area51novel Page 50
Page 50
"Activate!" Lin Ye roared in his mind.
[Protocol activated!]
[Remaining Energy: 48%...47%...]
As his energy rapidly depleted, Lin Ye felt the shackles binding his body begin to loosen. When the countdown reached 0.3 seconds, his fingers finally trembled slightly.
Hitt clearly noticed the anomaly. He abandoned attacking the others and pounced directly on Lin Ye: You really are special... No wonder the master specifically requested your system!
Black claws aimed straight for Lin Ye's throat. At the critical moment—
"Now!" Lin Ye shouted in his mind.
[100% resistance to time and space!]
[Freeze lifted!]
Lin Ye dodged the attack by a hair's breadth, simultaneously delivering a powerful uppercut to Hit's chin. The sound of bones shattering accompanied the splash of black liquid.
"Impossible!" Hit staggered backward, black matter gushing from his wound. "How could you break free of the Time-Flash Domain?!"
Because my system is far superior to that imposter god behind you! Lin Ye didn't give his opponent a chance to breathe, his hands gathering at his waist, Kamehameha—
A flicker of panic crossed Hit's eyes, and he hastily raised his hand: Time Travel Zero—
Too late! Vegeta suddenly appeared from the side, sweeping a whip kick towards Hit's knee. Your cooldown is over, you scum!
Hit was forced to interrupt his skill and hastily parry. But this was exactly what Lin Ye wanted—
Qi Gong Wave!
A blinding blue light engulfed Hit's figure. A torrent of energy propelled him thousands of meters into the air, where he finally exploded as a dazzling blue star.
As the smoke cleared, the Super Dragon Ball fell from the void. Lin Ye leaped up and caught it, immediately feeling a sharp pain—the black patterns on the surface of the Dragon Ball seemed to be alive, trying to climb up his arm.
"Don't touch it directly!" Bulma tossed over a special container. "My scans show this chaotic energy is contagious!"
Lin Ye quickly placed the Dragon Ball into the container. Through the transparent outer shell, he could see the black patterns frantically crashing against the inner wall, like a trapped wild beast.
We need to purify it as soon as possible. Piccolo walked over, his green face unusually solemn. I sensed that the Namekian language inside the Dragon Balls was being distorted... If it's not dealt with promptly, the entire wish-granting mechanism will be corrupted.
Number 18 suddenly looked up: Where is the assassin?
The group looked around, but apart from the traces left by the battle, Hit was nowhere to be found.
He escaped. Vegeta spat, thinking he was lucky to be alive.
No… Lin Ye stared at a certain point in the sky. The system's tracking interface showed a faint trace of energy rapidly disappearing into the distance; he had been recalled. Judging from the trajectory… it was heading towards the tenth universe.
Bulma quickly entered the coordinates: Universe 10? Isn't that the Supreme Kai's territory?
"It used to be." Piccolo's voice was terrifyingly deep. According to ancient Namekian texts, the Supreme Kai of Universe 10 conducted a forbidden experiment millions of years ago... attempting to create a spacetime egg that surpassed the Super Dragon Balls.
Lin Ye felt a chill creep up his spine: You mean...
"I'm just guessing." Piccolo shook his head, "But if the entity behind Hit is really related to that experiment... we might be facing a power even older than the Omni-King."
After a moment of silence, Bulma suddenly clapped her hands: "Alright, horror story time is over! The most urgent thing is to find a way to purify the Dragon Balls." She pulled up a star chart, and according to energy analysis, we need the help of the Holy Namekians.
New Namek? Lin Ye frowned, but that would require traversing half of the Seventh Universe...
No need for that. Piccolo's lips curled into a slight smile. "Universe 6 also has Namekian colonies. Follow me."
As everyone reboarded the spaceship, Lin Ye couldn't help but look at the container in his hand again. The black patterns had stopped pulsating, but the pattern they formed was increasingly resembling... an eye.
[Warning! High-dimensional observation detected!]
[Activate the mental barrier immediately!]
Lin Ye hurriedly did as instructed. As the system's energy was injected, the feeling of being spied on gradually disappeared.
What's wrong? Number 18 noticed his unusual behavior keenly.
"It's nothing." Lin Ye forced a smile, but his unease grew stronger. He just felt... we might have opened a Pandora's box that we shouldn't have opened.
