The moment the stone struck the rune, the barrier's attack, like a monster being choked, let out a whimper and came to an abrupt halt.

The shimmering runes seemed to be paused, their light frozen in the air.

The crack, previously as thin as a hair, now expanded visibly, spreading like a spiderweb, emanating a faint light and a whispering voice growing clearer: "Come in...come in..."

Mu Xue was overjoyed, but before she could be happy for long, the barrier suddenly trembled violently, and cracks began to appear in the surrounding ground, as if it were about to collapse.

The solidified light suddenly exploded, turning into countless points of light that poured down like a torrential rain.

The previously paused attacks did not disappear, but instead transformed into more violent and chaotic energy surges, crashing against them wave after wave.

"Ning Yu!" Mu Xue exclaimed in surprise, staggering backward from the shockwave.

Ning Yu reacted quickly, grabbing her arm and pulling her behind him.

His body surged with supernatural power, forming a barrier to block the scattered energy fragments.

"The barrier's energy is out of control!" He gritted his teeth. "We must get out of here as soon as possible!"

He felt the stone in his hand had become scalding hot, as if it were about to melt.

He found this stone after going through many hardships, following the system's prompts; it possesses the ability to interfere with barrier runes.

He thought he could easily break the barrier, but he didn't expect it to trigger such a violent reaction.

Could it be that the information provided by the system is incorrect?

Or perhaps… He looked at the ever-expanding crack and the increasingly bright light within it, and a terrifying thought began to rise in his mind.

"Come in... Come in quickly..." The voice became clearer, carrying an indescribable allure, as if it were a summons from the abyss.

“No… something’s not right…” Mu Xue’s face was pale, she gripped Ning Yu’s sleeve tightly, her voice trembling, “That voice… it didn’t sound like it was calling us…”

Ning Yu's heart sank; he sensed it too. Besides excitement, that voice also carried a chilling... hunger.

"Let's go!" Without further hesitation, he grabbed Mu Xue and ran towards a relatively stable place.

The cracks spread extremely quickly, and the earth seemed to have turned into a turbulent sea, making every step they took incredibly difficult.

Just then, a pale hand slowly emerged from the crack... Ning Yu pulled Mu Xue along as they ran wildly. The earth trembled violently, and the crack, like a giant black python, snaked across the ground, devouring everything in its path.

They were nearly swallowed by a sudden crack in the ground. Ning Yu pulled them back sharply, and the momentum caused them to fall to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Ning Yu asked anxiously, helping Mu Xue up.

Mu Xue gritted her teeth and tried to stand up, but cried out in pain and fell back down. "My ankle is twisted..."

The situation was urgent; the pale hand had fully extended from the crack, waving in the air and emitting a chilling shriek.

More figures began to emerge from the crack, like demons from hell, greedily eyeing the world.

"I'll carry you!" Ning Yu made a quick decision, hoisted Mu Xue onto his back, and continued running.

Mu Xue lay on Ning Yu's back, the violent jolting causing her unbearable pain, but she bit her lip tightly to keep herself from making a sound so as not to distract Ning Yu.

She could feel Ning Yu's breathing becoming more and more rapid, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.

The surrounding tremors grew more and more intense, and the safe zone shrank smaller and smaller. They felt as if they were in a giant meat grinder, where they could be crushed into pieces at any moment.

“Ning Yu… We… seem to be… surrounded…” Mu Xue’s voice trembled, tinged with despair.

Ning Yu looked around. The cracks had already surrounded them, and more and more pale figures were appearing, emitting piercing screams as they approached step by step.

He gritted his teeth, his supernatural power surging wildly, forming a thin barrier around him that barely held back the energy fragments and the approaching monsters.

But he knew he couldn't keep this up for long.

The stone burned in his hand, as if mocking his helplessness.

Just then, he noticed that the arrangement of the runes on the barrier seemed to have changed amidst the violent tremors... A bold idea popped into his mind.

He glanced at the monster approaching behind him, then at Mu Xue, pale-faced, on his back. He knew this was an opportunity, a chance to break through the barrier completely, but… He took a deep breath, his gaze hardening… “Hold on!”

Ning Yu's gaze was fixed on the changes in the barrier runes. It was an extremely subtle difference that he would never have noticed if he hadn't been in a life-or-death situation.

The vibrations of the barrier caused the connection between the runes to loosen slightly, like a tightly closed iron gate whose latch shifted slightly due to the earthquake.

This is an opportunity, a chance to escape!

However, carrying Mu Xue on his back made it difficult for him to move around, which undoubtedly added a great deal of difficulty to his plan.

Mu Xue lay on Ning Yu's back, feeling his taut muscles and rapid breathing.

She followed Ning Yu's gaze to the barrier and immediately understood his thoughts.

"Ning Yu, put me down." Her voice was weak but firm.

"No! It's too dangerous!" Ning Yu refused without even thinking.

"Trust me, I can do it," Mu Xue insisted. "You can't move around freely while carrying me. Rather than both of us being trapped here, you should take a chance. If you succeed, we can both survive."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!