Just as his hand was about to touch the Heart of the Angel, a black figure suddenly darted out from the shadows of the stone chamber, blocking his path. The figure was entirely shrouded in black mist, its face completely obscured. It radiated a dense Void power; although weaker than the Void King's, it was still incredibly formidable, exerting a considerable amount of pressure on Lin Mo.
"Brat, if you want to take the Heart of the Angel, you have to get past me first!" The black figure's voice was low and hoarse, dripping with thick hostility as it echoed throughout the stone chamber.
Lin Mo's gaze sharpened, and he stopped in his tracks. The Dragon Power around him instantly erupted, his pale-blue soul wings unfurling as his Dragon Might permeated the air. He stared warily at the black figure. "Who are you? Why are you here? Are you also from the Void Space?"
The black figure sneered. "Who I am, you don't need to know. I only know that the Heart of the Angel is the absolute nemesis of the Void Space, and it cannot be allowed to fall into your hands. As long as the Heart of the Angel is destroyed, the sovereigns of the Void Space will smoothly break through their seals and descend upon this world. When that time comes, this world will become the territory of the Void Space, and all of you will become nourishment for the Void!"
"Don't even think about it!" Lin Mo roared, a flash of anger in his eyes. "The Heart of the Angel is a treasure meant to protect this world; I absolutely won't let you destroy it! Since you're from the Void Space, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Dragon Power around Lin Mo surged wildly, and his ninth soul ring lit up. "Abyssal Dragon Emperor Break!" A massive dragon-shaped soul power materialized, carrying world-destroying might as it charged directly at the black figure.
The black figure sneered, waved its hand, and a massive black tentacle stretched out from the dark mist, lashing out at the dragon-shaped soul power.
The black tentacle and the dragon-shaped soul power collided with a deafening boom. A powerful shockwave rippled outward, causing the entire stone chamber to violently tremble as cracks spread across the walls.
Lin Mo could sense that the strength of this black figure was actually slightly superior to Black Abyss's, putting it roughly at the late-stage Title Douluo realm. Although Lin Mo himself was also at the late-stage Title Douluo realm, he had just finished cultivating and his soul power hadn't fully recovered. Defeating this figure wouldn't be easy. However, he didn't retreat in the slightest. To protect the Heart of the Angel, to protect this world, he had to go all out.
The black figure sneered again and waved its hand once more. Countless black tentacles burst from the dark mist, swarming toward Lin Mo. These tentacles contained dense Void power and moved at blinding speeds. Wherever they passed, the air was corroded and the stone walls were shattered.
Lin Mo's gaze sharpened. Flapping his pale-blue soul wings, he swiftly evaded the tentacles' attacks while mobilizing the Dragon Power within him, condensing it into strands of dragon-shaped sword aura that he fired at the incoming tendrils.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dragon-shaped sword auras collided with the black tentacles in a deafening roar. Struck by the auras, the tentacles instantly shattered, turning into black mist that dissipated into the air.
But the black figure showed no fear, continuously releasing more black tentacles to press the attack. While dodging, Lin Mo searched for the figure's weak point, hoping to defeat it with a single decisive strike.
The battle raged on for about half an hour. Lin Mo's soul power was severely depleted, and several wounds had appeared on his body. The places struck by the tentacles throbbed with sharp pain as the Void Power continuously eroded his flesh. The black figure wasn't faring well either; the dark mist around it had grown much thinner, and its aura had weakened considerably, but it still refused to give up.
Lin Mo knew this couldn't go on. He had to defeat the black figure and secure the Heart of the Angel as soon as possible. Otherwise, if he dragged this out, his soul power would be completely exhausted. Not only would he fail to obtain the Heart, but he would be killed, and the Heart would be destroyed.
With this thought in mind, a flash of absolute resolve appeared in Lin Mo's eyes. He detonated all the remaining Dragon Power within him, his ninth soul ring lighting up once more. At the same time, he activated the power of his Abyssal Dragon bloodline. The Dragon Might around him grew even denser, and the pale-blue dragon-shaped soul power expanded massively, carrying world-destroying might as he charged at the figure.
"Abyssal Dragon Emperor: Ultimate Form!" Lin Mo roared. The dragon-shaped soul power instantly condensed into a gigantic Abyssal Dragon that pounced directly at the black figure.
The black figure's expression drastically changed. It tried to release more tentacles to defend itself, but it was too late. The Abyssal Dragon slammed viciously into the figure. The entity let out a pained howl as the black mist around it instantly dissipated, revealing its true face.
It was a man with a ferocious appearance. His face was pale, his eyes were a bloodshot red, and his body was covered in black veins that radiated dense Void power. It was obvious that he had been completely consumed by the Void.
The man glared at Lin Mo, his eyes flashing with unwillingness and venom. "You... you actually managed to defeat me... I refuse to accept this... The sovereigns of the Void Space will definitely avenge me... They will definitely break through their seals and destroy this world..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the man's body began to rapidly shrink. It shattered into countless black fragments that were completely obliterated by the Dragon Power of the Abyssal Dragon, dissipating into the air without a single trace left behind.
Lin Mo stared at the spot where the man had vanished and let out a long breath. His body went limp, and he almost collapsed to the ground. His soul power was completely dry, and blood was still seeping from his wounds, but a gratified smile appeared on his face—he had successfully defeated the black figure and protected the Heart of the Angel.
After resting for a moment and recovering a tiny bit of soul power, Lin Mo walked up to the stone pedestal and carefully picked up the Heart of the Angel. It felt warm to the touch and radiated a dense sacred aura. A powerful surge of Angelic Power flowed from the Heart into his body, instantly purifying the Void power within him. The wounds on his body healed at a rapid pace, and his soul power slowly began to recover.
Lin Mo could clearly feel that the power of the Heart of the Angel was immense—far greater than he had ever imagined.
Having secured the Heart of the Angel, Lin Mo immediately left the cave and flew toward the Angel Shrine. He knew that Qian Renxue and Zhao Feng must be waiting for news. He had to deliver the Heart to Qian Renxue as quickly as possible so she could use its power to elevate her strength and prepare for the future crisis posed by the Void Space.
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue was cultivating in the Angel Shrine when she suddenly sensed a powerful surge of Angelic Power approaching from afar. This power was incredibly dense and pure—even stronger than her own. She instantly recognized it as the aura of the Heart of the Angel.
Her heart leaped with joy. She immediately ceased her cultivation and flew toward the source of the power.
Zhao Feng, who was assisting Elder Xuanfeng with Alliance matters at the time, also suddenly sensed a powerful combination of Angelic Power and Dragon Power approaching from the distance. He knew immediately that Lin Mo must have found the Heart of the Angel. He promptly bid farewell to Elder Xuanfeng and flew off toward the direction of the approaching energies.
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