The spaceship's engines roared as it flew towards the Namekian settlement in Universe 6. Unbeknownst to anyone, in the distant void, a pair of eyes composed of stars were slowly opening...
Chapter 122: The Betrayal of the Star Core Hunter
As the purple lightning of the Imaginary Space tore through the sky like a giant python, Lin Ye knelt on one knee, his rock spear plunging deep into the boiling sea of Imaginary Space. He could feel the rock elemental power at his fingertips being siphoned off by some greedy entity—with each bolt of lightning, the Geo God mark on his palm dimmed a little, as if invisible tentacles were peeling away his connection to the Teyvat ley lines.
"Lin Ye! Barrier energy remaining less than 30%!" Bronya's voice boomed from the communicator, her mechanical tone trembling unusually. The Black Tower's antimatter cannon was at 67% charge, but the stability of the spatial rift had already fallen below the critical threshold!
Two minutes? Lin Ye gritted his teeth. Cracks appeared on the surface of the rock spear. We couldn't even last twenty seconds! He looked up at the other side of the crack. The observer's vanguard fleet was approaching like a swarm of locusts, and the muzzles of each ship were flashing with a world-destroying blue light.
The wreckage of the Star Train behind them groaned in its death throes. Kafka leaned against the deformed engine, her silver hair whipping wildly like electrified silver snakes in the storm of imaginary numbers. She toyed with a fragment of a star core, its surface reflecting Lin Ye's disheveled figure. A wicked smile played on her lips, a hint of amusement in her expression: "My dear brother, do you want to know why the Observer can always predict our actions?"
Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply. Kafka's figure suddenly twisted into a stream of data, and the next second she was right in front of him, their noses almost touching. Her fingertip lightly touched the Rock God Mark on his chest, and icy energy seeped into his heart through his skin, sending a shiver down his spine like a viper's hiss: "Because there is a traitor among you." A flicker of pity flashed in her violet eyes, and this traitor was within the Star Core Hunters.
Zheng!
A jet-black arrow tore through the sound barrier, its tip wreathed in the dark glow of imaginary energy. Before Lin Ye could even react, Artoria's holy sword slashed horizontally like lightning—the moment the blade cleaved the arrow, the resulting energy ripples evaporated the sea of imaginary energy within a ten-meter radius, creating a vacuum zone.
"Who is it?" Artoria demanded sharply, her holy sword humming and trembling, golden magic coalescing into a griffin phantom around her. Her gaze swept over the remnants of the Star Core Hunters, each member's pupils reflecting her wary expression.
Kafka chuckled softly, turning to face the depths of the rift. The imaginary storm suddenly froze, and a figure shrouded in a black cloak slowly emerged, his boots striking the void with a metallic clang. He raised a hand and removed his hood, revealing a sharply defined face—his left eye was covered in spiderweb-like data patterns, and his right pupil was pure crimson, like a burning blood diamond.
Long time no see, Kafka. A hoarse voice with a synthesized quality, and you, Lin Ye—or should I call you the Lord of All Realms?
Lin Ye gripped the rock spear tightly, his rock elemental power surging wildly through his meridians, only to find that the star core within his body suddenly began to burn. He then noticed the pendant hanging around the other person's neck—a star core fragment identical to Kafka's, but with an ominous grayish-black hue.
I am the traitor of the Star Core Hunters. Raven curls his lips, revealing sharp, canine-like false teeth. Elio's pawn, the Watchdog of the Observer—codename Raven.
A homologous energy reaction was detected! Bronya's mechanical eye emitted a red light, and the stellar core fluctuations within her body had a 92% compatibility with Kafka!
"A clever little girl." Raven raised his hand and waved it lightly, and dozens of imaginary constructs condensed from the storm. These monsters were wrapped in black data streams, their faces twisted like Lin Ye's, and they emitted piercing electronic screams. Yes, like Kafka, I am a vessel for the Star Core. But the difference is—he suddenly accelerated into a blur, his jet-black longsword piercing towards Lin Ye's throat. I chose to cooperate with the true Overlord.
At the critical moment, golden light descended from the sky. Zhongli's rock spear pierced through the imaginary storm, its tip precisely striking the Raven's sword spine, the resulting rock elemental shockwave knocking the sword back three steps. The figure of the Geo God materialized with the light, the rock patterns on his robes moving as if alive, his eyes filled with a majesty honed over millennia: Morax may have abdicated his divine position, but he has not perished. Raven, do you know the price of betraying the pact?
