English Translation
Just as the mental defenses were on the verge of total collapse, a faint yet extraordinarily resilient fluctuation pierced through the thick veil of nothingness like a wisp of firefly light in the oppressive depths of the deep sea.
It was Salsa!
Her soul-body phantom flickered violently within the absolute sensory void (though invisible to others). She pushed her soul tribe's innate talent—pure mind linkage—to its absolute limit. This was neither sound nor image, but a transmission carrying her fierce will: "Connect! Hold steady!" The fluctuation spread like the first pebble dropped into stagnant water, slowly expanding and brushing against the fraying edges of the other nine consciousnesses teetering on the brink.
"Everyone, don't panic!" A clearer, steadier intent—laden with undeniable authority—resounded like a thunderclap in the shared spiritual layer. It was Fa. Salsa had opened the channel, and Fa immediately took command of this makeshift spiritual network. Her will sliced through the chaotic fog like a sharp blade, forcibly gathering the ten scattered, nearly drowning souls into a vague but tangible "whole."
"Fa!" Arya's intent responded with a sob, filled with the relief and attachment of having survived disaster. She carefully directed her turbulent light-element mana toward the stable anchor point representing "Fa" within the spiritual network. Though there was no visual radiance or tactile warmth, deep in the mental connection she "felt" a familiar, reassuringly steadfast presence—like touching a piece of warm jade on a cold night. This faint "temperature sense" became her lighthouse against the void.
Tisk sensed it too! With the aid of the spiritual network, his craftsman's keen intuition caught the extremely faint, specific-frequency vibrations nearby. It was the Lava Hammer! And the spare throwing axes at his waist! In the void, metal was not completely motionless; its molecular vibrations combined with weak resonances against the void energy field created his unique "metal song." He attempted to swing the war hammer in his "intent," and although there was no wind or impact, he could "read" the distinct energy trajectory produced when his mana infused the weapon through the network. That trajectory outlined the hammer's invisible shape and motion path. A long-lost sense of control slightly dispelled the helplessness.
Salsa functioned as the radar core. Once the spiritual network was established, her perception range and precision were vastly enhanced. She could not only sense her teammates' soul flames but also detect subtler presences in the surrounding space—lingering soul imprints, faint energy ripples, even the "textures" of the void's own flow. Like a true blind guide, she wove countless imperceptible "mental tactile" feedbacks into a shared perceptual map within the network—abstract, yet vitally important. "Ahead… energy accumulation… left side… relatively 'empty'…" Her intent guided their direction.
Rex's internal sensors captured faint magnetic field shifts and background energy fluctuations, which the spiritual network greatly "amplified" and interpreted. He converted these data streams into a simplified point-line-plane internal model and shared it with the team. In everyone's consciousness, the model appeared as irregular glowing dots and distorted lines flickering across a chaotic gray background, marking anomalous energy zones. "Eleven o'clock direction, high-energy disturbance, distance… estimation unstable," his mechanical intent added calmly, supplementing Salsa's perception.
Kayla focused her beast-like instincts entirely on internal bodily awareness. The subtle tension changes in muscle fibers, joint angle memory, and the extreme maintenance of balance without reference points formed her unique "kinesthetic map." Calibrated by the spiritual network, she could roughly judge her orientation and movement amplitude in the void. "I can… maintain direction… move straight…" Her intent carried a raw, beastly coarseness yet brimmed with action.
Yuyuer concentrated on the "internal circulation" of water elements within her body. She guided water elements through her meridians like guiding the last streams across a dried riverbed. She attempted to resonate this flowing "frequency" outward, probing for even the sparsest water molecules that might exist in the void. "It's… very 'dry' here…" her intent carried exhaustion, "but… in the distance… a faint 'moist' fluctuation?" This became another navigation beacon.
Zhamisi focused her perception on toxin affinity. She emitted an extremely faint probing toxic breath, like a spider spinning sensory silk. In the void, this toxic breath would produce a subtle "adhesion" or "repulsion" upon contacting any non-void "foreign matter," feeding back through her innate link. "Something… drifting past on the right… shape… irregular…" Her intent, like a snake's tongue, captured invisible outlines.
