263: Chapter 263 Edge of the Rift

The journey west was more difficult and longer than expected. The gravel wasteland was not flat; instead, it was covered with rolling mounds, dried-up gullies, and scattered weathered boulders. The soil was hard and barren, with sparse vegetation. Only the toughest, thorny low shrubs and lichens clinging to the ground dotted the landscape, adding to the desolation. The cold wind blew without obstruction, carrying sand and dust that lashed against their faces like knives.

Ling Ye walked in front, carrying most of the luggage and holding a spear (which also served as a probing staff). His gaze scanned the terrain ahead and on both sides sharply, while he kept the perception of the "xuanyuan ring" at a low but continuous state of vigilance. Old Shi followed behind, leaning on a wooden stick, walking unsteadily with a heavy, labored breath. Its body remained weak. Although the gray-green patches on its right hand were controlled, the exhaustion from the long journey caused its complexion to turn ashen again. Sweat mixed with dust, washing muddy trails across its furrowed face.

They did not walk in a straight line, but tried to choose routes with undulating terrain that could provide intermittent cover. Every so often, Ling Ye would stop to let Old Shi rest while he climbed to a nearby high point to observe the rear and surroundings using a makeshift "periscope." The wasteland was deathly silent, with only the sound of the wind. There were no traces of pursuers, nor any obvious or abnormal energy fluctuations. However, Ling Ye dared not relax in the slightest. He always felt a formless, icy sense of being watched, like a persistent maggot in the bone, lingering around them, especially on Old Shi. Perhaps it was the vague perception of "The Mother" through the "beacon," or perhaps it was some other unknown entity.

At night, they did not dare to light a fire. They could only find crevices in rocks or earthen ridges sheltered from the wind, curling up together, wrapped in everything they had to keep warm, using each other's body heat. The cold was biting, and their sleep was intermittent, always remaining alert. Ling Ye would use this time to perform "Star Visualization" to slowly recover his physical strength and spirit, while continuing to use a warm current to help Old Shi stabilize the pollution in its right arm. Every instance of guidance was like walking on the edge of a knife, consuming a great deal of energy, but the results were significant—Old Shi's condition had not deteriorated sharply during the trek, which was already a stroke of good fortune.

They traveled like this for three days. Food and water were being consumed rapidly, but the Rift Canyon remained far out of reach. Only a deeper, blurred shadow on the horizon, as if the earth had split open, silently proclaimed its existence under the leaden sky.

At noon on the fourth day, a sudden change occurred. They were walking along a deep, dried-up riverbed. The terrain here was lower, allowing them to avoid some of the cold wind, but it also limited their field of view. Ling Ye was walking in front when he suddenly stopped, raised his palm, and signaled Old Shi behind him to be quiet and stop.

He lowered his body, pressing his ear close to the ground. Amidst the sound of the wind, he caught a faint, rhythmically abnormal "rustling" sound—not like natural wind erosion—coming from the direction of the upper riverbed. It was very faint and still far away, but in this deathly silent wasteland, it was particularly jarring. Was it a beast? Or...

Ling Ye immediately gestured for Old Shi to retreat and hide in a depression on the side of the riverbed, partially covered by huge pebbles. He himself silently climbed to the edge of the riverbed, using a protruding rock as cover, poked his head out, and looked toward the direction of the sound with his "periscope."

About two or three hundred meters upstream, in the shadows at the bend, several slowly moving, dark-colored, irregularly shaped silhouettes came into view. It was "Abyssal Remains"! And not just one! It was that "active/crawling type"! There were about four or five of them, varying in size; the largest was half a person's height, and the smallest was the size of a washbasin. They looked like irregular "stone clusters" randomly kneaded together from mud, gravel, and some kind of glowing gelatinous substance, slowly and aimlessly crawling in the riverbed. Occasionally, a few faint, ghostly green sparks burst from their surfaces, making a soft "crackle." That familiar, uncomfortable, and faint wave of polluted energy drifted toward them on the wind.

