Chapter 73: Lost Corridor, Glimmer in the Rotting Nest, and the Rage of Thorns

The cold of metal and the metallic scent of rust flooded his nostrils. Lin Mo struggled to open his eyes from the violent impact dizziness; his vision was blurred, and his ears were filled with the sharp humming of residual spatial energy. He was trapped in a pile of twisted, deformed metal pipe ruins covered in a thick layer of rotting fungal mats. Surrounding him was no longer a forest, but the interior of a vast, dark, oppressive metal structure. Above was a towering arched dome covered in rust and massive cracks; beneath his feet was a slippery alloy floor coated in sticky black-green moss. The air was foul, a mixture of rot and metal oxidation that made one nauseous.

The spatial chaos trap had forcibly dragged them into the interior of this inverted ark wreckage!

"Sister Ai Li! Wrench!" Lin Mo roared low, his voice echoing in the empty, deathly silent metal corridor before being swallowed by the deeper darkness. There was no response. Only the faint, spine-chilling sound of slime wriggling and low growls drifting from afar. He struggled to rise from the ruins and checked himself. The blue light of the Anchor of Order was running steadily within his body, but the glow seemed somewhat dimmer; resisting the spatial tear had consumed a great deal of energy. Dull pain radiated from his arm and ribs, but fortunately, there were no fractures. The "Leyline Adjudicator" was still in his hand, the light of the hilt emblem flickering like a breath.

He attempted to communicate with the Thorns Will and sense the positions of Sister Ai Li and Wrench. But the wreckage interior was filled with intense spatial interference and a rotting field, like a thick curtain, compressing his perception to within ten meters of himself. The connection to the Leylines had also become extremely weak, intermittent.

He could not stay! Lin Mo suppressed the anxiety in his heart, forcing himself to calm down. He identified a direction and, moving against the faint sound of wriggling slime, carefully advanced along a relatively wide metal corridor covered in massive claw marks. On the walls on both sides of the corridor were numerous long-defunct pipeline interfaces and shattered display screens; in some places, splattered dark red stains remained, silently testifying to the ferocity of the past.

At the end of the corridor was a crossroads. The passages to the left and right were completely blocked by collapsed metal structures; only straight ahead, a huge hole torn open by some powerful force, led into deeper darkness. Fresh purple-black slime flowed along the edges of the hole, and the intense scent of rot was pouring out from there.

Lin Mo gripped his battle blade, lightened his steps, and slid into the hole like a ghost.

The sight before him made his stomach churn. This was a vast, spherical space like a biological stomach sac. In the center of the space was a massive nest constructed from countless wriggling purple-black tumors, tangled rotting vines, and piles of bleached bones! The surface of the nest was covered in pulsating, vein-like patterns, greedily absorbing the rotting energy permeating the air. The ground and walls surrounding the nest were covered in a thick, pulsating fungal mat; standing upon the mat were dozens of slime-formed "egg sacs," within which the faint outlines of withered monsters taking shape were visible!

This was the nest where the Rot Claws cultivated their minions within the ark wreckage!

The instant Lin Mo stepped in, the nest seemed to awaken! The tumors on the surface writhed violently; several thick, rotting tentacles with split tips full of sharp teeth shot through the air like poisonous pythons! At the same time, more than a dozen egg sacs on the fungal mat burst open, and withered hounds of twisted form and extreme speed crawled out, silently pouncing on the intruder!

"Hmph!" Lin Mo's eyes sharpened; instead of retreating, he advanced! "Thorn Heart — Root Domain!"

Buzz!

Dark golden thorn roots broke through the sturdy alloy floor and grew wildly! But this time, the rocky armor covering the roots was minimal; instead, countless sharp, pointed wooden thorns replaced it! The roots were like wildly dancing thorn whips, carrying a shriek that tore the air, lashing fiercely at the attacking tentacles and hounds!

Psh! Psh!

The sharp wooden thorns easily tore through the skin of the rotting tentacles, splashing dark purple pus! The withered hounds were whipped until their bones broke and tendons snapped, or were pierced and pinned to the ground by the wooden thorns! However, the struck roots were quickly corroded by the pus splashed by the tentacles and the gnawing of the hounds, their light fading rapidly.

The tumor in the center of the nest let out an angry hiss, and more tentacles and hounds surged out! At the same time, the pulsating fungal mat covering the entire space suddenly secreted a large amount of sticky purple-black mist, which quickly spread! The mist carried intense mental erosion and energy corrosion!

Lin Mo immediately felt the pressure double! The Root Domain shrank drastically under the mist's erosion, making defense difficult. The blue light of the Anchor of Order within his body flared again, resisting the mental erosion, but he could feel that the Dark Purple Mark deep within his core, stimulated by the mist, had begun to stir restlessly again!

