The addition of the Crystal Core Civilization brought a qualitative leap to the defense system of the Co-Prosperity Zone. They combined the Primal Crystal Core with the Star Silk of the Star Spirit Clan to construct a " Crystal-Silk Barrier " on the inner side of the boundary wall—a transparent crystal layer with luminous star silk wrapped around it. It was as hard as crystal and as purifying as star silk. Even the light of the Balance Crystal Core, when passing through the barrier, transformed into a softer, more colorful stream of light.
Xiao Yan's essence recovered extremely quickly under the nourishment of the two laws. On this day, he was observing the energy flow in front of the Crystal-Silk Barrier when the Power of Chaos at his fingertips suddenly resonated with the barrier in a strange way—the crystals on the barrier suddenly lit up, and countless tiny black shadows appeared in the blue light of the star silk. These black shadows, like parasites, attached themselves to the star silk and were slowly absorbing the purification energy.
"What is this?" Xiao Yan frowned, his Power of Chaos condensing into a needle, piercing a black shadow. The moment the shadow shattered, no blood or energy flowed out, it only turned into a wisp of extremely faint black smoke, emitting an almost inaudible shriek before dissipating.
Xing Yao rushed over upon hearing the news, the star threads on her wings immediately tightening. "It's ' Shadow Parasites '! They are 'defective products' of the World Devourers's resentment, unable to devour the boundary walls, but able to parasitize purifying energy, gradually weakening the defenses." She pointed to the inside of the barrier, where the star threads were indeed dimmer than elsewhere, "We were troubled by them when we were in the Stardust Belt, but we didn't expect them to follow the Star Bridge here."
What's more troublesome is that these parasites are extremely difficult to detect. They usually blend into the shadows of the star threads, only becoming visible when the Power of Chaos resonates with the Crystal Law. Moreover, they reproduce at an extremely fast rate— Xiao Yan had just cleared away the shadows in one area when he turned around and found that new shadows had already sprouted elsewhere.
"We can't force them out." Xiao Yan's expression turned serious as he looked at the black shadows constantly appearing on the barrier. "There are too many of them. Forcing them out will only consume more star silk energy and make the parasites more active."
The voice of the Crystal Core Clan came from the other side of the barrier, its rhomboid amethyst surface flashing a warning red light. "Our crystals can detect their 'parasitic frequency'! These shadowy figures feed on purifying energy, and their frequency is exactly the opposite of the Star Silk's purifying frequency—like positive and negative charges attracting each other!"
"The opposite frequency..." A flash of realization crossed Xiao Yan's eyes, "Then let's give them a 'more attractive' target."
He immediately summoned the Star Spirit Clan and the craftsmen of the Crystal Core Civilization to build a " Resonance Tower " inside the barrier. The tower was made of alternating crystals and star threads, with a " Reverse-Phase Crystal Core " tempered by the Power of Chaos embedded in its core. This crystal core could emit energy waves that were completely opposite to the purification frequency of the star threads, specifically Shadow Parasites.
The moment the Resonance Tower was activated, the entire Crystal-Silk Barrier trembled violently. The shadowy figures on the barrier, like sharks smelling blood, broke free of the star threads and surged toward the Resonance Tower. The Reverse-Phase Crystal Core inside the tower erupted with dark purple light, absorbing all the shadowy figures into it. The shadowy figures twisted and dissolved painfully in the light, eventually turning into energy nourishment for the tower.
"It works!" Xiao He clapped her hands excitedly as she watched the shadows on the barrier dwindle. "They were indeed attracted by the Reverse-Phase Crystal Core!"
But this didn't last long. After the Resonance Tower absorbed enough shadows, its dark purple light suddenly became unstable. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the tower's surface, and a dark aura even denser than the parasites seeped out from the cracks—the resentment of the absorbed shadows condensed within the tower, forming a new "aggregate of resentment."
"Not good! They're backfiring!" Xing Yao's wings flapped rapidly, and star threads surged towards the Resonance Tower like a tide, attempting to suppress the dark aura. "The energy of the Reverse-Phase Crystal Core can't hold up much longer!"
Xiao Yan leaped to the top of the tower, channeling Power of Chaos into the Reverse-Phase Crystal Core: " Crystal Core Clan, increase the output of the Crystal Law! Xing Yao, guide the star silk energy to bypass the aggregate and reinforce the tower from the outside!"
The amethyst light and the starlight blue light erupted simultaneously, enveloping the Resonance Tower from the inside out. Xiao Yan's Power of Chaos formed a rotating vortex within the tower, tearing apart and transforming the condensed resentment bit by bit. The cracks in the tower slowly healed under the influence of the three-colored energy, and the dark purple light became stable again, only now with a trace of chaotic gray-gold.
"All done." Xiao Yan landed at the foot of the tower, wiping the sweat from his brow. " The Reverse-Phase Crystal Core can now attract parasites and transform resentment using the Power of Chaos, making it a 'semi-permanent' solution."
The amethyst surface of the Crystal Core Clan gleamed with admiration. "The balance of the Co-Prosperity Zone truly lives up to its reputation. Our Crystal Law only know 'hard defense,' but you have taught us 'flexible transformation.'"
The resolution of this minor crisis allowed the Star Spirit Clan and the Crystal Core Civilization to cooperate even more effectively. Building upon the Resonance Tower, they constructed seven additional auxiliary towers, forming an " Reverse-Phase Network " that covered the entire Crystal-Silk Barrier, completely eliminating the threat of the Shadow Parasites.
Standing Tree of Chaos, Xiao Yan gazed at the seven Resonance Tower shimmering in the night sky, their lights reflecting off the golden-blue glow of the Balance Crystal Core. Lost in thought, he said to Xiao He, "Go get the star map. We should head to the next civilization."
On the star map, the light representing the " Voiceprint Clan " is flashing. It is a civilization centered on the " Sound Wave Law," said to be able to manipulate energy through sound and even "communicate" with fragments of laws in the Hyperdimensional Interstice.
" The Voiceprint Clan..." Xiao Yan tapped the light spot with his fingertip, his eyes flashing with anticipation, "Perhaps they can help us figure out how many 'uninvited guests' are hiding in the Hyperdimensional Interstice, besides the Shadow Parasites."
New branches have sprouted from the stars of the Tree of Chaos, their petals shimmering with a blend of crystalline purple and star-blue light. The pillars of light from the Star Bridge slowly rotate at the treetop, as if eager to connect to the next unknown Star Domain.
The prelude to multicultural coexistence has only just begun, and every new encounter, every crisis resolved, adds a new note to this symphony. Xiao Yan knows that there will inevitably be more challenges ahead, but as long as the light of various civilizations can converge in the Co-Prosperity Zone, there will be no insurmountable difficulties.
The light of the Star Bridge shone brightly once more, this time pointing towards an unknown Star Domain filled with ripples of sound.