Lin Mo froze for a moment, looking in the direction she pointed. By now, the rift had widened to two meters, and the mist was so thick that it was impossible to make out anything inside. "Impossible. We've been monitoring it for a month and never detected any life forms inside the rift," he said, his tone skeptical, though his gaze grew even more vigilant.
Qian Renxue didn't reply. She tried once more to circulate that faint trace of divine power. This time, instead of directing it toward the rift, she concentrated it entirely in her eyes. Though her divine power was weak, it was enough to let her see past the mist. Deep within the rift, she caught sight of countless tiny black shadows wriggling about. They were small, only the size of a fist, and completely amorphous—resembling clumps of black mud—yet they moved with startling speed.
"They're black shadows. Small, but a lot of them," Qian Renxue said rapidly. "They're moving toward the opening of the rift, and they're fast."
Lin Mo's face completely drained of color. He snatched up his telescope, fiercely wiped the lenses, and aimed it deep into the rift. But the mist was far too dense; the telescope couldn't penetrate it at all. "Whatever it is, we need to go!" He grabbed Qian Renxue and bolted toward the stairs of the observation platform.
Just as they reached the stairway, a piercing shriek echoed from the direction of the rift. The sound wasn't loud, but it carried a grating, piercing quality that made their eardrums throb. Qian Renxue looked back and saw that the first black shadow had already burst out of the rift, dropping to the ground.
The moment it hit the ground, the shadow unfurled into an irregular black monster. Its body was like a viscous liquid, covered in countless tiny tendrils. Its eyes were two points of red light, and it lacked any fixed shape. Upon landing, it immediately began scuttling toward the observation platform with astonishing speed.
"Damn, it's locked onto us!" Lin Mo let go of Qian Renxue's arm and raised his short blade. "You go down first, I'll hold it off!"
Qian Renxue didn't move. She stared at the black monster, her brows furrowed. She could sense that the creature's actual power level was quite weak, only around the Soul Elder stage, but the Void energy within it was exceptionally pure—far stronger than the mist surrounding the rift. "No need. I'll handle it," she said, her tone perfectly calm.
Lin Mo froze, clearly not expecting Qian Renxue to volunteer to face the monster. "You don't have any soul power, how can you fight it?" he asked anxiously. "Physical attacks don't work on this thing; only soul power can suppress it!"
Qian Renxue didn't explain. She slowly raised her hand and concentrated that wisp of faint divine power at her fingertips. Though she was currently a mortal, she had once been the Angel God; her mastery over energy far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Masters. The divine power at her fingertips emitted a faint golden glow. Though weak, it radiated a pure energy that stood in stark contrast to the Void.
The black monster had already scuttled to the base of the stairs. It raised its head, let out a shriek, and lunged at Qian Renxue with a flurry of tendrils. Qian Renxue leaned slightly to the side, dodging the attack, and flicked the golden light from her fingertips straight into the creature's body.
As the golden light struck the monster, it emitted a sharp sizzling sound. Black smoke instantly billowed from the creature's body as it shrieked in agony. It began to shrink and writhe as if it were being burned alive.
Lin Mo's eyes widened in shock. He never would have imagined that Qian Renxue possessed such power—or that it could directly counter a Void creature.
"Let's go, now!" Qian Renxue withdrew her hand, and the golden glow at her fingertips vanished. That single strike had drained almost all the divine power left in her body. Her face turned slightly pale, and her body swayed.
Lin Mo snapped out of his daze and immediately supported her arm, hurrying her down the stairs. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
"I'm fine, just a bit drained," Qian Renxue shook her head. "There's more than one of those things. We need to get out of here right now."
The moment they reached the bottom of the stairs, a chorus of shrieks erupted behind them. They looked back to see an endless swarm of black monsters pouring out of the rift. They carpeted the ground, swarming in their direction. The creatures were alarmingly fast; in the blink of an eye, they had closed the gap to a mere dozen meters.
"Run!" Lin Mo grabbed Qian Renxue and sprinted desperately toward the sentry post. With his soul power fully activated, he was moving much faster than usual. Dragged along by him, Qian Renxue's feet barely touched the ground.
The ground was rough and littered with gravel. Qian Renxue's shoes quickly wore through, and a sharp pain shot through her toes. But she didn't make a sound; she simply clenched her teeth and kept pace with Lin Mo. The shrieking behind them grew closer and closer, and the monsters' tendrils nearly snagged the hem of her clothes.
"Hang in there! Just one more kilometer to the sentry post!" Lin Mo shouted. His breathing had grown ragged, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his soul power was draining rapidly.
Qian Renxue nodded. She could feel her stamina plummeting; her divine power was completely dry, and her body felt heavier by the second. Just then, her foot caught on a loose stone. She tripped and fell hard to the ground. The sharp gravel tore into her knees, and blood instantly welled up, staining the grayish-brown earth red.
"Xue Yan!" Lin Mo looked back and saw her fall. His face drained of color. He immediately skidded to a halt, spun around, and raced back to help her up.
"Leave me! Go!" Qian Renxue shoved him. "Those things will be on us in seconds. You can make it out on your own!"
"I'm not leaving you behind!" Lin Mo's voice was ironclad. He crouched down and hoisted Qian Renxue onto his back. "Hurry up, we're out of time!"
Qian Renxue wanted to argue, but she saw the swarm of black monsters closing in, now only a few meters away. She swallowed her protests and let Lin Mo carry her. With her on his back, Lin Mo took off toward the sentry post again. He was slightly slower than before, but still moving fast.
The black monsters gave relentless chase. Their shrieks grew deafeningly close, and their tendrils lashed out repeatedly, nearly snagging Qian Renxue's dangling feet several times. Resting on Lin Mo's back, Qian Renxue could feel his body trembling from the massive drain on his soul power, yet he didn't dare slow his pace.
"Lin Mo, put me down. You can't run fast like this," Qian Renxue said softly, a thread of guilt in her voice.
"Shut up and hold on tight!" Lin Mo's voice was hoarse. "I told you, I'm not leaving you behind. We will make it to the sentry post."
Qian Renxue fell silent. She wrapped her arms tightly around Lin Mo's neck and pressed her face against his back. She could feel his body heat, hear his pounding heartbeat, and smell the faint scent of his sweat. The sensation was unfamiliar, yet incredibly warm. In this freezing, void-touched wasteland, it made her feel a spark of true vitality.
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps and shouting echoed from ahead. Lin Mo's eyes lit up, and he pushed himself to run even faster. "It's the sentry post! We're saved!"
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