Lin Ya's life force was like a suppressed seed. Instead of summoning visible vines, he allowed the purest life energy to slowly "seep" outward from his "feet" like a mycelial network. This energy produced a faint "attachment" or "nourishment" feedback upon encountering anything with "life" or "material" attributes. Suddenly, he "felt" several extremely faint but real "plant-like" feedback points to the left-front! "There are… plant remains… very small… very far…" His intent trembled with surprise, bringing a glimmer of life to the dead silence.
Celestia compressed her wind-and-thunder power to the extreme—not to release it, but to use it as the most precise "probe." She simulated the sensation of a gentle breeze and electric current within her body and carefully released this simulated "vibration frequency" into an extremely small external range. When the vibration encountered "obstacles" in the void, it produced subtle "resistance" or "refraction" changes that she keenly detected. "Ahead… there are changes… be careful…" Her intent, swift and precise like lightning, served as the team's foremost scout.
In this peculiar and arduous manner, relying on the spiritual network and each person's unique "internal senses," the ten of them groped forward through absolute nothingness. Every step felt like trudging through viscous darkness, where direction could be lost at any moment. Only the "sense of presence" of their companions transmitted through the spiritual network remained their final anchor against utter madness.
After an unknown length of time, a drastically different energy fluctuation swept over them like an invisible tsunami!
It was ice-cold, decayed, filled with endless hunger and malice! It did not transmit through smell but acted directly on the spiritual layer, as if forcibly pouring rotten sludge into everyone's consciousness. A violent "nausea" and soul-deep shudder instantly seized them all!
"Something's coming!" Fa's intent rang out like an alarm bell in the spiritual network. Her right eye's star pupil throbbed in sharp pain as it detected a sudden surge of numerous chaotic, highly aggressive energy clusters ahead. Their trajectories were erratic, like boiling malice itself.
"So many! Soul imprints… chaotic… highly aggressive! They've surrounded us!" Salsa's soul perception was the most direct; she "saw" countless twisted, shattered soul shadows reduced to pure devouring instinct coalescing from all directions in the void and lunging forward!
Then came the indescribable "sensation"! Not physical biting or impact, but countless cold, slimy "tentacles" wrapping directly around their soul essences! The intense "pain" was not bodily but the sharp agony of souls being gnawed and torn apart! Spiritual shields were pierced like paper! Fear, despair, and insane negative emotions flooded in like venom!
"What are these things!" Yuyuer's intent was filled with horror. Her water-based protective magic had almost no effect against pure soul attacks and could only barely shield her core from instant corruption.
"Scatter! Reduce concentrated attack surface! Maintain network connection!" Fa endured the soul-gnawing agony and issued a decisive order. At the same time, the "Frost Silence Origin" power within her surged wildly! The concept of absolute zero coalesced in the void! There was no flash of ice crystals or howl of cold air, but through the shared perception of the spiritual network and the soul devourers' reactions, everyone "felt" several extremely condensed, razor-sharp "cutting lines" erupt from Fa's position! Wherever they passed, several of the nearest soul devourer clusters melted instantly like snowballs dropped into boiling water—absolute freezing and shattering at the soul level!
Arya forced herself to stay calm. The Storm Bow drew in her "intent," and she locked all her focus on the direction Fa had shared via the network—the area with the densest energy clusters. Light-element mana compressed to the extreme, forming an invisible arrow. She released the bowstring of "intent"! There was no whistling through the air, but Arya clearly "felt" a torrent of scorching, pure energy surge forth! The spiritual network transmitted the violent energy "explosion" ahead and the "extinguishing" of several soul devourer imprints! Light was the natural bane of these negative soul entities!
"Roar—!" Kayla's battle intent thundered silently through the spiritual network! "Four-Stage Transformation: Thunderfrost Cataclysm Behemoth!" Though no visible transformation occurred, at the spiritual level a ferocious, destructive storm of lightning and frost energy erupted. Her massive "intent form" swung lightning-formed giant claws in the void! Each strike brought the perception of large swaths of soul devourers being torn apart by raging lightning or frozen solid and shattered by extreme cold! The "tentacles" wrapped around her soul were ripped off and evaporated! The beastkin's fury became a bulwark against spiritual erosion!
