Jiu Jia Yi's gaze sharpened. He walked over to Yan Zhi and said gravely, "You think this place exists to trap us?"
"Yes." Yan Zhi nodded. "The light we entered wasn't just a means of transport. It may have been some kind of control. Perhaps a greater power is behind all this."
"You mean someone is manipulating everything?" Doubt flickered in Jiu Jia Yi's eyes. He gripped his sword hilt tightly, and the blade gave off a faint glow, as though responding to his tension and vigilance.
"I don't know." Yan Zhi gritted her teeth, her brow furrowed. "But I can feel that none of this is a coincidence. We're trapped, and behind this trap lies a truth we haven't uncovered yet."
They looked at each other for a long moment. An indescribable tension hung in the air, as if something was about to happen. Yan Zhi's heartbeat gradually steadied, but her unease only grew stronger, an inescapable shadow over her heart.
"We need to find answers, and fast." Jiu Jia Yi finally broke the silence, determination in his eyes. "Otherwise, we may never escape."
Yan Zhi nodded. She knew escaping this void would not be so simple. She had faced countless ordeals before, but none had felt this oppressive. She dared not imagine what would happen if they failed to find the right path.
She drew a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, scanning their surroundings again. She searched for any clue, however faint. Suddenly, her gaze stopped—the edge of the light seemed to shift in an unusual way. It rippled slightly there, as though something lay hidden within it.
"There..." she said softly. "Look over there."
Jiu Jia Yi followed her gaze, calmly studying what lay before them. "It might be a way through." He stared for a moment, then turned to Yan Zhi. "Come on. Let's go."
They headed toward the rippling light together, their steps light but sure. The atmosphere grew heavier, and each step seemed harder than the last, as though an unseen force was holding them back.
Yan Zhi's heart began to race again. The light ahead grew brighter, as if some unimaginable threat lurked behind it. She tried to suppress her fear, but unease still clung to her.
She knew this was more than a simple attempt to escape. It was a trial into the unknown, a test that would lead them deeper. And she and Jiu Jia Yi might already be past the point of turning back.
Yan Zhi and Jiu Jia Yi's footsteps rang out with startling clarity amid the warped light. Each step seemed to make the ground tremble, while the air grew heavier still. The light began to exert a strange pull, like a black hole in the depths of an abyss—terrifying, yet impossible to resist.
Yan Zhi's thoughts churned like a rising tide. She knew that the farther they went, the less chance they had of turning back. Her urge to uncover the truth tangled with the fear lurking in her heart, making every breath feel heavy. Her steps gradually slowed. She still appeared calm, but inside, her tension had reached its limit.
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