Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 861 Hidden Seeds Under the Stele (1)

The wind before the Peace Monument carried the scent of cosmic dust. The fused phantom gazed towards the edge of the Hyper-Multiverse, its brow perpetually furrowed. The disappearance of that strange energy fluctuation was too deliberate, like a hunter lurking in the darkness, silently observing its prey. This unknown sense of oppression was more unsettling than any previous crisis.

"I have already dispatched the Hegemonic Fleet and the Spacetime Fleet to patrol the edge of the universe separately." The Lord of the Stars walked to the fusion body, his tone solemn. "In addition, I have mobilized the full energy of the inter-universe early warning system, covering all unexplored void areas. Any anomalies will be reported immediately."

The Lord of Spiritual Essence closed his eyes, and the power of spiritual essence spread like a fine spider web to the core area of ​​the entire hyper-multiverse: "I am also using the power of spiritual essence to sense the consciousness of all living beings, and so far I have not found any signs of being eroded by abnormal energy. However..." He opened his eyes, a hint of doubt flashing in them, "The power of spiritual essence near the Peace Monument seems to be slightly disordered, as if it is being interfered with by something."

A thought struck everyone, and they all turned their gazes to the peace monument not far away. This monument was forged from fragments of the multiverse's origins and symbiotic treasures, surrounded by a gentle protective force. It should have been the most stable place in the entire multiverse's energy, so how could there be energy disorder?

The illusory form of the fusion flew towards the monument first, its palm gently touching the monument. The touch from its fingertips was not the usual warm and smooth, but rather carried a faint chill, as if countless tiny tentacles were silently absorbing the monument's protective power.

"There's a problem!" The illusory figure of the fusion changed its expression, channeling the power of balance into the monument. "There's an unfamiliar corrosive force hidden inside this monument!"

The force of balance flowed within the monument, quickly pinpointing the source of the corrosive power—the black stream of light that had previously merged into the base of the monument. Now, this stream of light had transformed into countless tiny black threads, coiling around the core structure of the monument like blood vessels, constantly absorbing the protective power while releasing a faint, eerie energy that disrupted the surrounding energy field.

"It's the remnant of that strange energy from before!" A rage flashed in the Creator's eyes as the power of creation coalesced into a runic sword. "I'll destroy it right now!"

"Wait!" The illusory figure of the fusion blocked his way. "These black threads have already merged with the core of the monument. Forcibly destroying them will cause the monument to collapse, and may even trigger a backlash from the protective power, affecting the surrounding cosmic regions. Moreover, the corrosive properties of these threads are very strange. When my balancing power approaches, it will actively contract and hide, making it very difficult to completely remove them."

Canglan mobilized the power of spacetime to freeze the space around the monument: "I'll freeze the energy flow here first to stop the erosion from spreading. But this is only a temporary measure. The spacetime freeze can only last for three days at most. We must find a solution before then."

Over the next three days, the group conducted a comprehensive investigation of the Peace Monument. The Ancient Creator consulted all the ancient records left by the Primordial Alliance, trying to find any information about this strange corrosive power, but to no avail. Yan Jin attempted to purify the monument with his life force, but the life force was quickly devoured as soon as it touched the black threads, which only intensified the corrosive power of the threads. The Lord of Spiritual Essence tried to communicate with the origin of the black threads using his spiritual energy, but only felt a cold, unconscious desire for destruction.

On the evening of the third day, the power of time-space freezing was about to dissipate. The black threads seemed to sense the weakening of the restraint and began to writhe wildly. Black lines appeared on the surface of the monument, and the originally gentle protective power became violent. The surrounding space began to distort, and many passing spaceships were affected by the violent energy waves and instantly disintegrated.

"We can't wait any longer!" The illusory form of the fusion made up its mind. "I will use the power of the Symbiotic Treasure to envelop the monument and forcibly peel the black threads from its body. Lord of the Stars, Creator, you will stabilize the structure of the monument with your primal power; Lord of Flame, Lord of Azure Waves, Lord of Spiritual Origin, you will be responsible for purifying the corrosive power that spreads during the peeling process!"

Everyone immediately sprang into action. The fused phantom erupted with tri-colored light, and the power of the symbiotic treasure, like a giant cocoon, completely enveloped the Peace Monument. The Star Lord's stellar power and the Creator's creation power intertwined to form a golden net of light, securing every inch of the monument's structure. The life force of Flame Ember, the spacetime power of Azure Waves, and the spiritual energy power of the Spirit Lord formed a tri-colored defensive circle, preventing the spread of the corrosive power.

"Peeling begins!" The illusory figure of the fusion commanded, and the power of the symbiotic treasure began to contract inward, forcibly pulling at the black threads. The black threads emitted a sharp shriek, resisting frantically, and countless streams of black energy shot out from the threads, crashing into the energy cocoon of the symbiotic treasure, producing a "sizzling" corrosive sound.

The monument's structure vibrated continuously under the strain, and cracks appeared in the golden light net. The Lord of the Stars and the Creator gritted their teeth and persevered, constantly injecting primal power to reinforce the light net. Outside the defensive perimeter, tiny annihilation cracks began to appear in the void affected by the black energy waves. Yan Jin and the other two exerted all their strength to barely keep the corrosive power outside the defensive perimeter.

Half an hour later, with a loud bang, all the black threads were finally ripped from the monument. Once separated from the monument, these threads immediately coalesced into a black ball of light, flying towards the depths of the hyper-multiverse at an astonishing speed.

"Trying to run!" Canglan mobilized the power of spacetime, trying to freeze the black ball of light, but found that the spacetime around the ball of light had been distorted, and the power of spacetime could not lock it at all.

"Stop chasing!" the fused phantom shouted. "That black orb is bait; it's deliberately leading us away. Moreover, its corrosive power has already spread to other areas!"

The words had barely left his lips when the intercosmic early warning system suddenly emitted a piercing alarm. The screen displayed that multiple regions in the hyper-multiverse were simultaneously experiencing energy disturbances, and beings on many planets were beginning to exhibit symptoms of confusion, rage, and irritability—all signs of being infected by the corrosive power of the black threads.

"It's parasitism!" The Lord of Spiritual Essence's expression changed drastically. "This black corrosive power will parasitize the bodies of living beings, devouring their consciousness and turning them into puppets! Moreover, the more living beings that are infected, the stronger the corrosive power will become!"

The group immediately split up and headed to provide support to the various infected areas. Yan Jin, along with the Guardians of Life, used the power of life to purify the corrosive force within the infected creatures; Cang Lan mobilized the power of spacetime to isolate the infected areas and prevent the corrosive force from spreading further; and the Lord of Spiritual Essence used the power of spiritual essence to soothe the consciousness of the infected creatures and help them resist the corrosive force.