Chapter 40: Reversal

Zhang Jun and Zhang Tian Gang sped all the way, breaking through layer after layer of defenses; the father and son cooperated flawlessly, and with Zhang Tian Gang's combat experience added to the Yin Yang Power, they were virtually invincible.

"We must reach the Main Control Room! That's where the key device to sever the Spirit Consciousness Bridge is!" Zhang Tian Gang shouted while knocking down a squad of security guards, "Everyone whose body is controlled by extraterrestrial spirit consciousness has a spirit consciousness seed inside, all linked to a single entity—the Spirit King!"

The two rushed into the Central Control Room, and the sight before them made Zhang Jun's blood run cold—

Lin Xue was tightly restrained by Lin Yue Hua, unable to move.

What's more terrifying, Zhang Yu Yao stood before the control console, her fingers dancing over the holographic keyboard.

"Son, come help Mother finish the final ritual." Zhang Yu Yao turned, her smile eerily grotesque.

"You damn well aren't my mother!" Zhang Jun instinctively stepped back.

Zhang Tian Gang stepped forward: "Spirit King, you finally show your true face."

"Zhang Tian Gang, your fragmented consciousness is really tenacious." The fake Zhang Yu Yao sneered, "You should have been wiped out completely twenty years ago!"

"The one imprisoned twenty years ago wasn't Zhang Yu Yao at all—it was you, the leader of the extraterrestrial spirit consciousness!" Zhang Tian Gang gritted his teeth, "You've been using my wife's skin as a disguise, and even Long Tianba is just one of your pawns!"

"Where is my mother, exactly?" Zhang Jun roared.

"Don't even think about it!"

Zhang Tian Gang let out an angry roar, shot forward like a bolt, and blocked in front of the Spirit King.

The Spirit King's stolen face twisted and deformed, the corners of his eyes eerily lifted, his lips writhing—both ferocious and contemptuous.

"You? Just a lump of remnant soul fragments, daring to bare fangs and brandish claws before me?"

The two clashed in a flash, the surging airflow overturning the surrounding equipment.

The laboratory ceiling's light tubes burst, wires sparking, several monitoring devices were shaken to pieces, alarms blaring one after another.

Zhang Jun paced anxiously nearby, yet dared not intervene rashly.

His left eye was dark and deep, his right eye flashing gold, fixed unblinkingly on every move of the Spirit King.

The Yin Yang Power within him churned and boiled, nearly about to erupt from his pores.

Through the Spirit King's body, Zhang Jun could clearly see two beams of light locked in a death struggle—the weak yet stubborn light was clearly his mother's consciousness!

"Mom! Wake up quickly!"

Zhang Jun bellowed, his voice hoarse from shouting, and the Yin Yang Power surged out uncontrollably.

The Spirit King suddenly froze, his whole body rigid.

Muscles on his face twisted and spasmed, his thin lips moving, and he actually emitted two utterly different sounds at once:

"Get… get out of here!"

"Son… quickly stop it…"

Zhang Tian Gang, sharp-eyed and quick-handed, seized that instant's opening, curled his fingers into claws, and slammed a fierce palm into the Spirit King's chest.

The Spirit King was flung backward, slamming heavily into the wall and smashing a row of control panels.

Black blood oozed from the Spirit King's mouth, looking utterly miserable.

"Is it over?" Lin Xue whispered softly.

But the Spirit King eerily climbed to his feet, the wound healing rapidly under the purple light, and he licked his lips provocatively.

"All your effort is wasted! This body has already fused with me; you can never separate us!"

"Who says?" Zhang Tian Gang gave a cold smile, pulling a metal sphere from his pocket.

He flicked it with a finger; the metal sphere exploded in midair, turning into countless silver needles that pierced the Spirit King's body everywhere.

The Spirit King's wail exceeded human vocal limits, sounding more like the noise of an overloaded electronic device; his whole body twitched incessantly, purple light scattering everywhere.

"Nanomachines?" Zhang Jun had a flash of insight, recalling the technology mentioned in his father's data.

