Chapter 2: A Faint Glimmer of Trust in the Crisis

The energy storm, entwined with the altar’s low hum, awakened like a colossal beast and swallowed Chu Feng in an instant. He felt a violent force rampaging through his body, as though it intended to tear his flesh apart. Pain surged over him in waves. He clenched his teeth, a low growl rumbling in his throat, the veins on his forehead bulging as beads of sweat instantly soaked through his clothes.

The crowd around the altar began to stir, unease spreading like a plague. Their whispers buzzed beside his ears like countless mosquitoes.

“Is he going to fail?”

“His face has changed. I doubt he can hold on.”

“Awakening a spellmark isn’t that easy. He should just give up.”

Those muttered doubts pierced Chu Feng’s eardrums like sharpened blades, making his already unbearable torment even more aggravating.

He was unwilling to concede. He absolutely could not collapse now!

Chu Feng suddenly clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms. The pain brought him greater clarity. He forced himself to calm down and struggled to control the berserk energy within him, attempting to guide it into his spellmark. He knew this was his only chance. If he failed, he would not only lose the opportunity to gain tremendous power—he might also suffer a backlash.

Yet fate seemed to delight in tormenting people. Just as Chu Feng was exerting every effort to control the power within him, a deafening roar sounded in the distance, and the ground began to tremble violently. Everyone’s expressions changed.

It was the roar of the fiends!

This roar was deeper and more ferocious than before, as if announcing the imminent arrival of even more powerful fiends.

“Damn it! Fiends!” Zhang Feng cried out, his face paling as the hand gripping his weapon began to tremble. Instinctively, he looked toward Chu Feng atop the altar. Chu Feng was now caught between the threat of the awakening ritual and the fiends, and the situation was perilous.

Everyone drew their weapons, fear and unease written plainly across their faces. They knew there were certainly more fiends this time than before, and there might even be far stronger creatures among them. The shelter’s walls were sturdy, but faced with an assault by so many fiends, they likely could not withstand the attack for long.

Chu Feng felt the pressure around him increase abruptly. The turbulent energy within him seemed to grow even more violent. He opened his eyes, a resolute gleam flashing through them.

“Am I really going to stop here?”

He stared fixedly at the approaching horde of fiends. They surged forward like a flood, baring their claws and fangs as if they intended to devour everything.

Suddenly, a figure sprang from the crowd and blocked Chu Feng’s path. Zhang Feng gripped his long blade, his gaze unwavering, and roared, “What are you all standing around for? Prepare to fight!”

His shout rang out like a battle drum, instantly igniting the crowd’s courage. One after another, they raised their weapons and charged the fiends, attempting to halt their advance.

But these fiends were no easy prey. They shrieked and swung their claws, lunging savagely at the crowd. Blades flashed, blood splattered, and cries of battle mingled with bestial howls, forming a brutal tableau of carnage.

Chu Feng could no longer spare a thought for the pain wracking his body. He had to master the power within him as quickly as possible. Drawing a deep breath, he forced himself to focus, directing his attention toward the turbulent energy. He tried to guide it along his meridians, gathering it at last within his spellmark.

At that moment, he clearly sensed a strange pattern slowly taking shape at his chest. A formidable force was surging forth from it.

His eyes flew open. He raised his arm and clenched his hand into an empty fist. The fiends rushing toward him seemed to be struck by an invisible force weighing ten thousand tons. They flew backward like tattered kites and crashed heavily into the ground, each impact leaving a deep crater.

This was the power of the Shadow Spellmark he had awakened. Though still weak, it possessed astonishing potential.

He had no time to savor this newborn power. He saw Zhang Feng locked in a desperate struggle with a towering fiend, danger lurking at every turn. With a single movement, Chu Feng became a phantom and appeared beside Zhang Feng.

He controlled the power of the Shadow Spellmark, condensing it into strands of black thread that coiled around the fiend’s body. The threads seemed almost alive, binding the creature’s movements so tightly that it could no longer move.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Feng swung his long blade and viciously hacked at the fiend’s vital point. With a piercing shriek, the towering fiend finally collapsed to the ground.

Zhang Feng turned toward Chu Feng, astonishment and admiration filling his eyes.

“Kid, you’ve got some skill after all! Was that your spellmark ability? Impressive!”

Chu Feng said nothing, merely nodding faintly. He turned his gaze toward the battlefield, where the fiends continued to multiply and the fighting grew increasingly fierce.

He knew this was only the beginning. They would have to fight with everything they had if they wished to survive the crisis.

Just then, a scream rang out. Chu Feng followed the sound and saw Pan Yue surrounded by several fiends. Her short blade was swift and agile, but it could barely withstand the creatures’ vicious claws.

As one fiend lunged toward her, Chu Feng rushed over without hesitation and pulled Pan Yue behind him. At the same time, he manipulated the power of shadow and struck the attacking fiend away.

Pan Yue froze. She had never expected Chu Feng to disregard his own safety to protect her. She had always rejected other people’s help, standing apart from the group. She was accustomed to facing everything alone, but Chu Feng’s action shattered the ice around her heart.

