"Pei Du... hold on!" Xu Shuangyao cried out from the depths of her consciousness. At the same time, she made a surprising move! She no longer attempted to use her feeble mental strength to stabilize the symbiotic connection on the verge of breaking. Instead... she proactively used up the last bit of her soul's strength, packing her remaining mental imprint, filled with pain, despair, protective will, and that weak authority (mental key), like a burning beacon. She "pushed" it along the painful connection channel, fiercely "pushing" it towards the burning red flame in Pei Du's consciousness!

This is not the transmission of energy, but the transmission of will, the sharing of information, and a desperate positioning!

Go! Bring the truth! Bring the weakness! Bring me... to find him!

Pei Dun's thorny arm blade, which condensed all his madness and indomitable spirit, pierced fiercely into the highly crystallized mycelium barrier of the culture device with a scream that tore through the air!

Clang——!!!

A sharp, ear-piercing metallic friction crackled, piercing enough to rip an eardrum! A dazzling burst of energy sparked at the point where the tip of the arm blade met the crystal wall! Spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the crystal wall, but... it remained intact! This cage, constructed from the core power of the Fungus Master, was far more sturdy than one could have imagined!

"In vain!" The fungus master's voice was cold and contained a hint of disdain.

However, just as Pei Du's attack was ineffective, his strength was backfired, his body was once again tightened by the mycelium tube due to severe pain and exhaustion, and the green light of the Crown of Thorns was blazing in an attempt to completely suppress him -

Buzz!

A "thing" followed the painful symbiotic connection and slammed into the burning red in his consciousness!

It wasn't a physical object, yet it was heavier than a physical object! That was...Xu Shuangyao's mark!

In an instant, countless fragments of information exploded in Pei Du's mind, which was on the verge of chaos:

—The wreckage of the ancient spaceship drifting in the dead and silent deep space, its interior covered in pale, cancerous biological tissue!

——That cosmic-level terrifying existence that is so huge that it occupies the entire field of vision and spews out green spore clouds!

——The spores fell into the ocean of Gaia Star, split and evolved...protected by the plant network (Gaia Spirit)...destroyed and devoured by the fungus master!

——The pale structure of the throne's core node is the same as that of the ancient spaceship wreckage!

——The ancient, fragile energy seal keyhole deep in the core! That is the only weakness that can interrupt this cycle of destruction!

——[…The key to the seal…must be ignited…by…the soul of the same life…] That cold and desperate revelation!

——And... when Xu Shuangyao conveyed this message, the resolute will that was deeply rooted in his bones, that would rather perish than sacrifice him!

"Ugh!" The immense torrent of information and the intense emotional impact contained within Xu Shuangyao's brand caused Pei Du to let out a scream more painful than his flesh being torn apart. His head felt as if it were about to explode! But amidst this extreme chaos and pain, a clear understanding anchored his consciousness like a stabilizing force:

The core node! The sealed keyhole! Destroy it! Only by destroying it can this all end! Only then... can I save her! Save myself!

And to light the "key"...sacrifice?

The burning crimson holes in Pei Du's only remaining right and left eyes instantly erupted with an unprecedentedly ferocious light! His gaze pierced through the cultivation device, seemingly nailing directly to the blood-stained figure struggling hard in front of the core node on the other side of the throne!

"Sacrifice? Bullshit!" Pei Du's will roared at the soul level, targeting both the Fungus Master and the cruel fate. "My life... and her life... It's not your turn to decide!"

"Roar!" The Master of Fungus seemed completely enraged. No longer content with mere erosion, its immense will transformed into a direct, devastating mental assault. Like an invisible, billion-ton hammer, it slammed down fiercely upon Pei Du's stubbornly burning flame of will! Simultaneously, all the mycelium tubes wrapped around Pei Du activated at full power. The green light of the Crown of Thorns was like tangible flame, threatening to completely consume and devour him from body to soul!

Pei Du felt as if he had been thrown into the core of a star, every inch of his flesh and blood, every thought, being ripped apart and melted! His vision was completely overwhelmed by the violent green data stream and the cold, devouring desire! The tiny red light, burned by the boundless green flames, quickly dimmed and flickered, and it seemed that it was about to be completely extinguished...

After Xu Shuangyao "pushed" the final imprint of her will toward Pei Du, she felt as if her spine had been ripped out, completely collapsing on the cold, pulsating fungal blanket. Her mental strength was completely drained, her soul hollowed out, leaving only boundless exhaustion and coldness. She didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.

Did she succeed? Did she fail?

At the other end of the symbiotic connection, Pei Du's consciousness was like a beacon in a raging storm, its light flickering violently. All he could convey was a chaotic storm and... a faint flame, madly consumed by the mushroom master's immense will! He was being rapidly devoured and annihilated!

Despair, like an icy tide, flooded over again.

Just then—

Buzz!

An extremely faint, yet strangely familiar wave emanated from the depths of the pulsating fungal carpet beneath her, like the final beat of a dying heart. It was... the plant network (Gaia's Spirit)! It seemed to be activated by the abnormality in the keyhole sealing the core node of the throne, the final authorization key passed by Xu Shuangyao, and the turbulent flow of energy from the same source emanating from the violent conflict between Pei Du and the Fungus Master's will... It had weakly and painstakingly reestablished contact!

A clearer stream of information, filled with ancient sorrow, seeped into Xu Shuangyao's nearly dried-up consciousness like a trickle of water:

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