204: Chapter 204 Primordial Guardian: Resonance of the Eight Realms and Breaking the Stalemate of the Origin

Section 1: Gathering of Eight Realms: The Grandmist Qi Successor and Equipment Upgrades

Just as the Alliance Mothership entered the outskirts of the Hongmeng Galaxy, a steady voice came through the communicator. On the screen, a young man wrapped in pale white light was kneeling beside a half-dimmed crystal. His body was covered in fragments of Source Energy, and he clutched a 'Grandmist Crystal Core' in his hand. His voice carried a grit of determination: 'Another 100,000 kilometers and we can see the Origin Crystal Sphere... but the surroundings are full of "Origin Eroders," and my Grandmist Qi is about to give out.'

The young man was named Chen, the successor of 'Grandmist Qi' in the Hongmeng Galaxy and the last guardian of the system. 'This energy of mine can stabilize Source Energy and block the corrosion of the Eroders, but your equipment needs a "Grandmist Crystal Core Layer." The Eroders' energy can swallow ordinary Qi techniques; without this, even your space suits will be melted to dross.' Ling leaned toward the screen, raising an eyebrow. 'Grandmist Qi? Sounds pretty impressive. Is it stronger than Little Whale Spirit's Source Energy?' Chen glanced at him. 'My energy protects the Origin; your Stardust Energy only blows things up. They are different.' Ling instantly flared up. 'Hey! Watch your mouth, kid! I was the main force when we fought the Puppets last time!'

The equipment upgrade site instantly became lively. Chen broke the Grandmist Crystal Core into small pieces and distributed them to everyone. 'Embed them in the inner layer of your space suits. My energy allows the cores to resonate with the Origin, preventing erosion and replenishing Qi.' Lu Yu held a wrench, installing a crystal core onto the Alliance Mothership's 'Origin Resonator.' Halfway through, he suddenly cursed, 'This thing is harder to handle than a Star Mist Navigator! If the core is misaligned, it short-circuits. Chen, come over and look—how do these wires connect?' Chen walked over, using Grandmist Qi to straighten the core. Wrapped in pale white light, the circuit instantly connected. 'Don't use brute force. Follow the Origin patterns; it's not like fixing an engine.'

Xiao Juan's Nature Qi gloves gained an 'Origin Sensing Membrane.' Chen smeared some Grandmist Crystal Core liquid onto the membrane. 'You can sense the Source of Martial Tradition. This membrane will let you see the energy trajectories of the Eroders, even if they are hiding in the Origin Mist.' Little Whale Spirit's Qi Energy pod was placed next to the resonator. The little fellow was weaving Source Energy (pale white light), the Seven Realms Qi, and the new Grandmist Qi into an 'Eight-Qi Spiral Ball.' Upon touching the resonator, it instantly lit up fully. The Hongmeng Galaxy map on the screen became so clear that every rune on the Origin Crystal Sphere was visible, shocking everyone.

'This little guy can actually resonate with eight types of energy simultaneously!' Chen knelt by the pod, his fingertip's Grandmist Qi lightly touching the Eight-Qi ball. The ball actually nuzzled his hand. 'The Origin Crystal Sphere recognizes it. When we activate the Origin later, we'll definitely have to rely on him.' Chen Wu held up the fusion jade; the eight types of energy on it spiraled together, shimmering with rainbow-like light. 'Now we are the "Eight-Realm Universal Martial Arts Alliance." From the Solar System to the Hongmeng Galaxy, eight realms are of one mind. This time, we don't just save the Origin Crystal Sphere; we must also uncover the Origins of the Eroders so they don't plague the Source of Martial Tradition in other galaxies.'

The comments on the global livestream nearly crashed the screen: 'Eight-Realm Alliance! This lineup is too top-tier!' 'Little Whale Spirit's Eight-Qi ball is so cute it's making me cry! It actually nuzzled Chen's hand!' 'The banter between Ling and Chen was hilarious! One flares up and the other stays calm—perfect match!' The Technical Department sent word: 82 galaxies had joined the Alliance. There were 30 'Origin Erodent Generals' guarding the Origin Crystal Sphere, and the Eroders' energy was continuously devouring the sphere's light.

Section 2: Grandmist Turbulence: Erodent Offspring and the Eight-Qi Breakthrough

When the Alliance Mothership sailed into the 'Origin Turbulence Zone' of the Hongmeng Galaxy, the view outside changed completely. It wasn't star mist or dark space, but a pale white 'Origin Mist.' Within the mist was wrapped pale black Erosion Energy. The ship's resonator began to flicker, and even Leo's Space-Time Energy was ensnared by the mist; the frozen turbulence fragments drifted back after only a few seconds.

