Chapter 40
When the power of Qihe and Seed 237 simultaneously seeped into the primordial vein, the earth suddenly cracked open, and all the battlefield scenes vanished instantly.
Instead, there was an endless gray and white void.
There are no mountains or seas, only endless roots extending into the air, intertwining to form a labyrinth.
This is the inner world of the original vein.
It erased everything external, leaving only two of the sharpest wills:
The "devouring" of Qihe, the "linking" of Seed 237.
The voice of the primordial vein echoed in the air:
"Whichever of you two grasps the root will reshape the earth."
Qihe's body swelled up, transforming into a giant scaled beast covered in black water.
He roared, opening his bloody maw to devour the roots in the void; wherever he passed, all the roots turned into rotten mud.
"This is the only order!" he roared, his eyes burning with boundless madness.
"The weak have no right to protect; they can only become the fragments within me!"
Seed 237 did not retaliate immediately. It stretched out its branches and fins, letting the silver light turn into threads, illuminating the broken roots one by one.
Each time a light is lit, a scene of the sea, a rustling forest, or a bird's song appears in the virtual world.
He did not confront the Qi River head-on, but instead used the method of "recalling memories" to make the original vein remember all the things it had nurtured.
Within the virtual realm, vibrant scenes began to appear:
The flow of water in the mountains and rivers
The tides of coral reefs,
The sound of the wind on the plains.
The more the Qi River devours, the more scenes Seed 237 recalls.
Ultimately, the two forces collided in the center of the virtual realm.
The black tide of the Qi River was like a landslide and a tsunami, while the light filaments of Seed 237 were like scattered stars.
"Your cowardly illusions cannot stop me!" Qihe roared, and the black tide swept in, engulfing all the illusions.
But in the instant the black tide engulfed him, Seed237 closed his eyes and whispered:
"Protecting is not about fighting, but about letting the world resist on its own."
The next moment, the scene of being swallowed by the Qi River rebounded inside his body.
The mountains, oceans, and forests he swallowed transformed into streams of light within his body, consuming his flesh and blood.
Qi He's pupils contracted sharply, revealing fear for the first time.
"This is impossible... How could my absorption be backfired!"
Deep within the illusory realm, the primordial vein spoke once more:
"The plunderers will eventually be plundered."
"Guardians will ultimately be protected."
As the words fell, the light threads around Seed 237 suddenly condensed into a huge virtual tree, its roots penetrating the entire virtual realm and firmly suppressing the Qi River.
The Qi River roared and struggled desperately, but the black water was continuously absorbed and purified by the Void Tree, turning into new branches and leaves.
Seed 237 felt the life within its body rapidly dwindling, and its consciousness was fading.
He knew this was not a victory, but a balance achieved through sacrifice.
But just as it was about to extinguish, the branches and leaves of the illusory tree gave a faint response:
You are not alone.
At the edge of the illusory realm, countless familiar auras lit up:
The waterways once swallowed by the hidden roots, the reefs that once vanished, the traces left by our companions…
At this moment, they all converged into the body of seed 237.
Qi He's figure gradually dissipated in the illusory realm, turning into fragmented black shadows that were continuously absorbed by the illusory tree.
However, those fragments did not completely disappear; instead, they quietly seeped deeper into the original vein.
The original pulse was not stopped.
It seems to be brewing a new choice in the shadows.
—The first act of the trial has ended, but the real judgment has only just begun.
The moment the illusory realm collapsed, Qi He's body seemed to completely disintegrate.
But before Seed 237 could even catch his breath, he vaguely felt the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly.
That wasn't a tremor in the earth's crust, but a throbbing within the roots.
The black water fragments that were originally suppressed did not truly disappear, but instead, like specks of ink, seeped deep into the roots along their veins.
The branches of the swaying tree whispered:
"The Devourer will not die easily... He chose to lie in wait in deeper hiding places."
Beneath the continent, in the core area where water veins and roots intersect, an unseen shadow begins to spread.
It has no specific form; it is merely a vague black echo.
Any roots that get too close will lose their luster and become stiff and cold.
This is precisely the lingering image of the Qi River.
He abandoned his "body" and instead completely parasitized himself within the shadows of the original veins.
