46.Rescue
The slight tremor of Su Lin's eyelashes was as light as a butterfly's wings brushing across the water, but it instantly touched the hearts of everyone in the stone house.
Wu Guang's movements, brimming with terrifying dark energy, faltered. For the first time, a distinct emotion, a sense of surprise, appeared in his calm eyes. He whipped his head around, his gaze fixed on Su Lin, who lay with his eyes closed within the light cage. He seemed to want to penetrate the seemingly gentle white light and discern the changes taking place within him.
"Impossible... The assimilation process of the 'Glow Cage' is irreversible..." He whispered to himself, an almost imperceptible crack in his indifferent voice.
Just when his mind was attracted by Su Lin's sudden movement!
“Now!”
Lei Qing's fighting instincts caught this fleeting flaw! He no longer attempted to use lightning energy to directly challenge the invisible "Order Field." Instead, he channeled all his strength, all his willpower, all his anxiety and obsession with protecting Su Lin's safety into the hunting knife in his hand! The hunting knife no longer flashed with dazzling lightning, but instead condensed into a deep, dark blue-purple color. The space around the blade twisted slightly. With an unwavering determination to cut through everything, he stabbed at Wuguang again! This time, his target wasn't Wuguang himself, but the core of the invisible barrier in front of him that maintained the "Order Field"!
At the same time, Xingchen, nearly exhausted, instinctively felt a desire to connect with and protect Su Lin's suddenly surging pure life energy. He once again forcibly gathered a faint yet incredibly pure spiritual force! Rather than attacking blindly as before, he transformed this force into an invisible, intangible "line" that carried a clear guiding force, and precisely "pointed" it at the point where Lei Qing's hunting knife was pointing!
This isn't an attack, it's... a mark! It's a full-scale support!
"laugh--!"
An extremely slight sound, yet one that seemed to be able to tear the soul apart!
Lei Qing's sword strike, condensed with all his strength and will, guided by the Stardust Spirit Mark, actually pierced through the indestructible invisible barrier! Although it only made a tiny incision, the resistance from the tip of the sword was still like sinking into ten thousand years of black ice, but in the end... it broke through!
Wu Guang groaned, his body trembling slightly. The forceful breach of his "field of order" had clearly had some impact on him. A hint of anger finally appeared on his icy face, like the first crack on a perfectly smooth jade disk.
"Ants... how dare you..." He lost his composure. Between his raised hands, the dark spiritual power was no longer just coercion. Instead, it transformed into a tangible, black tide-like impact, surging towards Lei Qing and Xingchen! This time, it was a truly murderous attack!
"Lei Qing! Stardust!" Mu Lin's pupils suddenly shrank, and he desperately transformed all the remaining water-based abilities into a thick, water-blue giant shield with countless mysterious runes flowing on it, blocking the two of them!
"boom--!!"
The black tide crashed fiercely against the water shield! There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a piercing, tooth-grinding sizzling sound as energy was rapidly eroded and consumed! The water shield thinned at a visible rate, the runes on it fading in a state of uncertainty. Mu Lin, who had rushed over, turned pale as paper, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, but he persevered, not retreating a single step!
And at this moment when the energy conflicts fiercely and everyone's attention is attracted!
In the light cage, Su Lin suddenly opened his eyes!
Those beautiful eyes, always filled with tenderness and clarity, now resembled the depths of the universe, where stars lived and died. They remained clear, yet possessed an indescribable depth and tranquility, as if glimpsing some essential essence. The gentle, pure life energy emanating from him was no longer passively emanating; instead, like a dragon awakening, it began to surge forth actively and violently.
With him as the center, an invisible yet powerful force of "order" spread out!
This power is completely different from the dark and dead order of the lightless world. It is warm, inclusive, full of vitality and hope, as if it can soothe all chaos, heal all wounds, and let all things return to their most original and harmonious state.
