Chapter 329: Desire Again?

Su Wan'er's heart sank to the bottom of a valley, her fingers gripping the gun turning white from the strain. She stared at those completely unfamiliar eyes, filled with a desire for destruction, and realized that the familiar Lin Yifan was being utterly devoured. She clenched her teeth, and the silver spear burst with unprecedented light—not as an attack but coalescing into a pure light shield before her. Her gaze became unshakably firm; even facing the devoured lover, she would not retreat.

"Then... step over my corpse!"

Just as the catastrophic light at Lin Yifan's fingertips was about to erupt at this hair‑trigger moment—

"Boom—boom—boom—!!!"

The core area of the Seventh Research Institute finally reached its limit. Accompanied by an earth‑shaking roar, the dozens‑of‑metres‑thick rock layer and alloy structure overhead shattered like an egg cracked by a giant, collapsing with a thunderous crash! Countless massive concrete blocks, twisted rebar, and broken pipelines rained down with apocalyptic, destructive force!

The true cataclysm has arrived! Now, the ensuing collapse crisis:

"Then... step over my corpse!" Su Wan'er's shout was faint amid the deafening collapse, yet utterly resolute. The silvery light shield in her hand glittered brilliantly, like the last spark of starlight in a pit of despair.

The destructive blood‑light coalescing at Lin Yifan's fingertips resembled the eye of the Grim Reaper, coldly locking onto her. That cruel sneer was the full manifestation of the Blood King's will.

Yet, at the instant that blood‑light was about to burst and erase Su Wan'er together with her shield—

"Boom—boom—boom—!!!"

The sky fell!

It was no metaphor. The dozens‑of‑metres‑thick rock layer and reinforced alloy dome supporting the core of the Seventh Research Institute, after successive energy blows, structural damage, and a final violent explosion, finally reached their limit. Like a glass dome shattered by an invisible giant hammer, the entire upper structure emitted a strained, soul‑shaking moan, then completely collapsed amid a deafening roar!

Vision was instantly stripped away.

Massive, rebar‑reinforced concrete blocks cascaded down like mountain ranges; twisted, broken metal beams and columns fell like the skeletons of a colossal beast, bearing a weight of ten thousand jins; ruptured high‑pressure pipes spewed lethal electric sparks and corrosive fluid; countless instrument fragments and cultivation‑chamber wreckage shot out like bullets! The entire space was instantly filled with smoke, debris, and a torrent of destruction.

This was no longer a battle, but a pure natural disaster! The earth opened its gaping maw, intent on devouring the sins and chaos buried deep beneath.

"Careful!" Su Wan'er's pupils contracted sharply; she could no longer mind Lin Yifan ahead. Survival instinct drove her to push the light shield to its limit, while the silvery spear whirled rapidly, weaving a dense light curtain overhead!

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Boom!"

The massive crashing sounds never ceased. Su Wan'er was like a lone boat in a storm; each impact violently shook her frail body, the shield flared wildly, and blood constantly spurted from her mouth. A concrete block the size of a tabletop slammed into her shield, instantly cracking it; the tremendous force forced her onto one knee, the metal floor beneath her sinking in.

On the other side, Lin Yifan (or rather the being dominated by the Blood King) was likewise interrupted by the sudden cataclysm. A massive, flame‑engulfed metal wreck roared as it hurtled toward his head!

"Roar!" He let out an inhuman bellow, not of fear but of interrupted fury. Blood‑light surged around him like boiling volcanic lava, forming a massive blood‑colored vortex!

"Boom—!"

The metal wreck slammed into the blood vortex, producing no expected roar, only a teeth‑aching "sizzle" and the fierce annihilation of energy. The huge wreck was brutally shredded, broken apart, and devoured by the rapidly rotating, corrosive blood energy! Shards of stone and molten metal droplets sprayed everywhere, yet could not pierce the viscous blood barrier.

He hovered at the center of the blood vortex, his dark‑red eyes scanning the apocalyptic scene; instead of fear, a hint of… twisted excitement flickered. It was as if this destruction perfectly mirrored his own inner savagery.

"Power… destruction… merging…" Overlapping whispers remained clear amid the collapsing roar.

"Su Wan'er! This way!" a weak yet urgent voice called. It was the blown‑away mechanical‑arm officer! He was still alive, struggling to half‑emerge from the rubble, his left arm clutching a still‑intact massive metal pipe, his right shoulder a mangled mess of flesh and bone, gesturing with all his strength toward a relatively stable triangular structure beside him—a narrow space formed where two huge load‑bearing beams crossed.

Su Wan'er caught sight of that glimmer of hope, her eyes igniting with it, but the instant she turned her attention to the officer—

"Whoosh!"

A sharp slicing sound tore through the smoke! Not a falling rock, but a solidified blood‑colored energy blade! It slithered like a venomous snake around Su Wan'er's frontal light shield, deftly striking at the side of her waist exposed while she blocked the rocks!

It was Lin Yifan! Even amid the chaos, he coldly carried out the "eliminate obstacle" command!

Too fast! Too sudden! Su Wan'er had just finished deflecting a heavy blow; the old energy was gone, the new not yet formed, and the light shield had no time to rotate!

"Pfft!"

Blood blossoms splattered!

Intense pain instantly seized Su Wan'er's nerves. The blood‑colored energy blade easily tore through her combat suit and armor, leaving a deep, bone‑visible wound on her side! The blade's corrosive force surged wildly into her body, damaging meridians and devouring her remaining silvery energy.

"Ugh—!" Su Wan'er let out a pained groan, her body losing balance from the agony and energy shock; the silver spear's light dimmed instantly, and a huge gap opened in the overhead light curtain!

A lethal opening!

"Die!" Lin Yifan's silhouette slipped through the rain of collapsing stones like a phantom, instantly appearing above Su Wan'er's head! His right fist rose high, gathering an even more terrifying dark‑red energy sphere that seemed to swallow surrounding light! The aura of destruction surged forward, targeting Su Wan'er's defenseless crown.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Su Wan'er tilted her head back, gazing at the familiar yet alien face brimming with destructive desire, at the energy sphere in his fist capable of erasing her completely. The searing pain at her side and the rampant corrosive energy inside left her almost immobile. Despair, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed her. She could even hear the Blood King's delighted roar echoing deep within Lin Yifan's consciousness.

Is it over? To die like this… at the hands of the lover she's been fighting to awaken?