Tisk roared in intent, raising the Lava Hammer high in his "intent." Ice and fire forces intertwined and compressed at the hammerhead—then smashed down invisibly! "Icefire Explosion!" There was no deafening crash or flying ice shards and flames. But at the moment the hammerhead "struck," a ring-shaped shockwave of pure energy—mixed extreme freezing air and bursting flame streams—exploded outward! Tisk focused intently on the subtle energy "tremor" feedback from the shockwave contacting soul devourer clusters. "Hit three! Left side!" he shouted through the network, adjusting the next swing's angle and force based on feedback.
"Drone swarm, launch! Mode: detection lock, ice-attribute self-destruct!" Rex's cold mechanical intent sounded. Hundreds of micro-nano drones surged silently from his shoulder weapon bay. Guided by the spiritual network and Rex's internal model, they swarmed toward the soul devourer-dense zones Salsa had marked. They no longer relied on visual targeting but became suicide energy probes: upon detecting high concentrations of negative soul energy, they triggered self-destruct. Ice-attribute extreme-cold shocks erupted at the micro scale. Though individually weak, their sheer numbers acted like countless tiny ice needles piercing the soul devourers' energy bodies, causing severe disruption, slowdown, and structural damage! "Target zone energy intensity down 17%… continuous interference in progress…" Rex reported in real time.
Salsa condensed her soul power into dozens of invisible "shadow claws." These claws were not physical attacks but soul-level cutting weapons. Her intent operated like a surgeon, precisely directing the shadow claws to slash the "tentacles" of soul devourers frantically gnawing at her teammates' souls! "Fa, left shoulder! Arya, behind!" Her intent accompanied the intangible tearing sensation, ripping individual soul devourers off her teammates and shredding them!
"Thorn Prison!" Lin Ya's intent brimmed with tenacious life force. He pushed natural spiritual energy to the limit—not seepage, but forced "growth" in the void! Countless sharp-barbed "thorn vines" made of pure life energy spread wildly at the intent level! They had no physical form yet exerted powerful "entanglement" and "drain" effects on soul energy. Any soul devourer caught by these invisible thorns slowed immediately, its soul energy rapidly absorbed and weakened. Through the "touch" of the thorn network, Lin Ya clearly perceived the positions and struggles of entangled soul devourers, commanding the thorns to tighten and branch, forming invisible thickets that blocked enemy advances. "Right flank… trapped five… rear… gap!" he reported urgently.
"Abyssal Vortex! Ice Seal!" Yuyuer's intent flowed like a deep-sea current. She manipulated invisible water flows (more accurately, energy flows in the void mimicking water properties) to create powerful suction vortices at the team's weak defensive points! Soul devourers were pulled and drawn into the vortex cores. Then extreme-cold ice energy was injected into the center! Though no ice formed visibly, the spiritual network clearly conveyed the sensation of those drawn-in soul devourer clusters suddenly stiffening, solidifying, and finally disintegrating into void dust! "Gap… sealed!" Yuyuer breathed a sigh of relief.
"Venomous Miasma Domain: Sloth!" Zhamisi's venom fang curved blade traced eerie arcs in intent. She released not lethal poison but a soul toxin that eroded soul activity and inflicted severe sluggishness. Colorless, odorless toxic mist spread across the intent layer; any soul devourer entering this "venom domain" saw its movement speed, attack frequency, and even energy condensation rate drastically reduced—as if trapped in invisible mire! "Forward… effective… speed reduced!" Zhamisi's intent carried a ruthless edge.
Celestia transformed into a pure "wind-thunder intent"! Her speed reached its peak at the spiritual level; her position marker flickered like lightning back and forth among teammates in the network! "Spirit Pierce!" Her intent came with an intangible screech. Highly compressed mental power formed invisible cones that precisely stabbed the cores of soul devourer clusters—the soul imprints carrying hunger and malice! Each accurate strike caused a devourer's core imprint to flicker violently before complete annihilation! "Kayla's right side, cleared! Tisk's rear, cleared!" Her reports were concise and swift, making her the battlefield's most efficient cleaner.
