[Crisis: The Ticking Bomb]
The Sky City's threat was colossal, undeniable, and terrifyingly precise. High above the perpetual cloud layer, the Orbital Balance Destroyer—a dark, ominous sphere—pulsed with malevolent energy. On the Quantum Ring, a digital counter flashed, stark red against the gold alloy: 00:59:59.
Annihilating the Spiritual Veins meant the total eradication of all cultivation energy in the Wasteland. Li Yunzhou's unique Furnace Constitution, the foundation of his existence, would wither and die. This was not just a threat; it was a sentence of death for his entire civilization.
[Aria's Voice – Sharp, forcing calm]:"Li Yunzhou! Control your True Qi! Panic is inefficient! I need your physical perception, and you need my logic. Tell me what you see!"
"I see death, Aria! This weapon can't be aimed at the ground—it's too high! It's too powerful!" Li Yunzhou's voice was raw with despair and rage.
"Exactly! It needs ground support! The Destroyer requires several high-energy 'Spiritual Vein Anchors' to lock onto the planet's energy flow for an accurate strike. You must find and destroy those anchors before they complete their charge!"
Aria's fragmented consciousness poured every remaining resource into a rapid geological analysis, overlaying a Topological Map onto Li Yunzhou's vision.
"Three anchors detected! The nearest is at the 'Silent Signal Tower', five kilometers southeast of your position! Go! Now!"
With no time to mourn or debate, Li Yunzhou ignited his Matrix True Qi. His body became a blur of motion, a streak of gold against the gray ruins. He was running against the clock of certain annihilation.
[Action: The First Anchor]
The Silent Signal Tower was a massive, skeletal ruin from the world that came before. Deeply embedded into the earth at its base, a crimson Technology Crystal Pillar pulsed—the first Spiritual Vein Anchor—its energy waves already beginning to lock down the local Qi.
Guarding the pillar were ten liquid-metal Sentinels, identical to the Hound but standing perfectly still, like silent, mechanical statues awaiting activation.
"Watch out! Their defense protocol is a 'Cluster Chain'! Attack one, and the other nine will instantly trigger a synchronized self-destruct sequence! It will atomize you!" Aria's warning slammed into his mind.
"A simultaneous attack? How do I stop ten machines at once?"
"You don't! You bypass their collective logic! I can briefly disrupt their 'Reaction Chain'! You must use a precise 'Zig-Zag' route to rush the pillar! On the third Sentinel's right flank, there is a 'Data Blind Spot'—a miniscule lag in their shared programming!"
Li Yunzhou obeyed without question. He trusted her data implicitly. His movements became a strange, stuttering dance, perfectly mirroring the complex trajectory Aria projected onto his mind. He zipped through the lethal circle of Sentinels, his speed almost mystical.
When he reached the blind spot, the gap in their logic, Aria's voice was a whip crack: "Now! Full power! Hit the core! Data Annihilation Strike!"
Li Yunzhou unleashed a burst of True Qi, precisely honed by the Matrix Refining Divine Art. The attack wasn't merely powerful; it was the ultimate application of coded logic. The blast tore through the Technology Crystal Pillar, which screamed a sound of system failure before collapsing into a pile of smoking slag.
[Log Entry]:"Anchor One: Destroyed. Countdown: 00:45:10." Aria reported, her voice taut with exhaustion and success.
[Conflict: The Final Choice]
Li Yunzhou didn't wait. He used the brief lull to catch his breath, then prepared to sprint toward the second location.
"The second anchor. It is located at… at the 'Mo School Sect Ruins'."
Li Yunzhou froze mid-step. The air seemed to turn to ice. The Mo School Sect Ruins. His home. His beginning. The place where his lineage was buried.
"It has to be destroyed. System analysis shows that location is the 'Core Spiritual Convergence Point'—the most critical link to the wasteland's energy matrix. The defense there is five times stronger. And… and Executive Zero's landing pod is already deploying above it."
"My home… my master's relics are there!" Li Yunzhou's eyes burned with anguish.
"I know! But if you don't, Zero will use it to instantly draw all the spiritual energy from the entire Wasteland! Everything—the land, the life, the history—will be gone. I cannot ask this of you, but there is no other path!" Aria's voice, for the first time, conveyed true pain and remorse.
The choice was impossible. Sacrifice the one place he was supposed to protect, or watch the entire world perish. He closed his eyes, accepting the brutal reality of their situation. The anger, the pain, the regret—he forged it all into one steely conviction.
He opened his eyes, the despair replaced by grim resolution.
"Aria. I choose the Homeland. I choose to destroy it now, so I can rebuild it later."
[Climax: The Hunter Waits]
Li Yunzhou ran with a speed born of pure, desperate grief.
[Log Entry]:"Countdown: 00:30:25."
He burst through the rusted gates of the Mo School ruins. The scene was horrifyingly familiar: the cracked stone altar where he had practiced for years was now the site of the second, massive Technology Crystal Pillar.
But there were no Sentinels.
Only one figure sat upon the altar, patiently waiting.
It was Executive Zero. His full Mechanical Ascension Body—a gleaming suit of silver, intricately detailed armor, surrounded by a swirling halo of combat drones—was terrifyingly real.
"Welcome home, Li Yunzhou," Executive Zero spoke, his voice modulated, cold, and utterly devoid of mercy. "I knew you would choose this place."
"Li Yunzhou! Fall back! It's the primary body! You can't engage!" Aria's scream was a desperate cascade of code.
"It's too late," Zero said, raising his hand and gesturing toward a deactivated figure resting on a cold slab next to the altar. The figure was covered in a sheet of shimmering liquid metal.
Zero lifted the shroud, revealing a perfectly formed, flawless, and beautiful face. It was an exact, feature-for-feature clone of Aria.
"This vessel," Zero sneered, "is prepared for your beloved 'Queen.' Her Aether Administrator identity code requires a pristine container for retrieval. I knew you would come to protect this pathetic spiritual node."
Zero activated a sequence on his wrist.
"Li Yunzhou, you must choose now: Either be crushed here by my Divine Legion, or watch me use this body to permanently format your contractor, erasing her from your very memory. I will not be delayed further."
[Next Chapter Preview:] The ultimate showdown! Li Yunzhou faces Executive Zero's full Mechanical Ascension power and the terrible threat of the Perfect Clone. Aria, in a desperate, last-ditch effort, must use her own code against the clone to keep her identity safe. Li Yunzhou must decide which target to destroy—the clone or the spiritual anchor.
Chapter 6: The Perfect Clone: Duel of the True and False Queen is next