Chapter 369: A Hair's Breadth

In the intervals of battle, a Green-Robed Person relayed a message to the leader: "The internal defectors led by Chen Xiao have provided vital intelligence! The energy Core of the extraterrestrial warships is located beneath the hull; after each firing of the 'Star Domain Giant Cannon', there is an energy instability period of about ten seconds. That is the moment their defense systems are at their weakest!"

A flicker of hope flashed in the leader's eyes: "Transmit this to all combat units immediately! Concentrate fire on the energy Core and launch a counterattack during the energy instability period!"

This key intelligence spread rapidly across all battlefields. The Practitioners of Diqiu began to adjust their tactics, no longer resisting blindly, but waiting for the weak moment after the extraterrestrial warships fired to concentrate their strength for precision strikes.

On the southern battlefield, Li Yan led the Shushan Sect disciples to fight side-by-side with those new creatures. These half-plant, half-animal creatures displayed astonishing combat power—they could move rapidly to dodge energy attacks while releasing special green energy clouds that neutralized a portion of the extraterrestrial energy.

"Coordinate with their rhythm!" Li Yan commanded loudly. "Let them absorb the extraterrestrial energy first, then we concentrate our fire to attack the warships' weak points!"

Under this tactic, the defense of a small extraterrestrial warship was breached, its energy Core was destroyed, and the entire warship exploded violently, turning into a cloud of purple energy that slowly dissipated.

However, the most tragic battle took place on the Xibei Gaoyuan, the location of the last Fangyu Jiedian. Mo Rui personally led the main fleet to concentrate their attack here, swearing to completely destroy the defense network.

Around the ancient temple, Xuan Qingzi and hundreds of high-level Practitioners formed a protective Array, resisting with their lives. They knew they had to buy time for Lin Xuan and the others, allowing the Fangyu Jiedian to hold on as long as possible before it collapsed.

"Hold on!" Xuan Qingzi's voice was hoarse, his forehead covered in beads of sweat. "Hold for another quarter of an hour!"

A young Practitioner fell, grazed on the right arm by an energy beam; the entire arm instantly turned a ghastly purple. Another Elder immediately stepped forward, using Spirit Qi to stabilize the injury.

"Master, I can still fight!" The young Practitioner gritted his teeth, stood up, and returned to his position in the Array.

Similar scenes played out continuously on battlefields across the globe. The Practitioners displayed astonishing strength, refusing to retreat even when facing an extraterrestrial fleet with a massive technological advantage. Major sects temporarily set aside historical grievances to defend against the foreign enemy; hidden families emerged from their retreats to contribute treasured secret artifacts and Arrays; even ordinary people provided help within their capabilities, transporting the wounded and preparing supplies.

On the "Star Domain Conqueror", Saide stood expressionless in the command center, but his heart was in a violent struggle. When Mo Rui turned to check the battlefield data, he quickly adjusted the energy parameters of several warships, his technique so subtle it was almost impossible to detect.

This seemingly minor interference had a major impact—several main warships experienced energy instability while firing their "Star Domain Giant Cannon", their attack power weakened significantly, and one was even severely damaged due to energy backlash.

Mo Rui frowned as he looked at the battle report: "Why has the attack efficiency in the southwest sector dropped by 30%? What is wrong with the energy system?"

A technical officer checked quickly: "Reporting to the Star Domain Adjudicator, preliminary judgment is that interference from the Diqiu Spirit Energy Network has caused the energy regulators to misalign. We are recalibrating."

Mo Rui cast a suspicious glance at Saide, but the latter was focused on adjusting the attack parameters of another sector.

The battle lasted for four full hours, and the casualties on the Diqiu side continued to rise. Even with internal intelligence and Saide's secret help, the Practitioners' defensive lines were pushed back, and more and more sacred sites of cultivation were destroyed.

Most critically, the Fangyu Jiedian on the Xibei Gaoyuan was on the verge of collapse. The node's Core showed numerous cracks, and the energy flow became extremely unstable, releasing intense fluctuations.

Xuan Qingzi and the other guardians were exhausted but still held their ground around the node. "How much longer?" an Elder asked with difficulty.

Xuan Qingzi looked toward the node and shook his head: "It won't last much longer. Tell Lin Xuan to prepare to initiate the final plan."

Ling Bo suddenly stopped on the road to Kunlun Shan, closed her eyes, and exerted her full effort to expand the perception range of her mental bond. She could clearly feel the situation on battlefields across the globe, especially the critical situation on the Xibei Gaoyuan.

"The Fangyu Jiedian is about to collapse," she said to Lin Xuan, Li Yan, Shi Qi, and Xu Feng beside her. "Xuan Qingzi and the others have reached their limit."

Lin Xuan's expression was grave: "Earlier than we anticipated. How much further to Tianmen?"

Shi Qi closed his eyes to sense the changes in the earth's veins: "At our current speed, it will take another half an hour to arrive."

"There's no time!" Li Yan said urgently. "Once the Fangyu Jiedian collapses, we must immediately activate the Heaven Origin Instrument at Tianmen!"

Xu Feng pondered for a moment and took out a specially crafted mechanical device: "My 'Instant Travel Talisman' can help us accelerate, but it can only be used once and will consume a massive amount of energy."

Lin Xuan decided decisively: "Activate it. No matter what, we must reach Tianmen the moment the node collapses!"

Xu Feng nodded and activated the mechanical device. A golden energy field immediately formed around the five of them, and then their figures seemed to merge into the air, speeding toward the deepest part of Kunlun Shan at an astonishing pace.

Just at this moment, the Fangyu Jiedian on the Xibei Gaoyuan finally could not hold on. Under the fierce assault of Mo Rui's main fleet, the node's Core developed fatal cracks. Xuan Qingzi and the other guardians had used all their strength, yet they still could not prevent the collapse.

"It is over," Xuan Qingzi said softly, his eyes filled with both sorrow and hope. "And it is also the beginning."

Accompanied by a deafening roar that shook the world, the Fangyu Jiedian collapsed completely, releasing the massive energy it had accumulated for thousands of years. This energy spread outward like a tide, rapidly connecting with the other seven collapsed nodes to form a special energy field across the globe.

Every Practitioner on Diqiu could feel this change—the Spirit Energy Network presented an unprecedented state of activity.

Lin Xuan keenly sensed this change and immediately sent a signal to all Houxuanzhe through Ling Bo's mental bond: "The time has come, head to Tianmen!"

The figures of the five wove through the canyons of the Kunlun Mountains, speeding toward the legendary "Tianmen". They knew that the fate of Diqiu rested on the next few short minutes.

And in the sky, Mo Rui also detected the abnormal energy fluctuations caused by the collapse of the defense network. A flash of alertness crossed his eyes: "Something is wrong... Dispatch all available warships to the Kunlun Mountains immediately! There is abnormal energy gathering there!"

Saide stood to the side, his face still calm. The most critical moment had finally arrived.

The moment the defense network collapsed, the five Houxuanzhe acted separately according to the predetermined plan. Each carrying a Heaven Origin component, they secretly headed toward Tianmen in the depths of the Kunlun Mountains from different directions.