Chapter 5: Soothing the Souls (Part 1)

The worst-case scenario finally occurred—a large spatial rift appeared ahead. Such rifts posed no danger to the Void Worms, which could even use them to integrate into their own bodies. But Li Ran and the others had to turn and try to avoid them, unsure whether there were any paths on the sides.

Guo Shier’s soul fluctuations grew more intense, spreading like shockwaves wave after wave toward the front. He needed to find a clear escape route—no spatial rifts, no other dangers. So far, the only natural danger they had encountered was the spatial rifts; other threats remained unseen, but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist. This collapsing space likely held other unknown dangers, which was exactly what Guo Shier was focusing on detecting.

Li Ran asked, “Is there a path? Is there any way?”
Guo Shier replied, “Not for now. Let’s fly in this direction…” He pointed, steering them about thirty degrees, and in the blink of an eye, they had flown far away.

Qi Wuzhen said, “Not bad. This area isn’t very large. It seems we’ve avoided it?” Her tone was uncertain, and she added, “Shier, how’s the detection?”
Guo Shier said, “It seems we’ve gone around it. I’m not sure either, but there’s indeed no danger ahead.”

Selin, perched on Guo Shier’s back, said, “That was scary!” She had noticed the three top experts showing signs of panic—how dangerous could things be to make them so flustered?
Guo Shier laughed, “Hehe, it was indeed scary. I thought we were in a dead end.”

The four relaxed slightly and continued flying at high speed. Li Ran remained troubled. He felt deeply regretful—this place would have made a perfect starting point for entering the greater world. Leaving like this was frustrating, but he also didn’t want to leave in a hurry without being prepared. Such matters required caution; any mistake could cost lives.

Suddenly, Guo Shier said, “That’s wrong. Something’s wrong ahead…”
Selin felt her heart stop beating—it was too intense. She didn’t dare ask or understand what was wrong.
Qi Wuzhen asked, “What’s wrong?”
Guo Shier replied, “I detected that there seems to be no path very far ahead!”
Li Ran was puzzled, “No path? How is that possible?”

Qi Wu Zhen and Li Ran simultaneously emitted their soul waves to explore the area ahead. In just a few dozen seconds, both were shocked—there was indeed no path ahead. At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened, presenting a twilight scene that was quite peculiar, especially with vast areas of darkness stretching from sky to ground, as if some monstrous creature were waiting there with its mouth wide open.

“What the hell is that?”

Selin looked around in confusion. Behind her, swarms of Void Worms covered the sky, some even reaching extremely high, blocking out all light and creating large shadows. The situation ahead was similar, leaving all four of them utterly bewildered.

Due to their incredible speed, they quickly saw what lay ahead. It was a massive cliff, whose height was unknown. It stretched endlessly from left to right, with no end in sight.

After seeing the cliff clearly, Li Ran immediately understood how it had formed, as he noticed countless tiny spatial cracks in front of it. He said, “It’s formed by the misalignment of space… We need to fly upward. Damn it, hope there aren’t any large spatial cracks up there!”

Guo Shier was horrified. He said, “Misalignment… Good heavens, could the top of the cliff extend into the void?”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “We can’t fly straight. We have to go upward, otherwise we’ll get trapped below the cliff. If we can’t get past it, we’ll suffocate there.”

Li Ran said, “Hurry up…”

Guo Shier’s heart trembled slightly. He understood their situation. Flying upward meant taking a diagonal path, while the swarm moved in a straight line, which would inevitably slow them down. They might be overwhelmed by the swarm before even reaching the top of the cliff. He hurriedly said, “Quick! We need to reach the top of the cliff before the swarm arrives!”

With the swarm’s overwhelming advantage, the four of them had no chance of resisting unless they used Breakthrough again. But using it so frequently could deplete the essence within it, leaving them unable to leave the Projection Starry Sky. Being trapped at the last moment would be unbearable for anyone.

Li Ran cursed under his breath, and the four of them flew upward at an angle. Who knew how high the cliff was? Although they could fly far in an instant, after flying through the shadows for several minutes, they were still deep in them. They knew there was a cliff ahead, but they had no idea how high it was. The three of them rushed upward desperately, while Selin kept looking back. In horror, she saw that the swarm was becoming clearer and clearer.

