Chapter 64: The Duel of the Lost Soul in the Iron Maze

In the compression chamber, Zhang Jun was driven all the way into the corner.

The space had shrunk to less than eight meters, and the groaning of the metal walls being squeezed made his teeth ache. S01's movements grew ever faster, and the wind pressure from its swinging mechanical arm battered his cheek.

"You junk of broken copper and rust," Zhang Jun gasped heavily, his lungs burning, "have to use a calculator to fight?"

S01 gave no response: "Energy reserves down to 37%, sufficient to complete the mission."

Suddenly, a strange stabbing pain shot through Zhang Jun's chest—not from a wound, but something else. Instinctively he looked down and saw, beneath the torn lining of his combat suit, a tiny, almost invisible ice crystal mark faintly glowing blue.

It was Lin Xue's aura.

"That girl…" the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily, "she really knows how to pick the right moment."

In that less‑than‑a‑second distraction, S01 seized the opening; its mechanical arm was so fast it left only an afterimage, thrusting straight at his chest. Zhang Jun threw his whole strength into a sidestep, but the blade still sliced his right ribs, and blood instantly stained half his body.

He staggered, dropping to one knee, his left hand pressing hard on the wound while his right hand's grip on the sword remained unchanged. The purple pattern on the Heavenly Man Sword flared suddenly, as if alive, echoing the ice crystal on his chest.

"Find that point..." Wang Jun's voice sounded again in his ear, this time frighteningly clear.

S01's sensors flickered violently, as if sensing danger: "Abnormal energy fluctuation detected, initiating termination protocol."

With a "clack," its chest core compartment slid open, revealing a violently pulsating purple crystal—its energy source and its sole weak point.

A burst of light erupted in Zhang Jun's eyes.

——

Outside the door, Lin Xue's Ice Soul Power had fully seeped into the molecular gaps of the metal door. Clone Wang Jun's interference program took effect, the compression speed visibly slowed, but the system's red lights flashed wildly, clearly fighting back frantically.

"Fifteen seconds left!" Clone Wang Jun roared, his voice tinged with metallic tremor.

Lin Xue pretended not to hear, her entire consciousness immersed in the link with Zhang Jun. She could feel his life force waning like a candle in the wind, yet simultaneously something was raging inside him— the energy of the Heavenly Man Sword, ignited by Ice Soul Power.

"Zhang Jun," she called in her mind, "I'm here."

The ice crystal erupted with a blinding blue flash, covering the icy layer on the metal door, and suddenly burst into countless fine cracks!

——

Inside the compression chamber, Zhang Jun clearly "heard" Lin Xue's call.

The ice crystal mark on his chest burned scorching, the Heavenly Man Sword hummed and vibrated, and the two resonated intensely. The final lesson Wang Jun taught, that sentence, suddenly became crystal clear.

"Sword qi follows the heart; when intent arrives, the point manifests."

S01 locked onto the target, its mechanical arm finally transformed—three energy blades flashing with destructive light, thrusting from three angles simultaneously, sealing off every escape.

Zhang Jun neither dodged nor evaded; instead, he charged straight into the devastating attack.

"Found it."

The Heavenly Man Sword and the ice crystal on his chest erupted together with unprecedented radiance, the blade tip pointing directly at the pulsating purple crystal inside S01's opened core compartment. Time seemed to stretch infinitely at that moment.

S01's energy blade was less than a centimeter from Zhang Jun's throat.

And the tip of the Heavenly Man Sword had already pierced the purple crystal with perfect precision.

"System… error…" S01's voice began to warp, intermittent, "Energy… leak…"

Raging purple energy spewed wildly from the core compartment, instantly absorbed, transformed, and interwoven by the mysterious patterns on the Heavenly Man Sword. Zhang Jun felt an unimaginable torrent of power surge through his limbs and bones; the dormant Primordial Bloodline ignited and activated completely at that instant!

"To hell with the cleansing protocol!"

He summoned all his strength into a roar, pouring every ounce of power into this desperate strike.

"Pfft!"

The Heavenly Man Sword completely pierced S01's core crystal. The purple energy burst forth like a supernova, instantly devouring S01's entire body.

At the same time, the metal walls of the compression chamber had been squeezed to less than three meters, emitting a despairing metallic creak.

Outside, Ice Soul Power forcibly tore the metal's molecular structure.

A blinding crack suddenly appeared and rapidly expanded.

"Zhang Jun!"

Lin Xue shouted, thrusting both hands straight into the scorching fissure; the ice crystal erupted wildly, forcefully prying the door open!

Clone Wang Jun's mechanical arm followed, its metal joints instantly reshaping into hydraulic claws that clamped the doorframe tightly, aiding the push.

"Quick!"

Inside the compression chamber, S01's core crystal shattered completely, the uncontrolled purple energy careening wildly.

Zhang Jun spun wildly, the Heavenly Man Sword siphoning off part of the energy, its blade scorching hot.

The walls pressed so tightly he could barely turn.

The harsh screech of the metal door being ripped open drilled into his ears.

Light!

A beam of light shot in through the crack.

"Zhang Jun!" it was Lin Xue's voice.

He jerked his head around, seeing only that pitifully narrow gap.

S01's wreckage had been compressed into a twisted iron disc, purple energy arcs still flickering atop it.

"Here it comes!"

Zhang Jun, dragging his agonized wounded leg, cradling the scorching Heavenly Man Sword, rolled and crawled toward the crack.

The compressor's metal wall was almost pressed against his back, his combat suit being squeezed until it emitted a mournful sound of fabric tearing.

He first thrust the Heavenly Man Sword outward, then his right arm, then his head…

"Ah!"

At the final moment, his left ankle tightened sharply!

Looking down, a segment of mechanical tentacle protruding from S01's wreckage clutched him tightly.

"Let go!"

Lin Xue's ice crystal shot in through the crack, instantly freezing that tentacle segment into an ice lump.

Zhang Jun gathered all his strength and kicked hard!

Crack!

The ice shattered.

Zhang Jun was pulled out of the compression chamber by Lin Xue and Ke Long Wang Jun together.

Boom—!

The heavy metal door behind him closed completely, and the compressor finished its final task, emitting a dull sound.

Zhang Jun lay on his back on the icy metal floor, his lungs burning, panting heavily in big breaths.

His whole skeleton felt as if it had come apart, every inch of muscle screaming, yet he was still alive.

Lin Xue half‑kneeling beside him, her fingertips lightly pressed above his wound, ice crystals quickly spread over it, temporarily sealing the constantly flowing blood.

"You fool!" Her voice trembled, tinged with lingering fear, "Why did you go back to meet death?"

Zhang Jun grimaced, pulling at the wound at the corner of his mouth, blood foam mixing with saliva dripped down, his teeth oddly white: "One‑on‑one, be fair."

Ke Long Wang Jun's mechanical eye scanned his body with a red light: "Three bone fractures, severe muscle tears, blood loss at the warning threshold. Fortunately, the core organs are unharmed."

"I told you I'm tough." Zhang Jun strained to sit up, but Lin Xue pinned him down with one hand.

"Don't move! Want the wound to open again?"