This was a battle beyond conventional cognition. There were no clashing metals, no magical light effects, no blood and flesh flying. Only pure spiritual connection, energy-perception duels, clashes of will and instinct, and a life-and-death struggle against invisible foes in absolute darkness. Every successful attack and every teammate's timely support was clearly transmitted through the spiritual network, forging the ten people's trust and rapport into steel. Whenever one person's soul defenses teetered under the soul devourers' frenzied assault, multiple supporting forces always arrived in time—dispelling, severing, or freezing the greedy predators.
After an unknowable duration of "combat"—perhaps an eternity, perhaps an instant—the nauseating decayed malice and soul-level sharp pain began to recede like an ebbing tide.
"They… retreated?" Arya panted, her soul still aching from the gnawing.
"Numbers sharply reduced! Remaining imprints are fleeing!" Salsa confirmed. Her soul body appeared somewhat dimmed; maintaining such high-intensity spiritual network and attacks had consumed greatly.
Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Salsa's soul body shook violently! A completely different energy fluctuation— like a desert oasis—intruded into her exhausted perception range!
"Wait! Something's there! It's… it's it!" Salsa's intent burst with irrepressible excitement. "Pure… brimming with vitality… faint, but like a lighthouse in the night! It's the 'Void Ginseng'!"
Everyone's spirits lifted! Fa immediately focused her star pupil power to track the direction Salsa indicated. Sure enough, amid the chaotic void background, a tiny, stable energy orb glowed with soft life-iridescence, floating quietly like a sprite. However, before they could approach, the orb seemed to sense something and instantly turned into a streak of flowing light, fleeing at astonishing speed into the depths of the void!
"It's moving! So fast!" Lin Ya exclaimed. He tried to "capture" the wisp of vitality with life spiritual energy but was easily shaken off.
"Rex! Lock onto it!" Fa ordered immediately.
"Target speed exceeds expectations! Trajectory changes erratic! Drone swarm, pursuit mode, maximum speed!" Rex's mechanical intent operated at high speed. The remaining nano-drones abandoned sentry duty and shot after the iridescent streak like arrows. They transmitted detected energy ripples in real time, outlining a twisting, unpredictable movement path map in the spiritual network. "Shared path! Prediction failure rate 65%!" Rex reported with a trace of frustration.
"Kayla! Intercept! Drive it toward Yuyuer and Zhamisi's direction!" Fa quickly adjusted tactics.
"Leave it to me!" Kayla's intent blazed with fighting spirit. The Thunderfrost Cataclysm Behemoth's "intent form" erupted with astonishing speed. Relying on beastkin instinct for motion prediction, she pounced like a moving lightning wall toward several possible turning points, her giant lightning claws swinging and creating strong energy turbulence that forced the iridescent light to change direction. "Driven toward the left!"
"Water Barrier! Slow it down!" Yuyuer responded instantly. Invisible water flows rapidly coalesced in intent, forming layers of soft, viscous "water walls" ahead of the escape path. The iridescent light slammed into the water walls, visibly slowing like a fly caught in a spider's web. "Trapped! But it's struggling!"
"Sloth Venom Mist! Cover!" Zhamisi's venom fang blade sliced out; invisible soul-slowing toxin precisely blanketed the "water wall" area. The iridescent light's struggles immediately became more sluggish and clumsy.
"Ice Crystal Net!" Fa seized the moment; the Frost Silence Origin surged again! Countless ultra-fine, ultra-cold ice-energy threads wove in intent into a vast net nearly covering the entire "deceleration zone," descending upon the slowed iridescent light!
The light darted left and right but, hindered by the water walls and slowed by toxin, finally crashed into the ice net! The freezing energy instantly wrapped around it. Though it could not fully freeze this life-force-rich treasure, it greatly restricted its movement range and speed.
