"Damn it... if this keeps up... I'm dead..."
"Xiao Ruan, hurry and report! Get Mo Ran to bring Chen Xiao to think of a solution. I can still... hold on... for a bit longer..." Zhang Chen transmitted a portion of his internal energy towards Xiao Ruan.
However, the energy absorption device's power was too immense, and as it absorbed more and more energy, its absorption intensity also gradually increased.
Even though Zhang Chen was only a short distance from Xiao Ruan, less than a tenth of the energy he released managed to transfer into Xiao Ruan's body.
In an instant, with a slight recovery of vitality, Xiao Ruan immediately reopened its large eyes, creating a spatial portal just big enough for its own body to pass through, and then it swiftly rushed in.
Under the powerful energy absorption, the duration of the portal was drastically shortened.
Almost as soon as Xiao Ruan's head had just passed through the portal, with its eight tentacles still outside, the portal suddenly closed.
Severing all eight of its tentacles.
However, before these tentacles could even fall, the immense suction force absorbed all the residual energy from them, leaving behind only eight limp, withered tentacles like ribbons, which slowly drifted to the ground.
"Master... I don't want to die..."
The Underworld Mushroom was on the verge of tears.
It was a creature that needed energy to survive in the first place, and now even Gromos, a supposed ultimate being with inexhaustible energy, had been drained dry.
If it were to detach from Zhang Chen's body, it would probably turn into dried mushroom within a second!
"I don't want to die either, but this situation is beyond our control!"
Zhang Chen cursed in his mind.
He knew that as long as he possessed the core of the Creation and Destruction Meteorite within him, he wouldn't be easily drained.
But if he couldn't stop his body from being slowly pulled towards the machine, then the moment he was absorbed into it, the meteorite core within him would be immediately stripped away.
Without the meteorite core, his fate would be the same as those tentacles drifting away with the wind!
But the reality was, due to the rapid loss of energy, his body was completely out of control.
The energy he had just transmitted to Xiao Ruan had taken all his strength, and now he couldn't even take a step.
His entire body was slowly sliding towards the depths of the room as his energy continued to drain...
"Now... all I can do is hope Chen Xiao can arrive in time!"
Zhang Chen gritted his teeth, thinking silently.
"Master... we are only ten meters away from the machine. According to my internal consciousness calculation... at the current acceleration..."
"It's estimated we'll be sucked in in about fifty-five seconds... With this much time to spare, it should be enough for Chen Xiao to get here!"
The Underworld Mushroom asked nervously.
"If it were me, or Mo Ran, Xiao Bai, or any other strong individual, it would take at most twenty seconds to get here from above."
"However... Chen Xiao's strength is a bit weaker, so it will likely be slower. Moreover... only Mo Ran can understand Xiao Ruan's words..."
"I hope others will understand my current predicament when they see Xiao Ruan..."
Zhang Chen murmured in his heart.
Meanwhile, the battle above the canyon was drawing to a close.
All the power of the energy absorption device was being blocked by Zhang Chen, so there was no feeling of energy loss from above.
Everyone was immersed in the joy of an impending victory and the end of the apocalypse.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a portal opened and then instantly closed.
Following that, Xiao Ruan's heavily injured body fell powerlessly from mid-air to the ground.
"What is this..."
A survivor wearing a dark red ring happened to be passing by. He carefully identified the creature on the ground and then suddenly shouted in alarm:
"Gro... Gromos... there's Gromos, everyone be careful!"
After speaking, he turned and fled.
Hearing the shouts, the surrounding people also cautiously gathered, holding their weapons.
But looking at Xiao Ruan lying on the ground, with all eight tentacles severed, the ground covered in blue blood, and its large eyes weakly half-open, unable to even fly.
Someone in the crowd finally mustered the courage to step forward a few paces and then threw a small stone at it.
The stone hit Xiao Ruan's head, but it remained motionless.
Seeing this, the crowd's tense hearts finally relaxed considerably.
Just as they were preparing to rush forward, a figure appeared before them.
It was Zhang Wenwen.
"Get out of the way!"
Zhang Wenwen shouted sternly.
Many of the surrounding survivors had joined the True God Sect later, and since Xiao Ruan rarely appeared before the crowd, very few people knew it.
"This is the God's pet! Who threw the stone just now? Go to the Correctional Hall and receive one hundred lashes and face the wall for 100 days!"
Zhang Wenwen said coldly.
Hearing her words, the crowd quickly bowed and dispersed.
The one who had thrown the stone, however, thanked them profusely and joyfully went to accept the punishment.
After all, Zhang Wenwen's methods towards heretics were always direct elimination, without mercy.
To have done something so disrespectful to the God's pet and still be spared a life, wasn't that something worth celebrating?
Zhang Wenwen cradled Xiao Ruan in her hands, not daring to delay for a moment, and immediately found Xiao Bai.
"Quick, the True God is in trouble and needs support!"
She said anxiously.
The other strong individuals had gone off to fight somewhere, and only Xiao Bai remained guarding Chen Xiao.
"Someone dares to bully Dad? I will never forgive them! I will tear them to shreds!"
Xiao Bai roared and immediately leaped down towards the canyon.
"Um... perhaps I can be of some small help!"
Chen Xiao said meekly from the side.
"Yes, you were brought by the True God. He must have his reasons for bringing you. Come down with me!"
Zhang Wenwen whistled.
Two large rhinoceros beetles descended, and the two of them mounted them, flying towards the depths of the canyon.
"I was observing the battlefield just now, and the True God was flying towards this direction!"
"It should be behind that large iron gate!"
Zhang Wenwen pointed at the crumpled iron gates scattered on the ground, which looked like crumpled paper balls.
The two rhinoceros beetles landed steadily on the ground.
At this moment, Xiao Bai had already rushed in recklessly.
But the entire room was empty.
The screens on the walls were shattered into pieces, and eight withered tentacles were scattered on the ground.
In the deepest part of the room, there was a scorched machine with a groove. It seemed to have contained something, but now it was gone.
Passing through this room, in the next room, sat Tang Houde with a look of dejection, and Xiao Bai stood beside him, looking furious.
Tang Houde's gaze was vacant, and he repeatedly murmured one sentence:
"Why did you lie to me... why did you lie to me... why..."
Further back was the halted biochemical human production line.
Zhang Chen had simply vanished!