"Exactly, a little gadget custom-made for this guy." Zhang Tian Gang panted, veins bulging on his forehead, "It can temporarily suppress its energy, but it won't last long."

Zhang Jun hesitated no more, rushed forward in three strides to the Spirit King, pressed both hands firmly onto its head, and poured all his strength into the Yin Yang Power.

In an instant, his consciousness was pulled into an unfamiliar space.

Purple energy ran rampant here, building layer upon layer of barriers.

At the deepest point, a faint glimmer of light could be extinguished at any moment.

"Mom!"

"Hurry… go… this place is too dangerous…" a weak, intermittent reply.

"I damn well won't go!"

Zhang Jun roared as he charged forward, the Yin Yang Power tearing a gap in the purple walls.

He clutched that tiny light in his arms, "Let's join forces and blast this thing out!"

Gold and blue blossomed where mother and son merged, beginning to devour the surrounding purple energy.

In the real world, the Spirit King twitched all over, his features twisted and deformed.

"No… impossible… how dare you…"

Above the city, the previously stable purple vortex began to fluctuate violently, the light of the dimensional gate flickering on and off.

Lin Yue Hua hammered away at the keyboard before the control console.

"Hurry! Close the Spirit Consciousness Bridge!"

The Spirit King suddenly thrust out a hand, a bolt of purple energy shooting toward Lin Yue Hua's back.

Zhang Tian Gang wanted to intercept but was too late.

At the critical moment, Lin Xue leapt up, placing herself in front of her mother.

Ice Soul Power erupted, condensing into a heavy ice shield.

The purple energy struck the ice shield, cracking it densely but never managing to pierce through.

"Mom, don't worry about me, focus on shutting that damned gate!"

Mother and daughter operated the control console back to back, attempting to cut off the power supply.

The Spirit King went berserk, and another wave of purple energy swept across the sky and earth.

"Damn, we're done!" Zhang Jun cursed.

Just then, the runes on his arm suddenly lit up.

Gold and blue intertwined into a mysterious pattern, and Zhang Jun felt a profound sense—he could control everything around him.

With a thought in his mind, all the metal equipment in the lab instantly twisted and deformed, turning into countless sharp blades that shot toward the Spirit King.

Caught off guard, the Spirit King was turned into a porcupine, letting out a miserable shriek.

"Now!"

Zhang Jun poured all his Yin-Yang power into his mother's consciousness.

Inside the Spirit King, gold and blue light erupted, completely devouring the purple energy.

"No—"

The Spirit King let out a final despairing howl, his body disintegrating into specks of purple light that dissipated in the air.

Above the city, the purple vortex collapsed with a boom, and the Dimensional Gate was completely extinguished.

Zhang Jun slowly opened his eyes, feeling as if he had been reborn.

The world before him became transparent; he could see everyone's energy fluctuations and fate trajectories.

Lin Xue beside him also changed, her aura purer and stronger.

"Is it over?" Lin Xue's voice trembled.

"It's over." Zhang Jun nodded.

He walked to his mother's side, carefully helping her up: "Mom, are you all right?"

"Son, Mom has really come back this time." Zhang Yuyao weakly embraced her son.

Lin Yuehua also embraced her daughter, and the two mother‑son pairs sank into the peace after the catastrophe.

Only Zhang Tiangang had a grim expression as he walked to his son's side: "Kid, don't get too excited early; the real trouble has just begun."

"What trouble?"

Zhang Tiangang pointed at the console screen, where a red countdown flashed: "Although the Dimensional Gate has been closed, the extraterrestrial spiritual consciousness main body has already locked onto Earth's coordinates."

"What do we do then?"

"It's all up to you."

"What the hell, I just got hold of my mom and haven't even taken a sip of water, and now I have to start saving the world?" Zhang Jun rolled his eyes.

Lin Xue walked to his side and gently shook her head: "Cut the talk, having your mom or not makes little difference."

"Hey, how can you be like this?"