Unlucky Shangguan Weier and Ye Guyi

Ye Guyi gripped the Holy Light Short Sword and swung it forward.

Golden sword light swept across the lake, slicing the water neatly in two. The lake water surged apart, then was evaporated by holy power, raising a layer of white mist.

"Holy Spirit Slash."

Holding the short sword, Ye Guyi spoke the name of her second soul skill.

Shangguan Weier nodded.

"It suits you well. It will also have an additional suppressive effect against evil soul masters and dark-type powers."

Ye Guyi nodded. Before she could speak, the light over the lake suddenly dimmed.

The clear lake water quickly turned pitch-black. Dense star patterns emerged from the lakebed, while the rock walls on both sides of the valley began to distort. The ice-blue water plants swiftly withered, and a layer of dark-purple crystals grew over them.

The smile vanished from Shangguan Weier's face at once. She raised her head toward the sky, where black cracks were spreading rapidly through the high air.

"Rift Realm!"

Her voice carried obvious surprise.

As the leader of the Ordinary Alliance, how could Shangguan Weier not know what a Rift Realm was? Rift Realm phenomena had persisted across the continent for six years, and the major factions had already compiled fairly comprehensive response materials.

The Ordinary Alliance was not an official imperial organization, but it had long operated within Mingdu's underground intelligence and commercial networks. Its understanding of Rift Realms was no less than that of any major faction.

She immediately grabbed Ye Guyi's wrist.

"Go!"

Shangguan Weier drove her soul power to its limit, intending to take Ye Guyi away from the lake, but the Rift Realm expanded far too quickly.

The black fissures soon spread across half the sky. The surrounding space began to contract, and earth and sky rapidly flipped over. Several dark-purple pillars of light descended from the edge of the Rift Realm, sealing off the area.

The moment Shangguan Weier took a step, the ground beneath her feet collapsed with a roar. She shielded Ye Guyi behind her, but a powerful suction force dragged her body toward the Rift Realm.

"Hold on tight!"

Ye Guyi wrapped an arm around Shangguan Weier's in return. After the darkness swallowed their shadows, all sound around them vanished.

The lake disappeared, and so did the Jingyang Mountain Range. In their place was a dim, oppressive Reflection Space.

The sky was dark purple, and thick clouds high above turned slowly. Every tree along the shore had withered. Diamond-shaped star crystals were embedded in their trunks, while their branches curved upward as they grew.

The air was filled with a piercing buzzing.

The instant Ye Guyi steadied herself, she felt her soul power circulating sluggishly. Needle-like pain came from her sea of spirit, and the soul rings around her body also dimmed.

"We're inside the Rift Realm."

Shangguan Weier protected Ye Guyi behind her, her expression grim. The moment they entered the Rift Realm, she had determined that it was a medium-sized one.

A low roar sounded in the distance, and a group of figures emerged from behind the dead trees.

They retained the forms of soul beasts, but their entire bodies were made of dark-purple crystals. Some had three heads, some had twisted limbs, and sharp bone spikes covered their backs.

A faint red light glowed between the crystals. Every step they took produced a series of fine clinks. A crystallized giant wolf opened its mouth. There was no tongue in its throat, only a slowly rotating mass of black mist.

When the black mist sprayed out, the ice along its path quickly blackened. Dense star patterns spread across the ground.

"Rift Realm Creations."

Shangguan Weier raised her hand and released soul power.

A pale-purple curtain of light appeared before her, blocking the black mist outside. The mist hissed as it touched the light curtain, and several cracks immediately appeared across it.

Shangguan Weier's expression grew even uglier.

Individual Rift Realm Creations were not particularly strong, but there were many of them, and their attacks carried an erosive effect. If a soul master was surrounded, their soul power would be continuously eroded away.

She did not confront them head-on.

This was a Rift Realm. As long as the Rift Realm Lord remained alive, the Rift Realm would not disappear. The most important thing now was to find a safe place, determine where they were, and then seek a way out.

At that moment, a black shadow rushed out from beside them.

Shangguan Weier turned and waved a hand. Her soul power condensed into a purple light blade that sent the crystallized soul beast flying. The blade split open the star crystal shell on its chest, but failed to kill it completely.

After rolling several times, the soul beast stood back up. The damaged crystals on its chest were rapidly repairing themselves.

Shangguan Weier lowered her gaze slightly and pulled Ye Guyi behind a slanted crystallized rock wall.

The rock wall was hollow inside, and its entrance was narrow. The Rift Realm Creations outside could not swarm in all at once for the time being. Shangguan Weier raised her hand and set up several soul power barriers, suppressing the two women's auras.

Ye Guyi leaned against the rock, breathing somewhat heavily.

"Auntie Weier, how do we get out?"

Shangguan Weier did not answer immediately. She took out a silver communication soul tool, intending to send a distress message to the Ordinary Alliance.

After soul power was injected into it, the soul tool only flickered a few times before going still. It made no further sound. Shangguan Weier tried several more times, but there was no result.

"Communications have been cut off."

Her voice was low.

The space formed within a Rift Realm differed from the outside world. Communication soul tools used in reality could not pass through the spatial barrier. Without a spatial positioning device, those outside could not accurately locate them.

"Damn it."

Shangguan Weier cursed under her breath.

As the leader of the Ordinary Alliance, she rarely lost her composure, but this Rift Realm had appeared far too suddenly—right when she and Ye Guyi had gone to hunt for a soul ring.

This did not resemble a naturally formed Rift Realm at all. It seemed more like one had been forcibly induced by some kind of power. Shangguan Weier suppressed her doubts and swiftly organized the information she had.

The continent's Rift Realms were divided into four grades: small, medium, large, and enormous. Small Rift Realms generally covered only a few miles, and their lords were usually between Soul King and Soul Douluo level.

Medium-sized Rift Realms could cover a hundred miles. Stable two-way spatial passages would form within them, allowing Rift Realm Creations to enter reality on a large scale.

The lords of medium-sized Rift Realms were at least Titled Douluo. If one was unlucky, one might even encounter a Super Douluo.

To completely destroy a Rift Realm, one had to kill its lord.

Once the lord died, the Rift Realm core would collapse, and the Reflection Space would vanish along with it. Otherwise, no matter how many ordinary creations were killed, it would only slightly slow the Rift Realm's expansion.

"This Rift Realm has only just formed. Its lord's strength probably hasn't reached its peak yet,"

Shangguan Weier analyzed in a low voice.

The energy within a newly formed medium-sized Rift Realm had not yet fully gathered. Its Rift Realm Lord should be an ordinary Titled Douluo, and it was unlikely for a Super Douluo to appear from the start.

But even so, it was extremely dangerous.