'This Origin Turbulence can interfere with Qi techniques!' Leo frowned, his Space-Time Crystal Core shining brightly. 'Chen, can your Grandmist Qi stabilize us? If we keep shaking like this, we'll crash into the fragments.' Chen's Grandmist Crystal Core lit up, and pale white light enveloped the mothership. 'Don't panic. The Origin Mist recognizes Grandmist Qi.' His finger traced a pale white path outside the cabin; the Origin Mist immediately parted along the trajectory, and the resonator slowly returned to normal.

But they hadn't gone far when an 'Origin Vortex' suddenly appeared ahead. Floating in the vortex were many remains of Grandmist martial artists and half a broken Grandmist Crystal Core—clearly, guardians who had fallen here while resisting the Eroders. 'It's a trap set by the Eroders! The vortex can swallow Source Energy and hatch Erodent Offspring!' Chen's expression darkened. He tried to steer around it, but the vortex suddenly emitted a gravitational pull, dragging the mothership inward.

'Karen! Use Storm Qi to push back! Leo! Use Star Core Energy to burn the vortex edges!' Chen Wu immediately commanded. Karen's Storm Qi spun up, silver-gray wind forming a barrier in front of the ship, but the wind turned black upon touching the Erosion Energy, becoming 'Erosion Wind' that couldn't stop the vortex. Leo's Star Core Energy condensed into fireballs and smashed into the vortex; as soon as the fireballs touched the Origin Mist, they were wrapped by it and turned into 'Erosion Fireballs,' drifting back and nearly hitting the hatch!

'Watch out! The fireballs will be blackened by the Erosion Energy!' Xiao Juan shouted, the Origin Sensing Membrane on her gloves lighting up. 'There are dozens of "Origin Erodent Offspring" in the core of the vortex! They are absorbing Source Energy! I can see their positions!' She marked the offsprings' locations on the screen; they were at the center of the vortex, like clusters of tiny black insects wrapped in Erosion Energy.

Little Whale Spirit suddenly rushed out of the pod, the Eight-Qi Spiral Ball expanding in front of him before flying toward the vortex. As soon as the ball touched the vortex, the blackened Erosion Fireballs restored into normal Star Core fireballs, and the vortex slowly shrank. 'Its Eight-Qi ball can purify Erosion Energy!' A-Yue shouted in surprise. 'Little Whale Spirit! Throw another ball at the core!' The little guy nodded and spat out another Eight-Qi ball, smashing it into the offspring. The offspring were instantly purified into harmless Origin Mist, and the vortex completely vanished.

The global audience watched with sweaty palms. The comments were filled with: 'Little Whale Spirit is too divine! The Eight-Qi ball can actually purify Erosion Energy!' 'Xiao Juan's sensing membrane is so useful! Precision targeting of the offspring!' 'Chen's Grandmist Qi was crucial for stabilizing the ship! Otherwise, they would have crashed into the vortex long ago!' Another hour passed, and the mothership finally reached the Origin Crystal Sphere area. The 'Origin Crystal Sphere' in the distance revealed itself—it was a pale white crystal floating in the center of the Origin Mist, larger than any previous Source of Martial Tradition. Ancient Origin Runes were carved on its surface, but half were blackened by Erosion Energy. 30 Origin Erodent Generals surrounded it, with countless Erodent Offspring crawling around; with every crawl, the sphere's light dimmed a fraction.

Section 3: Origin Crystal Sphere Battlefield: Besieging the Erodent Generals and Team Combat

As soon as the Alliance Mothership came to a halt, the foremost Origin Erodent General looked up. Its body was composed of pale black Erosion Energy wrapping Origin crystal fragments, and its eyes were two glowing dark red lights. It opened its mouth and spat a glob of 'Erosion Qi Energy' straight toward the mothership's Grandmist Crystal Core Layer! 'Quick, use Grandmist Qi to block! This energy can melt the crystal layer!' Chen shouted. A pale white light formed a barrier outside the crystal layer; when the energy hit the barrier, it was slowly purified.

