"No! I can't die!" Qian Renxue roared in her heart. She remembered her choice, remembered the future she wanted to create. She couldn't just give up like this; she couldn't let all her efforts go to waste.
A surge of immense power suddenly erupted from within her. That power was even stronger and purer than the divine power she had wielded before. Her body radiated a dazzling golden light, and a pair of massive golden wings slowly unfurled behind her. The wings were covered in golden runes, exuding a sacred aura.
Qian Renxue slowly stood up. Her wounds had completely healed, and her complexion had regained its healthy, rosy hue. She was no longer that mortal stripped of her divine power. She had reawakened her Angelic power; though not yet back to her peak, it was more than strong enough.
Seeing Qian Renxue's transformation, the Void Lord let out a shriek of surprise and lashed out with its tentacles once more. Qian Renxue's eyes turned icy. She raised her hand, and the golden light condensed into a massive golden sword. Grasping the blade, she swung it down at the incoming tentacles.
Crack!
The golden sword severed the Void Lord's tentacle. The severed limb fell to the ground and instantly dissolved into black smoke, vanishing from sight. The Void Lord let out a pained shriek, its massive body writhing violently.
Qian Renxue gave it no chance to recover. She spread her wings, took to the sky, and dive-bombed toward the Void Lord. The golden sword danced in her hands as blade auras of golden light rained down upon the creature. Every single strike left a gaping wound on its body, searing its flesh.
The Void Lord flailed its tentacles madly, trying to strike Qian Renxue, but her speed was overwhelming as she nimbly dodged every single attack. She continuously channeled her Angelic power. The golden radiance grew ever more intense, blanketing the entire area around the rift.
The grayish-white mist pouring from the rift was rapidly purified by the golden light. The smaller black monsters, scorched by the radiance, also dissolved into smoke and vanished one after another. The Void Lord's body began to shrink. Its power was being constantly purified and devoured. It shrieked in agony but was entirely powerless to stop it.
Qian Renxue flew directly above the Void Lord. Gripping the golden sword with both hands, she concentrated every last ounce of her Angelic power into the blade. The golden sword blazed with blinding light, illuminating nearly the entire sky. "This is your end. Disperse!" Qian Renxue shouted, driving the sword down toward the Void Lord.
The golden sword pierced straight through the Void Lord's body. With one final shriek, the creature's body rapidly contracted, turning into black smoke that was thoroughly purified by the golden light, dissolving completely into the air.
Having dealt with the Void Lord, Qian Renxue didn't stop. She flew directly over the rift, spread both arms, and sent a continuous stream of golden light pouring into the tear. The rift's width shrank rapidly, and the grayish-white mist grew thinner and thinner. Finally, the rift sealed completely, leaving only a faint mark on the ground—as if it had never existed at all.
The moment the rift completely sealed, Qian Renxue's body went limp. Her wings vanished, and she fell from the sky. Just before she hit the ground, a pair of strong hands caught her. It was Lin Mo. Having recovered a sliver of strength, he had managed to stand up just in time to catch her.
"Xue Yan, are you alright?" Lin Mo's voice was weak, but carried a profound sense of relief.
Qian Renxue shook her head and leaned against his chest, a faint smile appearing on her face. "I'm fine. The rift is sealed. We're safe."
Zhao Feng and the four Soul Masters walked over. They were covered in wounds, but their faces also bore relieved smiles. "Thank goodness. The rift is finally closed," Zhao Feng said. "Xue Yan, thank you. If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead."
Qian Renxue just smiled and said nothing. She could feel her Angelic power beginning to recede again; soon, she would revert to her mortal state. But she had no regrets, because she had done it. She had changed the future and created a solid anchor point.
Lin Mo supported Qian Renxue, with Zhao Feng and the four Soul Masters following behind as they made their way back to the sentry post. By now, the sun had fully risen. Golden sunlight spilled across the earth, driving away the freezing aura of the Void. The grayish-white shrubs slowly began to regain their green hue, and the hollow emptiness in the air vanished, replaced by the fresh scent of grass and trees.
Upon returning to the sentry post, the group rested for a brief moment before the headquarters' reinforcements finally arrived.
The backup team brought abundant medical supplies and combat rations. Several medical Soul Masters dressed in white uniforms immediately stepped forward to treat the wounds of Lin Mo, Zhao Feng, and the four Soul Masters. Qian Renxue leaned against the wall of the sentry post, eyes closed as she regulated her breathing. The Angelic power within her body was receding like an ebbing tide. Faint fluctuations of divine power lingered in her meridians, and every time it circulated, it brought a slight, stinging pain. She could clearly sense that forcefully erupting with her Angelic power had caused irreversible damage to her body. Right now, she wasn't even a match for an ordinary Soul Elder; she could only barely maintain her physical state using her base soul power.
"Lady Xue Yan, your body has been depleted too severely. You require immediate, intensive treatment, otherwise it will affect your future soul power recovery," a medical Soul Master said respectfully as he walked up to her, gathering a soft green soul power in his hands to clear her meridians.
Qian Renxue slowly opened her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. Her gaze was fixed on the distant wasteland; there was no trace of exhaustion in her eyes, only wariness. "There's no need. Check the surrounding energy fluctuations first. Although the rift is sealed, it's impossible for the Void's power to have completely vanished. I have a feeling things aren't that simple." Her voice was still somewhat weak, but her tone was exceptionally firm. When she was sealing the rift just now, she had vaguely sensed that the true source of that Void power hadn't been entirely eradicated—it had merely been suppressed for now, like a slumbering beast that could awaken again at any moment.
Zhao Feng, having finished bandaging the wound on his arm, walked over to Qian Renxue and nodded with a grave expression. "Lady Xue Yan is right. When I was inspecting the rift's residual mark earlier, I detected faint black energy fluctuations beneath the ground. They're very weak, but abnormally stubborn. It doesn't seem like ordinary Void residue." He paused before adding, "The detection Soul Masters from the reinforcement team have already deployed. They're conducting a comprehensive sweep of the surrounding ten-li radius. We should have results soon."
Lin Mo also pushed himself up, leaning against the wall. His soul power was still recovering slowly. He gripped the long sword in his hand tightly, his sharp eyes sweeping the surroundings. "Whatever it is, if it dares to show itself, we'll fight it to the bitter end. We won the battle just now, but we paid a heavy price. We need to be fully prepared so we don't get caught off guard again."
The four Soul Masters also stood up, each checking the status of their soul tools and soul skills. Though covered in injuries, every single one of their eyes blazed with fighting spirit. They were elite Soul Masters handpicked by headquarters, veterans of countless life-and-death battles. They had long since placed their own lives aside; as long as they could protect this land and stop the Void's erosion, they would pay the ultimate price without a single complaint.
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