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

Qian Renxue looked up and saw four Soul Masters in dark blue uniforms running towards them not far ahead. Each of them was carrying a weapon and exuded a strong aura of Soul Power. The leader was a middle-aged Soul Master with sharp eyes and considerable strength, at least at the Soul Douluo level.

"Lin Mo!" the middle-aged Soul Master shouted when he saw them, "Come quickly! We'll cover you!"

Lin Mo quickened his pace, running until he reached the middle-aged Soul Master before stopping. He could no longer support himself; his legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground along with Qian Renxue. He gasped for breath, his Soul Power completely exhausted, his face ashen.

"Captain, quickly stop those monsters!" Lin Mo said weakly, pointing at the black monsters chasing after them.

The middle-aged Soul Master nodded and winked at the three Soul Masters behind him. The three Soul Masters immediately dispersed, unleashing their full Soul Power, and charged towards the black monster. Their Martial Souls awakened one after another—some were Beast Martial Souls, some were Weapon Martial Souls—and their Soul Power formed barriers, blocking the black monster's attack.

The middle-aged Soul Master crouched down, checked Lin Mo's condition, and then looked at the wound on Qian Renxue's knee. "It's alright, just depleted soul power and superficial injuries." He took out two bottles of soul power recovery potion from his backpack, handed one to Lin Mo, and said, "Drink this to restore your soul power, and leave this to us."

Lin Mo took the soul power recovery potion, unscrewed the cap, and drank it all in one gulp. After resting for a while, his soul power recovered somewhat, and he managed to stand up, supporting Qian Renxue. "Captain, this is Xueyan. She can subdue those void monsters," he introduced.

The middle-aged Soul Master looked at Qian Renxue with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Oh? You can suppress the Void Monster?" he asked. "I am Zhao Feng, the captain of this outpost. My Martial Soul is the Vajra Shield, and I am a Soul Douluo level."

Qian Renxue nodded, struggling to stand up. A sharp pain shot through the wound on her knee, causing her to wince. "My name is Xueyan," she said. "I can use a power to subdue these void monsters, but I'm currently exhausted and unable to use it."

Zhao Feng nodded without asking further questions. He knew that everyone had their own secrets during this special period. "Let's go back to the outpost first; it's too dangerous here," he said. "There are too many monsters; we can only hold them off temporarily, not eliminate them completely."

Lin Mo helped Qian Renxue up and followed Zhao Feng toward the outpost. The battle behind them continued; the shouts of soul masters, the hisses of monsters, and the sounds of clashing soul power mingled together, breaking the silence.

After walking for about ten minutes, they finally returned to the outpost. The outpost was a simple wooden structure surrounded by a high fence wrapped with silver wire, emanating faint fluctuations of soul energy, presumably to defend against the void mist. Upon seeing them return, the two guards immediately opened the gate and let them in.

Upon entering the outpost, Zhao Feng sent a guard to fetch a first-aid kit to treat Qian Renxue's wounds. He then led Lin Mo to the outpost's monitoring room, which contained multiple screens displaying the situation around the rift. On the screens, the black monsters were still fighting the three Soul Masters. Although the Soul Masters had the upper hand, the number of monsters was increasing, and their Soul Power was being rapidly depleted.

"How is it?" Lin Mo asked, looking at the screen. His face was still pale, and his voice was weak.

“This isn’t good.” Zhao Feng frowned. “The number of those monsters keeps increasing, and they seem fearless, attacking relentlessly. Although our men are strong, their soul power will eventually be exhausted if this continues.” He paused, then added, “I’ve sent an emergency signal to headquarters requesting support, but headquarters is too far away; it will take at least three hours for them to arrive.” Lin Mo’s expression grew even more grim. Three hours? In the current situation, three soul masters simply couldn’t hold out that long. Once the soul masters fell, the monsters would break through the defenses and advance towards Northwind Town, putting the villagers in grave danger.

"Is there any way to temporarily trap those monsters?" Lin Mo asked.

Zhao Feng shook his head. "We tried to build a barrier with soul power, but the monsters' void power can devour soul power, so the barrier can't last long at all," he said. "Moreover, the rift is still expanding, and the number of monsters will increase. We simply can't trap them."

Just then, the door to the monitoring room opened, and Qian Renxue walked in. Her knee had been bandaged, and although it still hurt a little, she could walk normally. She walked to the screen, looked at the black monster on it, and frowned deeply.

“Those monsters are formed from the power of nothingness,” Qian Renxue said. “They have no consciousness, only instinct, which is to devour everything that has life to grow stronger. Moreover, their power comes from the nothingness energy in the rifts. As long as the rifts exist, they will continue to appear.”

Zhao Feng and Lin Mo both looked at her, their eyes filled with anticipation. "Is there any way to completely eliminate them?" Zhao Feng asked.

“Yes.” Qian Renxue nodded. “As long as we cut off their source of power, that is, close the rift, these monsters will lose their energy supply and slowly dissipate. But closing the rift requires sufficiently powerful pure power, and someone must approach the rift to activate the seal.”

Zhao Feng's expression darkened. Approaching the rift meant facing countless black monsters and enduring the corrosive power of the void within—a very risky endeavor. Moreover, only Qian Renxue could currently use pure power, but she was now exhausted and unable to complete the seal.

“I can try to recover my strength.” Qian Renxue seemed to see his concerns and said, “I need a quiet place. It will take about an hour to recover some of my strength, enough to activate the seal.”

"No!" Lin Mo immediately objected. "It's too dangerous. In just one hour, those monsters might have already broken through the defenses. Moreover, you won't be able to defend yourself when you're recovering your strength. If you're attacked by a monster, your life will be in danger."

“There is no other way.” Qian Renxue looked at him, her tone firm. “If we don’t close the rift, not only will we die, but the villagers of Beifeng Town will also be corrupted by the void. At that time, the entire Douluo Continent will be in crisis. I have to go.”

Zhao Feng fell silent. He knew Qian Renxue was right; there was no turning back now. "Alright," he nodded. "I'll arrange for two people to protect you, and while you recover your strength, we'll make sure the monsters don't get close. Also, I'll personally lead a group to hold off the monsters and buy you as much time as possible."

"Thank you," Qian Renxue said. (End of Chapter)