Chapter 68

Thorns of root-like vines surged beyond the rampart like the wrath of the earth, each lash stirring up vast piles of rotting debris. Pale golden vines clinging to the rampart moved like flexible tentacles, coiling, strangling, and secreting purifying mucus. The withered beasts’ assault slowed; blackened earth piled high with severed limbs and broken torsos, reeking of decay.

“Good! Pull hard! Give it everything you’ve got!” Tong Xu stood atop the rampart, watching the roots below unleash their power, waving his forging hammer in excitement.

Wrench stared anxiously at the “Hive”’s energy charge bar: “Faster! Faster! Another volley!”

Ellie’s moonlight ray remained precise, but its frequency had clearly dropped. The sustained high-intensity pinpoint kills and purifying output weighed heavily on her; the silver scar on her chest throbbed with a dull burn.

At that moment, an anomaly erupted!

Hummm—

Several low, beast-like rumbles of energy echoed from deep within the withered mist! Instantly, multiple ultra-condensed beams of purple-black energy, radiating devastating decay waves, shot forth like spears from hell, tearing through the air and crossing the battlefield in an instant to slam into the Stone Wall!

The targets were not the central zone where Lin Mo stood, but scattered points—specifically, areas covered in thornsteel armor previously corroded by withered beast pus! The bloated monsters bearing massive clusters of purple crystals had launched the attack!

“Crystal cannons! Watch out!” Lin Mo’s pupils contracted sharply as he shouted a warning.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening explosions erupted! The purple-black energy beams slammed into the thornsteel armor plates!

Sssssss—

The screeching corrosion made skin crawl! The impacted plates instantly blazed with brilliant blue-green light; internal energy circuits surged wildly, resisting the terrifying decay energy. The thornsteel’s superior resistance showed itself: unlike ordinary metal, the plates did not melt or shatter instantly, but glowed red-hot, warping and deforming, their surfaces carved with deep, charred depressions several inches across. Along the edges of the depressions, residual purple-black slime writhed like living things, continuing to corrode.

The massive impact transmitted through the armor, shaking the entire rampart violently! Soldiers stationed at the struck zones were thrown off-balance, blood trickling from nose and mouth!

“Armor damaged! Energy circuits overloaded!” Wrench stared at the control panel’s frantic red alarms, his voice cracking, “Damn it! A few more shots and we won’t hold!”

Tong Xu stared at a plate nearly pierced through, his face ashen: “Thornsteel can take the impact, but not this concentrated, sustained corrosion! We need to knock out those crystal cannons!”

Ellie’s gaze locked onto the bloated cannon monsters deep in the mist. They were too far, surrounded by swarms of guardian withered beasts. Her moonlight ray lacked the range!

“Leave it to me!” Ellie’s voice carried a cold resolve. She drew a deep breath, no longer conserving power. The silver scar on her chest blazed with unprecedented silver radiance! She clasped her hands before her, countless fine silver threads surging from her fingertips—not seeking pinpoint kills, but wildly weaving and entwining before her!

In an instant, a massive shield over two meters in diameter, woven from countless layers of fine silver threads, floated before Ellie! Its surface no longer glowed with simple cold silver light, but flowed with complex silver runes resembling moonlit thorn thickets! A powerful energy wave, blending purification and protective will, spread outward!

Thorn Moon Shield—Complete Form!

“Cover me!” Ellie muttered, her body becoming a streak of silver light as she leapt directly off the rampart, charging toward the nearest crystal cannon monster!

“Ellie!” Lin Mo’s heart tightened; he immediately commanded the thorn roots beyond the rampart to clear her path. Several rockwood spike roots surged like giant serpents, sweeping aside the blocking withered beasts!

Ellie’s figure moved like a phantom beneath the root cover! She advanced under the massive Thorn Moon Shield, ignoring the scattered decay beams striking its surface—each only ruffling faint ripples—her target fixed on the bloated monster recharging!

The monster sensed the threat; its massive purple crystal cluster glowed again! Surrounding guardian withered beasts surged forward in frenzy!

“Get out of my way!” Ellie’s eyes blazed silver! The massive Thorn Moon Shield thrust forward!

Hum—

The thorn runes on the shield blazed brightly! An invisible purifying repulsion field erupted with overwhelming force!

The charging withered beasts hit an invisible wall, freezing mid-motion, their decay energy drastically weakened. Several weaker ones had their cores shattered outright by the purifying field!

In that instant, the crystal cannon monster completed its charge! A thick purple-black beam fired point-blank at Ellie!

Ellie did not dodge or retreat! She met the beam head-on with the massive Thorn Moon Shield!

Boom—!!!

The purple-black decay beam collided violently with the silver thorn shield! Blinding light flooded the entire battlefield! A terrifying energy shockwave exploded in a ring, hurling and shredding every withered beast within dozens of meters!

The shield shuddered violently; its silver runes flickered wildly! The ground beneath Ellie’s feet cracked in all directions! She grunted, a trickle of blood escaping her lips, but her gaze grew sharper! The shield held firm—though its silver glow dimmed considerably, it did not break!

“My turn!” Ellie pushed forward under the shield, bracing against the continuous purple-black beam, like a silver reef resisting the tide, inching closer to the monster. When close enough, she maintained the shield with her left hand, and with her right hand, she thrust her fingers like a blade!

Ssshh—

A beam of moonlight, condensed to hair-thinness yet radiating bone-chilling cold, shot forth like an ice needle piercing darkness, instantly piercing the core of the massive purple crystal cluster on the monster’s back!

Crack!

The pierced core instantly spiderwebbed with cracks; the violent decay energy within lost its containment!

Boom—!!!

A far more violent explosion erupted! The bloated monster, its crystal cluster, and a wide swath of surrounding guardian withered beasts were utterly obliterated, shattered into a storm of purple-black fragments!

Ellie was thrown back by the blast wave, caught by a thorn root that swiftly wrapped around her and pulled her back onto the rampart. Her face was as pale as paper, the silver scar on her chest glowing faintly, yet her eyes remained cold and sharp. The Thorn Moon Shield slowly dissipated, proving the immense cost of her strike.

But the effect was stunning! One crystal cannon monster destroyed! The withered beasts’ long-range firepower weakened!

Lin Mo seized the opportunity: “Concentrate fire! Coordinate with the roots! Clear the remnants!”

On the rampart, the “Hive” spat out another pulse net; the “Iron Thorns” finally spun to their maximum, emitting a terrifying howl as they shredded approaching beasts. The thorn roots, empowered by the Thorn Will, surged with even greater ferocity.

The withered beasts’ assault finally began to crumble.

Inside the Doctor’s base, screens replayed the slow-motion footage of Ellie destroying the crystal cannon monster, and the close-up of the thornsteel armor enduring the bombardment.

【Target individual (Ellie) moonlight power evolved (Thorn Moon Shield—Complete Form), threat level increased.】

【Thornsteel (Gen 1) resistance assessment against concentrated decay energy beams: A- (Excellent). Damage localized to impact points; no structural collapse occurred.】

【Clawed Vanguard forces defeated.】

【Execute Plan B: Release the “poison bait.”】

【Objective: Exploit residual contamination properties of the “Order Crystal Plate” to lure the target lord into contacting the “Annihilation Coordinates.”】

Amid the charred, purple-black sludge-covered earth left by the retreating withered beasts, a deep-blue Order Energy Crystal Plate—once the same one Wrench had called “freaking out”—emitted a faint, yet information-laden glow. The pulse carried a disguised coordinate, pointing to a distant unknown region, its energy signature deliberately mimicked to match that of the Sanctuary Core.