Just then, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed in the distance. A detection Soul Master came sprinting back, his face pale with panic. His uniform was covered in dust, and a trickle of blood hung from the corner of his mouth—he had clearly run into danger. "It's terrible! Lady Xue Yan, Captain Zhao! Ten li to the west, a massive swarm of Void monsters has appeared, and a new rift is rapidly expanding—it's even bigger than the last one!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the ground began to violently tremble. The walls of the sentry post let out loud creaking and groaning sounds, as if they might collapse at any second. Out on the distant wasteland, a black rift tore through the earth. Grayish-white mist surged from it like a geyser, instantly blanketing a vast area. The temperature plummeted, and the shrubs that had just regained a hint of green instantly withered to a sickly yellow, some even beginning to rot.
"Damn it, the rift erupted ahead of schedule!" Qian Renxue's expression drastically changed. She forcibly circulated the pitiful remnants of her soul power, her body trembling slightly. "It seems the Void Lord from before was merely a vanguard. The true crisis is only just beginning." She could sense that the Void energy radiating from the new rift was several times more powerful than that of the Void Lord. Moreover, it concealed multiple distinct, terrifying auras within. It was obvious that the enemies emerging this time would be far more formidable than the last.
Zhao Feng immediately rallied all the reinforcements and shouted his orders: "Everyone listen up! Form a defensive line immediately! Medical Soul Masters, stay in the rear on standby! Detection Soul Masters, keep monitoring the rift's movements! Combat Soul Masters, on me! We move west to intercept those monsters and buy Lady Xue Yan time to recover!"
"Yes!" all the reinforcement members shouted in unison, springing into action immediately. Over a dozen combat Soul Masters, armed with soul tools, charged after Zhao Feng toward the western rift. The detection Soul Masters fanned out to keep tabs on the area surrounding the rift, while the medical Soul Masters set up a triage station near the sentry post, ready to treat the wounded at a moment's notice.
Lin Mo supported Qian Renxue, his eyes filled with determination. "Xue Yan, stay here and recover. I'm going to back up Zhao Feng and the others. I won't let a single Void monster get within half a step of this post."
Qian Renxue shook her head, gritted her teeth, and forced herself to stand. Although the Angelic power within her was exceedingly faint, it slowly began to circulate under the sheer drive of her willpower. "No, I have to go. The power inside that rift is too overwhelming; you won't be able to handle it alone. Even though my combat prowess is severely diminished right now, my Angelic power acts as a natural counter to the Void. I might be of some help." As she spoke, she pulled a golden jade pendant from her robes. It was an heirloom of the Angel family, containing a wisp of pure Angelic source power—a trump card she had intentionally held in reserve.
Qian Renxue gripped the jade pendant and channeled her soul power into it. The pendant instantly flared with a blinding golden light. A stream of pure Angelic power surged from the jade and flowed slowly into her body, nourishing her damaged meridians and restoring a portion of her energy. While she was still worlds away from her peak condition, it was at least enough for her to cast basic Angelic soul skills and barely hold her own in a fight.
Seeing how resolute she was, Lin Mo didn't try to stop her anymore. He nodded. "Alright, we're going together. But you have to be careful—don't push yourself too hard." With that, he supported Qian Renxue and hurried swiftly toward the western rift.
By now, the battle on the western wasteland was already in full swing. Zhao Feng led the dozen or so combat Soul Masters in forming a staunch defensive line, intercepting the endless swarm of Void monsters pouring out of the rift. These Void creatures were entirely different from the ones they had faced before. Not only were there far more of them, but their individual strength was also significantly higher. Among their ranks were gigantic creatures at the Soul Douluo level. These behemoths were covered in black scales and spewed black venom from their maws. Every single attack carried a dense aura of Void that could corrode both a Soul Master's physical body and their soul power.
Boom!
A Soul Emperor-ranked reinforcement unleashed a massive flame soul skill at an incoming swarm. The flames collided with the black Void energy, resulting in a violent explosion. A large number of the smaller Void monsters were incinerated on the spot. However, the Soul Douluo-level behemoths only had their scales singed; the attack barely affected them. Instead, it only enraged them further as they swung their massive claws and charged directly at the defensive line.
Wielding a massive battle axe, Zhao Feng leaped into the air. His soul power surged, and a dense layer of golden energy coated his blade as he brought it crashing down toward the head of one of the giant monsters.
Clang!
The axe struck the monster's scales with immense force, producing a shrill screech of metal on metal as sparks flew in all directions. Yet, it only left a shallow scratch on the creature's hide.
"Such hard scales!" Zhao Feng's heart jolted. He hastily used the momentum to backflip away, narrowly dodging the monster's swiping claw. The claw, saturated with Void energy, grazed his shoulder. His uniform instantly corroded upon contact, and a deep, ugly gash was carved into his skin. Black venom seeped into the wound, bringing a piercing, agonizing pain.
"Captain Zhao, look out!" a Soul Master yelled, unleashing a defensive soul skill to intercept the monster right in front of Zhao Feng.
Boom!
The giant monster's claw slammed into the defensive barrier. The shield shattered instantly, and the Soul Master who had cast it was sent flying backward, coughing up blood and completely knocked out of the fight.
The situation instantly turned critical. The reinforcements fought desperately, but the swarm of Void monsters kept growing in both number and strength. Multiple breaches had already appeared in their defensive line. Many members were injured, and several had been taken out of commission. If things kept going like this, it wouldn't be long before the line was completely overrun, allowing the Void creatures to surge toward the sentry post and beyond.
Right at that moment, Qian Renxue and Lin Mo arrived on the scene. Seeing the dire situation before her, Qian Renxue's eyes turned icy. Without a moment's hesitation, she channeled her internal Angelic power alongside the source power from the jade pendant. Spreading her arms wide, a golden dome of light instantly materialized, encompassing the entire defensive line.
The golden dome radiated a sacred aura. The moment the Void monsters slammed into it, they let out piercing shrieks. Their bodies began to rapidly incinerate, dissolving into black smoke and vanishing into thin air in an instant.
"It's Angelic power!" Zhao Feng's heart leaped with sudden hope. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his shoulder, he launched himself into the air once more. He condensed an even denser layer of soul power onto his battle axe and brought it down hard on the giant Void monster.
This time, his golden soul power seamlessly fused with Qian Renxue's Angelic power, forming a blade of golden sword intent that cleaved straight into the monster's scales.
Crack!
This time, the monster's impenetrable scales were sheared apart like paper. The golden sword aura continued its trajectory, slicing deep into the creature's body with a violent explosion. The giant monster let out an agonizing shriek as its body rapidly contracted, dissolving into black smoke that was thoroughly purified by the golden dome.
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