This force swept across the aquamarine shield, nearly shattered, and it instantly stabilized, even regaining some of its radiance. As it passed over the overdrawn, unconscious Xingchen, the young man's pained brow relaxed slightly, his breathing becoming more even. As it passed over Mu Lin, who struggled to hold on, he felt a warm current flow through his nearly depleted meridians, relieving much of the backlash pain.
And when this warm and majestic force of "order" collided with the dark spiritual tide of Wuguang——
“Buzz!!”
It was like the ultimate collision of ice and fire, like the annihilation of light and darkness! Two forces of diametrically opposed nature, yet equally involved in the realm of "rules," violently clashed and counteracted each other within the narrow stone chamber! The milky white walls flashed wildly, the ground beneath their feet shook slightly, and the entire "hall" began to become unstable!
Wu Guang's always indifferent face finally revealed a look of shock! He stared at Su Lin who was slowly sitting up in the light cage, as if he saw something completely beyond his comprehension.
"You... you can actually reverse the effect on the 'Glow Cage'?! Even... mobilize its original power?!" His voice was filled with disbelief. "This is impossible! Unless... unless the level of your life essence is far above the 'Breath of the End'..."
Su Lin ignored him. He glanced down at the unfamiliar white linen robe he was wearing, then up toward the door. His gaze swept past Mu Lin, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth but still standing in front of him, past the unconscious, pale-faced Xingchen, and finally, onto Lei Qing, who, with a hunting knife in hand, had broken through the invisible barrier and was looking back at him, his eyes filled with a mixture of unbelievable joy and deep worry.
His eyes were still a little hazy, as if he had just woken from a long dream, but the moment he saw his companions, that confusion was quickly replaced by warmth and determination. He turned to Lei Qing, ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, and curled the corners of his lips into a soothing, apologetic smile.
Then he raised his hand and gently pressed on the white light column that constituted the "glow cage".
The light that had originally gently imprisoned him was now like gentle flowing water. As his fingertips brushed past it, it began to violently fluctuate and twist, and then... like ice and snow under the sun, it quickly melted and disintegrated!
The cage is broken.
Su Lin walked barefoot on the cold ground. His simple white linen robe made his figure look even thinner, but as he stood there, the warm and majestic "order" that naturally emanated from his body made him seem like the sole ruler of this space.
He looked at Wuguang, whose expression was gloomy and changing. His voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable power: "Your 'order' is built on destruction and deprivation. Mine... is based on life and protection."
He took a step forward.
As he walked, the warm "order" field advanced like a tide. Wherever it passed, the dark spiritual power of Wuguang quickly faded and retreated like a shadow exposed to the scorching sun!
Wu Guang groaned, and his silver-gray robes moved without wind. He tried to gather stronger dark power to fight against it, but found that his mental power became stagnant and difficult to mobilize in this warm and majestic field of order, as if bound by invisible shackles!
One gains while the other loses!
"Let's go!" Su Lin chose not to fight Wu Guang to the death. He knew clearly that his condition had not fully recovered. This power was more like a short burst after being stimulated by the "Glow Cage". His primary goal was to get his companions away safely.
He quickly walked over to Mu Lin and Xing Chen, reaching out and gently pressing his hand on Xing Chen's forehead. A pure and gentle life energy surged in, and the young man whimpered and slowly woke up. Seeing Su Lin, his eyes instantly burst into a brilliant light. Weakly but eagerly, he grasped his sleeve, "Brother Su Lin!"
"It's okay, let's go." Su Lin helped him up and handed him to Mu Lin. Then he looked at Lei Qing and Ling Ye who was struggling to stand up.
Lei Qing had already sheathed his sword and came to Su Lin's side. His eyes, which were always cold, were now frighteningly hot. He grabbed Su Lin's wrist with such force that it almost crushed his bones. His voice was hoarse and tense: "You...are awake." Thousands of words were finally reduced to these three extremely heavy words.
Su Lin felt the scorching heat and slight trembling of his palm, a mixture of bitterness and warmth in his heart. He gently squeezed his hand and whispered, "Yeah, I'm awake. I'm sorry for making you worry."