She gazed at his straight back, her emotions tangled. She did not understand why this trust and gratitude felt so intense. She only knew that the man before her was different from everyone else. The walls around her heart had begun to crumble, and a tender emotion she had never known before slowly spread through her.

Chu Feng’s brows drew tight. At that moment, he had only one thought: he had to protect Pan Yue.

He slowly exhaled, his voice low yet firm. “Be careful. Stay behind me.”

“Mm,” Pan Yue replied softly.

While Chu Feng was distracted by protecting her, a fiend’s claw slammed into his back with a heavy impact.

Chu Feng grunted and staggered several steps, nearly falling. The clothing across his back was torn open, revealing a wound so deep that bone could be seen. Blood poured out like a breached floodgate, instantly staining his clothes red.

The violent pain darkened his vision. His body swayed precariously, and he nearly fainted.

Pan Yue cried out, “Chu Feng!”

She hurriedly caught his unsteady body, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. She had never imagined that Chu Feng would suffer such a serious injury for her sake. Seeing the horrifying wound, she felt as though an invisible hand had seized her heart, leaving her almost unable to breathe.

Chu Feng gritted his teeth and endured the agony. He reached out and pushed Pan Yue away, his voice hoarse.

“I’m fine. You… be careful!”

He struggled to remain conscious.

Drawing another deep breath, he activated the power of his spellmark once more. This time, the shadow force he released was stronger—and more savage. Black energy surged outward like a churning tide, swallowing every fiend around them.

The fiends let out shrill screams as their bodies gradually dissolved within the shadow force, ultimately turning to ash.

The surrounding crowd erupted in cheers. It was as if they had seen the first glimmer of dawn, the hope of victory.

Old Li watched Chu Feng’s unsteady figure. Chu Feng could feel his strength draining rapidly, and everything before his eyes was beginning to blur. He knew he was close to his limit.

Just then, he felt a soft hand gently support his arm. He turned and saw Pan Yue gazing at him with concern.

“Chu Feng…” Her voice trembled slightly. “How are you?”

She took a small, exquisite porcelain vial from her clothing and carefully removed the stopper.

“This is the last bit of healing medicine I have…”

Pan Yue cautiously poured the medicinal powder into her palm. A faint herbal fragrance drifted through the air. She dipped a fingertip into the powder and carefully spread it over the wound on Chu Feng’s back.

The instant the powder touched the injury, a cool sensation flowed into it, easing the burning pain.

Chu Feng felt the coolness across his back and the tenderness of Pan Yue’s fingertips, and warmth welled within his heart. He turned to look at her. Her face was filled with worry, and her beautiful eyes held concern and pity.

He had never seen Pan Yue show such gentleness. He had always thought of her as a thorny rose, difficult to approach. Yet now she was like a ray of warm sunlight, illuminating the gloom in his heart.

“Thank you.”

Chu Feng’s voice was slightly hoarse, but carried a faint, almost imperceptible tenderness. It was the first time he had ever expressed his gratitude to Pan Yue with such sincerity.

Pan Yue raised her head, and her gaze met Chu Feng’s. Her eyes held complicated emotions: surprise, concern, and a tenderness she could not put into words.

She had not expected Chu Feng to be injured protecting her, nor had she expected him to accept her help with such calmness.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to stop.

Everything around them appeared to vanish, leaving only their reflections in each other’s eyes. A trace of ambiguity hung in the air. The caution and distance between them melted away, replaced by a trust that defied explanation.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle shattered the brief tranquility.

Everyone turned toward the altar. The light upon it had begun to flicker violently, as though something were about to break free from its shell.

Old Li’s expression grew grave as he stared intently at the altar. Chu Feng, too, was about to face an even greater challenge.

“Be careful,” Chu Feng said quietly. He knew something more dangerous might happen next.

Pan Yue nodded gently. She said nothing, merely tightening her grip on the short blade in her hand.

She knew that what awaited them might be an even more brutal trial—and that she would have to stand beside Chu Feng and fight.

Chu Feng drew a deep breath. He felt the turbulent power within him boil once more. Turning his head, he glanced at Pan Yue. She was looking at him with steadfast resolve.

Suddenly, blinding light erupted from the altar. It shone with the brilliance of the sun, and in an instant, the entire space seemed cleaved into two separate worlds.

The light appeared almost alive. It transformed into countless tendrils that swept toward Chu Feng.

His vision suddenly went black. A moment later, a force as powerful as a cosmic black hole swallowed him whole. His body was wrapped in light, and he seemed to plunge into a vortex of radiance as everything around him was torn apart and churned into fragments.

“Chu Feng!” Pan Yue cried out.

She reached for him, but grasped only empty air. Her fingertips brushed the radiance, as if struck by an electric current.

Pan Yue’s body staggered. Before she could react, that demonic, maw-like suction seized her as well. In an instant, she vanished into the endless light, leaving the others staring at the altar in stunned disbelief.