Light of the Rift

The mountain ridge was as steep as the back of a knife.

Lu Yuan took the lead, his fingers digging into the cracks in the rock. The wind swept up from the rift, making his clothes flutter. A dull pain throbbed in his side, and he circulated his Soul Power to avoid that area, maintaining only the most basic grip. The terrain map unfolded clearly in his mind, and he had calculated the landing point for each step.

Mo Chen followed behind, his movements surprisingly nimble for someone over forty. He held a thin metal rod in his mouth, the occasional jingling at his waist swallowed by the wind. Su Yan was third; after his breakthrough, his Soul Power control had stabilized considerably, his breathing even, his eyes fixed intently on the footsteps of the person ahead. Lu Qinghe brought up the rear, his face somber, his rough fingers brushing against the rock wall, carrying a faint trace of earth-attribute energy, erasing even the slightest footprints.

The group resembled four geckos, crawling upwards in the dim light of day.

After rounding an eagle-beak rock, a narrow gully filled with rubble appeared ahead. Lu Yuan raised his fist, and the three of them immediately stopped and disappeared into the shadows.

From the other end of the ditch came the sound of footsteps on gravel and hushed conversation.

"... Still no news from Elder Wang and the others? It's been almost an hour since the stalemate started."

"What's the rush? That thing at the bottom of the valley is strange; it's giving the elders a headache. We just need to guard our retreat."

Two disciples of the Cloud Mist Sect, Soul Master, carrying swords and crossbows, walked routinely along the edge of the ditch.

Lu Yuan tapped the rock face very lightly twice with his fingers.

Mo Chen understood, removed the metal rod from his mouth, and aimed at a loose rock above the ditch. At the same time, Su Yan closed his eyes, and his Soul Power spread out at a subtle tremor frequency, imitating the natural ripples of mountain wind passing through the crevices of rocks.

The disciple carrying the crossbow suddenly looked up. "Was that a sound like a stone hitting the ground just now?!"

Click.

The loose stones rolled down, creating a series of crashing sounds!

"Watch out!" the disciple with the sword cried out and retreated.

The moment their attention was drawn, Lu Yuan moved. He darted sideways several steps, and his Blue Silver Grass shot out like a venomous snake, precisely tripping their ankles. A small, dusty gray ball slid out of his sleeve and flicked it towards the ground between them.

Su Yan's Soul Power trembled suddenly, turning into a low hum that enveloped the area.

The two disciples stumbled, feeling dizzy. The small ball landed and exploded—there was no fire or loud noise, only a thick cloud of gray mist with a pungent smell, which instantly engulfed them.

"Enemy..." The disciple with the sword only managed to utter half a word before a large, calloused hand gripped his throat. Another muffled groan sounded almost simultaneously.

The gray fog was dispersed by the mountain wind.

Lu Qinghe released his grip, and the two unconscious disciples were hastily bound by vines and stuffed into a crevice in the rock. Mo Chen quickly searched out their identity tokens and miscellaneous items, and took out a small bottle containing some medicinal powder.

"Sleeping powder, enough to keep them asleep until the wee hours of the morning," Mo Chen said in a low voice, tossing the token to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan took it, glanced at it, and put it in his pocket. "Let's go. There's a 15-minute break before the shift change."

The group moved again.

After crossing the last mountain ridge, a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before us.

Below was a flat mountain hollow, backed by a steep cliff. Three gray-white tents were pitched in a triangular pattern, the largest one in the center, with a figure vaguely moving about inside. Scattered around the edge of the camp were figures wielding weapons, their Soul Power fluctuations mostly at the Soul Master level. Only one middle-aged man leaning against the door of the largest tent had a heavy aura, indicating he was at the Soul Ancestor level.

As the intelligence analysis suggested, the defenses here were reduced to a minimum after the main force was withdrawn.

But Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the several metal stakes half-buried in the ground on the outskirts of the camp. The tops of the stakes were inlaid with turbid crystals, emitting faint but regular fluctuations of Soul Power, which were connected to each other to form an invisible net.

"A simple warning Soul Tool, trigger-activated." Mo Chen, crouching behind the mountain ridge, squinted as he observed. "Can this solve the problem?"

Mo Chen chuckled and licked his chapped lips. He untied the leather pouch at his waist and poured out a metal probe as thin as a hair, tiny tweezers, a thin crystal chip, and a miniature crystal bottle. His fingers were exceptionally steady as he picked up a probe, subtly infusing it with his Soul Power, and a tiny white light, no bigger than a pinhead, appeared at the tip of the probe.

"To break it silently, we either need to cut off the circuit or cover the interference with higher frequency Soul Power fluctuations..." he muttered, selecting a light blue crystal, picking it up with tweezers and attaching it to the side of the probe. Holding his breath, he slowly extended the probe, aiming at the tiny gap in the crystal at the top of the nearest metal stake.

The white light from the needle tip seeped into the gap.

Mo Chen closed his eyes, immersing himself entirely in that Soul Power, searching for the inherent frequency and nodes of the Soul Power flow within the circuit. Time passed slowly. A faint rumbling sound came from the direction of the distant rift valley.

Lu Yuan remained lying in place, his gaze sweeping across the camp. The Soul Ancestor yawned, appearing somewhat lax. From the largest tent, the faint sound of chains being dragged could be heard.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the rocks as he mentally rehearsed the evacuation route after rescuing the people.

