165: Chapter 165 The Passage Opens

Lin Tian frowned slightly after hearing this, falling into a brief contemplation.

His fingers tapped unconsciously against the warm, smooth scales on Chiyan's neck.

This source of pollution, which had been hiding right beside his territory, was like a poisonous thorn buried under a pillow—one never knew when it might strike.

If left unchecked, it would continue to "excrete" monsters, harass the territory, deplete his troops, and might even "spit out" a big threat one day.

If he could proactively enter, locate, and destroy its core, or at least figure out its operating mechanism to restrict it, that would undoubtedly be the best choice.

But the risks were equally obvious. He knew nothing about the situation on the other side.

Would forcibly opening the passage trigger uncontrollable consequences? For example, by directly "releasing" more and stronger monsters, or even causing the rift to expand permanently?

After only a slight weigh-in, a flash of decisiveness crossed Lin Tian's eyes.

Risk and opportunity always coexist. Passive defense could never solve the root problem.

This "ticking time bomb" had to be defused!

"Very well, we shall proceed as you suggest!"

He made the final decision, his voice steady and forceful.

"Lin Yin, have your people prepare. If you need any support, just ask."

He immediately turned to the messenger, his voice rising sharply to echo all around:

"Pass the order! All surrounding troops are to maintain a defensive formation and retreat five hundred meters as a whole!"

"Archers and mage corps, prepare! If any uncontrollable anomalies occur after the passage opens, do not wait for orders—attack with full force!"

"Understood!"

The order was passed down layer by layer.

The hundred-thousand-strong army began to move in an orderly fashion, like a precision machine.

Heavy footsteps, the clashing of armor, and the low neighing of the Dragon-Blood Steeds blended together to form a heavy wave of sound.

The massive encirclement receded slowly like a tide, leaving a clear trail of movement on the scorched, desolate land.

Eventually, they regained their footing a kilometer away, their arrowheads and staves still locked firmly onto the distorted space at the center.

In the air, the tense atmosphere was like a drawn bowstring.

Everyone's gaze was focused on the Void Ranger standing at the very front, and on the eerie space ahead of them that seemed to be roaring in silence.

Lin Yin nodded slightly to the squad leader.

The squad leader took a deep breath, turned to face the rift, and raised the strange longbow in his hand that seemed capable of cutting through the void.

The Inspect was complete, and the retreat path was clear. Now was the moment to unveil this spatial fog and face the source of pollution head-on.

The waiting time felt exceptionally long in the tense silence.

Ten minutes seemed to stretch into half a day.

The hundred-thousand-strong army held their breath, with only the sound of the wind sweeping across the scorched earth and the rustling of the Dragon-Blood Steeds uneasily pawing the ground.

Lin Tian rode on Chiyan's back, hovering in mid-air.

His gaze was nailed firmly to the distorted space in front, his fingertips unconsciously stroking Chiyan's smooth scales.

Finally, a Void Hunting Ranger rode a Dragon-Blood Steed, flying out from the front line like a silver-gray streak of light.

He reined in his mount before Lin Tian, saluted by placing a hand on his chest, and spoke in a voice slightly hurried with excitement and tension:

"Lord! The spatial weak point has been locked! The energy tide is about to enter a brief trough; the moment is now!"

"We will combine our efforts to launch the 'Dimensional Rending Arrow' to attempt to pierce the rift and open a temporary passage! Please, Lord, be sure to keep an eye out for any anomalies after the passage opens!"

It was time!

Lin Tian's pupils constricted slightly, the string in his heart pulled to its tightest.

He did not hesitate at all, his voice decisive and iron-clad, echoing through the entire army:

"Pass the order! All units, retreat another hundred meters and maintain formation! Archers and mage corps, charge your energy, target the passage exit, and wait for my command!"

"Rumble..."

The hundred-thousand-strong army, which had just regained its footing, once again moved backward like an ebbing wave of steel, neatly and swiftly re-forming their ranks.

At this distance, they could ensure effective coverage of long-range firepower while leaving room for reaction in case of any uncontrollable incidents.

Everyone, including Lin Tian himself, stared fixedly at the two thousand Void Ranger standing like statues at the very front.

They had formed into a strange arc formation, and the stringless longbows, which seemed to be condensed from the void in their hands, were slowly drawn.

Although there were no arrows, as the bowstrings vibrated, the surrounding space began to ripple like water.

A heart-stopping spatial fluctuation capable of tearing everything apart was gathering frantically!

"Dimensional Rending Arrow!"

Countless voices merged into a single, low, unified command, as if triggering a switch in space.

"Sshhh-la!!!"

There was no deafening explosion, only a piercing spatial wail, as if cloth were being violently torn, sharp enough to tear the soul apart!

In the center of the Void Ranger' formation, the space that had originally been distorted was grabbed by an invisible giant hand and violently torn to the sides!

A circular spatial passage about twenty meters in diameter, with chaotic-colored energy flowing along its edges and an interior as pitch-black as ink, was forcibly "nailed" into reality!

The moment the passage formed, a thick, filthy aura from another world, filled with madness and deathly silence, gushed out like a bursting flood!

Even from over a thousand meters away, it was nauseating and heart-stopping, and the Dragon-Blood Steeds they were riding let out uneasy whinnies one after another.

Through the pitch-black passage opening, the scene on the other side was clearly terrifying.

It was a world without a sun; the sky hung low, with a filthy blood moon hanging in it, emitting an ominous, dark red light.

The ground was a lifeless gray-black and dark purple, crisscrossed with cracks; there was no green to be seen, only twisted, strange rocks and writhing, unknown substances.

And on this desolate, dead wasteland, dense crowds of strange, polluted monsters were wandering and writhing like a colony of ants!

Some looked like bloated corpses, some like multi-segmented bone worms, and some were simply rolling masses of tumorous eyes...

Just a fleeting glance revealed that even the lowest-level ones emitted energy fluctuations of a high-level Bronze!

There were also no small number of golden-level figures!

The opening of the passage was like dropping a piece of fresh meat into a silent pile of corpses.

Thousands of polluted monsters closest to the passage suddenly stopped all movement at the same time.

They uniformly turned their scarlet, chaotic eyes, filled with endless hunger and a desire for destruction, toward this side of the passage—toward the fresh, warm human soldiers outside who exuded the scent of "food," especially the Void Ranger who were the closest!

"Roar!!!"

"Skreeee!!!"

After a brief, dead silence, came a mountain-collapsing, sea-draining roar, a mix of countless grotesque tones!

The instinctive desire for living flesh and blood, and the hatred for the world, drove them to make the most direct response: charge!