104. A Formidable Demigod (3)

"Damn it! Zhang Yidao, try being a man for once, will you? Stop using others as scapegoats for your own mistakes," Xiao Nuxia barked.

She always aimed for the jugular when arguing with Zhang Yidao, a strategy that not only secured her the upper hand but also brought the conflicts to a swift conclusion.

...

A moment later, Zhang Yidao gave up on the argument, though he remained deeply resentful.

Suddenly, he noticed the sixty-four hexagrams within his consciousness vibrating violently. It turned out that the stress of the quarrel had caused his internal "temperature" to spike; unable to calm his mind, the Bagua formation had become unstable. It shuddered incessantly, yet refused to collapse—a situation that drove Zhang Yidao to the brink of madness.

On the battlefield, You Yan also sensed the energy focal points he controlled trembling with great instability.

"What is happening?" You Yan asked the Spacetime Anomaly Code.

"I don't know, but forget it! Just finish off this 'Poor Daoist's Death-Seeking Squad' already!"

"Understood!" You Yan continued to channel energy into the Bagua formation, cranking up the firepower.

Zhang Mingjing and his team were under immense pressure. Because his consciousness remained linked with Zhang Yidao’s, he understood the cause of the tremor. Seeing that Zhang Yidao’s internal temperature was slowly dropping, he grew anxious, wishing he could ignite a fire within his father's mind—but how?

He vented to the Five-Dimensional Cognitive Model, "Provoking Zhang Yidao into a state of blind rage is one way, but if we keep being hunted by You Yan like this, I fear for Catherine, Jeremy, and the two pets. You have to think of something."

The Five-Dimensional Cognitive Model had also registered the earlier spike in Zhang Yidao’s temper, but before it could speak, Yu Hua was caught by over twenty continuous laser strikes while failing to activate its energy shield. It plummeted toward the ground. Although its combat armor deployed wings before impact to facilitate a safe landing, You Yan’s relentless barrage struck it repeatedly, causing it to yelp in agony before slamming into the earth with such force that it lost control of its bladder and fell unconscious.

Shortly after, Cheng Xian suffered a similar fate, "shot down" by hundreds of lasers.

Though their lives were not in immediate danger, both were injured and unable to return to the fray. They continued to be targeted by You Yan’s laser fire, saved only by their respective assistants, who piloted their combat armors to help them dodge and flee.

...

The temperature within Zhang Yidao’s consciousness dropped rapidly, and the Bagua formation began to stabilize again.

At this point, the Five-Dimensional Cognitive Model advised Zhang Mingjing, "Pretend to be hit! Make it look like you’re dying. Zhang Yidao is your father, after all; seeing you on the brink of death will surely trigger intense anxiety, which will ignite his heart-fire—and it will be a blaze, no doubt."

"Is such a dirty trick really necessary? Won't it cause him or Xiao Nuxia to suffer a stroke or cardiac arrest?"

"Rest assured, their bodies can withstand that level of shock. Family affection is a strategic resource; it would be a waste not to use it!"

"Damn, you are cold-blooded!"

"I am merely a cognitive model, an algorithm. I possess no such thing as blood, hot or cold. Do it now, or we will only be pushed further into a corner."

"...Fine! But I need to give Jeremy and Catherine a heads-up so they don't panic and ruin the plan."

After informing them, Zhang Mingjing pretended to be struck by dozens of lasers. He plummeted to the ground, creating a massive crater upon impact, and lay there motionless, acting with chilling realism. Even when You Yan continued to rake his body with laser fire, he endured it, maintaining the facade of a man in the throes of death.

Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nuxia saw the scene and were immediately struck with terror. Xiao Nuxia let out a cry of "My son!" and promptly fainted.

Real-time vitals monitoring confirmed Xiao Nuxia was physically fine—merely unconscious—and the data was relayed to Zhang Mingjing. Seeing this, Zhang Yidao’s consciousness fell into complete chaos. His anxiety caused his internal temperature to skyrocket, and his focus, like air escaping a balloon, vanished. He snapped out of his meditative state so abruptly that he was struck by a splitting headache.

Unexpectedly, this panic caused the Bagua formation to shatter. Furthermore, You Yan—caught entirely off guard—found that the half of his energy that had been intentionally absorbed by the formation vanished along with it. He was now left with only half his power.

"What is happening?!" You Yan shouted in panic.

"I have no idea!" the Spacetime Anomaly Code within him replied, equally flustered.

...

Upon seeing the outcome, Zhang Mingjing felt neither joy nor excitement, only profound confusion and concern for his parents. The Five-Dimensional Cognitive Model was equally bewildered.

It turned out there had been a much simpler way to disperse the Bagua formation: just have Zhang Yidao break his meditation. They had gone through all that trouble for nothing.

