The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The judgment of "Order" never proclaims its existence with the clamor of energy, but rather with the cold inevitability of rules, piercing through all chaos and obstacles. The extremely condensed silver-white energy beam, emanating from the "Eye of Arbitration" fortress, moved with impunity amidst the raging energy turbulence of the "Annihilation Zone," a turbulence powerful enough to distort the laws of conventional physics. Its surface flowed with ever-changing geometric runes, deeper and more essential than physical light, representing "absolute norms" and "denial of existence." It was not a simple energy impact, but a highly concentrated projection of the pinnacle of power from the Static Court, imbued with specific rules of "disintegration" and "anchoring"! Its goal was not only to destroy material structures, but also to completely "nail" the spacetime coordinates, energy characteristics, and even the "possibility" of the target area onto the judgment seat of "Order," using this as a "beacon" to provide the most precise guidance for subsequent strikes!

On the bridge of the "Stargazer," Rowe's spiritual sense, Lina's rhythmic perception, Verna's crisis warning system, and even Irene's "structural vision" all simultaneously issued the highest-level, soul-level shrill alarm the instant the energy beam pierced the energy veil at the edge of the "Annihilation Zone"! It wasn't a warning about the intensity of the energy, but a fear of something more fundamental, more irreversible, that would destroy the very "definition" itself!

"Evade! Full power steering! Engine overload! Patton!!" Lowe's roar exploded amidst the warning of his soul being frozen. His entire late-stage potential as a second-ring Star Speaker was unleashed without reservation in that life-or-death moment. The excruciating pain emanating from the cracks deep within his soul was overshadowed by an even stronger will to survive and a sense of duty. He not only pushed his perception to its limit, attempting to "see" the trajectory and "weak point" of the rule-based attack, but also combined his own understanding of the "rhythm" of spacetime with the slightly "tired" "source seed" of the Star Key, forming a faint, invisible field of intent that attempted to "interfere" with or "deflect" the attack's rules!

Elder Anderson's withered hands unleashed the last of his life force, pulling hard on the rudder! The damaged starship engines emitted a wail of strain, on the verge of disintegration, as the ship attempted a desperate, almost impossible, ninety-degree emergency roll!

Before Rowe could even speak, Barton had already forcibly compressed and condensed all of the Star Warrior's battle aura in an illogical way onto the last relatively intact armor plate on the outside of the ship's stern engine compartment! The lava-platinum-like battle aura no longer sought explosive destructive power, but was instead shaped into an extremely solid, extremely "heavy," hemispherical energy shield that seemed to be solidifying into a physical law barrier, firmly "welded" to the path of that deadly silver light!

However, all of this seemed... fragile and futile when faced with the beam of judgment containing high-level "order" rules.

The starship's emergency evasive maneuvers were rendered futile by the beam's despair-inducing precision, seemingly calculated down to every variable and possible trajectory. Barton's aura barrier, powerful enough to withstand the main cannons of a small starship, was instantly shattered upon contact with the silver light. Its highly condensed energy structure, like ice meeting boiling oil, was rapidly, silently, and irresistibly "decomposed" and "standardized" at the most basic particle level by the beam's "disintegration" rules specifically designed for "disordered energy aggregates"! The molten platinum's brilliance quickly dimmed and dissipated; the aura barrier crumbled like a pencil mark erased by an eraser before the silver light!

The next moment, that cold, silvery-white beam of light, like the sharpest blade of judgment, silently and precisely "kissed" the main propulsion engine nozzle on the left stern of the "Stargazer"!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no rampant release of energy turbulence.

There was only a chilling silence, as if the entire universe had fallen silent and faded in that small area.

The area struck by the beam, the solid psionic alloy reinforced by "Gray Rock" technology, did not melt or vaporize. Instead, it was as if the most skillful, yet most ruthless, "artist" had used an invisible "eraser" and "correction fluid" to gradually and thoroughly "erase" and "cover" it from the canvas of reality! The metal lost all its physical properties and energy reactivity, transforming into an absolutely smooth, absolutely inert, lifeless, silver-gray geometric plane that no longer reflected any light or interacted with any energy, and rapidly spread to the surrounding ship structure! Even more terrifying was that this "erasure" and "covering" was not a simple annihilation of matter, but a rule-based, mandatory "ordering" and "staticizing" of the "existence" of the struck object itself! In the "infected" area, the flow of time seemed to be infinitely slowed down, even tending towards "stagnation," creating a dizzying sense of separation from the surrounding normal spacetime. At the same time, what was "erased" was not only the matter, but also the "records" of the "Stargazer" itself, including its energy circuits, structural stress, and even some "existence information" contained in that area!