Were they... foraging? Or just "wandering"? Their direction happened to be towards them! Ling Ye's heart tightened instantly. They were still far away, but at the movement speed of those "Abyssal Remains," they would reach their hiding spot in at most ten minutes. Go around? The sides of the riverbed were open, steep slopes, making them even easier to expose. Retreat? That would deviate from the route and might lead to other dangers. Force their way through? Given their current state, facing four or five "Abyssal Remains," the odds of winning were slim, and the noise of combat might attract more trouble.

"They are 'Wanderers'..." Old Shi's lowered voice, tinged with a hint of nervousness, sounded in Ling Ye's ear (it did not know when it had also arduously climbed up). "The lowest-level active 'Abyssal Remains,' with a small perception range, slow reactions, and weak aggression, but... they are troublesome in large numbers. They are... absorbing the weak polluted energy escaping from the earth's veins, or... searching for biological remains. We cannot fight them head-on. It's best to... sneak around them, or... wait for them to change direction on their own."

"Do they have a pattern of movement?" Ling Ye asked in a low voice. "It depends on luck... like headless flies. But they usually avoid strong sunlight (which there isn't now), drastic terrain changes, and... areas where energy fluctuations are abnormally strong or pure. Ahead... there is a section of the riverbed that is narrow and piled with rocks. The energy field there might be slightly chaotic due to the terrain, which might interfere with them and make them detour."

Ling Ye looked in the direction Old Shi indicated. About a hundred meters ahead, the riverbed narrowed, and the banks were jagged with rocks, forming a natural, not-too-high "threshold." As far as his current abilities went, he could not feel any obvious abnormality in the energy field there, but since Old Shi said so, there might be some truth to it. "Let's gamble. We'll speed up, pass through that rocky area, and go upstream. Move lightly, don't run." Ling Ye made a quick decision. Returning the way they came or forcibly climbing the slope would create more noise and make them easier to detect.

The two immediately slid down from their hiding place into the riverbed. Ling Ye supported Old Shi, no longer deliberately trying to hide their footsteps (nor could they, as Old Shi had difficulty moving), but tried to make their movements as light and fast as possible, moving quickly toward that narrow section of the riverbed piled with rocks. "Rustle, rustle, rustle..." Behind them, the friction sounds made by those "Wanderers" seemed to... become faster and clearer! They seemed to have sensed the movement here!

"Quick!" Ling Ye shouted in a low voice, almost half-dragging and half-carrying Old Shi as they rushed into the rock pile. The jagged boulders and scattered small stones made the already difficult path even rougher. Old Shi stumbled and almost fell, but Ling Ye held on tightly. Just then, a more rapid and chaotic "rustling" sound came from behind, along with a few short "click" sounds, like rocks colliding! Ling Ye glanced back and saw those few "Wanderers," about fifty or sixty meters away, seemingly hesitating and pausing. They were wriggling irregularly around a certain area, and the ghostly green sparks burst out more frequently, as if they were "sensing" or "confused."

It worked! The terrain or energy field of that rocky area seemed to really interfere with them! Ling Ye seized the opportunity, no longer looking back, and with all his might, supported Old Shi. Using both hands and feet, they scrambled over the narrowest section and rushed onto a relatively open part of the riverbed on the upstream side. Then, without stopping, he immediately pulled Old Shi up onto a relatively gentle slope on the side of the riverbed, hid behind the shadow of a huge, mushroom-shaped weathered boulder, and held his breath.

"Rustle... rustle..." The sound rang out again, but it seemed... the direction had changed! Those "Wanderers" did not catch up. Instead, after lingering near the rocky area for a moment, they seemed to lose interest or were attracted by something else and began to slowly crawl away in another direction, downstream of the riverbed. It was not until the "rustling" sound completely disappeared into the wind that Ling Ye and Old Shi let out a long sigh of relief, collapsing under the boulder, panting heavily, their undergarments already soaked with sweat.

"That was close..." Old Shi said, still shaken, looking at its slightly trembling right hand. "Just now... the pollution in my body seemed to... stir slightly, which might have... attracted their attention." Ling Ye nodded. It seemed that Old Shi, this "pollution source," even if temporarily suppressed, still had a weak attraction to low-level "Abyssal Remains." This made their future journey even more dangerous.

