Chapter 52: The Out-of-Control Moonlight, the Thorns

Silver crescent moon blades tore through the air, carrying a chilling intent to purify all things, slashing straight at the defenseless Lingna! So fast, so close—there was no time to dodge!

“Lingna—!” Lin Mo’s eyes bulged, his heart nearly stopped. He lunged forward, but his body, drained from prior exertion, hesitated for an instant!

“Girl, watch out!” The dwarf Tong Xu reacted fastest, roaring as he hurled his heavy forge hammer toward the blade’s path—its dull, thunderous rush cutting through the air. Yet the hammer’s speed paled beside the moonlight blade!

At this critical moment!

Hum—

The battle blade “Earthvein Arbiter,” planted in the ground, seemed to sense its master’s fury and protective will—the thorn runes on its guard erupted in blinding dark-gold light! The dark-gold thorn roots encircling the hollow’s core surged like awakened serpents, instantly thrashing!

Ssssh—sss—sss—

Several thick energy roots nearest to Ali and Lingna ignored spatial barriers, teleporting in a frenzy of interweaving and coiling, forming a thick, spiky thorn barrier less than half a foot in front of Lingna!

Pshhk!

The silver moonlight blade slammed into the thorn barrier!

No earth-shattering explosion—only a grating sound of slicing and annihilation! The resilient dark-gold thorns were chopped inch by inch, vaporized by the moonlight’s purifying force. But the barrier’s layers were countless, overlapping, endlessly regenerating—each layer cut through was instantly replaced by fresh thorns. Lush green life energy clashed violently with the cold moonlight, annihilating each other!

Finally, after shattering seven full layers of thorn barrier, the moonlight blade’s power exhausted itself, dissolving into scattered silver sparks. Lingna was flung back by the shockwave, crashing to the ground several meters away, her face pale, breath ragged—but she had not been struck directly!

“Ali! Wake up!” Lin Mo seized the chance, finally reaching Ali’s side, gripping her trembling shoulders with both hands. He felt the newly awakened moonlight energy within her—a wild, icy stallion, utterly out of control! Her silver-white pupils were vacant, filled only with pure, power-saturated agony and murderous intent!

“Ugh… kill… corruption… purify…” Ali’s throat rasped with a hoarse growl; her remaining hand lifted again, moonlight coalescing at her fingertips!

“Calm down!” Lin Mo roared, forcing the power of the [Life Seed] mixed with the gentle nourishment of the root domain into Ali’s body like a tidal wave—he tried to soothe and guide the raging moonlight energy!

Yet the withered corruption lingering in Ali’s body, stirred by the moonlight’s outburst, struck back like an enraged viper! Deep purple withering energy and silver moonlight clashed and tore through her meridians! The agony drove Ali to a more piercing scream; the gathered moonlight grew even more chaotic and dangerous!

“She’s being ripped apart by these two forces!” Tong Xu rushed over, staring at the energy chaos within Ali, his bushy brows knotted. “The elf’s moonlight shard is a treasure—but mixed with that tree-thing’s poison, it’s a bomb! We need to separate them—or suppress them!”

Separate? Suppress? How? Both forces originated from higher realms, deeply entangled within Ali!

“Thorns! Cage!” Lin Mo decided instantly—he poured his will into the [Earthvein Arbiter]!

Hum!

More dark-gold thorn roots burst from the earth—not to defend, but to coil like serpents around Ali’s body! Their lush green life energy, gentle yet unyielding, formed an energy shackle, attempting to suppress the runaway power from outside. Simultaneously, the root domain’s power concentrated into a hemispherical energy dome, temporarily imprisoning Ali and isolating her from the outside world!

Inside the thorn cage, Ali thrashed and howled like a caged silver moon beast, moonlight and purple mist flickering across her skin, hammering against the thorn walls with dull impacts. The cage shook violently, roots snapping and regenerating endlessly!

“This won’t last! She won’t hold out, and the root domain will collapse under the strain!” Tong Xu watched the energy-draining cage, his face grim.

Lin Mo’s face turned ashen. He felt the immense cost of sustaining the cage, and the growing chaos of the energy storm within Ali. He had to find a solution! Liyana… Liyana’s purifying power! He snapped his gaze toward the stable node of the thorn passage!

Yet as he reached out to commune with the node, seeking possible purification methods—

A cold, viscous will, thick with endless greed and brutality, surged like a tangible frostwave—piercing the dimensional barrier, racing down the thorn passage, and slamming into the depths of Lin Mo’s consciousness!

“Ssgh—!” Lin Mo reeled as if struck, grunting, his face instantly pale. Visions flooded his mind—trees rotting, earth cracking, living beings wailing in torment! A violent, all-consuming desire to destroy all life, devour all energy, surged against his sanity!

Rotclaw! It was Rotclaw’s will! It sensed the eruption of moonlight within Ali, detected the earth vein fluctuations of the Root Domain, and perceived the stability of the passage node since Liyana’s sacrifice! It… was enraged! Across dimensions, it hurled its terrifying will like a battering ram!

“Ugh—!” Lin Mo’s head split with pain, his control over the thorn cage instantly destabilized! Inside, Ali, stirred by Rotclaw’s will, thrashed even more wildly—her silver-white pupils now tinged with a faint, eerie violet hue!

“Boss, hold on!” Wrench screamed, frantically trying to help but having no way to intervene!

Tong Xu’s face darkened. Though he could not directly perceive Rotclaw’s will, he felt the sudden chaos and peril radiating from Lin Mo and Ali. “Damn it! That damn thing’s behind this!” He roared, wrenching another forge hammer from his back, eyes locked on the passage node—as if something monstrous would burst forth at any moment!

The fragile hope that had just ignited in the Root Domain was instantly smothered by the out-of-control moonlight, the backlash of withering, Rotclaw’s probing gaze, and the crushing mental assault on Lin Mo! Danger loomed everywhere—the situation teetered on collapse! Lingna struggled to her feet, staring at Ali writhing in agony within the cage and Lin Mo’s ashen face, tears welling in her eyes. Unconsciously, she clenched the shard of the water bottle—once used to irrigate Starlight Moss—strung on a crude metal chain against her chest… A faint, impossibly pure green glow began to seep softly from her palm.