The raven spat out a mouthful of bloody black foam, and waved its hand to summon more constructs: Enough nonsense! The Observer will personally reap the rewards of all the laws of this universe, you ants—
"Shut up!" Lin Ye roared, his rock spear sweeping out a fan-shaped rock elemental barrier that crushed all the oncoming constructs. He and Zhong Li exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously—the Heart of the Rock God resonated with the rock spear, outlining an ancient contract emblem in the void, and a golden light shield unfolded like a celestial curtain.
Artoria's holy sword erupted with a light that seemed to reach the heavens and the earth: Knights of the Round Table, heed my command! Form the St. George's Array! Twelve holy sword projections hovered in the air, intertwining with Bronya's antimatter cannon beam to form a web of death. Imaginary constructs emitted high-frequency wails within the web of light, their data bodies disintegrating in pieces.
As the battle reached its climax, Kafka suddenly darted towards Raven like a serpent. She switched her dual pistols to shotgun mode, purple spell bullets tearing through the air: "You think betrayal brings freedom? Each bullet that struck Raven exploded into golden chains on its body. The Observer has always treated traitors as mere expendable resources!"
Raven parried with her sword, the blade clashing with the chains of incantations, sparks flying: Shut up! The Observer promised to make me the star of the new universe—
"Dominator?" Kafka laughed, suddenly dodging the slash and drawing complex runes in the air with her fingertips. The imaginary storm behind Raven suddenly condensed into a giant golden pupil, its center clearly reflecting his tiny figure. "Look," she said, "this is your path to dominance."
The moment the raven turned its head, its blood-red pupils contracted sharply. Within those pupils flowed an endless stream of data, each line marking its entire life—from the experimental subject implanted in the star's core to every moment it became a pawn of the observers. Its voice suddenly trembled: No...impossible...this is just an illusion!
It wasn't an illusion, it was the truth. Lin Ye seized the opportunity to condense a rock spear, its shaft wreathed in three-colored elemental forces—the heaviness of rock, the rage of lightning, and the lightness of wind. You are nothing but the observer's dog, even your free will is a product of programming.
Raven swung his sword wildly, but the instant the rock spear pierced his chest, he saw his end—his digitized body disintegrated like shattered glass, the red light in his eyes fading. His dying whisper was filled with despair: So…it really is like this…The Observer never…trusted me.
The imaginary storm gradually subsided with the death of the raven. Lin Ye knelt on the ground, his rock spear splashing purple waves as he braced himself. Kafka walked to his side, her fingertips brushing his sweat-dampened hair, her movements unusually gentle: "It's alright, little brother. At least, we've dealt with another threat."
Lin Ye looked up into the depths of the imaginary space. The golden pupil was still watching them, like an unchanging judge. He knew this was just a test from the observer; the real danger lay hidden in the deeper dimensional rifts.
What should we do next? Artoria sheathed her holy sword, golden divine blood seeping from beneath her armor. Our power was being depleted too quickly in the imaginary space.
Lin Ye stood up, gripping his rock spear tightly—the tip of which had somehow become stained with the gray-black hue of a raven. He looked at Zhong Li, who was staring intently at his Rock God's Heart, his gaze filled with a certain resolve: "Zhong Li, you said the Rock God's Heart had hidden power, didn't you?"
Zhongli remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand to touch the Heart of God mark on his chest. Geo element condensed in his palm into a miniature statue of the Geo King, every line on the pedestal flowing with ancient divine power: Yes. But to awaken that power, one needs... a sacrifice from a god.
Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply, and the holy sword in Artoria's hand clattered to the ground: You mean...
Morax has been worn down for a thousand years. Zhongli looked towards Teyvat, the outline of Liyue Harbor faintly visible in the Imaginary Sea. Perhaps, this body should complete its final mission.
Kafka suddenly grabbed Lin Ye's wrist, the star core fragment burning hot in her palm: No! Once the ritual guided by the Heart of God is initiated, you will completely disappear from the timeline!
Zhongli shook his head, his fingertip touching Lin Ye's brow: "The Lord of All Realms needs even greater power, and Liyue... no longer needs gods." He turned to look at Kafka, a rare plea flashing in his eyes: "Protect Liyue's contract for me, and... this reckless brat."
