266: Chapter 266 A Glimmer of Light Through the Rift

Dawn is a relatively vague concept deep within this Rift Canyon.

Only the eternal, leaden-grey, twisted skylight, tinged with a hint of dark red, that filters through the crevices at the entrance of the cave, strengthens slightly, barely dispelling the heaviest darkness.

Ling Ye slowly opened his eyes; his gaze in the dimness was as bright as a cold star, calm and waveless.

A night of "meditation" had put him in his best state.

He silently stretched his muscles and bones, his joints emitting faint cracking sounds, full of a sense of power.

Old Shi also woke up, or rather, it had barely slept all night.

At this moment, it was carefully wrapping that simple headscarf, soaked in fluorescent powder, around its forehead, and putting on those roughly sewn "Energy Isolation" gloves, its movements slow but exceptionally serious.

Its eyes were no longer filled with the previous despair or weakness, but a mix of determination, nervousness, and a deep, heavy focus on the unknown.

There were no extra words.

The two looked at each other and nodded slightly.

Everything was understood without words.

Ling Ye shouldered his pack (containing most of the supplies), held his spear, and slung his bow across his side.

Old Shi carried a smaller bundle on its back, hung the long wooden stick that served as a crutch, and tightly gripped an "Energy Interference Bomb" in its hand.

A vine rope loosely connected the two at their waists.

After checking the cave one last time to ensure nothing was left behind, Ling Ye took a deep breath and squeezed sideways out of the narrow rock crevice that led to the outside world.

Rushing to meet him was the familiar, chaotic, and violent energy turbulence, as well as the pervasive, low humming.

A stinging numbness swept over his entire body again, but this time, Ling Ye's feeling was no longer purely uncomfortable; it was a clearer perception of the energy flow's texture.

After this period of "secret cultivation," his body and spirit seemed to have initially "adapted" to this harsh environment, at least, no longer easily disturbed in his mind.

Old Shi's expression was also relatively calm, just its breathing was a little more rapid.

It quickly observed its surroundings, dipped its finger into the paint it carried, a mixture of minerals and plant sap, and drew a special symbol on the side of a prominent rock that represented "starting point, safe return" (designed by Old Shi, only the two of them could understand).

"Northeast direction, walk along the rock wall. Watch out for falling rocks above and cracks underfoot," Old Shi whispered a reminder.

Ling Ye nodded and stepped out first.

He did not walk too fast, maintaining a high level of vigilance, his eyes constantly scanning the front, above, the rock walls on both sides, and the rugged, broken ground under his feet.

The spear probed from time to time, tapping and testing.

His ears captured any unusual sounds in the wind, and his perception was elevated to the limit, distinguishing the subtle changes in the surrounding energy field.

Deep in the canyon, the light remained dim.

The rock walls towered, with strange, craggy stones casting twisted, shifting, ghostly shadows in the chaotic energy field.

In the air, besides the constant humming, one could occasionally hear the tooth-aching sound of rocks grinding like a giant beast gnashing its teeth, or the short, sharp explosions caused by violent energy collisions.

They trudged along relatively gentle slopes, picking their way with difficulty between jagged boulders and deep fissures.

When they encountered sections that were too steep or dangerous, they detoured.

Old Shi stopped from time to time to carefully observe the texture of the rock walls, traces on the ground, and the direction of energy flows, correcting their course and leaving hidden path markers.

After advancing for about two or three hours, everything went relatively smoothly.

They encountered no "Abyssal Remains" and no dangerous energy tides.

It was just a difficult journey with significant consumption.

Just as they rounded a massive rock pillar that looked like it had been split by a giant axe, the terrain ahead suddenly changed.

A relatively open depression covered in black gravel appeared before their eyes.

Opposite the depression was a steeper, almost vertical rock wall, and at the base of the wall, a dark, irregularly shaped cave entrance about two people high was vaguely visible.

The rocks at the edge of the entrance exhibited an unnatural, dark purple crystalline luster, emitting a faint, unsettling fluorescence in the dim light.

What made Ling Ye's heart tighten even more was that he could clearly feel a wave of energy coming from the direction of the cave entrance that, while not strong, was extremely pure, cold, and filled with a sense of "Order," forming a stark and abrupt contrast with the violent, chaotic energy field around them!

It was as if a drop of ice water had been dripped into a boiling pot of oil.