Chen Wu immediately assigned tactics: 'Chen, Xiao Juan, and Little Whale Spirit are one team. Use Grandmist Qi + Nature Qi + Eight-Qi balls to protect the Origin Crystal Sphere; don't let the Erosion Energy blacken the runes further. Ling and Luna are a team; use Stardust Energy + Star Mist Qi to clear the Erodent Offspring. Leo and Xiao Kaya are a team; use Star Core Energy + Erosion Energy to blast the Erodent Generals' bodies. Leo, Viya, and A-Yue are a team; use Space-Time Energy + Star Cluster Qi + Star Orbit Qi to pin down the Erodent Generals and keep them away from the sphere. The new generation will follow me to plug any gaps and prevent any Eroders from slipping through!'

Chen's team had the most critical task of protecting the sphere. Chen's Grandmist Qi condensed into a membrane wrapping the blackened parts of the sphere; under the pale white light, the black Erosion Energy slowly receded. Xiao Juan's Nature Qi followed the membrane inside, helping the sphere restore the light of its runes. Little Whale Spirit's Eight-Qi ball circled the sphere, purifying any Erodent Offspring that leaked in like a little bodyguard. Chen's gaze softened as he watched: 'This little guy is more reliable than the Origin Beasts back home.'

Ling and Luna's clearing of the offspring was also lively. Ling's Stardust Energy condensed into countless small daggers, shooting into the crawling offspring and exploding them into mist upon contact. Luna's Star Mist Qi condensed into wind, blowing away the scattered Erosion Energy to prevent it from reforming. Ling complained while fighting: 'These offspring are so disgusting! They crawl faster than Star Mist Puppets!' Luna rolled her eyes at him. 'If you think they're gross, then don't fight! Swap with me and go protect the sphere?' Ling immediately shut up, throwing his daggers even faster.

Leo and Xiao Kaya had the hardest time fighting the Erodent Generals. The generals' bodies were too hard; Leo's Star Core Energy fireballs only left white marks. Xiao Kaya's Erosion Energy wrapped around the bodies to slowly decay the Erosion Energy: 'Leo! Burn the decayed spots with Star Core Energy! My decay is slow!' Leo immediately followed suit, smashing fireballs into the white marks. The Erodent General's body cracked, and the two took the chance to pour their Qi inside. The general slowly dissolved into Erosion Energy and was purified by Chen's Grandmist Qi.

Suddenly, more than half of the Origin Crystal Sphere's runes went dark. The 'Origin Erodent King' in the very center took advantage of their distraction to bite into the sphere. Black Erosion Energy spread instantly, and the sphere's light was nearly extinguished! 'Don't let it bite!' Little Karim shouted, his Pyramid Force bracers lighting up. A pale gold light shield blocked the Erodent King's mouth. Mei's Ninja Qi throwing stars shot toward its eyes, but they were melted by Erosion Energy before they could get close. Laila was almost in tears; the microorganisms summoned by her Shamanic Martial Force were swallowed as soon as they touched the Erodent King.

Little Whale Spirit suddenly charged forward, smashing the Eight-Qi Spiral Ball into the Erodent King's mouth. Upon contact, the Erodent King roared in pain, and the Erosion Energy began to recede, unable to bite the sphere any longer. 'Its Eight-Qi ball can counter the Erodent King!' Xiao Juan shouted in delight. 'Everyone, follow Little Whale Spirit's ball and attack the Erodent King's core together!'

Section 4: Climax: Eight-Realm Origin Resonance and the Defeat of the Erodent King

'Chen! Use Grandmist Qi to stabilize the sphere! Leo! Pin down the Erodent King! We need to charge up!' Chen Wu shouted. Chen immediately poured all his Grandmist Qi into the sphere; pale white light wrapped around it, and the black Erosion Energy receded even faster. Leo's Space-Time Energy surged, pale gold light wrapping the Erodent King; its movements instantly slowed as if the slow-motion button had been pressed. Leo, Xiao Kaya, Ling, Luna, Viya, A-Yue... everyone's Qi poured into Little Whale Spirit's Eight-Qi ball. The ball grew larger and larger, shimmering with eight lights—gold, silver, purple, red, dark silver, dark purple, pale blue, and pale white—shining bright enough to pierce the Origin Mist.

Seeing things were going south, the Erodent King tried to break free from the Space-Time Energy, but Little Whale Spirit's Eight-Qi ball suddenly pressed against its erosion body. The eight types of energy slowly bored into the body, and the black Erosion Energy began to be purified, revealing the 'Erosion Core' inside—a small black sphere wrapped in the densest Erosion Energy, clearly the source of the Erodent King's power. 'All Alliance members, transmit the Source of Martial Tradition energy to the Alliance Mothership! We're going to fire the Eight-Realm Origin Resonance Qi!' Chen Wu shouted into the communicator. Martial artists from 82 galaxies exerted their power together. Countless beams of light shot from across the Universe, merging into the Alliance Mothership and then transferring to Little Whale Spirit's Eight-Qi ball. The ball's light grew brighter and brighter, making even the Origin Mist transparent, and the sphere's runes lit up in response.