"Rest for ten minutes, then keep going. We can't stay here long." Ling Ye forced himself through the exhaustion, took out the water bottle, and they shared a few small sips. After a brief rest, they set off again. This time, they were even more cautious, trying their best to choose areas far away from any gullies or shadows where "Abyssal Remains" might hide. Old Shi's condition was worse, and it was almost being half-dragged by Ling Ye as they walked.

After walking for another half a day, when the sky darkened once more, the shadow of the "crack" on the distant horizon finally became clearer and more massive.

It was an endless, deeply dark canyon that seemed to have been split open by a giant god's axe.

The edge of the canyon was lined with jagged, incredibly steep, dark-colored rock walls.

Standing at the edge of the wasteland and looking out, the canyon resembled a hideous, unhealable wound on the earth, emitting a heart-palpitating, primitive, and wild aura.

And even more strangely, standing at the edge of the canyon, Ling Ye could clearly feel that the air was permeated with an extremely chaotic, complex, yet incredibly intense energy field!

It was as if countless different types of energy—geomagnetism, radiation, unknown mineral fluctuations, and even... a trace of energy aftertaste similar yet different from the "abyssal eye" contamination, but older and more violent—were colliding, interweaving, and annihilating each other here!

This formed a region of turbulent energy that was invisible to the naked eye but felt like boiling water to the senses!

"This is it..." Old Shi looked at the scene before him, his eyes flickering with complex emotions—fear, awe, and a trace of relief. "Rift Canyon... the energy turbulence zone. Here, conventional detection methods will fail, and energy signals will be distorted and drowned out. The perception of 'The Mother'... should be severely interfered with. We... are safe for now."

Safe for now.

Ling Ye did not feel relieved immediately. The canyon itself exuded an ominous aura.

Those chaotic energies were, for humans (at least for him right now), also a huge burden and a potential danger.

He felt waves of slight dizziness and nausea, and his skin tingled with a subtle, persistent numbness, as if invisible electric arcs were jumping through the air.

Old Shi's reaction was even more intense; his face was even paler, and his breathing was rapid. Clearly, the chaotic energy field had a greater impact on his weak body and the arm eroded by contamination.

"Can you find a way down? Or a place to take shelter along the edge?" Ling Ye asked.

They needed to immediately find a foothold that could shelter them from the direct impact of this chaotic energy field and provide basic protection.

"The edge... is too exposed, and the energy impact is the strongest. We must... go down. At least, if we descend to a certain depth, the energy turbulence will be relatively... more stable, and we might find a sheltered rock crevice or cave." Old Shi gasped, pointing to a relatively gentle slope at the edge of the canyon that seemed to have been washed out by water (perhaps an ancient underground river or seasonal flood). "That place... might be passable. But... we must be very careful. The rock walls might be loose, and the energy turbulence might... trigger hallucinations or loss of bodily control."

There was no other choice. Ling Ye checked his equipment, especially the tied-up packs and the vine connecting him and Old Shi (to prevent accidental falls). Then, he stepped onto the steep, broken slope first.

The moment he entered the canyon, the impact of the chaotic energy field intensified sharply!

Ling Ye felt as if he had crashed into an invisible wall filled with static electricity and noise; sharp ringing echoed in his ears, and colorful, distorted spots began to appear at the edges of his vision.

His body became heavy, and his movements seemed to slow down by half a beat. He knew this wasn't just psychological; the chaotic energy field was directly affecting his nervous System and physiological functions.

He gritted his teeth, concentrating all his spirit to resist the discomfort. At the same time, he felt the "xuanyuan ring" in his chest tremble slightly, emitting a colder but more stable fluctuation, as if it were spontaneously resisting and filtering the surrounding chaotic energy impact.

And the "Ancient Ring" mark deep within his Soul also transmitted a trace of a constant, suppressing rhythm, helping him stabilize his mind.

Old Shi's condition was even worse. He was almost being dragged down by Ling Ye, his body trembling uncontrollably, and suppressed groans of pain emitted from his throat. Clearly, the chaotic energy field had created some kind of malicious resonance or conflict with the contamination inside his body.

The descent was slow and perilous. The slope was steep, the gravel was loose, and every step had to be taken with extreme caution.