Just then—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several condensed silver beams, like ice cones piercing the darkness, shot precisely from the shadows behind and to the side of Lin Mo! The beams instantly pierced the skulls of several withered hounds pouncing on Lin Mo's back, freezing and shattering them!

Sister Ai Li!

She slid down from a twisted ventilation duct opening like an elf under the moon, landing lightly. Her face was pale, and a deep claw mark on the light armor of her left arm was oozing blood with a faint purple aura; clearly, she too had endured a fierce battle. But her eyes remained cold and sharp, and the moonlight threads swirling around her fingertips were more agile and condensed than before.

"Are you okay?" Sister Ai Li's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible concern as she quickly moved closer, standing back-to-back with Lin Mo. The Thorn Moonlight Shield instantly condensed beside the two of them, temporarily blocking the spreading corrosive mist.

"Not dead." Lin Mo's spirits lifted; under Sister Ai Li's support, the pressure on the Root Domain dropped sharply. "Where's Wrench?"

"Separated. The spatial turbulence swept him to another direction." Sister Ai Li spoke rapidly, her fingertips tapping continuously; moonlight beams, like the Reaper's roll call, precisely picked off the hounds pouncing from the mist. "This ghost place is like a maze. I followed the sound of your battle to find you."

"The nest is the core; destroy it!" Lin Mo stared at the constantly writhing massive tumor nest, cold light flashing in his eyes. He exerted force again; more thorn roots broke through the ground, ignoring the corrosion, and wildly entangled and pierced the nest itself! The wooden thorns on the roots, carrying the Thorns Will's anger, drove deep into the tumors!

The tumor nest let out a painful wail! The pierced areas sprayed pus wildly and convulsed violently! The rotting mist filling the entire space became even more violent!

"Cover me!" Sister Ai Li shouted low; her body turned into a streak of silver light, bearing the Moonlight Shield, and dashed straight for the nest's core! Countless rotting tentacles, like angry mad snakes, twisted toward her to kill!

Under Lin Mo's control, the thorn roots, like loyal guards, fearlessly met the tentacles, tightly entangling and crushing them! They opened a narrow path for Sister Ai Li!

Sister Ai Li's speed skyrocketed as she moved through the gaps between the tentacles! Just as she was about to approach the core of the nest tumor, a huge crack suddenly split open on the nest's surface, and a massive, turbid eyeball composed entirely of sticky purple-black energy suddenly opened! A condensed, chaotic, and mad rotting mental shock shot from its pupil, blasting fiercely at Sister Ai Li!

This shock ignored physical defense and struck the soul directly!

Sister Ai Li let out a muffled groan, her body shaking violently! The Thorn Moonlight Shield flickered wildly, nearly dispersing! The purple aura on the silver scar on her chest surged greatly, and a trace of chaotic ferocity flashed instantly in her eyes!

"Sister Ai Li!" Lin Mo shouted sharply, wanting to rescue her but it was already too late!

At the critical moment, Sister Ai Li suddenly bit her tongue; under the stimulation of intense pain, she forcibly steadied her mind! The silver light in her eyes exploded to the extreme, holding nothing back! She slammed her hands together in front of her chest!

"Moonlight — Thorn Strangle!"

Countless silver threads erupted from her body; instead of weaving into a net or shield, they instantly wrapped around that massive rotting eye like living silver thorn vines, carrying bone-chilling purifying cold and a resilient will of protection! The threads tightened and strangled wildly!

Hiss hiss hiss—!!!

A piercing sound of dissolution rang out! The massive rotting eye fluctuated and twisted violently under the stranglehold of the Moonlight Thorns, emitting a silent scream! The sticky energy forming the eyeball was rapidly purified and evaporated! At the same time, the tumor nest convulsed violently as if suffering a heavy blow, and the gushing pus carried an aura of decay!

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Mo poured all his power into the "Leyline Adjudicator"! The four-colored light of the hilt emblem flashed explosively; the blue light of the Anchor of Order and the earthy yellow halo of the Thorns Will merged! A condensed dark golden sword qi, embodying the power of protection and destruction, tore through the rotting mist and slashed fiercely into the crack in the nest's core that Sister Ai Li's attack had torn open!

Boom—!!!

Amidst a deafening explosion, the massive rotting tumor nest, like a lit barrel of explosives, burst violently from the inside out! Purple-black pus, shattered vines, and the remains of withered monsters splashed out like a rainstorm! The entire space shook violently! The fungal mat covering the ground withered rapidly and lost its vitality!

The violent explosion shockwave hurled Lin Mo and Sister Ai Li hard against the metal walls. Dust filled the air, and the stench of rot rose to the sky.

When the dust cleared slightly, the massive nest had turned into a smoking, violently convulsing ruin. However, at the center of the explosion, an extremely faint but exceptionally pure emerald green light, like a firefly in the darkness, stubbornly flickered amidst the filthy ruins—precisely the signal source previously captured by the probe and then cut off!