The port main propulsion engine instantly failed, along with a large area of ​​surrounding energy transmission pipes, attitude control nozzles, and parts of the keel structure, all of which were "silverized" and "stagnated." The starship lurched violently, losing nearly half its power, tumbling and spinning, its speed plummeting, like a giant bird with broken wings, helplessly plummeting deeper into the "Annihilation Zone," towards the even more chaotic energy turbulence! Inside the ship, violent tremors, the deafening roar of tearing structures, and the explosions caused by energy circuit overload once again merged into one! The lighting and some systems that had just been restored instantly went out in large quantities again!

"Port engine and auxiliary structures... Regular annihilation! 47% loss of power! Structural integrity reduced to 32%! 'Veil of All Things' system offline! Energy core impacted, output power reduced by 60%!" Verna's voice trembled with despair as her hands futilely manipulated the violently shaking, flickering control panel, trying to stabilize the starship. But the "Stargazer," having lost most of its power and balance, was now like a leaf in a storm, tumbling and out of control, being swept away by the even more violent internal turbulence of the "Annihilation Zone" and dragged towards the abyss of destruction!

"Barton!!" Lilith screamed. The instant the attack struck, Barton's arms, imbued with all his battle aura, were struck as if by an invisible, devastating blow. His skin instantly lost all its luster, turning an unnatural, bleached grayish-white, even the veins beneath his skin appearing to have solidified. He groaned, metallic blood spilling from his mouth and nose. He was slammed backward against the bulkhead like a battering ram, creating a dent, before collapsing limply, his fate unknown. The backlash from the attack, a testament to his concentrated battle aura attempting to resist the power of the rules, and the rules within the attack that "disintegrated" the energy structure of his life form, had caused immeasurable damage to his body.

"Big Brother Barton!" Airi cried out, trying to rush over, but was thrown away by the violent jolts.

Luo Wei felt as if his soul had been roughly "grazed" by the silvery-white beam of light, a strange, cold, numb sensation as if he were being "stripped" and "formatted." He forced himself to steady himself and looked out the porthole—the terrifying beam of judgment had not immediately dissipated after its attack; its end was still connected to the "Silverized" wound of the "Stargazer," like a cold umbilical cord transmitting the rules of "order" and "stasis," continuously injecting destructive "rule pollution" into the starship's interior! Further away, through the chaotic energy turbulence of the "Annihilation Zone," he could "sense" that more and stronger energy fluctuations were converging from the direction of the "Eye of Arbitration" fortress, and a second and third wave of attacks could follow at any moment! The path to the "Lotus of Harmony" calculated by the "Deep Blue Protocol" had also become difficult to identify and execute due to the starship's uncontrolled tumbling.

A desperate situation, a truly desperate situation. Losing power, losing concealment, losing their strongest combat force, exposed to the dual threats of enemy long-range attacks and the "Annihilation Zone," seemingly within reach of the target "Beacon," yet in reality, worlds apart.

Is this the end of everything?

Just then, something unexpected happened!

It did not come from the enemy, nor from the "Annihilation Zone".

Rather, it originated from the few dormant crystals in their arms, and... the relatively "peaceful" space in front of them, where the "Lotus of Harmony" was located, radiating a pale golden halo!

The first to react was the "Light of Civilization" crystal in Luo Wei's arms. This crystal, which carried the last "soul" and "records" of the "Cradle" civilization, had already become less radiant after the energy grafting process. But now, facing the cold, ruthless "order" judgment rules that attempted to "erase" and "static" everything, it seemed to have its most core bottom line regarding "existence" and "memory" touched. Suddenly, it erupted with an unprecedented, intense yet not dazzling, milky-white light, as enduring and tranquil as an ancient star, yet containing an unparalleled will of "existence"! The light did not spread, but instead transformed into a condensed beam of light, actively meeting the silvery-white beam of light that was connected to the wound of the "Stargazer" and continuously injected with "order pollution"!

