45. Pointless

That chilling declaration, piercing the depths of the soul, carried an undeniable death will, nearly freezing the air within the courtyard. The stone house seemed to come alive, transforming into a dark, predatory beast. Behind that ordinary wooden door lay a terrifying presence that shuddered.

Lei Qing bore the brunt of the attack, his mind frozen, his limbs heavy as lead. Even lifting his hunting knife became an immense struggle. But he stood guard at the doorway of the stone hut where Su Lin lay, not retreating an inch. Bloodshot eyes streamed through his eyes, and a deep, trapped animal growl emanated from his throat. The lightning around him leaped and struggled tenaciously under the overwhelming pressure of the spiritual darkness, attempting to break free from its invisible shackles.

Mu Lin's face turned pale, and blood oozed from the corners of his mouth again. He forced himself to gather his water-based supernatural power that was about to collapse. A thin, constantly fluctuating water-blue halo barely enveloped the four of him, trying to isolate some of the terrible mental erosion, but the effect was minimal, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Ling Ye's situation was the worst. He was not a pure fighter. Facing this level of mental crushing, he groaned, knelt on one knee, held his head tightly with both hands, and a look of extreme pain appeared on his face, as if his soul was being torn apart.

Xingchen, whose mental strength had just been overdrawn, was like a candle in the wind under this terrifying pressure, and his consciousness almost completely sank into darkness. But just as he was about to lose consciousness, Su Lin's pale yet gentle face and the words "protect everyone" became the final anchor, firmly holding his fading mind.

No! Can't fall down! Brother Su Lin is still in there!

A reluctance and an obsession to protect, stemming from the depths of his soul, erupted like a volcano from the depths of his tender heart! From the depths of his mental strength, already depleted from overdrawn energy, something seemed to be forcibly "squeezed" out by this external, extreme pressure of darkness!

It was not the faint whisper when he was comforting the zombies before, nor was it the invisible tentacles during passive perception, but a spiritual power that was sharper, more concentrated, and carried an inviolable resolute will. Like an invisible spike, it suddenly burst out from his body. It was not to resist the dark pressure that enveloped the whole place, which was tantamount to hitting a rock with an egg. Instead, it stabbed extremely accurately and with an almost instinctive hostility, fiercely at a source inside the stone house that exuded the strongest malice!

“Ugh—!”

From within the stone house, a short, muffled groan tinged with shock and anger emanated! The mental pressure that enveloped the entire place like a giant net unexpectedly experienced an extremely brief, almost imperceptible moment of stagnation and disorder!

It's this moment of stagnation!

"Attack!" Lei Qing's fighting instincts seized this fleeting opportunity! His long-hidden lightning powers erupted with unprecedented violence! Dazzling blue lightning ripped through the courtyard's darkness, even briefly dispelling the suffocating darkness! With a resolute determination to sever everything, the hunting knife slashed fiercely at the seemingly ordinary wooden door!

“Boom!!”

The wooden door was instantly shattered into dust by the violent lightning strike! Splinters of wood and sparks flew everywhere!

The scene behind the door came into everyone's sight.

It was not the gloomy prison cell as expected, but an... extremely strange "hall".

The room was small, but its walls and ceiling were unexpectedly covered in a soft, self-luminous milky white substance, emitting a holy and warm glow that stood out against the dark and decadent style of the Guichen Cult. In the center of this soft glow, a birdcage-like structure composed of pure white light hovered.

And Su Lin lay quietly in the center of the light cage.

He remained unconscious, dressed in a clean white linen robe that made his complexion appear even paler and more translucent, like a fragile piece of glass. His eyes were tightly closed, his long lashes casting a faint shadow beneath his lids. His breathing was weak but steady. A pure and majestic breath of life slowly emanated from him, gently enveloped and nourished by the surrounding milky light and aura. It was even as if... it was being carefully "combed" and "soothed" by some force.

The scene was so unexpected that even Lei Qing, who broke in through the door, was stunned for a moment.

And next to the light cage, there stood a figure.

He also wore a gray robe, but the texture was a shimmering silver-gray, its edges embroidered with more complex, dark golden patterns that looked like countless fine runes. He was hoodless, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with deep, even handsome, features. However, his complexion was a lifeless paleness, and his eyes were like two bottomless wells, devoid of any human emotion, only a cold, indifferent gaze that looked down upon all living things. The terrifying mental pressure just now originated from this man!

He frowned slightly at this moment, his gaze passed Lei Qing who broke in through the door, and fell on Xingchen, who was supported by Mu Lin, and was weakened again due to the forced burst of mental power, with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. For the first time, a very faint trace of...surprise appeared in his cold eyes.

"Interesting..." He began, his voice still indifferent, but lacking the murderous intent from before. "You can actually interfere with my 'Silent Field'... a child who has not received any systematic training, but whose mental power is so... sharp."

His gaze lingered on Xingchen for a moment, then slowly turned to Lei Qing and the hunting knife in his hand that was still emitting dangerous electric light.

"Are you here to seize this 'light source'?" He used the word "light source" with the tone of a researcher examining a precious specimen.

"Give him back to me!" Lei Qing's voice was hoarse due to extreme anger and the sight of Su Lin being imprisoned in a light cage. He took a step forward, pointing his hunting knife directly at the silver-robed man. The lightning around him surged again, and his murderous intent seemed to be tangible.

