Chapter 372: Saide's Choice

He raised his hand, purple energy gathering in his palm: "You cannot win, Lin Xuan. Even if you break through my defensive line, you cannot stop Lord Mo Rui's plan. The most powerful energy barrier has already been deployed around Tianmen; you will never be able to activate the Heaven Origin Instrument."

Just at this moment, Shi Qi's voice came through the mental link: "Found it! I have identified the locations of the five ley line intersection points, each corresponding to one line of energy. I have sent the locations to everyone; we must reach these five points simultaneously to break the barrier!"

A glimmer of hope flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. He glanced at Ga Luo, then turned without hesitation and sprinted in the direction Shi Qi indicated.

Ga Luo wanted to pursue, but found that his armor's energy system was severely damaged and could not maintain high-speed movement. He could only watch helplessly as Lin Xuan's figure disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

"All units, pay attention," Ga Luo warned through his communicator, "the Houxuanzhe have found a way to break the barrier and are heading toward the five ley line intersection points. Intercept them immediately!"

Lin Xuan felt waves of dizziness while running. The aftereffects of the Wood Spirit fusion began to manifest; his Life Energy was severely insufficient, and every step became exceptionally difficult. But he knew now was not the time to stop.

"Six minutes left... must make it!"

Above the Kunlun Mountains, the warships of the extraterrestrial fleet had assembled. Viewed from space, five figures were moving from different directions toward the depths of the mountains, as if pulled by some mysterious force, rushing toward the end of their destiny.

Inside the main control room of the Star Domain Conqueror, under cold lights, various data streams flowed continuously on the holographic display screens. Saide stood before the main energy console. His movements appeared to be just routine checks, but in reality, he was implementing a long-planned scheme.

Mo Rui had left the control room to command the front-line battle half an hour ago, which gave Saide a rare moment of solitude. However, he knew clearly that Mo Rui had already begun to doubt his loyalty. Several subtle exchanges of glances and some seemingly unintentional questions all hinted that Mo Rui had sensed something.

"Not much time left." Saide whispered to himself while rapidly inputting a series of complex codes.

In the deep system of the console, a carefully hidden program was activated. This was a backdoor program Saide had planted years ago, capable of temporarily interfering with the ship's monitoring system to create a brief "blind spot."

The images on the monitoring screens flickered slightly and then returned to normal—but Saide knew that for the next five minutes, none of his actions would be recorded.

He immediately switched to the communication system and started a highly encrypted channel. This channel was secretly established between him and Ling Bo, utilizing the special resonance points between the extraterrestrial civilization and the Diqiu Spirit Energy Network, allowing it to bypass conventional monitoring means.

"Ling Bo, can you hear me?" Saide's voice was filled with urgency.

After a few seconds of silence, Ling Bo's voice came through the mental link: "Saide? You are risking contact with us; what has happened?"

"Time is tight, I will get straight to the point." Saide checked the door quickly to ensure no one was approaching, "Regarding the activation of the Heaven Origin Instrument, there is one more key piece of information you must know—the instrument requires a guide to use their own energy as a catalyst to fully activate."

Ling Bo's voice revealed shock: "You mean... someone needs to sacrifice themselves?"

"Not necessarily death, but it will consume a massive amount of life essence, and the risk is extremely high." Saide explained while continuing to operate the console, "The Five Elements Energy only provides power, but without a guide to correctly fuse and channel these energies, the Heaven Origin Instrument cannot achieve its true effect."

"Why are you only telling us this information now?" Ling Bo's voice carried a hint of reproach.

Saide gave a bitter smile: "Mo Rui has been monitoring me. And... I was also hesitating whether I should let you bear such a risk."

Just as Saide was preparing to transmit more detailed instructions, the ship suddenly vibrated slightly. On the display screen of the main energy grid, several key nodes began to flash red warning signals.

"Energy system anomaly? How is that possible?" Mo Rui's surprised voice came from the entrance of the control room.

Saide quickly cut off the encrypted communication and turned to face Mo Rui, who was walking into the control room. He knew the time for concealment was over.

Mo Rui's gaze shifted back and forth between the energy display screen and Saide.

"It was you." Mo Rui walked slowly closer, every step filled with intimidation, "I should have guessed. These abnormal fluctuations, those 'accidental' energy adjustments... they were all you operating in the shadows."

Saide did not deny it; he straightened his body and looked directly into Mo Rui's eyes: "Yes."

"Why?" Mo Rui's voice was surprisingly calm, but Saide could feel the fury surging beneath that calm, "We are of the same race, you are my most trusted science officer, why betray your civilization?"

Saide took a deep breath, deciding not to hide it anymore: "In the years I have lived on Diqiu, compared to our cold conquest, their civilization is more worthy of continuation."

A trace of disbelief flashed in Mo Rui's eyes: "You have been infected... polluted by the emotions of this inferior planet."

"Perhaps." Saide responded calmly, "But I would rather call it 'growth.' Although our civilization is technologically advanced, in some aspects, it is far inferior to these 'inferior creatures'."

Mo Rui's face twisted for a moment, then returned to calm: "It is a pity that your betrayal is already too late. The energy barrier around Tianmen cannot be broken; the Houxuanzhe will never be able to complete the activation of the Heaven Origin Instrument."

"Do not underestimate them." Saide smiled slightly, "I have already passed the final key information to them."

Mo Rui's eyes widened abruptly, and then his body began to undergo a terrifying change. His human appearance dissipated like a phantom, revealing his true form—a semi-solid lifeform composed of purple energy and black matter.

"You know the price of betrayal." Mo Rui's voice no longer sounded human, but carried a metallic echo, "I will personally extract your Life Energy and let you experience the most painful death."

Dozens of purple energy tentacles extended from Mo Rui's body, like flexible whips, piercing directly through Saide's chest and limbs.

But to Mo Rui's surprise, a smile actually appeared on Saide's face.

"You think... I didn't prepare?" Saide said with difficulty, "I knew this day would come sooner or later... so, I made full preparations."

Mo Rui felt a trace of unease: "What are you talking about?"

Just at this moment, Saide's body began to emit a strange blue light; it was the signal that the Self-Destruct Program he had pre-set within his body had been activated.