126: A miraculous escape and the sacrifice of the "purifiers"

Wen Youyi felt as if his head were about to split open; it was a sign of excessive consumption of Mental Energy.

The star core fragment in his arms had also become scorching hot, and the energy within it was rapidly draining away.

Although the "Spirit Disturbance Array" was effective, every activation felt like it was draining his bone marrow.

Zhao Iron Pillar was also panting like an ox, relying solely on his Physical Body to swing his heavy sword; the webbing of his hand had long since split, and fresh blood stained the hilt.

Senior Brother Zhang looked even more ghastly, relying entirely on a survival instinct to keep running.

The "Hounds" behind them were growing in number, like a grey tide surging from the shadows in all directions, their cold metallic carapaces scraping against the bushes and making a teeth-grinding rustling sound.

They did not hiss or roar; there was only a desperate, silent pursuit.

"Boss... I... I can't hold on much longer!" Zhao Iron Pillar's voice was hoarse.

His movements had clearly slowed down; he was a split second late in a parry, and a sharp claw from a "Hound" left three deep, bone-exposed lacerations on his back!

Wen Youyi felt a pang of pain; he knew that if this continued, the three of them would truly be finished here today.

Could it be... that there was truly no hope left?

Just at this moment of despair—

"Hum!"

A pure, gentle, yet determined beam of white light descended from the sky like a sword breaking through dark clouds, striking precisely in the middle of the "Hounds" that were in closest pursuit!

"Boom!"

The white light exploded; it didn't have earth-shattering destructive power, but it carried a strange power of "purification"!

Those few "Hounds" hit head-on saw their hard carapaces rapidly dissolve and disintegrate as if encountering a natural enemy, along with their internal precision structures, turning into wisps of blue smoke and dissipating!

The remaining "Hounds" seemed startled, their pursuit abruptly stalling, their head sensors flashing wildly, seemingly filled with confusion and... a hint of fear toward this sudden attack?

Wen Youyi and the others were also stunned, looking in the direction from which the white light had come.

On a high slope to the side, five figures stood!

They were wearing damaged silver-white attire, their bodies shrouded in a faint white halo—it was the "Purifiers" led by Ying!

However, they were all wounded at this moment, their auras much weaker than before, evidently having also experienced a tragic battle.

"Come here quickly!" Ying's voice came through Mental Energy, carrying urgency.

Survival in desperation!

Wen Youyi and the others erupted with their final strength and charged toward the high slope.

The "Purifiers" continuously released that pure white light, as if constructing a temporary defensive line, temporarily blocking the "Hounds" that were trying to catch up.

Wen Youyi and the others stumbled onto the high slope and joined up with the "Purifiers."

"Miss Ying! You all..." Wen Youyi looked at the wounds on their bodies and their weary expressions, feeling both grateful and heavy-hearted.

"No time for talk!" Ying interrupted him, her face pale but her eyes firm.

"We have been targeted by the main force of the 'Hounds'; running separately makes us too big of a target, we can only join forces to fight our way out!"

She said quickly: "Follow me! I know of an ancient Forbidden Ground nearby; the rules there are chaotic, perhaps it can interfere with the 'Hounds'' tracking!"

Without any hesitation, the eight of them joined forces and, with the "Purifiers'" white light clearing the way, fought and retreated in the direction Ying pointed.

With the addition of the "Purifiers," the pressure dropped sharply.

That pure white light seemed to have a special restraining effect on the "Hounds"; although it could not kill them on a large scale, it could effectively delay and disperse them.

However, the number of "Hounds" was truly too many, seemingly endless.

Furthermore, Wen Youyi could sense that further away, several even colder, even larger auras were rapidly approaching!

That was... the main force of the real "Scavengers"!

"Quick! It's right ahead!" Ying pointed to the entrance of a valley enveloped in distorted light and shadow ahead.

The valley looked very strange, space itself seemed to be slightly fluctuating, giving people a sense of unreality.

Seeing that hope was right before their eyes!

Suddenly!

"Chi! Chi! Chi!"

Several silver threads, more condensed and faster than before, shot out silently from the dense forest behind like the scythe of death, aiming straight at the two "Purifiers" at the end of the team!

Those two "Purifiers" seemed to have anticipated this; they looked at each other, a flash of resolution in their eyes.

They did not dodge, but instead turned around simultaneously, condensing all their white light into a thick shield of light, and brazenly met those silver threads!

"No!" Ying exclaimed in shock.

"Boom!!"

The light shield collided fiercely with the silver threads!

Blinding light erupted; the figures of those two "Purifiers" dissolved like ice and snow in the light, but they used their lives as the price to forcefully block this fatal blow!

"Go!" The remaining three "Purifiers" were heartbroken, but they suppressed their grief and, protecting Wen Youyi and the others, charged into the entrance of that Forbidden Ground with chaotic rules!

At the final moment of entering the valley, Wen Youyi looked back and saw that in the dense forest behind, three "Scavengers" wearing complete silver-white armor, with auras as terrifying as the abyss, had already arrived.

Their cold gazes swept over the valley entrance, but they did not immediately pursue, seemingly wary of this area as well.

Inside the valley, light and shadow were distorted, as if they had entered another world.

They were safe for the moment.

But in Wen Youyi's heart, there was no joy, only endless sorrow and heavy gratitude.

Two "Purifiers" had remained outside forever to win this final chance of survival for them.

The path of resistance was stained with the blood of fellow travelers at every step.

(End of chapter)