This wasn't the time to reminisce. Although Wu Guang was temporarily suppressed by Su Lin's domain of order, no one knew if he had any backup plans. Furthermore, the commotion here must have alerted the entire Black Mine Town's guards.
"Return the same way! Quickly!" Ling Ye urgently reminded, suppressing his discomfort.
The five of them no longer hesitated. Lei Qing led the way, Su Lin maintained the order in the area and coordinated from the center, Mu Lin supported Xingchen, and Ling Ye was the rear guard. They quickly rushed out of this strange "hall" and returned to the courtyard where the zombies were still frantically banging on the iron gate.
Su Lin's Field of Order swept across, and the violent zombies' movements instantly slowed, the madness in their eyes fading, leaving only confusion. Everyone took the opportunity to quickly cross the courtyard, rush out of the iron gate, and run along the secluded alley they had come from, heading towards the entrance to the mine outside the town.
Behind them, they could hear the sharp whistles and chaotic footsteps of the gray-robed guards. It was obvious that they had been discovered.
"Stop them! We can't let them take away the 'light source'!" Wu Guang's cold and angry voice came from behind like a maggot on the tarsal bone.
More gray-robed guards came from all directions, trying to surround them.
With blockades in front and pursuers behind, the situation remains critical!
But this time, they had Su Lin.
That warm and tenacious field of "order" was like a beacon in the darkness. It not only dispelled the erosion of the spiritual pollution of the Guichen Sect, but also made the approaching gray-robed guards move slowly and become dazed, as if they were trapped in some kind of warm quagmire, unable to exert their full strength.
Lei Qing's hunting knife flashed with lightning once more, each swing inevitably sending up a puff of blood as he precisely and efficiently cleared the obstacles ahead. Mu Lin's water-based abilities, while lacking in offensive power, provided excellent control and support, at times conjuring ice walls to slow pursuers, at others entwining and disrupting enemies with streams of water. Xingchen, though frail, possessed a sharp gaze, employing his newly awakened and unstable psychic abilities to deliver precise disruptions and surprise attacks, targeting the enemy's weakest moments. Ling Ye, displaying the ruthlessness and experience of a former mop-up team member, mastered a variety of cunning and vicious close-quarters techniques, specializing in finishing off enemies and neutralizing flanking threats.
The five of them were like a sharp arrow that suddenly became extremely coordinated. Under the protection of Su Lin's field of order, they fought their way out of the chaotic streets of Black Mine Town!
When they finally rushed back to the abandoned warehouse and re-entered the dark and damp mine tunnel, the hustle and bustle of the Black Mining Town and the sounds of the pursuers behind them had been left far behind.
Safe...for now.
Inside the mine, the only sounds left were the heavy and tired breathing of five people.
Lei Qing turned around immediately, grabbed Su Lin's shoulders tightly, and used the water-blue light ball that Mu Lin had re-condensed to look him up and down carefully, as if to confirm whether he was really standing here intact.
"I'm really fine." Su Lin felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, a faint blush on his pale face as he spoke softly and comfortingly. He could sense the fear and the cherishment of lost and regained value in Lei Qing's gaze, which seemed to burn through him.
Xingchen also broke free from Mu Lin's support and rushed over to hug Su Lin's waist tightly, burying his face in his arms. His small body was still trembling slightly, which was an uncontrollable reaction after extreme tension and fear. Su Lin gently stroked his soft hair, his heart filled with guilt and pity.
Mu Lin looked at Su Lin who was safe and sound and breathed a long sigh of relief. His tense nerves finally relaxed, and fatigue surged over him like a tide, making him almost unable to stand.
Ling Ye leaned against the cold rock wall, looking at the four people who survived the disaster and relied on each other. His eyes were complicated, and finally turned into an almost inaudible sigh. He silently treated a wound on his arm that had been cut at some point.
They rescued Su Lin.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
