Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I am the White Emperor of Heaven

Lin Mo paused, then looked in the direction she pointed. The fissure was now two meters wide, and the fog was even thicker, making it impossible to see anything inside. "Impossible. We've been monitoring it for a month and have never found any life in the fissure," he said, his tone skeptical, but his eyes grew even more wary.

Qian Renxue remained silent. She tried again to mobilize her faint divine power. This time, instead of approaching the rift, she focused her divine power on her eyes. Although the power was weak, it was enough for her to see the scene behind the mist. She saw countless tiny black shadows writhing deep within the rift. These shadows were small, only the size of a fist, irregularly shaped, like clumps of black sludge, yet they moved rapidly.

“They are black shadows, very small, and many of them,” Qian Renxue said quickly. “They are moving towards the crevice, and they are moving very fast.”

Lin Mo's expression changed drastically. He picked up his binoculars, vigorously wiped the lens, and aimed them into the depths of the crack. But the fog was too thick; the binoculars couldn't penetrate it at all. "Whatever it is, we have to go!" He grabbed Qian Renxue and ran towards the stairwell of the observation point.

Just as they reached the stairwell, a sharp screech came from the direction of the crack. The sound wasn't loud, but it had a piercing, penetrating quality that made their eardrums hurt. Qian Renxue turned around and saw that the first black shadow had already rushed out of the crack and landed on the ground.

Upon landing, the shadow immediately unfolded, transforming into an irregular black monster. Its body resembled a viscous liquid, covered with countless tiny tentacles, and its eyes were two red dots of light, without a fixed shape. It immediately crawled towards the observation point at an astonishing speed.

"Damn it! We've been targeted!" Lin Mo released Qian Renxue's hand and held the short sword horizontally in front of him. "You go down first, I'll hold it off!"

Qian Renxue didn't move. She looked at the black monster, her brows furrowed. She could sense that the monster's power was weak, only at the Soul Venerable level, but the void power emanating from it was exceptionally pure, much stronger than the mist surrounding the rift. "No need, I'll handle it," she said calmly.

Lin Mo was taken aback, clearly not expecting Qian Renxue to offer to block the monster. "You don't have soul power, how can you block it?" he said urgently. "This thing is immune to physical attacks; only soul power can temporarily suppress it!"

Qian Renxue didn't explain. She slowly stretched out her hand, concentrating the faint divine power at her fingertips. Although she was now a mortal, she had once been an Angel God, and her control over energy far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Masters. The divine power at her fingertips emitted a faint golden light, which, though weak, carried a pure power that contrasted sharply with the power of nothingness.

The black monster had climbed to the bottom of the stairs. It raised its head, let out a hiss, and countless tentacles reached out to grab Qian Renxue. Qian Renxue slightly turned her body to avoid the tentacle attack, and at the same time, golden light shot out from her fingertips, striking the monster's body.

The golden light landed on the monster, emitting a sizzling sound. Black smoke instantly billowed from its body, and it let out a painful hiss, its body contracting as if being burned. Lin Mo's eyes widened; he hadn't expected Qian Renxue to possess such power, and even to be able to subdue the Void Monster.

"Let's go!" Qian Renxue withdrew her hand, and the golden light at her fingertips disappeared. That last strike had almost exhausted the last of her divine power; her face was pale, and her body swayed slightly.

Lin Mo realized what was happening and immediately took her arm, quickly leading her down the stairs. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I'm fine, just a little weak." Qian Renxue shook her head. "There's more than one of those monsters. We must leave here as soon as possible."

As soon as the two descended the stairs, they heard even more hissing sounds behind them. Turning around, they saw countless black monsters bursting out of the cracks, densely packed, covering the ground and crawling towards them. The monsters were incredibly fast, catching up in the blink of an eye, closing the distance to only a dozen meters. "Run!" Lin Mo grabbed Qian Renxue and desperately ran towards the outpost. He unleashed his full soul power, making him much faster than usual; Qian Renxue, being pulled along, barely touched the ground.

The ground was rough and covered with gravel. Qian Renxue's shoes were quickly worn through, and a sharp pain shot through her toes. But she didn't utter a sound; she just gritted her teeth and ran after Lin Mo. The hissing behind them grew closer and closer, and the tentacles of those monsters were almost grabbing at the hem of her clothes.

"Hang in there, just one more kilometer to the outpost!" Lin Mo shouted. His breathing had become rapid, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his soul power was greatly depleted.

Qian Renxue nodded. She could feel her strength rapidly waning, her divine power completely exhausted, and her body growing heavier and heavier. Just then, she slipped and fell heavily to the ground. The gravel on the ground tore at her knees, and blood immediately flowed out, staining the grayish-brown ground red.

"Xueyan!" Lin Mo turned around and saw Qian Renxue fall. His expression changed drastically. He immediately stopped and ran back to help her up.

"Don't worry about me, just go!" Qian Renxue pushed him. "Those monsters will catch up soon. You can escape on your own!"

"I can't abandon you!" Lin Mo's tone was firm. He bent down, wanting to carry Qian Renxue on his back. "Hurry, there's no time!"

Qian Renxue wanted to refuse, but then she saw that the black monsters had caught up and were only a few meters away. She didn't hesitate any longer and let Lin Mo carry her on his back. Lin Mo carried her and ran back towards the outpost, a little slower than before, but still very fast.

The black monsters were hot on their heels, their howls growing louder as their tentacles reached out to grab Qian Renxue's feet several times. Qian Renxue, clinging to Lin Mo's back, could feel his body trembling, clearly exhausted of his soul power, but he didn't slow down.

"Lin Mo, put me down, you can't run fast like this," Qian Renxue said softly, her tone tinged with guilt.

"Shut up and lie still!" Lin Mo's voice was a little hoarse. "I told you, I wouldn't abandon you. We'll definitely get to the outpost."

Qian Renxue stopped speaking, hugging Lin Mo's neck tightly and pressing her face against his back. She could feel Lin Mo's body temperature, hear his rapid heartbeat, and smell the faint scent of sweat on his body. This feeling was unfamiliar, yet warm, giving her a glimmer of life in this cold, desolate place.

Just then, footsteps and shouts came from ahead. Lin Mo's eyes lit up, and he quickened his pace. "It's the people from the outpost! We're saved!" (End of Chapter)