Chapter 75: The Branch's Choice, The Roaring Colossus, and the Rift on the Return Path

"Annihilation Countdown: 00:09:58..."

Crimson numbers, like maggots burrowing into bone, were branded at the edge of his vision, each flicker striking his taut nerves. The Doctor's cold voice still echoed through the wreckage, laced with cruel mockery. Meanwhile, the roar filled with an aura of destruction drew closer; the thunderous pounding of heavy footsteps on the metal floor beat like war drums, making hearts tremble!

"Damn! It's the Doctor's final move! He wants to blow us and this damn place sky-high!" Wrench, his face bloodless, clutched his scarred probe case, his voice cracking, "And that big guy! The energy readings are even more terrifying than the nest just now! We're boxed in!"

Sister Ai Li forced herself to stand, ignoring the churning purple qi at her left arm wound. Her fingertips once again gathered faint moonlight threads, her eyes cold as she locked onto the direction of the roar—a dark passage leading deeper into the wreckage, covered in massive claw marks. "The path to break out is blocked. We must either deal with that big guy first, or... find the Doctor's annihilation device!"

"No time!" Lin Mo's gaze flashed like lightning, making an instant decision. Nine minutes, facing an unknown terrifying monster and the Doctor's meticulously laid annihilation trap; a direct assault was tantamount to suicide! His gaze locked firmly onto a sealed young branch in the ruins, emitting a faint emerald glow—Liyana's final message, the "key" the Corrupted Claws sought, and... the source power possibly sharing the same origin as the Heart of Emerald! This was the future hope of the Heart of Thorns, and possibly the key to countering the Corrupted Claws!

"Wrench! Record all spatial parameters for this coordinate! Especially the spatial weak points!" Lin Mo spoke at breakneck speed, simultaneously bending down. His right hand, covered in the blue light of the Anchor of Order, cautiously reached toward the World Tree sapling sealed by moonlight vines. When his fingertips touched the cold, cracked silver moonlight seal—

Buzz!

A pure and gentle life energy, mixed with a trace of cool moonlight power, surged into him through his fingertips! Lin Mo's spirit lifted; the power consumed within his body seemed to recover slightly. The sapling, as if sensing the kindred aura of the Order Light (the Anchor of Order originated from Ark technology and seemed to have some deep connection with the Moonlight power of the Moon Priestess), trembled slightly, and a drop of crystal-clear, emerald-like juice oozed from the broken end.

No hesitation! Lin Mo carefully wrapped the entire sapling in the blue light of Order, isolating its aura, then swiftly stored it in a prepared metal box lined with Xiang Lingna's purification moss. The moment the box closed, that fresh life aura was completely sealed off.

Almost at the same moment the sapling was taken, another anomaly occurred!

Boom—!!!

A deafening roar erupted from the depths of the passage! Accompanied by the ear-piercing shriek of tearing metal, a terrifying figure, so massive it nearly filled the entire passage, smashed through every obstacle in its path and appeared before the three!

It was a grotesque giant beast forcibly stitched together from decayed metal, withered giant trees, and countless bones! Its main body was a huge, rusted engineering mech wreckage, but the mech's head was replaced by a rotting giant tree burning with purple-black flames, with pale skulls hanging from its canopy. The mech's arms were replaced by massive claws wrapped in thick, rotting vines, with venomous slime dripping from the claw tips. Countless purple-black energy pipes, like blood vessels, pulsed on its twisted body surface, emitting a suffocating aura of decay! This was the ultimate monster created by the Doctor using Ark wreckage and corrupted power—the 【Stitched Colossus】!

"Roar—!!!"

The rotting tree head of the Stitched Colossus, burning with purple fire, let out a roar that shattered eardrums, mixed with the noise of metal grinding and bones cracking! Its vine-formed massive claw, carrying the momentum of tearing space, slammed fiercely at the three blocking its way! Before the claw even arrived, the terrifying decay wind pressure had blown away the remnants of the fungal carpet and metal fragments on the ground!

"Move!" Lin Mo shouted sharply, shoving the stunned Wrench aside, while swinging the "Leyline Arbiter," sending a condensed dark-gold sword qi slashing toward the giant claw!

The sword qi struck the vine giant claw, exploding with blinding energy light! The sharp sword qi tore through part of the vines, spraying purple-black pus wildly! But the power of the giant claw was too terrifying; the remaining impact still sent Lin Mo staggering back several steps!

Sister Ai Li's figure moved like lightning. Seizing the moment the giant claw was blocked by the sword qi, she flanked from the side! Enduring the excruciating pain in her left arm, her hands wove rapidly before her! This time, it was not a silk net or light blade, but dozens of moonlight spears condensed like javelins! The spear tips shimmered with bone-chilling purification cold light!

"Go!"

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

The moonlight spears tore through the air, precisely targeting the burning rotting tree head of the Stitched Colossus, and several purple-black energy nodes on its torso that pulsed most violently!

Plop plop plop!

The spears drove deep into the targets! The purple fire on the tree head was suppressed by the moonlight power, flickering wildly, while the energy nodes exploded into large clouds of purple-black slime! The Stitched Colossus let out a painful and furious roar, its massive body stumbling!

"Now! Wrench!" Lin Mo, spotting the moment the Colossus was injured and stalled, shouted at Wrench!

Wrench, as if waking from a dream, a flash of madness crossing his face, suddenly pulled a horn-shaped crude device, assembled from energy conduits and thorn-steel plates, from the side of his probe case, aiming it at a cracked metal dome on the passage ceiling!

"Taste this! Overclocked Leyline Noise Cannon!" He slammed the switch!

Wooooo—!!!!

A visible beam of sonic energy, mixing orange-red earth fire with the blue-green glimmer of thorn-steel, extremely shrill and distorted, hammered fiercely into the cracks of the dome!

Crack! Boom—!

The already fragile dome structure could no longer withstand this internal directional impact, collapsing instantly! Huge chunks of metal structure fell like meteors, several of which struck the massive body of the Stitched Colossus! Though unable to inflict fatal damage, they successfully buried and blocked its massive body temporarily!

"Go!" Lin Mo grabbed Wrench, who was still mourning his "cannon," signaled Sister Ai Li, and they sprinted desperately toward the direction of the spatial weak point Wrench had recorded earlier—a narrow fissure filled with twisted pipes on the other side of the nest space, blown open by the explosion!

Behind them were the furious roars of the Stitched Colossus and the thunder of it breaking free from the wreckage; ahead lay an unknown dead end. The crimson countdown at the edge of their vision ticked mercilessly: "00:05:17..."

The three rushed into the pipe fissure, narrow, twisted, and filled with sharp metal shards and slippery moss inside. Sister Ai Li led, using moonlight threads to clear the way, shredding obstacles. Lin Mo brought up the rear, using thorn roots to forcibly pry open overly narrow spots. Wrench was squeezed in the middle, clutching his precious case, muttering prayers.

"00:03:01..."