Qian Renxue looked up. Not far ahead, four Soul Masters in dark blue uniforms were sprinting toward them. Each was armed and radiated intense fluctuations of soul power. The leader was a middle-aged Soul Master with a sharp gaze. His aura suggested he was no weakling—at the very least, a Soul Douluo.
"Lin Mo!" the middle-aged Soul Master shouted when he saw them. "Hurry over! We'll cover you!"
Lin Mo quickened his pace, only stopping when he reached the middle-aged man. His legs finally gave out, and he collapsed to the ground along with Qian Renxue. He gasped heavily for breath. His soul power was completely drained, and his face was as pale as paper.
"Captain, hold off those monsters!" Lin Mo pointed weakly at the black creatures chasing them.
The middle-aged captain nodded and shot a meaningful glance at the three Soul Masters behind him. The three immediately fanned out, unleashed their soul power to the max, and charged at the black monsters. Their martial souls manifested one after another—both beast and tool types. Their soul power formed layer after layer of barriers, intercepting the monsters' advance.
The middle-aged captain crouched down to check Lin Mo's condition, then glanced at the wound on Qian Renxue's knee. "Luckily, it's just soul power exhaustion and some minor scrapes." He pulled two bottles of Soul Power Recovery Potion from his backpack and handed one to Lin Mo. "Drink this first to get your energy back. We'll handle things here."
Lin Mo took the potion, unscrewed the cap, and downed it in one gulp. After a brief rest, his soul power recovered slightly, and he managed to stand up, supporting Qian Renxue. "Captain, this is Xue Yan. She can counter those Void monsters," he introduced.
The captain looked at Qian Renxue, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Oh? You can counter Void monsters?" he asked. "I'm Zhao Feng, the captain of this sentry post. My martial soul is the Diamond Shield, and I'm a Soul Douluo."
Qian Renxue nodded and forced herself to stand. A sharp pain from her knee made her involuntarily furrow her brows. "My name is Xue Yan," she said. "I possess a type of power that can repel these Void monsters, but my energy is currently depleted, so I can't use it right now."
Zhao Feng nodded and didn't press for details. He knew that in these extraordinary times, everyone had their secrets. "Let's return to the sentry post first. It's too dangerous out here," he said. "There are too many of those things; we can only hold them off temporarily, not wipe them out completely."
Supporting Qian Renxue, Lin Mo followed Zhao Feng back toward the sentry post. The battle raged on behind them—the shouts of the Soul Masters, the shrieks of the monsters, and the explosive clashes of soul power all weaving together to shatter the previously deathly silence.
After about ten minutes of walking, they finally made it back to the sentry post. It was a simple wooden structure surrounded by high fences. Silver barbed wire was wrapped around the fence, emitting faint soul power fluctuations—likely a defensive measure against the Void mist. The two guards on duty saw them approaching and immediately swung the fence gates open to let them inside.
Once inside, Zhao Feng ordered a guard to fetch a medical kit to treat Qian Renxue's wounds. He then led Lin Mo into the sentry post's monitoring room, which housed multiple screens displaying live feeds of the area surrounding the rift.
On the screens, the three Soul Masters were still locked in combat with the black creatures. Although they held the upper hand, the monsters' numbers were steadily increasing, and the Soul Masters' energy was draining rapidly.
"How does it look?" Lin Mo asked, staring at the screens. His face was still pale, and his voice remained weak.
"Not good," Zhao Feng said, frowning. "The number of those monsters just keeps climbing, and they seem completely fearless, throwing themselves at us wave after wave. Our people are strong, but if this drags on, their soul power will give out eventually." He paused before adding, "I've already sent an emergency signal to headquarters requesting reinforcements, but they're too far away. It'll take at least three hours for them to arrive."
Lin Mo's expression grew even grimmer. Three hours. Given the current situation, the three Soul Masters wouldn't last nearly that long. Once they fell, the monsters would break through the defenses and head straight for Northwind Town. The townspeople would be in mortal danger.
"Is there any way to temporarily trap those monsters?" Lin Mo asked.
Zhao Feng shook his head. "We tried erecting soul power barriers, but the Void energy of those creatures just devours the soul power. The barriers can't hold for long," he said. "Furthermore, the rift is still expanding. More and more of them will pour out; there's no way we can contain them."
Just then, the door to the monitoring room opened, and Qian Renxue walked in. Her knee had been properly bandaged. Though it still throbbed with pain, she could walk normally. She stepped up to the screens, staring at the black monsters with a deep furrow in her brow.
"Those monsters are physical manifestations of Void energy," Qian Renxue stated. "They possess no consciousness, only a primal instinct: to devour anything living to grow stronger. Moreover, their power source is the Void energy within the rift. As long as the rift remains open, they will just keep pouring out endlessly."
Both Zhao Feng and Lin Mo looked at her, a glimmer of hope in their eyes. "Is there a way to wipe them out for good?" Zhao Feng asked.
"Yes," Qian Renxue nodded. "If we cut off their power source—by sealing the rift—those monsters will lose their energy supply and gradually dissipate. However, sealing the rift requires a sufficiently powerful, pure energy. Furthermore, someone has to get close to the rift to initiate the seal."
Zhao Feng's expression darkened. Getting close to the rift meant facing a swarm of those black monsters while withstanding the erosion of the Void energy. The risk was astronomical. Furthermore, Qian Renxue was the only one here capable of wielding that pure energy, but she was completely drained and utterly incapable of performing a seal right now.
"I can try to recover my strength," Qian Renxue said, seemingly reading his thoughts. "I just need a quiet place. Give me about an hour, and I should be able to recover enough power to initiate the seal."
"No!" Lin Mo immediately objected. "That's way too dangerous! In one hour, those monsters might have already broken through our defenses. Besides, you'll be completely defenseless while recovering. If they attack you, it could be fatal."
"There is no other way," Qian Renxue looked at him, her tone resolute. "If we don't seal that rift, we won't just die—Northwind Town's residents will be consumed by the Void, and eventually, the entire Douluo Continent will fall into crisis. I have to do this."
Zhao Feng fell silent. He knew Qian Renxue was right; they were out of options. "Alright," he nodded. "I'll assign two men to protect you. While you're recovering, I swear we won't let a single monster get near you. Furthermore, I will personally lead the rest to hold the line and buy you as much time as possible."
"Thank you," Qian Renxue said.
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