"Stop!" Ling Ye immediately raised his hand, lowered his body, and hid behind a boulder.

Old Shi also quickly followed and hid.

"Did you feel it?" Ling Ye asked in a low voice.

"Felt it..." Old Shi's voice carried a hint of imperceptible trembling, its gaze fixed on that cave entrance.

"That is not... naturally formed energy. Nor is it... the pollution of the 'abyssal eye'. It is... artificial, or rather, traces of being transformed and maintained by some highly ordered energy field! And... that energy attribute... is very ancient, very... special."

Artificial? An ancient and special energy field? In the deepest part of this Rift Canyon?

Ling Ye's heart began to beat uncontrollably.

Was it a relic of the "Dark Nest"? Or... something left by an even more ancient civilization? Or... the nest of some unknown existence?

"Should... we go around it?" Old Shi looked at Ling Ye, its tone questioning.

According to the original plan, they should avoid any abnormal energy points.

Ling Ye stared at the cave entrance emitting ominous purple light, his eyes flickering.

Going around it was the safest choice.

But... that special energy field was completely different from the chaos of the "abyssal eye" pollution; perhaps... it contained some method that could help Old Shi completely achieve Purification?

Or, there were clues about "the key" and the xuanyuan ring?

Perhaps, it could even be a shortcut to leave the canyon?

Risk and opportunity, like a viper and honey, were intertwined.

"Let's take a look." Ling Ye finally made the decision, his voice low and firm.

"Take a look from far away, don't get close. If there's anything wrong, we'll retreat immediately."

He needed more information.

Blind avoidance would never break the deadlock.

The two moved even more cautiously, maneuvering from the side toward the cave entrance, choosing a high slope upwind that could observe the entire entrance, was relatively hidden, and was easy to retreat from, and then laid in wait.

The distance closed to about fifty meters.

The details of the cave entrance became clearer.

The dark purple crystals seemed to be some kind of highly concentrated, crystallized mineral, covering an area of about one meter around the edge of the entrance, forming a natural, "door frame"-like structure.

The inside of the cave was pitch black and bottomless, with only that special, orderly energy fluctuation continuously emanating from within, as if resisting and repelling the chaotic energy around it.

On the black gravel ground in front of the entrance, there were no footprints or signs of activity.

It was quiet enough to make one's skin crawl.

"Use this to take a look." Old Shi took out a small leather pouch from its bosom and poured out a little of the "fluorescent powder" it had previously made, which could weakly indicate the direction of energy flow, gently sprinkling it on a flat rock in front of it.

The fluorescent powder emitted a faint, ghostly green light in the dim light, and the tips of the powder actually pointed clearly toward the cave entrance and bent slightly inward, as if attracted by the energy field inside the cave!

"Inside the cave, there is a stable energy source with 'centripetal' attraction!" Old Shi whispered, a flicker of uncertainty flashing in its eyes.

Just then—

"Hum..."

An extremely faint but exceptionally clear low hum, as if some precision instrument had started or an energy circuit had been connected, came from deep within the cave!

Immediately after, the dark purple crystals at the edge of the entrance brightened suddenly for an instant, then returned to their original state.

And that special, orderly energy fluctuation also seemed to briefly strengthen and spread, sweeping over the high slope where Ling Ye and Old Shi were hiding!

"Ugh!" Old Shi groaned, its body shuddering violently, and the grey-green patch on its right hand actually twitched and flickered violently without warning!

An extremely faint but incomparably clear, cold, painful, and at the same time, strangely "longing" feeling, followed that special energy fluctuation and instantly transmitted into Ling Ye's perception!

It was pollution!

The pollution in Old Shi's body had reacted to that special, orderly energy inside the cave!

It was not repulsion, but a kind of... twisted reaction, as if it wanted to "merge" or "be assimilated"!

"What's going on?!" Ling Ye immediately supported Old Shi, while vigilantly looking at the cave entrance.

Could the energy inside the cave be related to the "abyssal eye" pollution?

"No... it's not pollution..." Old Shi's face was pale, cold sweat seeping from its forehead, as it pressed hard on its twitching right hand, its voice distorted by pain and shock.

