Chapter 90: The Flicker of Embers, the Sacred Symbol Beneath the Earth, and the Ashes of the Tender Branch

Burning boulders, wreathed in the breath of death, crashed down! Tong Xu’s eyes bulged with rage; he exploded past his limits, his massive mechanical arm (though twisted) slamming into the charred earth beside the vine basket, using his shoulders and back to bear the full weight of the falling rock!

Boom!

A dull, crushing impact! Tong Xu’s legs buckled, nearly collapsing; blood mixed with fragments of organs spewed from his mouth. The boulder’s edge scraped past his shoulder, crushing the vine basket’s rim into grotesque deformation, sparks flying everywhere. Ignoring the searing pain, his single eye locked onto the center of the basket—Lin Mo’s charred body buried beneath rubble and ash, only a portion of his chest and his right fist, clenched around the Star Dust Crystal, exposed. That faint blue-white glow persisted stubbornly through the smoke.

“Hold on!” Tong Xu rasped, his mechanical arm frantically clawing through the debris.

Squeee—!

A piercing screech came from above! A rotting flying dragon dove straight down, claws aimed for Tong Xu’s unprotected back! Another lunged toward Xiang Lingna, half-buried in the charred earth, only a corner of her clothing visible.

Despair seized his heart again! Tong Xu rolled instinctively forward!

Rip! The dragon’s claws tore through his already shredded armor, spraying a trail of blood!

“Get off!” Tong Xu snatched up a scorching stone and hurled it—easily dodged. The dragon’s claws were already within reach of Lingna!

At this critical moment—

“Aaaagh—!” A roar of furious rage erupted from beneath the collapsed ramp! A figure wreathed in the embers of underground fire (the spot where Tong Xu had been blasted earlier) shot forward like a cannonball! It was Tong Xu! His entire body was blackened, one leg clearly injured, but the massive forge hammer in his hand still dripped molten white-hot metal!

“Get the hell down!” Tong Xu bellowed, hurling his burning forge hammer with all his strength!

The blazing hammer struck the flying dragon’s spine with perfect accuracy—crack! Bone shattered! The dragon shrieked and plummeted, burning! The thunderous strike stunned the other dragon, causing it to panic and veer upward.

Tong Xu landed heavily, staggered a few steps, then steadied himself, his single eye fixed on the airborne dragon. “Wrench! Save her!” He roared, charging toward Lingna.

Wrench finally dug Lin Mo free—the charred body horrifying to behold, yet the starlight on his chest still flickered. He carefully extracted the Star Dust Crystal and placed it on Lin Mo’s chest. “Master Tong Xu! Lingna’s over there!”

Tong Xu tore through the charred earth, revealing Lingna’s pale, lifeless face. He checked her breath—faint, but present. “She’s still alive...” His voice was hoarse.

Sssss... sssss...

A sickening, slimy sound echoed from deep within the ruined pipes! Through his remaining mechanical eye (his only functional one, in night-vision mode), Tong Xu’s scalp prickled—before him, in the sludge, countless tiny, purple-black worms with only circular mouthparts were surging forth like a tide! Drawn by the scent of blood or Star Dust!

“Damn it!” Tong Xu cursed, struggling to rise.

The worm tide moved fast! Already reaching Lin Mo’s ankles!

Zzzzz—! The Star Dust Crystal on Lin Mo’s chest erupted in a blinding milky-white light, expanding into a one-meter-wide shield!

Sssss! The worms touching the shield instantly carbonized into ash! But the tide was endless! The shield flickered violently, dimming rapidly—the crystal’s glow weakening!

Tong Xu stared at the rapidly fading shield, then at Lingna and Lin Mo. His dwarf face twisted with grim resolve. His gaze finally settled on his own mechanical eye, its red warning lights flashing wildly with overload.

“Dwarves’ lives... are tough!” He roared, his mechanical hand clawing violently into the socket of his left eye!

Sizzzz—! Metal tore through flesh; the mechanical eye was ripped free—blood gushed!

“Try this!” Tong Xu poured every ounce of strength into hurling the overloaded “bomb” deep into the worm tide’s rear!

BOOM!!! The explosion tore through the pipe’s depths! The shockwave shredded countless worms, triggering a collapse! The worm tide fell into chaos and halted!

Cost: Tong Xu lost his left eye, agony and dizziness overwhelming him.

Lifeline: The worm tide’s assault stalled; a smaller, partially buried branch pipe entrance was revealed beneath fallen rubble!

Tong Xu tore a strip of cloth and stuffed it into his eye socket—pain blackened his vision. He hoisted Lin Mo and Lingna, dragging Wrench, each step a slow, laborious crawl toward the only escape. Every footstep left a trail of blood-mixed sludge.

Behind him, the worm tide, enraged by chaos, surged forward again!

Just as Tong Xu neared the entrance—

Zzzz! A cold, slimy, violent surge erupted from Lin Mo’s right arm! The Star Dust shield shattered instantly! The dark-purple Mark of Decay broke free, blazing with malevolent light! Purple-black veins crawled upward along Lin Mo’s arm! His body convulsed violently!

This burst of decayed power blazed like a lighthouse—instantly inciting the worm tide!

Creak! Boom! The rubble sealing the entrance shattered completely! The worm tide flooded into the branch pipe! Sssss filled every inch of space!

Before him: the uncontrolled Mark consuming Lin Mo. Behind him: the deadly worm tide. Tong Xu, gravely wounded, on the brink of death.

Absolute dead end.

At the edge of this abyss—

Zzzz... zzzz...

A faint, stubborn emerald glow—like dawn piercing through bedrock—flared from within Lingna’s chest, pressed against Lin Mo’s. It was the withered branch of the World Tree! The tip, where the ember had once flickered, now burst forth with an unprecedented, serene, and profound emerald radiance! The light gently enveloped Lingna, then flowed down her arm toward Lin Mo’s corrupted right limb!

The emerald radiance clashed violently with the dark-purple malevolence, dissolving it! The Mark of Decay dimmed sharply! The blue light of Lin Mo’s Anchor of Order surged fiercely, synergizing with the emerald force to launch a furious counterattack!

Star Dust (Order), the tender branch (Life), and the Anchor of Order (Will)—three forces, unconsciously linked by Lingna and fueled by Lin Mo’s will to survive, formed a fleeting resonance—temporarily suppressing the Mark’s eruption!

The surging worm tide, upon touching the spreading aura of life and order, shrieked in terror and recoiled!

Life bloomed—in the final glow of the withered branch, burning out.

Tong Xu’s single eye blazed with the light of salvation! He summoned his last strength, grabbed Wrench’s ankle, and dragged his companions, stumbling into the depths of the pipe!

Deep underground, unknown darkness awaited them. The brilliant emerald glow at the tip of the withered branch, having fulfilled its final protection, extinguished like a candle’s last flame—merging into the dry wood, silent and still. Only its lingering warmth remained, a faint beacon guiding the battered band through the labyrinth of despair, toward an unknown, perhaps existing dawn. The branch had burned out—but could the fire of hope it ignited endure in the deeper dark?