Lin Ye wanted to retort, but Zhong Li's rock elemental power forcibly sent him into the Imaginary Rift. In the last moment before the light engulfed his vision, he saw Zhong Li turn to face the golden pupils, the Heart of the Rock God erupting with sun-like light, and an ancient voice echoing in his mind: "I swear in the name of the Rock King, this body is the contract!"
The imaginary storm surged again, and Kafka's voice on the communicator was choked with sobs: "Idiot! Do you think you're the savior? We haven't found the fragments of Eriol's prophecy yet—"
Lin Ye gripped the rock spear tightly, feeling the Heart of the Rock God resonate within him. He knew that a gamble concerning the survival of all worlds had begun—and he would become the most dangerous pawn.
Chapter 123: The Secret of the Heart of the Geo God
The evening breeze from Liyue Harbor, carrying sea mist, swept across Guili Plains. The ancient ruins, shimmering with a bluish-white phosphorescence under the moonlight, resembled the skeletons of ancient giants. Lin Ye stepped on the jade-like rock crystals, listening to the crisp crunch beneath his feet, and suddenly remembered Zhongli's words: Every grain of sand in Guili Plains is formed from the bones and blood of our ancestors. Those memories, crushed by time, now cast a silent gaze upon him through the cracks in the rock crystals.
"Be careful." Zhongli's voice interrupted his thoughts. Rock elemental power condensed into the shape of a lantern at his fingertips, and its warm yellow light tore through the mist, illuminating the intricate matrix of mechanisms ahead. Only then did Lin Ye notice the subtle rock patterns covering the ground—those seemingly natural cracks were actually seals drawn with powder from the bones of demon gods mixed with the blood of rock gods, each one imbued with the killing intent of an ancient war.
This is the tomb of one of the three envoys under the first Rock God. Zhongli raised his hand and brushed it across the stone wall, and the scene of the demon war on the relief suddenly shimmered with golden light. In the scene, a god wielding a rock spear was locked in battle with a serpentine demon, and drops of blood fell onto the ley lines, blooming into golden covenant patterns. These patterns were set up a thousand years ago to protect the heart of the Rock God, and each mechanism has devoured the souls of those who dared to seize divine power.
As Lin Ye passed through the triple stone gates, his rock spear suddenly trembled violently. The basalt relief on the gates opened its eyes, its gilded pupils sweeping over the Rock God mark on his chest, emitting a deep rumble. Zhong Li chuckled upon seeing this: "No need to be nervous, this is the resonance of the Rock King's Eye. In a thousand years, you are the first outsider to have made it here alive."
The Geo crystal at the center of the altar was as thick as ten people could hug, its surface shimmering with silvery light, each a microcosm of Liyue's thousand-year history. The moment Lin Ye touched the crystal, countless images flooded his mind: Zhongli and Guizhong playing chess in the Dust-Song Pot; the Dragon King Ruotu swearing allegiance to the pact with his Geo Spear; Zhongli standing on the Jade Palace Terrace overlooking the myriad lights of Liyue Harbor as the first lanterns were lit...
This is the Memory Box of the Leyline Veins. Zhongli's voice trembled unusually as his fingertips traced a pattern on the crystal surface—the blueprint for the Returning Machine, sealing away the entire history of Liyue from the Demon God War to the present. Each touch is a retracing of the wear and tear on the gods. He waved his hand, summoning the Geo Chains. The stone walls surrounding the altar cracked open, revealing a bottomless leyline fissure, from which came the heartbeat of an ancient behemoth.
The descending passage was filled with a sense of oppression, as if the entire weight of Teyvat was pressing down on his shoulders. Lin Ye's rock spear floated spontaneously, its tip always pointing into the depths of the rift, as if drawn by some force beyond time and space. After an unknown amount of time, the space suddenly opened up before them, revealing a colossal underground palace—the dome was inlaid with ten thousand Geo Oculi, each reflecting the prayers of the Liyue people; the ground was solidified geomantic magma, with dark red veins flowing with leyline energy; the giant heart suspended in the center pulsated, each pulse creating ripples in the leylines, causing the entire space to vibrate and hum.
This is the true form of the Geo Archon's Heart. Zhongli's voice reverberated in the empty palace. "The heart of the Teyvat ley lines, and also my...core." His gaze upon the giant heart was gentle yet sorrowful, as if he were looking at an old friend who had been by his side for millennia. For countless eons, it had been supplying power to Liyue, but now it had to choose self-destruction for a new mission.
