Zhao Feng immediately assigned two highly capable Soul Emperors to escort Qian Renxue to the sentry post's rest room so she could recover. He then grabbed his weapon, stepped out of the monitoring room, and headed out beyond the perimeter fence to relieve the three Soul Masters who were on the verge of total exhaustion.
Lin Mo stared at Qian Renxue's retreating back, his heart heavy with worry. He knew she possessed incredible strength, but she was in a mortal body now with limited power, and she would be completely vulnerable while recovering. Gritting his teeth, he snatched up his short blade and followed Zhao Feng out of the monitoring room.
Qian Renxue entered the rest room. It was tiny and spartan, containing only a single bed and a desk. The two Soul Emperors stood guard at the door, warily watching the outside. Qian Renxue sat down on the edge of the bed, closed her eyes, and focused her mind, beginning the process of recovering her divine power.
Her consciousness sank inward, searching for that faint spark of her divine power's origin. Though her energy was almost completely depleted, the source itself remained; with careful nourishment, she could restore a portion of it. She recalled her state of being as the Angel God, felt the ambient energy of heaven and earth, and little by little, converted that raw energy back into divine power.
The sounds of battle outside grew increasingly fierce. Shouts and shrieks echoed continuously, accompanied even by the crashing of impacts against the perimeter fence. Qian Renxue didn't allow herself to be distracted, maintaining absolute focus on restoring her power. She knew she had to recover as quickly as possible; otherwise, everyone would be doomed.
Time ticked by. Half an hour later, Qian Renxue had managed to restore a fraction of her divine power. Though it wasn't even a ten-thousandth of her peak, it would be enough to initiate the seal. She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze resolute.
She stood up, walked to the door, and said to the two Soul Emperors standing guard, "I'm ready. Let's go."
The two Soul Emperors nodded, opened the door, and flanked Qian Renxue as they made their way outside the fence. By now, the battle beyond the perimeter had reached a boiling point. Zhao Feng and the four Soul Masters were covered in wounds, their soul power drastically depleted, yet the swarm of black monsters kept growing, threatening to breach the fence's defenses at any moment.
"Captain Zhao!" Qian Renxue shouted.
Hearing her voice, Zhao Feng looked back. Seeing that Qian Renxue had recovered some of her energy, a hint of relief crossed his face. "Are you ready?" he asked.
"Ready," Qian Renxue nodded. "Keep the monsters off me. I'm going to seal the rift."
"Understood!" Zhao Feng roared, turning to the other four Soul Masters. "Throw everything you have at those things! Protect Xue Yan!"
The four Soul Masters immediately focused their efforts, unleashing their soul power to the absolute limit to construct a thick barrier, blocking the monsters' advance. Seizing the opportunity, Qian Renxue sprinted toward the rift.
The black creatures sensed her intent and surged toward her, trying to intercept her. But Zhao Feng and the four Soul Masters fought desperately, holding the line tenaciously and refusing to let a single monster take a step closer to her. Seeing Qian Renxue making a break for the rift, Lin Mo's heart clenched with anxiety. He burned the very last dregs of his soul power to slay a few monsters beside him, attempting to follow her, only to be swarmed and surrounded by even more of the creatures.
Qian Renxue sprinted toward the rift. The gravel on the ground tore through her shoes, and the wound on her knee split open once more from the intense exertion. Blood soaked through her bandages, but she didn't slow her pace. She knew this was their only chance; if she failed now, there would be no second chances.
Soon, she stood directly before the rift. It had now expanded to three meters wide. Grayish-white mist surged out, and the sheer force of the Void hitting her face made her body tremble slightly. Deep within the rift, countless black monsters continued to pour out, shrieking in her direction.
Qian Renxue came to a halt, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, channeling every ounce of her recovered divine power into her hands. A dazzling golden light erupted from her palms—pure and warm, forming a stark, sharp contrast to the Void energy. She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze resolute, and reached out toward the rift with both hands.
Golden light poured from her hands, enveloping the rift. The moment the golden radiance touched the tear, a sharp sizzling sound erupted. The grayish-white mist was scorched by the golden light and rapidly dissipated. The rift's expansion slowed to a halt, and it even began to slowly contract.
"It's working!" Qian Renxue's heart leaped, and she focused even harder on channeling her divine power. She could feel the Void energy within the rift being continuously devoured and purified by the golden light; the rift's width was shrinking inch by inch.
But just then, a massive roar echoed from the depths of the rift. A surge of overwhelmingly powerful Void energy erupted, instantly shattering her golden canopy and striking Qian Renxue. Her face drained of color as the blow hit her, sending her flying backward. She crashed heavily to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"Xue Yan!" Lin Mo's eyes nearly split with rage and grief seeing her struck. Burning the absolute final scrap of his soul power, he broke through the encirclement of monsters and sprinted toward her.
Qian Renxue lay prone on the ground, utterly drained of strength. Her divine power was depleted once more, and she was severely injured. She raised her head to look deep into the rift, where a colossal black monster was slowly rising. It was leagues larger than the previous creatures, standing over a dozen meters tall. Its body resembled a massive clump of black sludge, covered in countless thick, writhing tentacles. Its eyes were two gigantic points of red light, radiating a terrifying aura.
"That's a... Void Lord?" Qian Renxue's voice was weak. She could sense that this monster's power was immense—at least at the Title Douluo level. Moreover, the Void energy radiating from it was even purer and stronger than that of the rift itself.
The Void Lord let out a deafening shriek and lashed out with a massive tentacle toward Qian Renxue. She wanted to dodge, but her body was completely unresponsive. She could only watch helplessly as the tentacle drew closer.
Just at that moment, a figure lunged forward, throwing himself in front of Qian Renxue. It was Lin Mo. He spread his arms wide, flaring his soul power to construct a flimsy barrier. But his soul power was already completely dry; this barrier was incredibly fragile in the face of the Void Lord's tentacle.
Bang!
The tentacle slammed into the soul power barrier. The shield shattered instantly, and Lin Mo was sent flying by the impact. He vomited a mouthful of blood, crashed heavily to the ground, and lay completely motionless.
"Lin Mo!" Qian Renxue screamed, tears she couldn't control streaming down her face. She never imagined that Lin Mo would actually risk his life to protect her.
The Void Lord let out a triumphant shriek and reached out with another tentacle to grab Qian Renxue. In absolute despair, Qian Renxue closed her eyes. She knew this was truly the end for her. But right at that moment, a barrage of images flashed through her mind: Xiaoyu's smile as she hugged her teddy bear, Lin Mo's warm back, her mother's gentle hands, her father's stern yet caring gaze, and all the countless lives she had sworn to protect.
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