"Also?" The man in silver robe seemed to find this word novel. He tilted his head slightly, and the movement was inhumanly stiff. "He is not your property. He is... a 'perfect' work that is about to be completed." His gaze once again turned to Su Lin in the light cage, and there was a hint of...almost obsessive admiration in his eyes?

"The Lord of Dust needs his pure life essence to neutralize the erosion of the 'Breath of the End' and complete the final 'sublimation'. And I, 'Lightless', will be responsible for ensuring that this 'vessel' remains in the most perfect condition before the ceremony begins." He called himself "Lightless" and spoke the chilling content in a calm tone.

Container? Ritual? Sublimation?

Lei Qing didn't understand any of this. He only knew that Su Lin had been used as a sacrifice in some kind of evil ritual! And the guy in front of him who called himself "Wu Guang" was the guard!

"I don't care who you are! Touch him, and you'll die!" Lei Qing roared, no longer uttering nonsense. His figure transformed into a flash of lightning, and his hunting knife, with a sharp scream that tore through the air, pierced Wu Guang! The speed and power far exceeded any previous attack!

However, facing this violent attack, Wu Guang just slowly raised one hand.

There was no earth-shattering collision of energy, no dazzling display of light and shadow. Lei Qing's hunting knife, powerful enough to split steel, seemed to collide with an invisible, intangible, yet indestructible wall just a foot away from the lightless face! The lightning on the tip of the knife seemed to be snuffed out by an invisible hand, and the violent impact force vanished without a trace!

Lei Qing's pupils suddenly shrank, and he felt an irresistible, gentle but extremely powerful force coming along the blade, gently pushing him and the blade away. He staggered back several steps, and the blood in his body surged!

Absolute suppression!

This Wuguang's strength is far superior to the previous Skeleton Priest!

"Pure physical attacks and elemental energy are ineffective against my 'Order Field.'" Wuguang withdrew his hand, his tone still calm, as if he had just brushed away a speck of dust. "Give up. Leave here, and I won't pursue your offense."

"Bullshit!" If Ah Yan were here, he'd definitely curse. But Lei Qing simply responded with an even colder, more resolute gaze. He adjusted his breathing, raised his hunting knife once more, and the lightning condensed once more. If it doesn't work once, then try ten times! A hundred times! Until Su Lin is rescued, or... die in battle!

At that moment, Xingchen, supported by Mu Lin, struggled to raise his head. He looked at Su Lin, who seemed to be sleeping in the light cage, then at the hopelessly powerful Wu Guang, and at Lei Qing, who was ready to fight to the death. A sense of extreme powerlessness, followed by an even more frantic determination, burned in his heart.

His mental strength was nearly exhausted, and his head felt like it was about to explode. But he still remembered the feeling of that moment—the feeling of concentrating his mental strength into a single point and exploding out like a spike!

He stared at Wu Guang, no longer trying to sense or comfort him, but instead forcibly squeezed and condensed all his remaining mental strength, along with the desperate obsession to protect him!

This time, the goal is not to interfere, but... to attack!

An invisible and intangible spiritual shock, carrying a sharp and stinging sensation, shot towards Wu Guang again, like the tongue of a dying poisonous snake!

Wu Guang's calm face furrowed once again, a barely perceptible frown. He seemed to be able to "see" this faint yet extremely concentrated spiritual power, which held a rare quality. He raised his finger and lightly tapped it.

The mental shock emitted by Stardust, when it was still half a meter away from Wuguang, was like hitting a denser and more invisible barrier, and was instantly annihilated and dissipated.

"Puff—" Xingchen suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he collapsed completely, his consciousness falling into a semi-comatose state. The backlash from forcibly overdrawing his mental power twice almost destroyed him.

Wu Guang looked at the unconscious Xingchen, his eyes filled with even greater surprise. "Such a fragile body, yet it contains such... spiritual power with the potential to 'penetrate'. Unfortunately, it is uncarved and like a stone."

His gaze turned again to Lei Qing and Ling Ye who was struggling to stand up.

"Your struggle is meaningless." Wuguang's voice remained steady. "The transformation of the 'light source' has begun. His life essence is synchronizing with the 'Glow Cage'. When the synchronicity is complete, he will become the most perfect 'vessel' for the Lord of Dust. At that time, you... and this filthy world, will finally be 'purified.'"

He seemed to be stating an established fact.

"And now," Wu Guang's cold gaze swept across everyone, "the game is over."

He slowly raised his hands.

A dark spiritual force, far greater and more despairing than before, began to gather around him. The entire milky white "hall" began to tremble slightly, and the light on the walls began to flicker, as if unable to withstand the pressure of this force.

Lei Qing gripped his hunting knife tightly, his eyes filled with the determination to fight to the death. Mu Lin protected Xingchen behind him, his aquamarine halo flickering and fading. Ling Ye's face paled, a flicker of despair in his eyes.

Is it... really the end?

At this critical moment——

In the light cage, Su Lin, who had been unconscious, had his tightly closed eyelashes trembling very slightly...

A gentle yet incomparably tenacious pure energy, as if containing the original source of life, quietly ripples out with him as the center, like a thawed stream in early spring.