[VOLUME 15: THE PRIMORDIAL PILGRIMAGE][ARC 3: THE RIVER OF FLOWING SAND]
"Elara, no!"
Aldren's voice cracked, a sound of raw, unadulterated terror. He was forced to release his pinning grip on the monster to reach for her, his massive hands desperately trying to catch the flowing silk of her dress.
But Elara was already moving.
She stepped over the cliff's edge and let her bare feet sink into the pitch-black, churning sands of the Dead Waters.
The reaction was instantaneous. The sand wasn't just cold; it felt like a physical vacuum, a localized black hole that instantly tried to rip the divine energy straight from her veins. A sickening, icy numbness shot up her calves.
"Get her out!" Wukong yelled, his usual cocky demeanor vanishing. He slammed his black iron staff against the bedrock, testing the edge of the anti-magic field. "Her core is going to collapse! The river eats gods!"
