Chapter 35: Heavenly Tribulation

"Prove yourself." Zhang Jun stood in front of the elevator door, hand pressed at his waist, where a peach wood sword was strapped.

Wang Ming fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a jade pendant, and showed it to Zhang Jun; the texture and pattern of that jade pendant were exactly the same as the one he always carried.

"Yin and Yang unite, heaven and man as one." Wang Ming chanted in a deep voice, his tone low and somewhat anxious.

Zhang Jun nodded, acknowledging it, and led Lin Xue to follow Wang Ming's pace.

The hallway was silent, only their footsteps echoing in the empty space, making one's heart feel uneasy.

Lin Xue gripped Zhang Jun's arm tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh.

Zhang Jun could feel her fear, but didn't know how to comfort her; after all, he himself had no confidence.

"Those extraterrestrial spiritual consciousness bastards have already finished the harvest device." Wang Ming explained while leading the way, his steps hurried, as if something were chasing them from behind.

"They discovered that human emotions, especially the kind of terror that cuts to the bone and pain that reaches the marrow, are the best energy source."

Zhang Jun's fists clenched with a crackling sound; these extraterrestrial scumbags actually treat humans as batteries!

At the end of the passage was a remodeled monitoring room, its walls covered with large and small screens, densely packed like a spiderweb.

On the central screen, inside the top‑level laboratory, a pyramid‑shaped device stood out, emitting a faint purple light that reminded one of a poisonous snake's tongue.

Zhang Jun instantly saw the woman floating at the device's center—his mother, Zhang Yuyao!

Purple energy coiled like poisonous snakes, tightly binding her; each of her struggles was accompanied by violent energy fluctuations, and even through the screen one could feel that heart‑rending pain.

Long Tianba stood before the control console, smug, with a person who shouldn't have been there beside him— Zhao Wushuang!

That guy, who had clearly been killed by them in the previous battle.

"How… how is this possible?" Lin Xue's voice changed tone, trembling with tears.

"Those extraterrestrial spiritual consciousness bastards can preserve a person's consciousness and then place it into a clone." Wang Ming clacked the keyboard quickly while pulling up another monitor feed.

In the corner of the screen, inside an isolation chamber, lay another "Zhang Jun"!

That "Zhang Jun" had strange purple light flashing in his eyes, obviously completely controlled by the extraterrestrial spiritual consciousness.

Wang Ming's voice was low, but each word struck Zhang Jun's heart like a heavy hammer: "They have copied your body, preparing to replace you with extraterrestrial spiritual consciousness."

"Once the harvest device is activated, everyone worldwide implanted with extraterrestrial spiritual consciousness will become an energy circuit; your mother's blood is the key to activating the device."

"How much longer?" Zhang Jun asked, his voice cold as ice shards.

"Ten minutes." Wang Ming said, opening a metal box and taking out two wristbands from inside.

"This is the energy converter your father developed; it can send the extraterrestrial spiritual consciousness's energy back in reverse, straight to their home!"

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue put on the wristbands; a warm current flowed into their bodies, like a cup of hot tea in winter, making them want to sigh with comfort.

"The way to the top floor is blocked, but there is a maintenance shaft we can climb." Wang Ming pointed to a vent above, then added, "I'll interfere with them from inside the system to buy you time."

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue crawled into the ventilation duct, climbing upward along the narrow passage; the duct was stuffy and damp, with a faint smell of rust.

"Zhang Jun, you say… if we fail…" Lin Xue's voice was soft, tinged with despair.

"Shut up, jinx!" Zhang Jun snarled, cutting her off: "We are the last hope—how could we just die so easily?"

At the end of the ventilation duct, the two reached the outer perimeter of the top‑level laboratory.

Through the glass, the situation inside the laboratory was fully visible.

The pyramid device had already started operating; a purple energy column shot up, piercing the roof and linking to the satellite network in space.

The whole scene resembled a sci‑fi movie, filled with an apocalyptic atmosphere.

"The harvest program has been activated, five‑minute countdown." Long Tianba's voice came over the speaker, laced with a perverse excitement.

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue exchanged a glance and simultaneously activated their techniques.

Yin‑Yang power and Ice Soul power intertwined, forming an invisible barrier around their bodies.

"Ready?" Zhang Jun asked softly.

Lin Xue nodded, her voice barely audible: "Yeah, die if we must—anyway, I won't let you go die alone."

The two simultaneously smashed through the window; glass shards flew through the air, making a crisp sound.

Long Tianba and Zhao Wushuang abruptly turned, a flicker of surprise crossing their faces.

"Well, you came fast—are you rushing to witness the birth of the new world?" Long Tianba jeered, his tone full of mockery.

Zhang Jun couldn't be bothered with talk; he flicked his wrist, condensing a Yin‑Yang Sword in his hand, and thrust it straight at Long Tianba's throat.

Zhao Wushuang stepped forward to block, his hands turning into metal claws that clashed with the Yin‑Yang Sword, sending sparks flying.

Lin Xue moved to the side, condensing Ice Soul power into an ice blade, and fiercely sliced the console's cables.

The alarm blared instantly, and the pyramid device's operating speed noticeably slowed.

"Useless!" Long Tianba laughed maniacally, "The system has already entered automatic mode; unless you smash the core, it simply won't stop!"

Zhang Jun and Zhao Wushuang fought to a standstill; each clash of the Yin‑Yang Sword and metal claws triggered a violent energy explosion.

Zhao Wushuang's speed was astonishing; his body parts could reshape at will, practically like a pool of liquid metal.

"You're not human," Zhang Jun panted while questioning, "What the hell are you, exactly?"

"I am the future of evolution." Zhao Wushuang's voice was emotionless, like a robot's: "The extraterrestrial spiritual consciousness gave me a perfect body and an immortal life."

Lin Xue seized the moment to approach the pyramid device, intending to rescue Zhang Jun's mother.

But a wall of purple energy blocked her path; upon contact it ignited in flames, making her grimace in pain.

"Mom!" Zhang Jun shouted, "Hold on a little longer!"

Zhang Yuyao weakly opened her eyes, gazing at her son, her lips moving as if saying something.

Long Tianba suddenly appeared behind Lin Xue and slapped her back with a palm.

Lin Xue let out a muffled grunt, a mouthful of blood spraying out; her body fell like a broken‑line kite to the ground.

"Lin Xue!" Zhang Jun's mind reeled; in a moment of inattention, Zhao Wushuang's claws pierced his shoulder, instantly staining his clothes with blood.

"Two‑minute countdown." The system's cold voice sounded again, like a death talisman.