"It's done." Mo Chen suddenly opened his eyes, his voice suppressing excitement. His fingers trembled very slightly.

The crystal at the top of the metal stake flickered almost imperceptibly before fading completely. Then, the second, the third... the invisible Soul Power perimeter of the camp silently developed a gap.

"The interference coverage has been established and can be maintained for about a hundred breaths." Mo Chen quickly put away his tools, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Within a hundred breaths, the sensing of Soul Power fluctuations in this area will be delayed and distorted, unless someone directly crashes into it."

Lu Yuan nodded. One hundred breaths is enough.

He was about to wave to signal for action.

A sudden change has occurred!

The largest tent in the center of the camp suddenly swelled violently without warning! The thick canvas was stretched so hard that it made a tearing sound.

Immediately afterwards, a suppressed roar, yet piercing through the tent, suddenly exploded out!

"Roar--!!!"

It was Lin Xiao's voice. But that voice was filled with pain, violence, and an almost beastly frenzy.

The tent flap was violently torn open from the inside by the raging Soul Power! A figure staggered out.

It was Lin Xiao, but he was almost unrecognizable.

His entire body Entanglement in a viscous, almost tangible, dark purple Soul Power. This Soul Power writhed and rolled like a living thing, emitting unsettling and unstable fluctuations. His short hair stood on end, and the claw scar on his face was vividly red. Most terrifying of all were his eyes—his amber pupils had shrunk into two unstable vertical slits, with chaotic purple light leaping in their depths. His gaze was wild and unfocused, filled only with a pure desire for destruction.

His left arm was twisted unnaturally, yet he seemed completely oblivious to the pain, and he swung it fiercely at the nearest Cloud Mist Sect disciple!

Dark purple Soul Power left his body, transforming into a twisted, claw-like phantom. The Soul Master disciple had no time to react; a deep wound was torn open in his chest, and he was sent flying backward, crashing into a tent pillar. His fate was unknown.

The camp was thrown into chaos instantly.

"Enemy attack?!"

"It's that prisoner! He's gone mad!"

Exclamations erupted. The remaining Cloud Mist Sect disciples were both shocked and furious, revealing their Martial Soul, but dared not step forward. The oppressive aura and frenzied energy emanating from the dark purple Soul Power instilled in them an instinctive fear.

The Soul Ancestor leaning against the door had a drastic change in expression. "Damn it! You still dare to resist? Suppress him!" His Martial Soul instantly possessed him, becoming a phantom of a yellowish-brown wild boar, with three Soul Ring —two yellow and one purple—floating on his body. The third Soul Ring lit up, and a solid yellowish-brown light shield descended upon Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao seemed not to see it at all, making a strange hoarse sound from his throat, and without dodging or avoiding the light barrier, he slammed his fist, Entanglement dark purple Soul Power, into it!

Boom!

The protective barrier trembled violently, its light flickering unpredictably. The Soul Ancestor grunted, taking two steps back, his eyes flashing with shock. This kid was on the verge of death before, how could he suddenly unleash such terrifying power? And this Soul Power attribute... it's nothing like a normal Hell Spirit Cat!

Lin Xiao himself swayed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but the madness in his eyes did not diminish at all; on the contrary, it became even more violent due to his injury. The dark purple Soul Power on his body surged violently, showing signs of spreading out of control, and the scar on his left cheek was so red that it seemed to be burning.

On the mountain ridge, Lu Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

The plan was completely ruined. The infiltration and ambush had instantly turned into a direct confrontation that required immediate intervention, and they also had to face Lin Xiao, whose Soul Power was running rampant and who couldn't distinguish friend from foe!

Time is of the essence. Every moment of delay could cause Lin Xiao to completely lose control, or allow the Soul Ancestor to find an opportunity to severely injure or even kill him.

Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed, all hesitation instantly suppressed, his voice calm yet urgent:

"Mo Chen, launch a full-scale attack! Disrupt their formation! Su Yan, prepare to use shockwaves and disruptions, focusing on that Soul Ancestor and the disciple attempting to form a formation! Father—"

He looked at Lu Qinghe.

Lu Qinghe's expression was extremely solemn, but meeting his son's gaze, he did not hesitate at all. His pale yellow Soul Power steadily rose, and the phantom of the iron hoe Martial Soul condensed in his hand.

"Stop that Soul Ancestor." Lu Yuan spoke rapidly. "Don't fight him head-on, just keep him occupied and don't give him a chance to kill Lin Xiao or call for reinforcements."

Lu Qinghe said in a deep voice, "Okay."

"I'll try..." Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the frantic figure struggling in the dark purple Soul Power below, seemingly ignoring the pain in his side. "Stabilize Lin Xiao."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was the first to leap out from behind the ridge and charge headlong into the chaotic camp.

Behind him, Mo Chen cursed something, and two dark iron lumps appeared in his hands, which he hurled violently to the sides of the camp. Su Yan closed his eyes and concentrated, his Soul Power resonating and gathering momentum at a peculiar frequency. Lu Qinghe roared, his earth-yellow Soul Power enveloping his entire body, like a steady boulder, and he slammed headlong into the furious Soul Ancestor!

The plan has veered off course once again. And this time, the variables are even more perilous.