Sophia held the Grey Candle in her hand, staring into the distance at the situation on the other side of the White Mist River.
It had been less than two minutes since that door had closed.
Even in such a short amount of time, she was still worried about Enya.
She had caught a glimpse of the phenomenon within that gate just now.
Even with the Grey Candle as a barrier, her heart and mind had been stirred by that Starry Night.
The gate was like a mouth; once it swallowed something, everything would disappear inside. Now, it was closing its mouth to digest its food.
Inadvertently, Sophia looked down and discovered that the candle had burned down significantly. A sense of horror struck her, and fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
‘Was it when I dazed off just now?’
The azure eyes beneath her veil trembled.
Sophia stared intently at the flame of the Grey Candle. Its glow was dim and contained not a trace of Magic Power.
She had no idea where that eerie, mysterious power came from.
Sophia had heard Eliv mention it before.
In this world, most items possessing miraculous abilities were created through Curses or pollution; only a small portion were born through a Blessing.
Under what kind of pollution did the Grey Candle gain the miraculous ability to sustain a pocket of space? And the Predecessor who could bring it out…
What had she experienced?
Adventure was truly something that made one’s heart yearn.
Thinking of this, Sophia lowered her eyes and sighed softly. “No wonder the elders in the tribe are so keen on exploring this World.”
‘Sister Sophia?’
Nina tilted her head and looked up at Sophia’s face. Noticing she was staring at the candle, Nina looked at it as well.
It had only burned down a little bit.
Nina tugged at Sophia’s hand and whispered beside her.
“Sister Sophia, look toward the gate, quickly.”
“Huh?”
Sophia returned to reality from her drifting thoughts. She raised the Grey Candle, ensuring the flame stayed within her line of sight.
Then, she saw a shocking scene.
The churning White Mist River had actually begun to boil completely, looking much like a pot of boiling water.
The Evil Beasts in the Mist also began to shatter one by one, turning into thick White Mist. These mists separated and converged, eventually forming Souls.
However, these Souls were all incomplete.
Because they were fragmented and had endured too much torture, their sanity had completely vanished.
Without the power of Tulius to bind them, they transformed into crazed Vengeful Spirits that attacked every living thing.
Whether it was their own kind or the Shadow Guards of the Hall of Shadows, everyone suffered the fierce attacks of these Vengeful Spirits at this moment.
Though individual Vengeful Spirits were weak, their numbers were several magnitudes higher than the puppets like the Evil Beasts in the Mist.
Furthermore, the Vengeful Spirits could fly, and attacks without Magic Power could not harm them at all.
In front of the Stone Gate, Sylvia, sitting atop the spider body, had a dark expression. A silver figure had just rushed into the door.
If the things inside were snatched by that figure…
“Damn it! Who exactly was that!”
Sylvia’s purple hair fluttered due to her rage, constantly churning and swaying like purple flames.
The Shadow Hall Master beside her finally spoke.
He said, “The door is right here. Even if that person took something, they will have to come out through here. We just need to guard the entrance.”
“True, ha ha ha…”
Although Sylvia laughed, her expression was unpleasant.
As for guarding the door, she wasn’t some brainless wooden block; how could she not have thought of it? There were simply other reasons.
Why hadn’t she chased Tulius through the door just now?
It wasn’t just to guard against Tulius’s ambush.
She also didn’t entirely trust the black giant beside her, the Shadow Hall Master of the Hall of Shadows. Sylvia did not want to be the one trapped inside a door!
And the Shadow Hall Master felt the same way.
If Sylvia could win him over to backstab Tulius, her former partner, she might also have a hidden hand to backstab him.
One must always be wary of others.
Moreover, she was a woman with deep schemes; he had to be extra cautious to ensure he wasn’t sold out by her.
Even though the two were cooperating, they had different intentions. They only stood on a united front for the sake of benefit.
Trust was out of the question.
Just as suspicion grew in their hearts, the 100-meter Stone Gate moved. The gazes of Sylvia and the Shadow Hall Master instantly locked onto the gap in the door.
*Crack!*
The gate suddenly split horizontally, and the Starry Night leaked out, flowing like a puddle of black water shimmering with starlight.
To put it another way, it was as if a main artery had been slashed by a knife, and the plasma was gushing out. This Starry Night plasma also carried pollution.
Its appearance forced both Sylvia and the Shadow Hall Master to retreat significantly, neither daring to touch the liquid filled with wicked pollution.
At the moment they retreated, a silver light flashed past. The two Seventh Tier powerhouses were still unable to react to Enya in time.
In the time it took Sophia to blink, Enya had already rushed across the 1,000-meter river of churning Vengeful Spirits and stood steadily in front of her.
What was speed? This was speed!
Enya reached out, her index finger and thumb pinching the air as if grasping the Void, yet she perfectly caught the wick of the Grey Candle that was burning at extreme speed.
After pinching out the candlelight, Sophia and Nina were exposed to the Vengeful Spirit Tide.
The sounds of mournful wailing were like waves of a tide, crashing against the Souls of Sophia and Nina.
Nina was fine; she was at the peak of the Sixth Rank and had a pure mind, so this emotional ripple didn’t affect her much.
