeople's... remnant souls... will to protect... bestow... new... homeland...】

The information stream ended.

Lin Mo felt only a vast and pure energy, mingled with natural origin, moonlight power, and the protective will of countless elves, surge toward him along the thorn passage like a warm flood, instantly pouring into his Seed of Life! This force carried no pollution, only pure sacrifice and entrustment!

【Detected high-purity 'Natural Origin', 'Moonlight Essence', 'Guardian Will' fusion energy injection!】

【'Seed of Life' has received tremendous nourishment! Energy reserves restored to: 100%! Quality improved!】

【'Thorn Root Domain' has received permanent enhancement! Range expanded! Root strength increased!】

【Thorn passage node reinforced with 'World Tree Seed' imprint and 'Elven Remnant Soul' will! Stability greatly improved! More stable, larger-scale energy/material transmission may be attempted!】

【Sister Ai Li has received 'Moonlight Fragment' origin nourishment! Wounds beginning slow repair! Residual withering pollution within her body suppressed!】

Priestess Liyana... had used the last of herself and her clanspeople to pave the road ahead for Lin Mo, and to protect Sister Ai Li!

"Priestess Liyana..." Lin Mo gripped his battle blade tightly, feeling the surging power within him and the stability transmitted from the passage node, his heart filled with a heavy sorrow and sense of duty. The elves' elegy had ended in another world, but the spark of hope had been lit in his hands.

Yet, just as he was immersed in the complex emotions of sorrow and newfound power—

"Beep... beep... data... core sample... capture failed..."

"Target... energy source... stable... threat... level... elevated..."

"Corruption... origin... annihilated... loss... incalculable..."

"Initiating... highest alert... awakening... 'Seed of Annihilation' contingency..."

A wisp of extremely faint, intermittent information stream, carrying cold electronic static, like a ghost, leaked out from the spatial ripples remaining at the location where the Doctor's projection had been utterly annihilated, and was instantly and keenly perceived by Lin Mo!

Lin Mo's pupils contracted sharply! The Doctor's main body was not dead! Not only did he know of the Ley Line Heart's existence, he had also activated some even more terrifying "Seed of Annihilation" contingency?!

The wasteland's shadow had not yet dispersed! And a new crisis was quietly brewing in the distance!