In the conference room of the Reality Alliance's central base, a holographic projection displayed a pale blue star map in the center of a long table. Seated on twelve alloy chairs were the white-haired sect leader of the Ancient Martial Arts Sect, the mechanically prosthetic elder from the Technology Side, the scale-armored leader of the Interdimensional Resistance Army, and several mysterious figures wearing energy goggles—these were reclusive job changers who had awakened spatial professions.
The moment Lin Yi pushed open the door, all eyes immediately turned to him.
"Mr. Lin." The Cangsong Sect Master of the Ancient Martial Arts Sect spoke first, tapping his knuckles on the table. "Three hours ago you said you found a crucial clue in the Holy Temple. Now we need to see evidence that can convince eight hundred billion people." Half of a bronze tiger tally was visible from his sleeve, a token passed down for thousands of years in the ancient martial arts world, which was now slightly warm as his wrist was taut.
Lin Yi didn't sit down; he simply took off his spatial ring and placed it on the table.
The three keys shimmered with different halos under the light: the first was engraved with star trails, the second was entwined with the patterns of an hourglass of time, and the third had a broken mirror surface floating on its surface.
"These are the first three keys to unlock the 'Seven Keys of Creation'." His voice was steady, his golden-purple eyes reflecting the light of the keys. "The Old Gods used them to seal the final passage for interdimensional invasion, but now..." He paused, looking at Chu Yao's projection, "Chu Yao, play Xuan Mingzi's final transmission."
When the holographic screen lit up, everyone gasped – the image showed a distorted spatial rift, with countless black tentacles tearing at the astral barrier, and in the very center, a giant eye dripping with slime, its pupil clearly reflecting the outline of Earth.
"This is the Old God's 'Eye of Observation'." Chu Yao's electronic voice carried a cold, metallic quality. "According to mental wave analysis, it's locating the coordinates of the Reality Alliance's central hub." Her fingertips traced the virtual keyboard, and another set of data popped up. "More importantly, the resonance frequencies of the three keys perfectly match the Old God's core shockwave—they are not just locks, but keys."
The old man on the technology side suddenly raised his hand, his prosthetic eye emitting a red light to scan the key: "You said you wanted to integrate the seven keys, but who can guarantee that this isn't a trap set by the Old Gods?"
Three days ago, the fusion experiment in the Third Laboratory turned five superhumans into humanoid black holes.
"So we need the 'Core of Cause and Effect'." Lin Yi's finger pressed on the table, activating the hidden groove.
A rhomboid crystal shimmering with rainbow light slowly rose. "This is the ultimate verification device left behind by the enforcers of an advanced civilization." He looked at the location of the shadowy figure—the figure was hidden in the shadows, the grip of the particle gun twirling between his fingertips, a silent confirmation.
Chu Yao's data stream enveloped the key and the core of cause and effect, and the real-time scene of the laboratory appeared before everyone's eyes: the moment the third key touched the crystal, the originally wildly pulsating energy wave suddenly calmed down, and the alarm lights of all the instruments turned green at the same time.
"Causality verification passed." Chu Yao's voice rarely showed a hint of emotion. "The Seven Keys Resonance is not a trap set by the Old Gods, but a 'breakthrough procedure' left behind by an advanced civilization."
Gasps filled the conference room.
The scaled leader suddenly stood up, the gem on his breastplate emitting a ghostly blue light: "I swear in the name of the Interdimensional Resistance Army, if this is true, all the main cannons of our starships will be aimed at the Rift!"
The bronze tiger tally of the ancient martial arts sect leader suddenly emitted a dragon's roar. His wrinkled hand pressed against the tally, and when he looked up, tears welled in his eyes: "Back then, my master was dragged into the rift by the tentacles of the ancient gods. Today... it's time to pay the debt."
"Boss!"
Long Wu's roar suddenly slammed open the conference room door.
His wolf-head knife sheath was still dripping with blood, and his tactical boots had left two marks on the ground. "I was patrolling the ventilation ducts on the third basement level when I caught someone wearing a shadow cloak!"
That brat was very stubborn, but…” He slammed the bloodstained dagger onto the table, “Now he’s talking.”
