Chapter 54: The Echo of Jade, the Barrier of Thorns, and the Shadow of Annihilation

“Rooted… in the earth… life… protection… thorns… are… the boundary…”

“With heart as guide… with blade as key… open… the Jade Gate…”

The ancient consciousness, resonating from the fragments of the Pure Water Vessel and the “Earth Pulse Arbiter,” exploded in Lin Mo’s mind like a thunderous bell! No time to ponder its origin—the colossal phantom claw, tearing through space, was already within inches! Withered aura, tangible as poison miasma, corroded the thorn roots and eroded the orange-red glow emanating from the Earth Pulse Heart!

“Thorn Heart—Territorial Barrier!” Lin Mo’s intuition struck like divine inspiration; he poured all his will, all his power, and every ounce of his resolve to protect this newborn land entrusted to him by Liyana into the battle blade in his hand!

Hum—!!!

The “Earth Pulse Arbiter” erupted in an unprecedented roar! On its blade, orange-red earthfire patterns, emerald life threads, dark-gold thorn runes, and a faint new purity of green from Xiang Lingna’s Pure Water Vessel fragment—four colors wildly intertwined and spun! The thorn rune at the guard detached from the blade, becoming a massive emblem composed of four-colored energy, hovering above the depression!

Simultaneously, at the edge of the depression, the green mosses unintentionally stirred by Lingna and the faintest lingering life signals from the charred wasteland beyond—like summoned by a supreme call—transformed into specks of emerald light, converging like a hundred rivers into the sea, flowing into the giant thorn emblem!

The entire “Thorn Root Domain” was fully activated! All the dark-gold energy roots bursting from the ground were no longer mere energy structures; their surfaces instantly coated with flowing, emerald-clear energy veins! The roots grew wildly, intertwined, and spread—not confined to the center of the depression, but becoming a living emerald thorn forest that instantly covered the entire rim, forming a towering, immensely thick wall of jade thorns, over ten meters high! Upon the wall’s surface, the massive four-colored thorn emblem rotated slowly, radiating a solemn, sacred aura!

The colossal phantom claw, tearing through space with destructive might, slammed violently into this newly formed emerald thorn wall!

Boom—!!!

No expected shattering! Only a muffled, heart-stopping impact! The emerald thorn wall trembled violently; its emerald energy veins rippled like water, countless tiny thorn spikes shattered and vaporized under the claw’s force! Yet the wall’s core—the dark-gold roots coated in emerald veins—showed astonishing resilience! Like ancient divine trees rooted deep in the earth, they lived endlessly; where broken, new roots immediately coiled and grew, covered again in emerald luster! The four-colored thorn emblem on the wall blazed with brilliant light, forming a powerful purifying field that frantically eroded the withered aura carried by the claw!

Hssss—!

Thick withered miasma clashed violently with the emerald purifying field, emitting piercing sounds! The phantom claw was firmly blocked—and even scorched by the purifying field, billowing black smoke! It let out a silent, furious, stunned roar, pouring more power; the spatial rift widened further, flooding in more withered aura—but the emerald thorn wall stood like an insurmountable abyss, unmoving!

“It held! By the Forge of Wrench-Dad! It actually held!” Wrench stammered in excitement.

“So… so powerful…” Lingna stared at the wall, her mouth slightly open, awestruck.

Copperbeard gripped his forging hammer, his sharp hawk eyes blazing with fervor: “Emerald thorns… life barrier… this is the true path of protection! Liyana didn’t misjudge this one!”

Lin Mo leaned on his blade, gasping heavily—the “Territorial Barrier” drained immense energy—but his heart swelled with indescribable exhilaration! He had won the gamble! With the Earth Pulse Heart as source, the Arbiter Blade as key, Lingna’s awakened life essence as catalyst, and Liyana’s thorn will as foundation—he had finally forged this ultimate barrier to defend his land!

Yet the withered claw’s horror surpassed imagination! It seemed utterly enraged—a deeper, more savage roar echoed from within the spatial rift! The blocked phantom claw retracted, then two, three… five terrifying phantom claws, covered in rotting bark and crystal clusters, like demonic hands from hell, slammed toward the emerald thorn wall with even greater withered power!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Five consecutive devastating impacts! The entire emerald thorn wall shook violently; large sections of its emerald veins dimmed and shattered! The dark-gold roots groaned under unbearable strain, snapping with continuous cracks! The four-colored thorn emblem’s glow rapidly faded! The colossal shockwave reverberated through the wall, hurling dust and stones across the depression, shaking even the Earth Pulse fissures!

“Pfft!” Lin Mo was violently repelled, spitting blood! The energy sustaining the barrier plummeted! The energy reserve of the “Seed of Life” plummeted wildly! The Earth Pulse Heart’s pulse grew erratic!

“Hold on, boss!” Wrench yelled, hopping in panic.

“Lin Mo!” Ai Li struggled to her feet, silver radiance flickering in her eyes, attempting to summon her newly calmed lunar energy to assist—but triggered agonizing pain and energy chaos.

