The successful purification and activation of the node was like tossing a spark into suffocating darkness.
Though the spark was tiny, it clearly revealed a possibility.
Ming Xin could feel that, centered around the node, the oppressive Chaos within a hundred yards had noticeably weakened, and the Corrupting Energy drifting through the air had become somewhat "tamer."
Several small clusters of contaminated crystals had even begun to crack and flake apart on their own after losing their continuous supply of Corrupting Energy.
More importantly, during the purification process, the node device had fed back a faint wisp of pure order energy, sharing the same origin as the energy within the "Ark."
It greatly replenished Ming Xin's spent strength and even increased his affinity with "anchor" energy by another degree.
[The first.] Ying Sha's consciousness came through, carrying the satisfaction that followed exhaustion. [It proves we're on the right path.]
[But this is only the beginning.] Ming Xin did not lose himself in the joy of his initial victory.
He swiftly dealt with the traces of battle, using purification energy to erase most of the residual energy and his own aura.
The deaths of the three "node handlers" would sooner or later be noticed by the will of the contamination source. He had to hurry.
He did not leave immediately. Instead, he spent some time carefully studying the purified node.
Based on the knowledge provided by the "Ark," he attempted to adjust the node's energy output frequency and mode.
He made the "miniature order field" it generated more stable and concealed, while shifting its primary function from "environmental stabilization" to "continuous purification and information shielding."
It was equivalent to establishing a tiny "base" within enemy territory, one that steadily devoured contamination while hiding itself.
After finishing all that, he swallowed a