The milky-white "Light of Civilization" and the silvery-white "Judgment of Order" collided silently in the void! There was no energy explosion, only a deeper, more essential, rule-based confrontation and dissolution! The radiance of the "Light of Civilization" seemed to be "telling," "proving," and "resisting" the cold will that sought to "erase" and "solidify" everything. It did not seek destruction, but rather "presented"—presenting the past existence of the "cradle" civilization, presenting the complexity and magnificence of the civilization's journey, presenting those memories and spirits that should not be forgotten, and through this "existence" and "memory" itself, it constituted the most powerful, silent rebuttal to the rules of "stagnation" and "erasure"!

At the same time, the "Fountain of Life" and "Engineer's Spark" crystals in Ai Rui's arms seemed to be inspired by the "Light of Civilization" and stimulated by the surrounding destructive environment, lighting up simultaneously! The emerald green light of the "Fountain of Life" transformed into countless energy threads full of vitality and the intention of "healing," like the most skillful weavers, attempting to entwine, penetrate, and repair the "silverized" wounds on the "Stargazer" ship's hull, resisting the "stasis" and "annihilation" effects brought about by the rules of "order," and struggling to maintain the last vitality of the matter and energy in that area that had not yet completely died. The dark golden "Engineer's Spark" released a solid, stable wave full of the concepts of "construction" and "order" (but completely different from the "order" of the Stasis Court, it was an active order full of "creation" and "possibility"), attempting to "reinforce" the remaining structure of the starship, and faintly resonating with the harmonious rhythm emanating from the "Lotus of Harmony" in front, which was of the same origin but even more unfathomable.

However, the power of the three crystals was ultimately a "spark," an "idea," not a fully formed "weapon" capable of withstanding the full force of the Stasis Court's main fortress. They could briefly and partially interfere with, delay, and even "persuade" the subsequent contamination of the judgment beam, but they could not completely dispel or eliminate it. The light of the "Light of Civilization" was becoming thinner and dimmer at a visible speed under the continuous erosion of the silver-white beam; the repair threads of the "Fountain of Life" quickly lost their activity and withered upon contact with the "silverized" area; and the stable fluctuations of the "Engineering Spark" could not penetrate the deadly barrier of rules.

However, the eruption of these three "sparks," especially the struggle of the "Light of Civilization" filled with the will to "exist," seemed like a signal, a call, a... key.

Ahead, the enormous pale golden "Lotus of Harmony," suspended deep within the "Annihilation Zone" like the only oasis in the eye of a storm, suddenly lit up its slowly rotating, even brighter core! The pale golden aura it emitted, which had previously only passively smoothed out the surrounding energy turbulence, suddenly contracted inward, and then, like an enraged, dormant sun, it erupted with a deafening roar!

A vast, pure, and indescribable power, surpassing any level of "Cradle" psionic energy that Luo Wei and the others had ever encountered before, containing a stable framework of "order," the evolutionary activity of "chaos," and a higher-dimensional will of "harmony" and "balance" that transcends both, swept outwards from the "lotus" in all directions, especially towards the silver-white beam of judgment and the "Eye of Arbitration" fortress at its source!

This force was not a simple energy surge. Wherever it passed, the turbulent energy currents of clashing silver and dark purple in the "Annihilation Zone" were "smoothed" and became relatively "regular" as if "combed" by an invisible giant hand; those abruptly appearing spacetime folds and rifts were also "smoothed" or "healed" by this force. It seemed to be forcibly carrying out a high-dimensional "rule harmonization" and "existential reinforcement" on this spacetime torn apart by "order" and "chaos"!

The silver-white beam of judgment connected to the "Stargazer" was the first to be hit, colliding violently with this pale golden harmonizing power!

This time, it's no longer a confrontation at the ideological level like the "Light of Civilization" debate.

Rather, it was a real, cosmic-scale clash between two completely different, higher-level forces that both touched upon the essence of the rules!

The silver-white "Order Trial" represents "solidification," "erasure," and "regulation."

The pale gold "Wrath of Harmony" represents "balance," "evolution," and "inclusivity."

The instant the two forces clashed, there was no sound, no explosion. Only an indescribable, distorted, and eerie "chaotic light" region, constantly shifting between silver, gold, purple, and black, suddenly emerged and expanded in the void—a region that seemed to utterly devour all surrounding light, color, and even the very sense of existence. That region, even space itself seemed to groan, shatter, and reconstruct, radiating a pure, orderly chaos and conflict far surpassing the "annihilation zone," a chaos that made even Luo Wei's soul tremble!