Copperbeard roared, slamming his forging hammer into the ground! “Damn it! We need stronger power to sustain the barrier!”

Stronger power? Where could it come from?! Lin Mo’s heart burned with desperation. The claw’s attack from across dimensions was this terrifying—if the barrier fell, the land would instantly become a dead wasteland!

Just as all seemed lost, Lingna’s Pure Water Vessel fragment glowed again! This time, the green light was no longer furious—it carried a sense of… guidance? Her small hand unconsciously pointed toward the center of the depression, the “Starlight Moss” she had nurtured, nourished by the Thorn Root Domain and infused with the alien pure water! Now, beneath the glow of the emerald wall and the Earth Pulse Heart’s rhythm, the golden veins on its leaves radiated unprecedented brilliance, subtly pointing… to a specific point deep within the Earth Pulse fissure!

Simultaneously, the “Earth Pulse Arbiter” in Lin Mo’s hand pulsed strangely; its tip veered involuntarily, pointing to the same location Lingna indicated—the side wall of the fissure, near the Earth Pulse Heart, an unremarkable rock emitting faint green energy fluctuations!

“There… is something there!” Lingna’s voice held quiet certainty.

No hesitation! Lin Mo forcibly diverted a sliver of energy, guiding a thorn root coated in emerald veins like a living serpent into the fissure, precisely coiling around the rock!

Crack!

The rock shattered effortlessly under the root’s grip. A palm-sized, irregular crystal, entirely emerald and dripping with life, its interior pulsing like liquid light, was exposed to the orange-red glow of the Earth Pulse!

【Item: Fragment of Jade Heart (Weak)】

【Status: Long-nourished by Earth Pulse energy, contains pure life essence】

【Effect: Greatly amplifies life/nature abilities, slowly purifies withered corruption, usable as high-tier energy core (requires carrier).】

Jade Heart! The natural holy relic Liyana had mentioned, existing in the Jade Woods! Though only a tiny fragment, it had somehow been carried here by a geothermal eruption, buried deep within the earth pulse, and now, in this desperate moment, was simultaneously sensed by Li Na and Zhan Ren!

“That’s it!” Copperbeard’s eyes lit up!

Lin Mo immediately guided the thorn root to pull the emerald fragment, radiating immense life energy, out of the fissure! The moment it was exposed to air, its torrent of life energy spread like rain upon charred soil! The nearly shattered emerald thorn wall instantly regained its luster, even brighter than before! Broken roots regenerated furiously! The four-colored thorn emblem blazed with renewed brilliance, the purifying field surging several-fold!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The claw’s subsequent attacks struck the wall again—only to crash against an iron wall! Emerald light flared; purifying force surged, burning away vast swathes of withered aura from the phantom claws! Even the spatial rift began to slowly… heal under the impact of this powerful life and purifying energy!

The withered claw let out a more furious, yet almost desperate roar! The five phantom claws grew hazy and unstable under the wall’s radiant light. It realized: across dimensions, it could not shatter this barrier—fused with Earth Pulse, thorn will, lunar energy, and the Jade Heart fragment—in a short time. Continuing would risk its will-projection being damaged or even purified!

A scream of infinite malice and greed pierced space—the five phantom claws retracted violently into the rift! Thick withered aura receded like a tide; the torn spatial rift, bathed in emerald light, rapidly sealed and vanished!

The withered claw… retreated!

Silence filled the depression, broken only by the slow glow of the emerald thorn wall and the heavy, post-battle breaths of the survivors.

“We won… we held…!” Wrench collapsed onto the ground.

Lingna stared at the flowing emerald glow of the wall, then at her now-dull Pure Water Vessel fragment, her face filled with exhaustion and relief.

Ai Li pressed her chest, feeling her lunar energy soothed by the emerald aura, her gaze toward Lin Mo and the wall complex.

Copperbeard walked to Lin Mo’s side, clapped his shoulder, his voice heavy with unprecedented gravity: “Kid, well done! Liyana’s sacrifice… was worth it! This barrier… this fragment… is hope!”

Lin Mo leaned on his blade, gazing at the warm Jade Heart fragment in his hand, feeling the solid protection radiating from the wall, then toward the sealed rift. The withered claw’s retreat was temporary—it would not abandon. And the Doctor’s “Seed of Annihilation” hung like a sword above them.

He raised the Jade Heart fragment high; its emerald glow illuminated his resolute face: “Thorn Heart—never falls!”

Yet, as all reveled in the aftermath of victory, none noticed a twisted shadow at the darkest corner of the depression’s edge—quietly writhing like a living thing. Within the shadow, two minuscule, cold, inorganic red lights—“eyes”—silently recorded the emerald wall’s glow, the Earth Pulse Heart’s pulse, and the emerald fragment in Lin Mo’s hand. A faintest trickle of data, utterly rational and calculating, slipped like a ghost through the barrier’s powerful life and purifying field, vanishing into the wastes…

The Doctor’s “eyes” had never left.