Chapter 67: The Will of the Earth, the Minions of the Rotting Claw, and the Frenzy of Thorns

That mighty, ancient will, brimming with endless resilience and resolute determination to protect, surged through the Heart of Thorns like a flood breaking free in early spring. It did not originate from any single individual, but was the collective resonance of this land—nourished by the Earth Vein Heart, guarded by steel ramparts, and deeply rooted by countless tiny lifeforms—bursting forth in a moment of crisis!

On the ramparts, the wild, flashing blue-green light within the Thorn-Steel armor plates instantly tamed under the comfort of this will, flowing gently along the energy meridians. The crack torn open by energy conflict slowly sealed itself, wrapped in the tender glow of the blue-green light, like a wound healing. The pale golden vines clinging to it rustled, their leaves growing even greener, injecting vibrant life into the cold steel.

Within the depression, the pulse of the Earth Vein Heart became deep and dense, its orange-red light spreading steadily, weaving a harmonious spectrum with the ramparts' faint glow and the emerald fragments' greenery. The furnace flames seemed to be called forth as well, burning more purely and steadily, losing some of their irritability and gaining a touch of solidity.

The chaos and pain churning within Lin Mo, under the embrace of this grand will, were like a small boat in a storm finally finding shelter in a harbor. The orange-red core of the 【Seed of Life】 glowed inwardly and solidly; the blue light of the Anchor of Order remained as firm as ever; the stirring Dark Purple Mark was thoroughly suppressed back into the depths of the core, lying dormant and still. The malicious core data fragments forcibly forced into his mind were like snow under the sun, washed away and faded by this pure will of protection, leaving only a vague warning.

The moonlight condensed at Sister Ai Li's fingertips, carrying vigilance, then quietly dispersed. She stared blankly at the miracle of self-repair on the ramparts, then turned her gaze to Lin Mo, who stood with eyes closed, feeling the pulse of the earth. The doubt and alarm brought by that fleeting scent of corruption now seemed so small and ridiculous before this vast, life-filled will of protection. A trace of guilt and an even deeper resolve flashed in her cold eyes.

"This... what is this?" Wrench's mouth hung wide open, and he didn't even notice the wrench dropping from his hand onto the ground.

"The land... is speaking..." Xiang Lingna's small face was filled with awe and closeness. She squatted down, her small hand gently pressing against the warm, scorched earth. The greenery of the Emerald Heart flowed out joyfully, merging with that awakened will. She clearly "heard" the whisper of this land—the yearning of countless tough seeds breaking through the soil, the resilience of roots digging deep into rocks to find water, the struggle that never bowed before radiation and withering!

"It is the Heart of Thorns!" Copperbeard's mechanical eyepiece flashed blue, his voice carrying unprecedented excitement and solemnity. "The will of this land itself! It has accepted us! It has accepted our protection!" He slapped his thick chest hard. "Good! Good! This is worthy of the steel forged by me, Copperbeard!"

The rift of trust, witnessed by the will of this land, was quietly sealed, becoming even stronger.

However, the sky of the Wasteland can never allow long-lasting peace.

Wooo—Wooo—!

A wind howl as mournful as ghostly weeping, without any warning, came from the direction of the Withered Forest! This was not the sound of nature, but an energy shockwave containing a dense will of decay!

The gray horizon was completely swallowed by churning, ink-thick withering mist! Within the mist, countless shadowy, twisted figures surged forward like a tide! Some resembled dead trees, with roots as feet, waving rotten branches; others looked like flayed beasts, bones exposed, oozing purple pus; and some were simply terrifying flesh-masses, writhing aggregates of countless small withered creatures!

The vanguard army of the Rotting Claw! It had not given up despite the setback to its projection; instead, seizing the gap just as the Thorn Will had awakened and the territory's power was in adjustment, it launched an even more ferocious, more direct assault! It intended to drown this lighthouse, which it had been drooling over, with absolute numbers and a torrent of decay!

"Enemy attack—!!" The refugees on duty atop the ramparts screamed a heart-wrenching alarm!

"Prepare for battle!" Lin Mo snapped his eyes open, no longer containing confusion or pain, only the cold sharpness of a rock! "Heart of Thorns—Territory Ramparts! Full power!"

Vmm—!!!

The Emerald Thorn Ramparts rose from the ground once more! But this time, amidst the flowing light on the rampart surfaces, in addition to emerald green, dark gold, orange-red, and order blue, there appeared a deep and dense, earth-colored yellowish halo—the manifestation of the just-awakened Thorn Will!

The blue-green meridian light within the Thorn-Steel armor plates on the ramparts blazed brightly, perfectly merging with the rampart's energy field!

