Chapter 41: Mystery of the Spiritual Awareness

"Split up and act separately." Lin Yuehua mustered her last ounce of strength, her voice hoarse.

"Go rescue Yuyao; she's the key!"

Zhang Jun grabbed Lin Xue, who was about to rush forward: "She's right; stay calm, we need to split up and go separate ways."

"But Aunt..." Lin Xue said, on the verge of tears.

"Trust me!" Zhang Jun declared resolutely.

The two separated; Zhang Jun darted into a ventilation duct to find his clone, while Lin Xue sprinted toward the energy tower.

Purple light spread across the horizon, and a massive vortex churned above the city, roiling and restless, sending shivers down one's spine.

The Spiritual Awareness Bridge—perhaps it's truly about to activate...

Zhang Jun's mind was a tangled mess; he had to locate his clone quickly and merge his father's consciousness fragments, but could he do it? Could he really succeed?

The ventilation duct was narrow and cramped, the foul air thick with dust and the smell of rust; Zhang Jun crouched and moved swiftly, his Yin-Yang Power allowing him to see the dark forks and hidden infrared lines.

"Isolation Chamber No. 37, it should be here."

Avoiding the last laser, Zhang Jun gently removed the vent cover, leapt down, and entered a dim, blackened laboratory.

The isolation chamber stood silently in the center of the room, surrounded by various instruments; within the chamber, a semi-transparent liquid held a floating silhouette—his clone.

Zhang Jun held his breath and stepped closer, inch by inch.

The figure in the chamber suddenly opened its eyes, meeting Zhang Jun's gaze head‑on, a hollow, icy, lifeless feeling.

"Finally, I've been waiting for you, son." The voice pierced the liquid and glass, so clear it made the scalp tingle.

Zhang Jun shivered and blurted, "Dad?"

The figure in the chamber gave a slight nod; the face bore Zhang Tiangang's features yet carried hints of Zhang Jun's own, familiar yet strange.

"No time for idle talk," Zhang Tiangang's voice was urgent and low, "Help me open this thing; the password is your birthday."

Zhang Jun quickly entered the password; the isolation chamber buzzed and began draining the liquid.

"Back then, the Outer Spiritual Awareness forced me into a dead end, so I could only upload my consciousness into this clone," Zhang Tiangang said while ripping the tubes from his body, "On the surface I'm Long Tianba's vanguard, but in truth I've been sabotaging from the shadows."

"All these years, you've been right under my nose?" Zhang Jun exclaimed, his jaw nearly dropping.

"They think I'm controlled, but my consciousness is far stronger than they imagine," Zhang Tiangang donned the lab coat beside him, moving decisively, "The Spiritual Awareness Bridge is about to fully open; we must stop it."

"Lin Xue went to rescue her mother; Lin Xue's mother went to sabotage the control system," Zhang Jun said hastily.

Zhang Tiangang's complexion shifted abruptly: "Lin Yuehua went to sabotage the control system? Damn, we must rush to stop her!"

"What happened?" Zhang Jun's heart lurched.

"The Spiritual Awareness Seed inside Lin Yuehua didn't just emerge today; she's been fully controlled for a long time! It's a trap!" Zhang Tiangang said, turning and sprinting outward.

Meanwhile, Lin Xue tiptoed through the main laboratory, ice‑soul power pulsing at her fingertips; the surveillance cameras froze rapidly in the cold, becoming useless.

At the center of the pyramid energy device, Zhang Yuyao was bound by purple energy shackles, her breath faint.

"Aunt, I'm here to save you!" Lin Xue reached out to the energy shield; her ice‑soul power clashed with the purple energy, tearing a fissure.

"What a moving mother‑daughter reunion. Too bad, you'll never know who the real enemy is," a voice said from behind.

Lin Xue whirled around—Zhao Wushuang stood at the laboratory entrance, a mocking grin on his face.

He raised his hand, and Lin Yuehua stepped slowly from the shadows, her eyes a violet‑red, her body radiating strange energy waves.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Lin Xue hadn't recovered when Lin Yuehua suddenly struck, a palm infused with purple energy lunging straight at Lin Xue's face!

Lin Xue barely dodged, staring at the mother before her who seemed like a different person, incredulous.

"The Spiritual Awareness Seed has completely devoured her consciousness," Zhao Wushuang crossed his arms, looking like he was enjoying a show, "In fact, she's never betrayed the Outer Spiritual Awareness; all these years she's been our most faithful undercover."

Lin Xue let out a roar, her ice‑soul power erupting instantly; sharp ice spikes erupted from the ground, aiming at Lin Yuehua.

Lin Yuehua's form twisted, improbably evading every attack.

"Useless, she's no longer human now."

While Lin Xue and Lin Yuehua grappled, something even more shocking occurred— the previously bound Zhang Yuyao suddenly opened her eyes, the purple energy shackles unfastening themselves, swirling around her as if alive.

She drifted slowly down from the levitation device, a bizarre smile on her face.

"Little girl of the Lin family, thank you for breaking the final seal," Zhang Yuyao's voice was cold and unfamiliar.

Zhang Jun and Zhang Tiangang barreled forward, the father‑son duo moving in perfect sync; Yin‑Yang Power combined with Zhang Tiangang's extensive experience, slaying gods and even Buddhas.

"We must hurry to the main control room; there lies the key device that can shut down the Spiritual Awareness Bridge!" Zhang Tiangang said, fending off charging security guards while explaining.

"In every body controlled by the Outer Spiritual Awareness lies a Spiritual Awareness Seed, and all the seeds are linked to a single boss—the Spiritual Master!"

The two rushed into the central control room, and the sight before them made Zhang Jun's heart plunge to the bottom of a gorge—Lin Xue's neck was being tightly strangled by Lin Yuehua, her life hanging by a thread.

Zhang Yuyao stood before the console, her fingers dancing rapidly across the holographic keyboard as if performing a frantic piece of music.

"Son, come help mother complete the final ritual," Zhang Yuyao turned, her smile twisted.

"You're not my mother!" Zhang Jun staggered backward repeatedly.

Zhang Tiangang stepped forward: "You've finally shown your true face, Spiritual Master."

"Zhang Tiangang, your lingering soul is truly hard‑hearted," the impostor Spiritual Master, masquerading as Zhang Yuyao, sneered, "I should have eradicated you completely twenty years ago!"

"The one locked away twenty years ago wasn't Zhang Yuyao; it was you—the boss of the Outer Spiritual Awareness!" Zhang Tiangang glared at the opponent.

"You used Zhang Yuyao's face as a disguise; even Long Tianba was merely your pawn!"

"Where is the real Zhang Yuyao?!"

"Dad!" Zhang Jun's voice echoed through the cavernous laboratory, frantic and panicked, as he staggered toward the plume of smoke raised by the explosion.

Through a cough, he saw a torn pant leg protruding from the rubble—a pair of work trousers that Zhang Tiangang habitually wore.

Zhang Jun fumbled, his fingertips whitening from the strain as he desperately moved the heavy concrete blocks and twisted rebar, only to find a heap of tattered clothing.

"What are you looking for? Son, your old man isn't going down that easily," a familiar voice called from behind, teasing yet weary.

Zhang Jun whirled around; a figure in a white lab coat stood there, hair disheveled, a few tiny scratches on the face, unmistakably Zhang Tiangang.

"The clone is merely a vessel; when needed, it's used to stop bullets," Zhang Tiangang brushed dust from himself, speaking casually as if the earlier explosion were just a minor prank.