“Since the physical body will be destroyed,” his whisper echoed in the shadows.
"Then I will become an eternal shadow."
It thrives in the deepest parts of the roots and water, waiting for the next opportunity to seize it.
After the battle, Seed 237 should have fallen into a deep slumber.
But as the branches and leaves of the virtual tree soothed his soul, he felt a strange fluctuation within his body.
That was the overlap of light and shadow.
The afterimage of Qihe left a trace in the confrontation, but the original vein did not drive it away. Instead, it combined with the core of Seed 237.
turn out--
Within Seed 237's consciousness, a deep voice began to emerge:
“We are not enemies...you and I are the same whole.”
He suddenly opened his eyes, a fleeting darkness flashing in them, intertwining with his usual silver light.
This is the awakening of duality.
Protecting and devouring, two conflicting wills, are vying for dominance within the same vessel.
Seed 237 wanted to shout and question, but the primordial vein did not respond.
That source that spans the entire world has fallen into an unprecedented silence.
It was as if it were coldly observing, allowing this "contradiction" to grow within the apostle.
Perhaps, for the original vein, this is not out of control, but a new trial.
Only when "protection" and "devouring" find balance in the same soul can the foundation of the continent be truly rewritten.
When Seed 237 left the virtual realm and returned to the real earth, his figure seemed no different from usual.
But deep within his shadow, a wisp of black tentacle faintly floated.
It's as if it's ready to jump out at any moment and take its place.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, the monitoring pods of the Dark Root forces suddenly emitted abnormal fluctuations.
The monitors' expressions changed drastically:
"This is... a new root vein anomaly?"
No, that's not right... This is a dual source!
After the collapse of the illusory realm, Seed 237 stood alone on the empty ground of the light domain.
In the seemingly tranquil air, a voice that did not belong to him slowly echoed:
"Protect? Devour? They are just two sides of the same leaf."
The darkness you fear is the very desire within your heart that you dare not acknowledge.
Seed 237 suddenly felt a tightness in its chest, and its consciousness probed into its body—
Deep within his spiritual core, a dark crystalline mark had appeared on the originally transparent light filament, like ink dripping into a clear spring, slowly spreading.
This crystal mark is not a foreign object, but a fragment of "Lacquer River Remnant," completely intertwined with his origin.
It has no independent body, but it has created a secondary personality within the soul of Seed 237.
Unlike his calm and resolute personality, this shadow was full of cunning and aggression.
It knows how to give him a push when he's hesitant, and how to whisper guidance in times of crisis.
[Shadow]: "While you hesitate, the enemy has already made their move."
"It would be better if I did it, quickly and decisively severing their roots."
[Seed 237]: "You are just a parasitic remnant, you can't possibly control me."
[Shadow]: "Remnants? Then why didn't the original vein erase me?"
Because it needs me. Without shadow, light is incomplete.
Several days later, Seed 237 followed Sprout 12 across a border wasteland.
Along the way, a small group of spies lay in wait, setting up seed pods to listen for information.
Just as Seed 237 was preparing to avoid the situation in a safe way, the alternate personality's voice suddenly rang out:
"No need to take a detour. Eliminate them and sow the seeds of retaliation."
Let the hidden forces know that their informants are not safe.
In an instant, his arm went out of control, and its roots suddenly extended, turning into sharp thorns that nearly pierced through a scout.
Fortunately, Sprout 12 called out in time, which allowed him to break free.
The scouts panicked and scattered, but they left messages as they retreated, which the Dark Root forces would soon discover.
At night, Seed 237 sat cross-legged, and the light and darkness within its core confronted each other once more.
His shadow, like his reflection in the mirror, wore a mocking expression.
"If you deny me, you are denying yourself."
I want to remind you that if you hesitate again next time,
I will take direct control—because we are one.
Seed237 remained silent, yet an indescribable chill welled up within him.
He realized for the first time that this was not a simple parasitic relationship, but an eternal symbiotic struggle.
When the remote hidden root monitoring center receives scout messages and abnormal fluctuations,
A "silent one" draped in a root-patterned cloak slowly opened his eyes.
He whispered coldly:
"The dual source stream... has finally appeared."
If we don't nip it in the bud, this apostle will become a variable we cannot afford.
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