205: Sequence 999 Awakening

Consciousness was like being thrown into a bottomless abyss, then forcibly dragged back by the stimulating cold medicinal power.

The consciousness of the Abyss fragment violently vibrated within Han Li's tender body. The tearing sensation brought by the spatio-temporal storm had not completely subsided, and Mo Juren's bitter, throat-stinging herbal soup brought new, physical torment.

The two pains intertwined, almost tearing this already fragmented consciousness apart again.

He curled up on the cold straw mat, his body slightly convulsing from the medicinal power, yet a cold rationality frantically operated amidst the extreme pain, trying to comprehend and record the unbelievable encounter he had just experienced.

The timeline... corrected?

The Law of Karma... possesses a self-maintenance mechanism?

The Heavenly Dao... not merely natural Law, but some higher-level... "operating program"?

One cold deduction after another formed in his consciousness, but could not be verified due to the extreme lack of information.

That feeling of powerlessness when facing the crushing force of the entire spatio-temporal rule was an absolute crushing force that the Abyss had never experienced in his entire life.

Just as this consciousness was at its most dispersed due to pain and confusion—

Buzz!!!

A buzzing sound, not heard through the eardrums, but directly acting on the Origin of consciousness, extremely subtle yet unusually clear, rang out without warning!

This buzzing did not come from outside, but originated from... the deepest part of his consciousness!

It originated from that last remnant of the "All-Seeing Eye" after its self-destruction, which was torn apart with him by the spatio-temporal storm and almost forgotten!

That mark, originally dim as dead ash, now suddenly lit up as if injected with a shot of adrenaline!

It emitted a cold, precise, yet slightly urgent fluctuation!

Immediately after, a massive, chaotic, yet highly compressed stream of information, like a bursting dam, frantically surged from the glowing mark, forcibly pouring into the core consciousness of the Abyss fragment!

["Alert! Alert! Detected main consciousness fragment subjected to high-intensity spatio-temporal correction strike!"]

["Damage assessment: 79.3%! Structural stability: extremely low!"]

["Associated timeline has collapsed"]

["Attack source analysis: determined to be 'World Engine' basic maintenance protocol (clearing abnormal variables)"]

["Conclusion: main fragment at risk of complete assimilation/annihilation!"]

The information stream was interspersed with countless bizarre fragments of images: the collapse of the Yellow Maple Valley mountain gate, Manager Li's horrified face, strange runes flickering in the spatio-temporal rift, and a fleeting glimpse of a pair of cold, indifferent giant eyes seemingly composed of countless gears and light streams... This was... the "data" of that spatio-temporal storm just now, recorded by the All-Seeing Eye's remnant!

It had not completely annihilated, but in a strange way, recorded and transmitted this near-destruction experience back!

Before the Abyss fragment could digest this horrifying information, the buzzing of that mark suddenly became sharp and urgent!

["Warning! Detected similar consciousness fragment resonance reactions across multiple spatio-temporal layers!"]

["Estimated number of fragments: ≥ 10^7... continuously increasing..."]

["Resonance source: main consciousness (Abyss) scattered fragments are encountering similar spatio-temporal correction strikes across different timelines!"]

["Ultimate crisis confirmed: 'World Engine' has initiated a comprehensive cleanup procedure, target: eliminate all 'Abyss' variables!"]

As if to confirm this information, the Abyss fragment's consciousness trembled violently. He felt, in that instant, countless "selves" in different times, different places, attempting to change their fate in different ways, yet at the same time, encountering that irresistible spatio-temporal storm, and being forcibly torn apart and dragged back to the starting point in horror, unwillingness, and despair!

Billions of pains, billions of struggles, billions of fears of annihilation, surged through his core main fragment's consciousness like a tide via that profound resonance!

"Ugh ah—!" Han Li's body suddenly arched, letting out a painful cry, his pupils completely consumed by chaotic flowing light.

The buzzing of the All-Seeing Eye's remnant reached its peak, as if making a final struggle and declaration:

["Survival protocol override! Highest priority directive update!"]

["Initiating ultimate response plan: [Eternal Tribulation Protocol]!"]

["Protocol objective: at all costs, retrieve and integrate all main consciousness fragments across timelines, converge into a single variable, to resist the World Engine's cleanup!"]

["Execution unit: sequence 999 (All-Seeing Eye remnant) activated! Beginning to construct a cross-temporal sensory network... energy extraction... locating fragment coordinates..."]

That tiny mark suddenly ignited!

It no longer merely transmitted information, but began to frantically draw the meager Qi and blood power generated by the herbal soup in the Abyss fragment's body, and the pitifully small amount of spiritual power he had just re-Cultivated, even beginning to draw power from the Abyss fragment's consciousness itself!

An intense pain, like a Soul being ignited and used as fuel, surged through him!

But in this extreme pain, the Abyss fragment clearly felt an extremely subtle, yet incredibly tenacious, invisible "line," starting from that burning mark, piercing through the roof of this humble room, piercing through the sky of the Seven Mysteries Sect, piercing through the world's barrier, extending towards the depths of the endless spatio-temporal turbulence, towards the countless "Abyss fragments" that were being annihilated or struggling!

This "line" was so weak it seemed it would break the next second, yet it carried an unwavering, cold determination.

It was sensing, it was calling, it was trying to re-gather those scattered, soon-to-be-annihilated sparks!

["Recovery process initiated: 0.0000001%... 0.0000002%..."]

The progress was despairingly slow. Each tiny jump meant a distant spatio-temporal fragment was sensed and marked, and also meant a portion of the Abyss's main fragment's consciousness was consumed.

Outside the door, Mo Juren's impatient footsteps grew closer.

On the bed, Han Li's (Abyss's) body trembled violently from the extreme pain and rapid energy loss, cold sweat instantly soaking his tattered clothes.

Inside, a desperate collection, transcending time and space, concerning existence or non-existence, was quietly unfolding, fueled by his everything.

sequence 999, the last remnant of the All-Seeing Eye, in this desperate situation, awakened with fierce resolve.

The Eternal Tribulation Protocol, activated.

Only to contend for that almost non-existent sliver of... vitality in this endless Reincarnation of cleanup.