Lin Ye held his breath. The surface of the giant heart was covered with intricate golden patterns, each corresponding to a contract with Liyue. He reached out to touch it, and warm energy surged in like a tide, but when he touched the core, he felt a piercing wear—scars etched by a thousand years of time, the loneliness unique to gods. He seemed to see Zhongli sitting alone in Jueyun, sighing as he gazed at the mortal world; he saw him deep within the Rock Abyss, sealing the rampaging Rota Dragon King with his rock spear; he saw him silently witnessing the growth of humanity in every corner of Liyue Harbor.
The ritual requires three things: the Heart of God, the Eye of the Rock King, and... Zhongli paused, then turned to look at Lin Ye, his eyes reflecting the light of the giant heart, the resolve of a god. "Lin Ye, do you know why I'm the only one among the Seven Gods who has survived until now?"
Because you made a pact of closure with Liyue. Lin Ye recalled what Zhongli had said in the Jade Pavilion: when humanity no longer needs gods, you will abdicate your divine position.
"That's right." Zhongli smiled with relief, wiping the golden blood from the corner of his mouth. The golden light transformed into a butterfly in the void. Now, the lights of Liyue shine brighter than any god, while my wear and tear... He stretched out his hand, and Lin Ye noticed that Zhongli's fingertips were digitizing. Flowing code was faintly visible beneath his skin—the marks of the Observer's erosion, reaching a point where even the Geo Archon's eye could not suppress it. "The Observer's data stream is devouring my existence. Rather than becoming their puppet, I choose to withdraw voluntarily."
No! Lin Ye grabbed Zhong Li's wrist, but the touch was like touching flowing water. There must be another way! You said the Heart of the Rock God could reshape the physical body; you can use it to repair yourself!
There was no other way. Zhongli gently pushed him away and walked towards the giant's heart. Golden light surged from his body, resonating with the giant's heart. The magma in the earth's veins began to boil, and the rock god's eyes on the dome lit up red, as if bidding farewell to the god. Lin Ye, do you still remember the first time we met? You said that gods shouldn't be shackles, but bridges. At that time, your eyes were full of doubt about the gods.
Lin Ye nodded, his voice choked with emotion. When he first arrived in Teyvat, he couldn't understand why Zhongli was willing to live in seclusion in the city, using his Mora form to witness the coldness and warmth of human nature. In his eyes, gods should be high above, wielding the power of life and death.
Now, I finally understand what you mean. Zhongli's voice was gentle yet firm. The ultimate mission of gods is not to rule, but to protect. When humanity learns to build ships and sail the seas, gods should retreat to the background, becoming pillars of faith in their hearts. But you... He raised his hand and plucked the Heart of the Rock God, revealing a hollow golden light in the heart's location. Countless fragments of contracts shimmered within that light, making you a being more suited than gods to protect all realms. You lack the arrogance of gods, but possess the resilience and courage of humanity—the very qualities most needed to fight against the Observers.
The light engulfed everything. Lin Ye closed his eyes in the blinding light, and when he opened them again, Zhong Li had transformed into thousands of golden rays, merging into the Heart of the Rock God like dandelions. The giant heart slowly descended, hovering in front of his chest, its surface patterns perfectly matching his Rock God mark, as if they were born as one.
In the name of the Geo Archon, I hereby bestow upon you authority. Zhongli's voice echoed from the void, carrying a thousand years of vicissitudes and expectations. From this day forward, you are the God of Contracts of Liyue, the Geo Archon of all realms. Remember, the meaning of a contract is not constraint, but the protection of each other's freedom.
Lin Ye felt something explode within his body. Rock elemental power surged through his entire being like a volcanic eruption, every cell rejoicing, every meridian reshaping. He raised his hand, and a giant rock elemental dragon burst forth from the earth. Its head opened its mouth, spewing not flames, but golden light of a contract. Wherever that golden light passed, the fissures in the earth's veins healed automatically, and the rock elemental crystals regained their brilliance.
"Lin Ye!" Bronya's communicator suddenly crackled with a piercing alarm. The Observer fleet had arrived in Teyvat! Their flagship was unleashing dimensional annihilation and was expected to reach Liyue in thirty seconds!
Lin Ye opened his eyes, his golden vertical pupils shimmering with starlight. He shattered the void and leaped out of the ley lines. Before him, Liyue Harbor was shrouded in a purple fleet, each ship bearing the hexagonal insignia of an observer, obscuring the moonlight like dark clouds.