But Sophia was only at the Fifth-Tier. Moreover, she was far more thoughtful than Nina and would occasionally get sentimental. This emotional impact had a much greater effect on her.
Fortunately, she had a special Blessing on her body which helped her withstand the sorrow of the Vengeful Spirit Tide, preventing her Soul from being damaged.
However, beneath her veil, those azure eyes still shimmered with tears, and two crystalline droplets fell as she blinked.
Enya spoke softly.
“It is time to leave.”
“Then what about them…”
“Before long, someone should come to handle this place. Just leave. I can promise you that.”
“Mm… alright.”
Sophia lowered her head and nodded slightly.
Enya picked Nina up onto her back and took Sophia into her arms. By this time, Sylvia and the Shadow Hall Master had arrived.
The Shadow Hall Master said in a deep voice, “Friend, in such a hurry to leave?”
“I really didn’t expect the Dragon Tribe to be mixed up with two Elves. I truly misjudged you. But you must have taken something from in there, right? Hand it over and we can let you go, along with your two toy Little Elves.”
Sylvia spoke a lot. Positioned atop the spider’s head, she arched her swan-like neck, looking down at the relatively tiny Enya and the others.
Once Enya confirmed Sophia’s posture was adjusted, she unfurled her Dragon Wings.
Right in front of Sylvia and the Shadow Hall Master, she dodged several Purple Thread slashes and swings from the Black Blade.
The ground began to tremble, and massive rocks fell from the ceiling. Enya gracefully dodged the rubble and various attacks in mid-air.
She flew toward the very top of the ceiling. As she approached, a massive crack actually split open in the ceiling.
Enya flew straight up, her speed reaching a sonic boom.
Within the Northern Mountains, the vibrations began to become apparent.
The Magical Beasts on the ground fled in all directions for safety, and birds hurriedly took to the Sky Authority.
However, the earthquake came too quickly. Many Magical Beasts that could not escape in time fell into the Great Rift that had suddenly split open.
Instantly, the cries of various Magical Beasts echoed throughout the area.
Sophia closed her eyes tightly and buried her face in the crook of Enya’s neck, pressing her body as close to Enya as possible.
She didn’t know how much time had passed…
Until Enya spoke to her with a light chuckle.
“Alright, we’re out.”
“W-We’re out?”
Sophia was somewhat in disbelief. She hadn’t felt much of anything.
Opening her eyes cautiously, she found a crystal-blue sky greeting her sight.
Turning her head again, she saw that they were flying very high in the sky, even among the white clouds.
This caused Sophia’s small mouth to hang open.
“Whoo-hoo!”
Nina sat on Enya’s waist, raising her hands high and shouting in excitement.
Her wish had finally been fulfilled.
However, once this matter was over, she would definitely receive a few swats on her bottom.
Sophia shot a glare at Nina before turning her gaze toward the ground.
Once she looked, her eyes widened involuntarily.
The forest had split into a giant canyon.
Bursts of cold wailing rose from the canyon, and a strange Aurora Phenomenon appeared within the cracks.
The aurora stretched for several thousand meters. It was the same in all the fissures, appearing in the forest like curtains of light.
Enya turned her body and flew toward the ground.
Before long, they were flying close to the woods. Just as Sophia was preparing to land, she realized someone seemed to be following them.
“Predecessor…”
“Shh~”
Sophia wanted to warn Enya, but how could Enya not know that Sylvia and the Shadow Hall Master were following right behind?
Running away?
That was not Enya’s style!
Only when encountering an unbeatable enemy would Enya temporarily retreat.
When meeting those she could defeat, she naturally wouldn’t let them go!
From the moment she saw Tulius, Sylvia, and the Shadow Hall Master, Enya had already planned how to devour them all.
Enya landed on the ground and spun once.
Her tail was wrapped around the Spirit-Soothing Flower Dagger, and Sword Qi drew a circle with a 5-meter radius on the ground.
Then, with Nina on her back, her left forearm and palm supporting Sophia’s soft bottom, she held a Standard Longsword in her right hand.
She was confronting two Seventh Tier experts simultaneously!
Sylvia controlled the spider body to land not far outside the circle.
The Shadow Hall Master did the same.
Seeing them arrive, Enya spoke to Sylvia as if greeting an old acquaintance.
“Sharon, should we continue our cooperation?”
Sylvia was choked by those words.
The Shadow Hall Master tightened his grip on the long blade in his hand. While his Spirit Power locked onto Enya, it also locked onto Sylvia beside him.
Sophia was stunned by this turn of events.
‘Is the Predecessor… too wicked?’
Enya just wanted to say that she was exactly that; she was the final boss.
Whether it was Sylvia, the Shadow Hall Master, or Tulius…
They were the challengers!
“Are you ready, Sharon? And you, the Shadow Hall Master of the Hall of Shadows?” Enya gave a light chuckle.
The difference in size on her side was far too great compared to the two opposite her, yet despite the gap, her aura did not lose in the slightest.
Enya held her head high and said to them.
“All who come shall be cut down; none who leave shall remain!”