Lin Mo nodded, as did Zhou Tianxing. The three exchanged glances, all seeing steadfastness and determination in each other's eyes. A hundred years might seem brief, but for the Douluo Continent, it was enough time for many things to happen. They believed that as long as they stood united, there was no insurmountable obstacle.
But just as the crowd was preparing to evacuate the battlefield, a sudden change occurred!
"Bzzzt—!"
A low and bizarre humming sound suddenly resonated from the depths of the Void Desert. The noise wasn't loud, but it carried an inexplicable penetrating force, as if it could directly vibrate the soul. Everyone who heard it felt a wave of dizziness; their souls felt as though they were about to be ripped from their bodies. Some of the weaker Soul Masters even fainted on the spot, foaming at the mouth.
"What's happening?!" Zhao Feng's expression drastically changed. He gripped his Divine Conviction Battleaxe tightly as the power of conviction around him erupted instantly, golden light enveloping his entire body to fend off the corrosive erosion of that bizarre humming. He turned to look at Lin Mo, only to find that Lin Mo's face had also become unimaginably grave, even carrying a trace of shock.
"Impossible..." Lin Mo murmured, a hint of a tremor in his voice. "I clearly purified the Void Sovereign's origin completely. This aura... how could this aura be..."
"Be what?" Zhao Feng asked urgently.
"It's the Void Sovereign, yet not entirely." Lin Mo's gaze turned exceptionally heavy. "Within this aura lies the origin aura of the Void Sovereign, but also a... far more ancient, profound, and terrifying power. That power surpasses the God-level, perhaps even surpassing..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Zhao Feng already understood everything from the look in Lin Mo's eyes. Power beyond the God-level—what kind of concept was that? That was a True God, a legendary entity, a realm unattainable by mortals. Could it be that behind the Void Sovereign, there lurked an even more terrifying existence?
Rumble—!
The earth began to quake violently. The ground of the Void Desert split open into massive chasms, from which dense Void black mist surged forth. The mist was no longer purely pitch-black; it was now streaked with bizarre wisps of purple light. These purple radiations emitted a heart-palpitating aura, as if capable of devouring all light and hope.
"Everyone, fall back! Retreat quickly!" Zhao Feng bellowed sternly. He unfurled his soul wings, soared into mid-air, and raised his Divine Conviction Battleaxe high. A golden pillar of the light of conviction shot into the sky, forming a massive golden light dome in an attempt to block the incoming black mist. However, the black mist interwoven with purple light effortlessly pierced through the golden dome of conviction, passing through it as easily as piercing a sheet of thin paper.
"Impossible!" Zhao Feng's eyes widened in disbelief. His power of conviction had been condensed over a millennium of cultivation; it was the purest divine power, possessing an extreme restraining effect against the power of the Void. Yet now, this purple-veiled black mist completely disregarded his power of conviction, as though his strength was entirely insignificant in its presence.
"Zhao Feng, watch out!" Lin Mo roared. His figure flashed as he instantly appeared beside Zhao Feng. The Holy Angel Abyssal Dragon Emperor Martial Soul unfurled once more, its blue-and-gold interwoven wings blotting out the sky. His God-level power erupted with full force, forming a blue-and-gold light dome that shielded both him and Zhao Feng. The purple-veiled black mist crashed against the dome, emitting a sizzling "hiss" sound. The dome flickered violently; though it hadn't been pierced, it consumed a massive amount of Lin Mo's God-level power.
"Lin Mo, what is this..." Zhao Feng's face was pale. He had never seen Lin Mo looking so strained; even when facing the Void Sovereign, Lin Mo had never been this hard-pressed.
"It's the Source of the Void." Lin Mo's voice was low, tinged with bitterness. "An entity far more ancient and powerful than the Void Sovereign. The Void Sovereign was merely its avatar, or rather, a pawn. The true mastermind behind everything is the Source of the Void—the creator of the Void Space, and the very wellspring of the power of the Void."
Zhao Feng gasped, a chill running down his spine. The creator of the Void Space, the source of the Void's power—what kind of entity was that? Wasn't that the equivalent of a Creation God? The Void Sovereign they had just desperately defeated was actually just an avatar of this being? What hope did they possibly have left?
"No, wait." Lin Mo shook his head, a glint of contemplation flashing through his eyes. "If the Source of the Void had truly descended, with our level of power, we wouldn't have any room to resist at all. But right now, it's only releasing a wisp of power, or rather... a projection of its will. It hasn't actually descended; it's merely projecting a trace of its will through the residual origin of the Void Sovereign."
"A trace of will?" Zhao Feng stared at the black mist that effortlessly bypassed his light of conviction, then looked at Lin Mo's strenuous expression. A profound sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart. Just a mere trace of a will was enough to make the two of them combined struggle to hold the line; if it truly descended, how despairing would that be?
Boom—!
A colossal pillar of purple light shot up from the depths of the Void Desert, piercing through heaven and earth and dyeing the entire sky an eerie purple. Within the pillar, a blurry silhouette slowly materialized. It had no fixed form, resembling a flowing mass of purple light and shadow. Within the radiance, one could faintly discern countless faces—pain, despair, fury, greed—each face exuding a dense aura of negative emotion, as if it had amalgamated all the sin and darkness of the world.
"Lowly creatures, did you truly believe that defeating a mere avatar of mine means you have claimed victory?" the silhouette spoke. Its voice was no longer the icy, hoarse rasp of the Void Sovereign; instead, it carried an indescribable allure and absolute dominance. It seemed to penetrate directly into the depths of one's soul, compelling an involuntary urge to submit.
"Your millennium of preparation, the sacrifices of your countless heroic spirits—these are but the struggles of ants in my eyes. Your courage, your conviction, your unity—they are nothing but laughable parlor tricks to me. This continent will eventually return to the Void, and all you living beings shall, sooner or later, become a part of it."
As the voice fell, countless purple arrows of light fired from the silhouette, raining down upon the Soul Masters on the battlefield like a torrential downpour. Each arrow contained world-destroying power; wherever they passed, space shattered, time distorted, and even the soul power in the air was entirely devoured.
"Everyone, defend with everything you have!" Lin Mo bellowed. He pushed the power of his Holy Angel Abyssal Dragon Emperor Martial Soul to its absolute limit. The interwoven blue-and-gold dome expanded once more, attempting to block the purple arrows of light. However, the sheer number of arrows was overwhelming, and each carried terrifying might. Under the barrage, Lin Mo's dome flickered violently, cracks continuously spreading across its surface, teetering on the edge of shattering.
Zhao Feng wasn't idle either. He raised his Divine Conviction Battleaxe high, erupting with his full power of conviction. Golden light intertwined with Lin Mo's blue-and-gold radiance, forging an even sturdier defense.
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