The spy in the shadows was grabbed by the back of his collar and thrown in by Long Wu.
The man's face was wrapped in bandages, and one eye was swollen shut. The moment he saw the key, he suddenly let out a piercing scream: "Lord Night Owl has already gathered 100,000 Fallen Consciousnesses in the Void Rift!"
They carry the 'seeds of corruption' from the Old Gods, and will assault the central defensive barrier in three hours!
"What?!" The elderly tech-savvy man slammed his prosthetic arm on the table. "Our early warning system clearly..."
"They used mental pollution shielding." Chu Yao's projection suddenly flickered, "Residual ancient god mental waves were detected in the ventilation vents on the third basement level. I was careless." Her voice carried an unusual sense of self-reproach.
Lin Yi's golden-purple pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingertips tapped rapidly on the table.
He grabbed the spatial ring and slipped it back onto his finger, the light of the three keys intertwining in his palm: "Long Wu, take the resistance to seal off all ventilation ducts, focusing on the energy core area." He turned to the tech-savvy elder, "Activate the anti-mental pollution matrix, and allocate the 'Core of Causality' from the lab to the defense system." Finally, he looked at the shadowy figure, "You go to the enforcement branch of the advanced civilization; I remember they have a faction within them that opposes the Old Gods—"
"I understand." The shadowy figure's particle gun suddenly expanded into a gigantic form, runes of an advanced civilization appearing on its surface. "Three hundred years ago, I owed your master a life, and this time... I'm repaying it with interest." As he turned, his shadow left a long, dark trail on the ground before disappearing into the portal in the next second.
"All Allied forces, enter Level 1 combat readiness!" Lin Yi's voice echoed throughout the base via the broadcast system. "The Ancient Martial Arts Sect will take charge of close-quarters defense around the central perimeter. The Technology Sect will take over all energy turrets. The Resistance..." He looked at the Scaled Armor leader, "Take your starships to the void rift to hold them off. I will use a spacetime rift to open a backdoor for you."
\"yes!\"
The response was so loud that the holographic projection shook.
Long Wu patted the spy's face: "Kid, after this battle, I'll treat you to Erguotou—provided you're not lying to me." He dragged the spy outside, sparks flying from the scabbard on the ground.
At the same moment, in the crimson clouds of another dimension, Night Owl stood on a throne formed from fallen consciousness.
His right hand was a mechanical prosthetic, but his left hand had beast claws covered in scales, and a crystal dripping with black blood was embedded in his forehead—the remnant soul of an old god.
"The Old Gods are dead?" He suddenly laughed, his laughter shattering the surrounding clouds. "No, they've just changed hosts!" He raised his beast claws, and on the plain below, countless translucent figures were coalescing: there were job changers devoured by the Old Gods, corrupted starship pilots, and even warriors wearing ancient armor—all dead corrupted by the consciousness of the Old Gods.
"Lin Yi thought he got the key?" Night Owl pressed his claws to his chest, black blood dripping from his scales. "He doesn't know that the moment the seven keys resonate is the moment the Old God's consciousness fully awakens!" He raised his head, and the reflection of the Observing Eye appeared in the blood-red clouds. "Once I've crushed the Reality Alliance's core, I'll use his blood to sacrifice to the banner—a new king shall rise!"
On the tower of the Reality Alliance, Lin Yi gazed at the distant horizon where black mist was gradually rising.
The night breeze lifted the hem of his clothes, and the phantom images of three keys slowly rotated in his palm, merging into a golden-purple ball of light.
"The real battle has only just begun," he said softly, his voice carried away by the wind.
The ball of light suddenly exploded into millions of starlight points, shooting straight into the sky.
Long Wu, rushing to the battlefield, looked up and saw the light like a golden sword piercing the clouds; the resistance fighters preparing to launch their starships looked up and saw the light as a guiding beacon; even Night Owl, far away in another dimension, looked up, his pupils reflecting the blinding light—
That is the light that belongs to humanity, a light that refuses to be crushed by fate.
At the top of the tower, Lin Yi's shadow was stretched very long by the starlight, as if it were extending to every corner that needed protection.
He clenched his fist, the illusory image of the key burning in his palm, as if to say:
"Just wait, our new script... is almost finished."
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