"Hive! Spray those bastards to death for Uncle Wrench!" Wrench shouted wildly, rushing toward the control console (already replaced with the Thorn-Steel energy core), and slammed the button down hard!

Pshh-pshh-pshh-pshh—!

The "Hive" devices installed at key battlements instantly spat out dense nets of dark blue pulses! Although the energy intensity was not as strong as when driven by the Order Crystal Plates, the coverage area was still considerable! The dead-tree monsters at the very front, swept by the pulse nets, had their rotten wooden bodies instantly disintegrated into countless Kong Dongs, their movements becoming slow and stiff! Those aggregated flesh-masses let out sharp shrieks, their surfaces scorched with large patches of burn marks!

"Iron Thorns! Spin!" Copperbeard roared, pulling down a massive lever. A huge steel wheel, covered in quenched spikes and installed beneath the rampart repair zone, driven by the furnace's waste heat, emitted a dull boom and began to slowly accelerate its rotation!

Sister Ai Li's figure had already appeared atop the high ramparts. Facing the tide of withered monsters, her eyes were as cold as knives. Her fingertips no longer condensed threads of light, but tapped repeatedly in the void! Streams of silver moonlight rays, condensed into solid form, shot out like a death list, precisely piercing the heads of the withered beasts at the very front, posing the greatest threat! For the targets struck, no blood flowed from the wounds; instead, they were quickly covered by a layer of ice crystals, and then their entire bodies shattered like brittle glass! The purifying power of the moonlight was specially effective against decay!

However, the numbers of the withered torrent were simply too great! They fought without fear of death, endless and inexhaustible! The "Hive" needed to recharge, the "Iron Thorns" had not yet reached maximum speed, and Sister Ai Li's precise pinpoint kills could not cover the entire battle line. Soon, a large number of withered monsters rushed to the foot of the ramparts, tearing and corroding the Thorn-Steel armor with their rotten claws and sticky pus!

Pshh-pshh—!

The surface of the armor plates emitted a teeth-grating sound of corrosion; the faint blue-green light quickly dimmed under the erosion of the pus! Although the Thorn-Steel had resistance to the power of decay, under such dense attacks, it still began to show minute damage!

"Hold the line!" Lin Mo sank his consciousness into the earth, communicating with the just-awakened Thorn Will. He no longer relied solely on his own strength, but attempted to guide and amplify the anger and protection of this land itself!

As if responding to his call, the entire Heart of Thorns territory shook violently!

At the foot of the ramparts, the scorched black earth churned as if boiling! Countless dark golden roots, several times thicker, covered in thick rocky armor and sharp wooden thorns, surged from the ground like sleeping ancient pythons! These roots were no longer pure energy bodies, but semi-physical existences condensed from the earth's soil and the Thorn's own essence! Carrying the force of ten thousand tons, they whipped fiercely at the withered monsters clinging to the ramparts!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The roots, composed of rock and thorns, struck like siege hammers with every whip! Dead-tree monsters were smashed in half at the waist, rotten beasts were beaten into meat paste, and aggregated flesh-masses were pierced and torn apart by the thorns! The yellowish halo flowing on the surface of the roots made it difficult for the withered pus to attach and corrode!

At the same time, on the inner side of the ramparts, the pale golden vines cultivated by Xiang Lingna, as if called by some force, grew and spread wildly! They climbed the ramparts, their dense vines acting like living ropes, wrapping around the withered monsters attempting to climb; the edges of their resilient leaves secreted a weak purifying slime, causing the monsters to scream in pain! Some vines even reached directly into the battlefield, entangling the limbs of the monsters, creating opportunities for the roots and attacks on the ramparts!

The root domain, enhanced by the Thorn Will, displayed unprecedented ferocity and vitality! It was no longer merely a defensive rampart, but had transformed into a thorny jungle devouring the withered torrent!

On the main screen of the Doctor's base, the scene of the thorny roots dancing wildly and shattering the withered monsters was displayed, along with a close-up of the Thorn-Steel armor on the ramparts resisting stubbornly under the corrosion of pus.

【High-activity Earth Will intervention detected (Heart of Thorns Origin)!】

【Target defense system (Thorn Territory) combat effectiveness exceeds expectations by 37%!】

【Thorn-Steel (First Generation) resistance assessment against decay erosion: B+ (Good)!】

【Rotting Claw Vanguard Army casualty rate: 62%... Offensive stalled.】

【Execute: Launch 'Withered Crystal' projection unit (hidden behind the withered beast horde). Target: Test Thorn-Steel resistance against high-concentration decay energy beam attacks.】

Deep within the withering mist, several exceptionally massive, bloated monsters carrying huge clusters of purple crystals on their backs slowly raised their rotten limbs, which resembled cannon barrels; the crystal clusters began to gather ominous purple-black light.