The swarm of insects seemed to know there was an obstacle ahead as well, rising rapidly, leaving the few people in awe. Li Ran remained relatively calm, but Qi Wu Zhen showed a fierce expression. After quick calculations, Li Ran said, “It seems we’re not going to make it…” If they flew upward at an angle before entering the shadow, they had a 70% chance of reaching the cliff top before the swarm; but now, there was a 70% chance they would collide with the swarm before reaching the top, with at least a few hundred kilometers between them. Guo Shier also realized the gap and asked, “What do we do?” There wasn’t much time left. Qi Wu Zhen said, “Blow up the cliff wall…” Guo Shier smiled bitterly, “This isn’t a mountain range—it’s formed by the shifting of entire continental plates. How can we break it?” Qi Wu Zhen replied, “Use Break Boundary! Break Boundary can tear through voids… What are rocks compared to that?” Li Ran was decisive too and immediately used Break Boundary. Time was running out; there was no room for hesitation. Once submerged in the swarm, the cost of using Break Boundary would be even greater. He couldn’t waver—he had to make a prompt decision. This showed that Li Ran wasn’t someone who hesitated; when Break Boundary needed to be used, he wouldn’t spare it, prioritizing survival first and dealing with other issues later. “Activate it together!” Li Ran shifted slightly to the side, while Qi Wu Zhen stepped forward. The two flew side by side behind Break Boundary, chanting spells simultaneously and instantly activating it. Although this expedition yielded many gains, overall, it was a loss—just the energy spent on Break Boundary left them with no way to replenish it. A few minutes later, as the swarm behind them grew closer—what had started as tiny black dots the size of ants had now grown to the size of fists—thanks to the speed of the Void Insects, they could catch up if the three of them stayed there for just over ten seconds. Guo Shier said anxiously, “Damn it, how high is this cliff wall?” Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen didn’t have time to answer. They kept chanting spells, controlling Break Boundary as they rushed upward at an angle. The entire cliff wall seemed to come alive, lunging at them fiercely. This was because the three of them were moving so fast it seemed they would crash into the cliff wall in an instant. Sericeline covered her mouth tightly, afraid she might scream uncontrollably. It was terrifying—among all the dangers she had faced in her life, entering the ruins had been the most intense, and now this was even more thrilling, making her tremble all over, her hair standing on end, and bumps forming on her skin—her direct reaction to danger.

Guo Shier turned to look. He could clearly see the void worms the size of bowl openings, realizing that the distance between the two sides was already very close. At this speed, they would likely collide within a minute. He had hidden the Soul Calming Cauldron inside his body, and as for the Umbrella Tower’s sacrificial treasures, they were completely useless. If even the Soul Calming Cauldron couldn’t stop them, he had no other treasures to ward off the swarm. But since he was currently protected by the Boundary Breaker, he didn’t need to fend off the swarm for now.

One minute was enough for Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen to activate the Boundary Breaker and bring it to the critical point where it could pierce through the void. Guo Shier couldn’t help but remind them, “Shoot diagonally upward! Otherwise, we still won’t be able to get out!”

Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen certainly understood this. They were flying diagonally upward, and this route would surely work. The only thing they weren’t sure about was how high and thick the cliff wall was. They were essentially trying to pierce through a corner, but they didn’t know how large that corner was. If it was a small corner, they might be able to get through with just one strike; if it was huge, they might stop halfway. No matter how powerful the Boundary Breaker was, it couldn’t pierce through a continent-sized plate—unless Li Ran was willing to sacrifice a small secret realm and blow it up, in which case there would be no problem, and they could definitely pass through.

Obviously, Li Ran wasn’t willing to sacrifice a small secret realm, as the loss would be too great. He would never consider it unless it came to a life-or-death situation.

“Ready!” Li Ran shouted. His hands were no longer visible; instead, countless shadows appeared, and tens of thousands of spells were cast in an instant. Runes flowed like water and struck the Boundary Breaker. Qi Wu Zhen also cast tens of thousands of spells. In an instant, the Boundary Breaker emitted a dazzling light that stretched nearly ten thousand meters long. It cut through the cliff wall as if slicing tofu. By then, the swarm of void worms was less than a hundred meters away from them.

“Let’s go!” Theresine’s eyes were blinded by the light. Immediately afterward, she felt her body shake. In an instant, she couldn’t see anything, only hearing deafening roars and continuous explosions in the air. Her body seemed to be pulled by countless invisible forces, torn apart violently, as if it were about to shatter. She couldn’t help but let out a cry of shock. She had no idea what was happening outside the Boundary Breaker. At that moment, she only felt like she was about to perish.

Po Jie truly is a sacred artifact capable of breaking through voids and crossing boundaries. Cliffs as steep as those cut by knives or axes were effortlessly pierced by Po Jie. Yet, passing through cliffs is still different from passing through voids—the obstacles remain immense, and their speed slowed down significantly. Aside from Serichelin, who couldn’t see what was outside, Li Ran, Guo Shier, and Qi Wu Zhen could all see clearly. Perhaps it was five seconds, perhaps eight—within such a short time, the Void Worm also reached the cliffs. In an instant, countless rocks turned to nothingness, and large sections of the cliffs disappeared.