The chaotic energy occasionally triggered slight, erratic "wind" (perhaps air disturbances formed by energy turbulence), further increasing the danger. Once, Old Shi slipped and nearly tumbled down, and it was only because Ling Ye held onto the vine tightly that he was able to stabilize his footing.

He didn't know how long they had been descending; perhaps it was only a few dozen meters, but it felt like several hours.

When they finally reached a relatively flat, inward-recessed rock platform only a few meters wide, both of them were exhausted, collapsing onto the cold, hard rock like two fish out of water, with only their chests heaving violently.

Here, they had already descended dozens of meters into the canyon wall. Looking up, the sky was reduced to a narrow, lead-gray line.

The light was extremely dim, and the rock walls appeared a deep, almost black, dark red, covered with strange patterns from weathering and energy erosion.

In the air, that chaotic energy fluctuation still existed, but it seemed to have "settled" a bit more compared to the edge. It was no longer as violent, but had turned into a deeper, stickier, and ubiquitous "background noise."

The dizziness and tingling in their bodies had lessened slightly, but had not disappeared.

"Let's... stay here for now." Ling Ye gasped, observing the small platform.

On the inner side of the platform, the rock wall recessed inward, forming a shallow cave that was not deep but large enough to accommodate the two of them curling up. The entrance was half-hidden by a few protruding rocks, providing some shelter and protection from the wind.

The ground was relatively flat rock, and although cold, it was still dry.

"Here... the energy field... is relatively 'calm'..." Old Shi said weakly, his voice barely audible. "But... it still has an effect. We need to... adapt. And... be careful... deep in the canyon... there might... be something... older and more powerful..."

Ling Ye nodded. He helped Old Shi into the shallow cave, letting him sit leaning against the innermost rock wall.

Then, he quickly checked the surroundings of the platform and the shallow cave, confirming there were no other exits (except for the slope they came down) and no traces of recent biological (or "Abyssal Remains") activity.

He set up simple warning devices using gravel and vines near the edge of the platform and the entrance to the slope.

After doing this, the sky had completely darkened. Deep in the canyon, it was pitch black, with only the shallow cave where they were located letting in a faint glimmer of sky light.

The chaotic energy field in the darkness seemed to become more active; occasionally, one could hear extremely faint "hissing" sounds from deep within the rock walls, as if rocks were cracking or energy was rubbing together, as well as the low, constant energy hum from deep within the canyon, like a sleeping giant beast.

Ling Ye dared not start a fire. Here, firelight and smoke could be amplified and transmitted by the distorted energy field, attracting unnecessary attention.

They could only eat in silence in the darkness and biting cold, gnawing on jerky as hard as stone and washing it down with cold water.

Food in their stomachs brought a trace of faint warmth.

Ling Ye leaned against the cave wall, closed his eyes, and tried to enter the "Star Visualization".

Here, guiding the warm current became exceptionally difficult; the surrounding chaotic energy was like countless invisible hands, pulling and interfering with his focus.

But he persisted, guiding that faint warm current to run arduously through his meridians, while also splitting off a trace to try and help Old Shi stabilize the contamination that seemed even more "anxious" in the chaotic energy field.

Old Shi leaned against the opposite rock wall, motionless, appearing to be asleep, but Ling Ye could hear his extremely faint, yet painful, suppressed breathing.

An excellent shelter? Perhaps. At least, they had temporarily escaped the direct pursuit from behind. But this place itself was a huge cage filled with unknown dangers.

Darkness, cold, chaotic energy, a weak companion, the unknown depths of the canyon...

A glimmer of survival seemed to have led them into an even deeper, more bizarre dead end.

But at least, they now had a relatively hidden corner where they could temporarily catch their breath, adjust, and think about the next step.

Ling Ye slowly opened his eyes, looking through the gap in the cave entrance at the deep, lightless, energy-boiling dark canyon outside.

The cold "xuanyuan ring" on his chest emitted a constant, faint light.

The shadow of the "abyssal eye" seemed to be temporarily isolated outside.

But the secrets of the canyon itself, as well as the problems within each of them, were like poisonous snakes lurking in the darkness, ready to bare their deadly fangs at any moment.