The area felt like a dead zone where the laws of reality itself had broken down. It was a place where even the natural order turned hostile.
Cyprian, already weak and missing an arm, could no longer hold on. When the gravity suddenly doubled, his already weakened body could no longer maintain balance.
Combined with the horrifying illusions constantly flashing through his mind, his foot slipped. He cried out as he fell toward the lake filled with spatial rifts.
“Cyprian!” Judith shouted, lunging to grab him, but a chaotic gust of warped air threw her back. Just as he was about to plunge into certain death, a figure in blue appeared beside him like a ghost.
Dustin grabbed the back of Cyprian’s collar with one hand. With the other, he formed a sword finger and traced several swift motions toward a seemingly calm area ahead that actually concealed densely packed spatial rifts.
A low hum resonated as a strange ripple of energy spread outward. The twisted space seemed to flatten as if an invisible hand had pressed it smooth.
Dustin seized the fleeting moment and grabbed Cyprian. Their form flickered several times as they wove through a hail of invisible spatial blades and a sudden geyser of corrosive energy. At last, they landed safely on the path.
Cyprian collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. His face was pale with terror from his brush with death. The others were also drenched in cold sweat
Dustin set Cyprian down, his expression even grimmer than before. He surveyed the bizarre, perilous scene around him and spoke in a low, steady voice.
“We’ve reached the heart of the sealing rift’s influence. The Void-Tyrant Dragon’s power has corrupted the natural laws here, creating this Chaotic Realm. Every step could be a trap, so we must not rely on logic and reason.”
He looked at the shaken group, especially at Rhydian, whose internal energy was nearly drained, and his pallid face, as well as the two other guards. He then looked at Cyprian, in his weakened state, and at Judith, whose cultivation was weaker than the others.
“Stay close behind me,” Dustin said firmly.
“Don’t use your divine sense rashly, and try to restrain your energy waves as much as possible to reduce conflict with the chaotic energy.”
The journey ahead grew more treacherous with every step.
Dustin led the way, his eyes glowing faintly with blue-gold light. He didn’t rely solely on divine sense. Instead, he reached out to feel the twisted patterns of energy in the Chaotic Realm and sense the laws of this place as though he were touching the currents of a stormy river.
Sometimes he would stop and signal everyone to hold their breath and stay completely still, waiting for a turbulent energy current ahead to settle.
Other times, he would suddenly change direction, stepping into what looked like an empty void that was actually the only safe path through the distorted space. With perfectly controlled strength, he would shatter nascent spatial rifts before they could fully form.
He was like a helmsman steering through a storm, guided by senses beyond the physical and a deep understanding of the natural laws of this realm.
Grace and the others followed closely behind him. They stepped in each of Dustin’s footprints without daring to make a single misstep.
His figure was not particularly large from behind, yet it looked as though it could bear the weight of this entire chaotic realm. Their awe deepened. This wasn’t just a difference in strength but a gap in mastery, a level far beyond their own.
Within this domain of chaotic laws, even the concept of time had become blurred. No one knew how long they’d been walking. It might have been 15 minutes or an hour. Their bodies ached, and their strength was fading, but sheer will kept them moving.
Suddenly, the despairing twisted scenery ahead began to weaken. Colors gradually returned to normal, and the chaotic gravity and spatial fluctuations grew calmer.
A purer, vast energy swept over them. It still carried a faint, almost imperceptible trace of malevolence, but in every other way it was calm and full of life. They had finally made it through the dead zone.