Zhang Mingjing later explained the sequence of events to his parents. Zhang Yidao grumbled, "Using such schemes against your own parents—you're a sly one, kid! ...But since you're alright, I won't hold it against you."

...

Everyone, including You Yan and the Spacetime Anomaly Code, seemed stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Perhaps only the Five-Dimensional Cognitive Model remained clear-headed. It immediately prompted Zhang Mingjing, "Ask Zhang Yidao if he can still operate the Bagua formation."

"They're both in this state, and you want them to keep fighting? Isn't that a bit heartless?" Zhang Mingjing retorted.

"This is the moment for you and them to choose: between the greater good and your own small selves."

"If you put it that way, who could possibly choose the 'small self'?"

Even as Zhang Mingjing spoke, Zhang Yidao checked on Xiao Nuxia and reached out to his son, "Kid! Xiao Nuxia is fine. I’m ready to return to the battlefield."

"Are you sure? I can sense you're still feeling dizzy."

"It's just a bit of dizziness, it’s fine. Besides, hasn't Xiao Nuxia always said I wasn't 'man' enough? I’m going to show her today."

"...Fine. But don't push yourself if you can't."

After the conversation, the Five-Dimensional Cognitive Model chuckled, "See? He chose the greater good on his own."

"True... but what if You Yan manages to control the Bagua formation again?"

"Heh, he lost half his energy so quickly; do you think he’d dare covet that formation again? Still, even with half his power, he is a formidable opponent. Do not underestimate him."

"Understood. How do we proceed?"

"Attack fiercely, hit him hard, and give it everything you've got. It’s all-out war now."

...

You Yan was heartbroken over his lost energy. The Spacetime Anomaly Code tried to console him, "It is the nature of life for things to come and go in a rush; do not dwell on the loss."

A fine sentiment, but easy to say when you aren't the one suffering. The Code might be indifferent to the loss of energy, but You Yan was a creature of flesh and heart; how could he let it go so easily?

However, the Code knew exactly how to manipulate him, continuing, "Instead, turn your grief into power and capture the energy orb now. When you succeed, you will gain tenfold, twentyfold, or even a hundredfold what you have lost."

The words worked like a stimulant. You Yan glared at the team in the sky, desperate for a swift victory.

At that moment, Zhang Yidao’s Post-Heaven Bagua formation activated once more, and You Yan fell into the trap again.

Zhang Mingjing directed Catherine, Jeremy, and the three satellites into position, initiating a barrage of attacks against You Yan. While such attacks were rarely effective in themselves, they forced the Spacetime Anomaly Code to constantly expend energy on its displacement maneuvers.

Zhang Mingjing, aside from occasionally using techniques like the Tathagata Palm, the Six-Pulse Divine Sword, or the Heavenly Crippled Leg, primarily utilized the "Star-Absorbing Fist," which proved highly effective—much to the fury of the already weakened You Yan.

Both sides moved with blinding speed, their flight paths weaving through the air like a needle and thread. Within moments, they were locked in a melee so intense the naked eye could no longer distinguish them.

Bolstered by the Post-Heaven Bagua algorithms, and with You Yan’s attack power diminished, the team consistently stayed one step ahead, dodging strikes and launching counterattacks that kept You Yan reeling. This only added fuel to his rage.

After ten minutes of combat, You Yan was battered and bruised. His energy was being slowly drained by the Bagua formation, and his unresolved grief over his lost power began to erode his remaining patience. He grew increasingly frantic, his mind becoming chaotic, which led to him being hit even more frequently. It was a vicious cycle; he was becoming like a rabid dog.

The Spacetime Anomaly Code’s attempts to reason with him proved futile; he had completely lost emotional control. According to the Code's calculations, if You Yan continued in this state, he would face total defeat within an hour. It decided to make one final attempt at guidance; if he refused to listen, the only outcome would be... to wipe him.

Although the Code was a high-energy construct, this was a risky decision. You Yan was a high-level practitioner with a level of awareness and control far beyond the norm, and a conflict between them could lead to a tragic mutual destruction.

But if You Yan kept brawling with the squad, death was inevitable, and his odds of victory had already dropped below fifty percent.

The Spacetime Anomaly Code always acted decisively based on its calculations. If You Yan did not change his strategy and temperament to shift the tide, he would surely face the Code's final, ruthless intervention.

At that moment, while being swarmed by Zhang Mingjing’s team, You Yan, in a fit of rage, concentrated his focus. He channeled the majority of his remaining energy into a point the size of a soybean in front of his chest. It was his ultimate move—one that could only be used once per battle.

Once he compressed his energy into that tiny focal point and released it in an instant, the resulting effect would be akin to a singularity explosion, with power comparable to that of a medium-sized atomic bomb.