'Eight-Realm Origin Resonance Qi! Fire!' Chen Wu shouted. Little Whale Spirit's Eight-Qi ball, carrying the energy of the entire Alliance like a colored sun, smashed into the Erodent King's Erosion Core! With a massive 'Boom!', the Erosion Core was shattered. The black Erosion Energy was instantly purified into Origin Mist, and the Erodent King's body dissolved into mist. The surrounding Erodent Generals and offspring were purified along with it. The Origin Crystal Sphere's runes all lit up, and pale white light showered the entire Hongmeng Galaxy, even lighting up the distant stars.

Even more surprisingly, the Origin Crystal Sphere projected an image—it was an ancient guardian of the Hongmeng Galaxy. He pointed at the sphere and said: 'The Hongmeng Galaxy is the "Origin Birthplace" of universal traditional martial arts; the martial Qi techniques of all galaxies originate here. Now the Origin is stable, but the signal from the "Extra-Territorial Origin" is weakening. There are still branches of our martial tradition there; you must go and see...' In the image, the direction of the outer territories glowed with a pale purple light, somewhat similar to the color of Andromeda's Star Orbit Qi, clearly the next rescue target.

The global livestream comments had already exploded: 'The Eight-Realm Resonance was so hype! I have goosebumps!' 'Little Whale Spirit is the eternal god! We couldn't have broken the Erodent King without him!' 'Grandmist is the birthplace of traditional martial arts! This world-building is too grand!' Chen leaned against the crystal sphere, wiped away a tear, and said with a smile: 'Thank you... the Origin of the Hongmeng Galaxy is finally saved. I have not failed the guardian's mission.'

Section 5: Ending: Origin Unveiled and New Foreshadowing

After the Origin Crystal Sphere was fully activated, the 'Universal Martial Arts Origin Atlas' appeared on the Alliance Mothership's screen. The Source of Martial Tradition of 82 galaxies were connected by lines of different colors, all ultimately leading to the Hongmeng Galaxy's Origin Crystal Sphere like a giant 'Martial Arts Tree.' On the atlas, there was an unlit node labeled 'Extra-Territorial Origin Branch.' Chen Wu looked at the atlas, his voice firm: 'From now on, we will not only protect the known sources but also search for the Extra-Territorial Origin, bringing back all branches to make the Universal Martial Arts Alliance truly complete.'

Chen took a 'Grandmist Crystal Core Fragment' from his robe and handed it to Chen Wu: 'This is the martial token of the Hongmeng Galaxy; it can sense the signal of the Extra-Territorial Origin. The Extra-Territorial Origin is very far from here, and there is "Extra-Territorial Turbulence" on the way, which is even more dangerous than Grandmist Turbulence. Moreover, the Eroders there might be even stronger; we must prepare quickly.' Little Whale Spirit floated over and pressed the Eight-Qi ball against the crystal fragment. The fragment suddenly lit up, projecting an image of the Extra-Territorial Origin—it was a pale purple crystal wrapped in even stronger Erosion Energy than before, with an 'Extra-Territorial Erodent King' gnawing on the sphere, making everyone frown.

As the Alliance Mothership prepared to leave, the Origin Crystal Sphere shot a wisp of pale white light that wrapped around the fusion jade. The eight types of energy on the jade could now resonate with the energy of all traditional martial arts sources in the Universe simultaneously, shining blindingly bright. Xiao Juan touched the sphere and said softly, 'Don't worry, we will go to the Extra-Territorial Origin and find the martial branches there. We won't let the efforts of the birthplace go to waste.'

The final scene of the global livestream showed the Alliance Mothership following the pale white light of the Origin Crystal Sphere, sailing toward the outer territories. Behind it followed the ships of 82 galaxies like a colorful dragon, carving a brilliant trail through the Origin Mist. Chen Wu spoke to the camera: 'No matter how far the outer territories are, how dangerous the turbulence is, or how strong the Eroders are, we are not afraid. Because we have the martial artists of the entire Universe as our backer, the eight-realm techniques as our weapons, and companions like Little Whale Spirit. As long as we are together, there is no Origin we cannot find and no guardian mission we cannot complete.'