The golden Dragon Breath pierced through the giant beast’s skull, and the extreme agony made it let out the final roar of its life.
That roar became the last straw that broke the entire mine.
“Rumble—”
The rock layers above gave a mournful creak under the weight, massive cracks spreading like a spiderweb. Countless stones and ice blocks, mixed with accumulated snow, crashed down like a torrential downpour.
After releasing the Dragon Breath, Moyin’s strength was completely drained, her whole body going limp as her vision darkened again and again.
In the final moment of fading consciousness, all she saw was her master rushing toward her.
The next instant, she fell into a solid, burning-hot embrace.
Shen Luolin had no time to think. He swept the nearly boneless girl into his arms and, relying on his memory of the terrain, turned to dash toward a relatively stable recess in the side wall.
The moment the two squeezed inside, a boulder weighing several tons thundered down, sealing off everything behind them with absolute precision.
The world was instantly plunged into utter darkness, oppressive and lifeless.
The trembling gradually subsided.
Only the echo of falling stones remained, and the tangled, erratic heartbeats so close at hand.
Having survived the ordeal, Moyin could no longer suppress it—her whole body began to tremble violently.
It wasn’t from cold, but from burning heat.
She instinctively tightened her arms, clinging to her only support, burying her face deeply in his chest that carried the scent of smoke and frost.
Through the rough cloth, she could feel clearly the steady, powerful heartbeat beneath that solid chest, as if it could suppress all her fears.
She didn’t cry, only vented the terror threatening to drown her in the most primitive way, greedily drawing from the only warmth and safety she could find.
The girl in his arms was soft and feverish; even through several layers of clothing, Shen Luolin could feel her trembling, as well as her heart pounding wildly against his chest, almost threatening to break his ribs.
Shen Luolin’s body suddenly stiffened.
His first instinct was to push away this sticky “source of trouble.”
But at the tip of his nose lingered the faint fragrance in the girl’s hair.
Blended with the smokey scent of dragonfire, and the salty-sweet aroma rising from every inch of her snow-white skin as her strength faded.
That vivid, slightly sweet scent made his hand freeze midair.
In the end, he didn’t push her away.
He only awkwardly lifted his gloved hand, hovered for a moment, then gently placed it on her trembling back, patting her clumsily—again and again.
“You did well.”
His voice was low, but in the deathly silent darkness, it was especially clear.
That belated praise instantly shattered the dam holding back Moyin’s emotions.
All the terror suppressed deep inside, the exhaustion from spending her last bit of strength, and the dazed fear after slaying the giant beast, at that moment, all transformed into even more intense and uncontrollable trembling.
She held on tighter.
Not to take, but almost by instinct, as if surrendering her entire weight to him.
As though only by doing this could she be sure she was really still alive.
In that rare moment of warmth, the system notification finally fully appeared in Shen Luolin’s mind, a little late.
[Congratulations, Host! Target (Moyin) has broken through her limits in a life-or-death crisis. Bloodline Awakening has increased significantly!]
[Bloodline Purity +10%! Current Progress: 30%!]
[Warning: Target’s bloodline has reached the Bottleneck at the current stage. Ordinary training will yield minimal results. Please find other means to break through as soon as possible.]
10%!
Such a huge increase sent a jolt through Shen Luolin’s heart. As expected, the pressure between life and death was the best catalyst.
But the words “Bottleneck” that followed sounded an alarm in his mind.
This kind of life-or-death stimulation brought high rewards, but the risk was just as great, and it could not be repeated.
Once was luck; if it happened again, this “master” might have to share her fate here.
And from the system’s tone, this method had already reached its limit—a safer solution was needed.
The trembling in his arms gradually eased.
Moyin lifted her head from his firm chest. Her cheeks were so hot they could nearly scorch any skin that got close.
In the absolute darkness, Shen Luolin couldn’t see her expression, but he could sense those silver eyes staring unblinkingly at him, shining astonishingly bright.
“Master, are we… really trapped in here?”
Her voice was very soft, tinged with the lingering stickiness and nasality of a survivor, along with a trace of something she herself hadn’t realized… relief.
Her warm breath was like some moist touch, gently brushing Shen Luolin’s neck again and again.
That patch of skin instantly prickled with tiny shivers.
Shen Luolin’s back stiffened for a moment, but he calmly averted his gaze, his tone still steady:
“We won’t die.”
With that reassurance, Moyin finally let out a long sigh of relief.
And only then did she realize—almost belatedly—that she was practically hanging onto her master.
The softness on her chest, never so close to a man before, was pressed out of shape, pressed tightly against his solid chest without a gap.
Moyin’s face instantly burned. She hurriedly let go, scrambling backward in a panic, her back bumping into the icy stone wall, sending another chill through her body.
Just then, the deathly silence was split open.
From beyond the boulder sealing the entrance, came a very regular “rustling” sound.
It wasn’t a wild beast digging, nor was it the frantic scraping of survivors.
Each sound was precise and efficient, with clear purpose—obviously professionals using tools to clear the collapse at maximum speed.
Shen Luolin tensed at once.
The girl beside him stopped breathing.
A small, icy hand clutched desperately at the cloth of his waist, her knuckles turning pale from the force.
On the back of Shen Luolin’s hand, under his glove, the pale blue insignia of the Knights silently lit up, and a cold female voice rang directly in his mind.
“Major, coordinates locked. Intense energy readings. I have reached the perimeter. Please report your status.”
It was Aila.
Shen Luolin’s pupils contracted sharply.
She was too fast.
He immediately replied through a Secret Technique: “Situation is complicated. Hold position, no one is to approach. I’ll come out alone.”
After cutting off communication, he turned to look at Moyin behind him.
“There’s a ‘friend’ outside.” He emphasized the word “friend,” but his tone allowed no argument. “You stay here and hide. No matter what you hear, don’t come out.”
This was not a discussion, but a command.
The girl shuddered, then nodded firmly.
Though full of anxiety, Moyin’s obedience to Shen Luolin’s orders had become almost instinctual.
She hugged her knees to her chest, buried her face, curling into a small ball, retreating into the deepest darkness.
Shen Luolin took a deep breath, walked to the pile of rocks, found a relatively small stone, tensed his arm muscles, and slowly pushed it aside with force.
A blinding white light cut through the darkness.
A gale, thick with snow, roared in, instantly sweeping away the lingering warmth that had belonged to just the two of them.
He didn’t look back.
In the howling wind and snow, a torn whisper drifted back.
“Wait for me.”
That voice was so faint, it was almost an illusion.
In the next second, his tall figure squeezed through the narrow opening.
The coarse grains of rock scraped against his clothes, emitting a muffled sound.
Then, that dazzling white light, along with his figure, was utterly swallowed up.
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