The judgment beam emitted from the "Eye of Arbitration" fortress trembled and twisted violently under the impact of this sudden, higher-level "harmony" force, and the "umbilical cord" at its end, connecting to the "Stargazer," was forcibly "melted off"! The beam itself, under the wash of the pale golden power, quickly became unstable and thin, and finally, like an icicle exposed to the scorching sun, it completely collapsed and dissipated into the violent energy background.

Moreover, the pale golden harmonizing power, after shattering the judgment beam, did not weaken. It transformed into a gentle yet unstoppable pale golden "ripple" that spanned the void. Following the trajectory of the beam, it traveled upstream and slammed hard onto the huge, silver-white energy barrier of the "Eye of Arbitration" fortress in the distance!

Om-! ! !

Even across the vast distance and the raging "Annihilation Zone," Luo Wei and the others could still "sense" an extremely muffled, seemingly trembling "rumble" of the rules emanating from the direction of the fortress! The seemingly indestructible energy barrier on the surface of the fortress suddenly caved inward at the area that came into contact with the pale golden ripples, erupting with blinding energy lightning mixed with silver and pale gold. The barrier flickered violently, clearly enduring unimaginable pressure! Although it was not broken in one strike, its stable "order" was undoubtedly severely disrupted and impacted! On the surface of the fortress, the lights of several turrets and scanning arrays dimmed and became disordered instantly, clearly indicating that the internal energy system and the stable field of rules had been affected.

The passive counterattack of "Lotus of Harmony" was incredibly powerful! With a single strike, it not only shattered the potentially lethal Judgment Beam, but also remotely shook the core fortress at the forefront of the Stasis Court!

However, after unleashing this earth-shattering attack, the light at the core of the enormous "Lotus of Harmony" dimmed visibly, the petals opened and closed extremely slowly, and the pale golden aura it emitted became much weaker and thinner, as if this attack had consumed a vast amount of energy it had accumulated over countless years. It returned to its relatively "calm" state, but the harmonizing fluctuations it emitted to soothe chaos were noticeably diminished.

"Now's the time!" Luo Wei roared, his voice hoarse, enduring the near-tearful dizziness and excruciating pain from the close-up collision of higher-dimensional rules. "Elder Anderson! Use the remaining power to control our posture! Target: the center of the 'Lotus'! Verna, Annie, calculate the shortest access path! Irene, use your 'eyes' to find the energy interface of the 'Lotus' or the 'door' that allows us to enter!"

Without the continued "contamination" and drag from the Judgment Beam, the Stargazer's out-of-control tumbling slowed slightly. Elder Anderson exerted all his strength, maneuvering the remaining attitude adjusters and the last bit of thrust from the starboard engine, painstakingly and bit by bit "bending" the starship's battered and disintegrating hull back from the trajectory being dragged by the turbulence of the "Annihilation Zone," and steered it crookedly and strugglingly toward the pale golden "lotus," whose light had dimmed considerably but still guided the way like a lighthouse.

This time, without the interference of the "Order" trial, and without the powerful force field that indiscriminately smoothed out all chaos during the heyday of the "Lotus" and might have also "kept them out," their approach became relatively "smooth."

Ai Rui's "structural vision" penetrated the lotus's pale golden petals, composed of pure energy and flowing gently, revealing its core—a relatively dense and complex energy structure. At the base of this core, a relatively stable, calyx-like energy structure, radiating a gentle, receptive energy wave, slowly rotated. Within it, a smaller, yet exceptionally precise, materialized, multifaceted structure—a blend of silver and pale gold—consistent with the style of the "Cradle," could be vaguely seen—that was the true, physically significant core of Beacon 12-ω-1!

"There! In the center of the 'calyx'! There's a 'door'! It's... it's rotating towards us!" Airi exclaimed urgently.

"Full speed! Ram in!" Lowe didn't hesitate. They had neither the time nor the ability to perform any delicate maneuvers. The starship's damage was worsening, its energy was being consumed rapidly, and although the Silent Court's fortress had suffered a temporary setback, it would not give up easily.

The "Stargazer," dragging its broken pipes, peeling armor, and constantly exploding electrical sparks from within, like a moth drawn to a flame, aimed at the center of the "calyx" at the bottom of the "Lotus of Harmony," at the pale golden energy portal that slowly opened to reveal the deep inner passage, and with its last strength, fiercely and resolutely "crashed" into it!

Once again, I was enveloped by an endless, gentle yet vast pale golden light.

But this time, within the light, there was no destructive tearing, only a profound, ancient, wise, and endlessly sorrowful embrace and waiting, as if returning to the womb.