"There!" Lin Ya's life spiritual energy finally locked onto the target firmly! He "felt" the gentle yet tenacious life energy of the temporarily trapped orb. Carefully, he reached out a "hand," slipping through gaps in the ice net to gently "touch" it.
There was no physical sensation, but at the spiritual level, an indescribable warmth, serenity, and boundless vitality flooded his perception and spread through the spiritual network to everyone! It was like touching a newly risen sun in endless winter—fatigue, fear, and soul wounds received slight soothing. This was the Void Ginseng! A miracle of pure life born in the void!
However, just as Lin Ya was about to "pluck" it, a sudden change occurred!
Around the ice-net-bound iridescent light, the void energy suddenly fluctuated violently! Several spatial cutting blades formed of pure void energy, edged with sharp cold light, materialized and slashed lightning-fast toward Lin Ya's extended intent hand! Simultaneously, a semi-transparent, starlight-flowing plant-energy barrier suddenly emerged around the Void Ginseng itself, firmly protecting it! The barrier even extended several starlight-vine-like energy tentacles that carried strong repulsive force, whipping toward the approaching Lin Ya and Fa who was maintaining the ice net!
"Careful!" "Defend!" Shouts rang simultaneously in the intent network!
"Leave the barrier to me!" Tisk's intent was fearless! The Lava Hammer erupted with unprecedented ice-fire patterns in intent! "Break for me!" He poured all his strength and craftsman's destructive will into it. The invisible giant hammer, carrying the momentum to shatter stars, smashed viciously toward the starlight barrier! Boom—! A violent energy collision "tremor" transmitted through the spiritual network! The starlight barrier flickered intensely, cracked like a spiderweb!
"The tentacles are mine!" Rex's mechanical arm instantly switched to ion-cannon form in intent! Ultra-compressed invisible energy beams fired precise shots! Puff! Puff! Puff! Each beam accurately struck one whipping starlight tentacle! The powerful penetration and energy impact of the ion beams shattered the tentacles inch by inch, dissipating their energy! "Concentrate fire on the cracks in the barrier!" he calmly shifted targets.
Under Tisk's continuous heavy hammer strikes and Rex's precise ion-cannon shots, the resilient starlight barrier finally could not withstand the assault and shattered with a boom!
Now!
Lin Ya's life spiritual energy, like the gentlest hand, passed through the broken barrier and softly enveloped the warm life core—the Void Ginseng. Instead of forceful pulling, he communicated and soothed it with intent full of natural affinity. Miraculously, the originally agitated iridescent light calmed and obediently allowed itself to be drawn out by Lin Ya's spiritual energy.
Though no senses could "see" or "touch" it, at the spiritual level everyone clearly "felt" that Lin Ya was holding in his hands a pure, flawless, iridescent-flowing crystalline dream born of the void itself—like a small living star.
"We… succeeded!" Fa's intent brimmed with immense exhaustion and indescribable excitement. She immediately took out the equally intangible yet powerful spatial-force-containing "Return-to-Origin Crystal Core" from her bosom.
"Crush it!" She poured her remaining strength, along with the will of victory, into the crystal core!
Crack—! A sound that did not exist in the material world but rang clearly in everyone's soul depths—the sound of shattering!
The next instant, unparalleled light!
Not light seen after vision returned, but an explosive flood of information that violently and forcibly shoved all deprived senses—and "existence" itself—back into their perception!
Colors! Casadel's deep-blue cloak, the cold gray-white stone bed, Elios's pale face, the familiar figures of their companions… countless colors surged in, so intense they caused dizziness!
Sounds! Their own heavy panting, teammates' cries of survival, the dull thud of the Lava Hammer hitting the ground, the faint hum of nano-drones… waves of noise crashed against eardrums!
Touch! The hard, cold stone slabs underfoot! The rough texture of clothing! The familiar grip patterns of weapons! Even the breeze brushing skin! Body weight! Pain from wounds (phantom soul wounds reflected as bodily ache)! All tactile sensations shot through the body like electric currents!