"It's... it's 'Order'! The pollution in my body is chaotic, twisted 'disorder'. And the energy inside the cave is highly 'ordered'! They are... resisting, and also... mutually attracting! Just like... the two poles of a magnet! That energy... might... might be able to forcibly 'comb' and 'regulate' the chaotic pollution in my body! But the process... will be extremely painful, and... the result is unknown! It might be Purification, or it might... trigger an even more terrible mutation or explosion!"

The possibility of Purification!

Although the process was dangerous and the result unknown, this was undoubtedly one of the things they most longed to find after leaving the canyon!

It had actually appeared here in such an unexpected way!

Ling Ye's heartbeat sounded like a drum.

He looked at Old Shi's painful and hopeful (yet fearful) eyes, and then looked at that eerie cave entrance that emitted ominous purple light but contained the power of "Order".

Go in?

It might lead to finding the key to solving Old Shi's pollution, or even other secrets, but it might also mean stepping into an inescapable trap, or triggering an unpredictable disaster.

Leave?

Continue to search aimlessly for a way out in the canyon, carrying a source of pollution that could recur at any time, with a bleak future.

The choice was once again placed before them.

And, it was more direct and more lethal than any time before.

"Can you judge how dangerous it is inside? Besides this 'Order' energy, is there anything else?" Ling Ye forced himself to calm down and asked quickly.

"I don't know..." Old Shi shook its head with difficulty.

"The energy field is too special, completely shielding and distorting conventional perception of the interior. But... from the energy fluctuations, the internal structure should be relatively stable, not showing signs of frequent activity by living things. The greatest danger might be... the energy itself. That 'Order' power might have a strong 'repulsion' or 'assimilation' effect on disordered existences (like the pollution in my body, or even... our own overly turbulent life energy fields). Rushing in, our bodies and spirits might not be able to withstand it."

The risk was huge, but the opportunity was equally tempting.

Ling Ye closed his eyes and quickly weighed the options.

He remembered the reaction of the xuanyuan ring when facing the "abyssal eye" pollution, and the rhythm of the "Ancient Ring" symbol that suppressed and protected.

Both of these powers seemed to carry some kind of "Order" or "higher-position" attribute.

Perhaps... they could resist or adapt to the energy inside the cave?

Furthermore, Old Shi's pollution was their biggest hidden danger.

If not solved, even if they left the canyon, it would be like carrying a time bomb.

This eerie opportunity before them might be the only, and perhaps the last, hope to solve this problem.

"Let's gamble." Ling Ye opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, looking at Old Shi.

"You wait outside for me, I'll go in to investigate first. If I can adapt and there's no danger, I'll call you in. If something happens to me, or I don't come out for a long time, you immediately return to the cave the way you came, and then... find a way to leave the canyon yourself."

"No!" Old Shi immediately opposed, its eyes filled with complex emotions—worry, guilt, and a hint of fear of being left alone.

"It's too dangerous! That energy field..."

"It is precisely because it's dangerous that I cannot let you take the risk with me." Ling Ye interrupted it, his tone unquestionable.

"You have pollution in your body, and the situation after entering is even harder to predict. Also, we need to leave one person outside to provide support and warnings. This is the most reasonable arrangement."

He paused, looking at Old Shi, his voice softening slightly: "If the energy inside can really help you, I won't keep it to myself. But first, I must confirm that walking in is not going to our deaths."

Old Shi opened its mouth, wanting to say something else, but in the end, it just sighed heavily, its eyes filled with powerlessness and deep worry.

It knew that Ling Ye was right.

This was the plan with the lowest risk and the highest possibility of obtaining key information.

"You... must be careful. If it doesn't feel right, retreat immediately! I'll be outside... ready to use the 'Interference Bomb' to create chaos to support you." Old Shi finally said, its voice dry.

Ling Ye nodded and untied the vine rope that connected them.

He left most of the supplies and the bow and arrows with Old Shi (the cave was narrow, and the bow and arrows might be inconvenient to use), taking only the spear, fruit knife, water bottle, flint, a few "Energy Interference Bombs," and most importantly—the xuanyuan ring, which he hid close to his body.

He checked his equipment one last time, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the stinging numbness brought by the chaotic energy, and looked with firm eyes toward that eerie cave entrance that emitted a dark purple ghostly light, like the mouth of a demon.

He gripped his spear tightly, took a step, and walked step by step toward that unknown, faint light in the crevice that contained "Order" and danger.