Smell! The dust and ancient stone scent of the underground space, the metallic rust smell, and… a faint, fresh life fragrance of the Void Ginseng!
Taste! The blood taste lingering in the mouth (from clenching teeth) and thirst also returned!
This intense sensory shock was even more violent than when they first entered the sensory-void abyss! Several people staggered or even dropped to their knees, retching violently, tears streaming uncontrollably. This was not weakness but a physiological reaction to the sudden reintroduction of the sensory flood after total deprivation. The "voids" and "aches" left in their souls by the soul devourers were now vividly clear, like invisible brands.
The light gradually stabilized and faded. The ten of them stood disheveled, faces pale. Though they bore no obvious external wounds, their eyes reflected deep exhaustion and soul trauma, yet also gleamed with the firm resolve of having survived catastrophe and completed their mission. They had returned to Casadel's underground space. Elios still lay quietly on the stone bed, as if time had never passed.
Casadel slowly turned. Beneath the shadow of his cloak, his deep, star-filled eyes quietly swept over each person, lingering on their pale faces, exhausted yet resolute gazes, and finally on the Void Ginseng that had finally manifested physically in Lin Ya's hands.
That flower displayed astonishing beauty in the material world. It was not colorless, but rather possessed a flowing, translucent iridescence; its petals were like those sculpted from the purest crystal, yet as soft as mist. A gentle, warm, milky-white halo emanated from its stamen, quietly dispelling the surrounding shadows and bringing a refreshing breath of life. Lin Ya held it in her hands as if she were holding a tiny, living star.
Casadel's gaze finally settled on the flower. A nearly imperceptible sigh—perhaps admiration, perhaps reminiscence—seemed to escape from beneath the cloak. He extended a thin but steady hand and took the Void Ginseng from Lin Ya. In his palm, the flower's iridescence flowed even more dreamily, and the halo seemed to brighten slightly.
"Well done." Casadel's voice was still low and hoarse, but listening carefully, it carried an almost undetectable trace of warmth—or a faint crack appearing on something long frozen. His thin fingers gently stroked the petals of the Void Ginseng with a strange tenderness, as if touching a long-lost rare treasure.
He did not glance at the group again. Turning toward Elios on the stone bed, the Void Ginseng floated above his hand. The soft life-iridescent light flowed downward like liquid, slowly enveloping Elios's entire body. The glow seeped into his pale skin; his furrowed brows seemed to relax slightly, and his life aura—which had been faint to the point of vanishing—rekindled like dry grass catching a spark. It remained weak but was no longer on the verge of extinguishing.
Casadel observed Elios's changes for a few seconds, then slowly turned back to face the ten warriors who had endured the soul ordeal.
"This," he raised a thin finger, pointing to the curse's black miasma still lingering around Elios—though its color had lightened somewhat, "is only temporary suppression. The 'Void Ginseng' has removed the most fatal and fundamental 'void erosion,' but the curse's core is deeply intertwined with the foreign energy in his body and far from eradicated."
His gaze swept over the group again; a complex emotion—appraisal, scrutiny, and perhaps a trace of… anticipation?—flashed deep in his star-like eyes.
"You have proven the power of will and bonds in absolute desperation." His voice returned to its flat tone. "But this is merely the beginning."
"Rest for now." He gave a concise order, gesturing toward simple bedding, clear water, and food that had appeared unnoticed in the corner, glowing faintly. "Your souls need time to heal from the wounds. Cherish this brief peace."
He paused; the shadows of his cloak seemed to deepen.
"Once you have recovered, the second trial will begin. Star-pupil bearer, you shall face the trial of spirit and poison." Casadel's voice rang like a cold decree.
With those words, he fell silent again, standing like a stone statue merged with the shadows, quietly guarding beside Elios's stone bed. The underground space returned to stillness, broken only by the group's heavy breathing and the faint lingering pain deep in their souls—a reminder of the abyss they had just traversed and a harbinger of even more unpredictable trials ahead. The Void Ginseng's iridescent light quietly flowed in Casadel's hand, the sole warm and dreamlike accent in this oppressive space.