Chapter 736 - 698: Rift Closed

"The Energy Fluctuations inside the Rift haven’t been right since last night," Ren Bai said. "I stood guard here for three years, so I’m far too familiar with its changes. That kind of fluctuation isn’t a normal healing reaction. It’s something inside trying to fight back."

Xu Wuyi closed his eyes and slightly released his Spirit, probing toward the Rift.

At first, he couldn’t feel anything. The Energy Neutralization Devices set up around the Rift continuously released interference waves, making it difficult for his perception to penetrate. But he didn’t give up, maintaining his state of intense concentration. A dozen seconds later, he finally caught a faint trace of change.

Deep within the Rift, there indeed existed some abnormal Energy Fluctuation.

That fluctuation was well-concealed, so hidden that if Ren Bai hadn’t warned him, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all. But it was definitely there, and it was slowly strengthening.

He opened his eyes and looked at Ren Bai. "I feel it," he said. "There is definitely a problem."

Ren Bai nodded, his expression growing more solemn. "If the Star Realm behind the Rift is truly fighting back, I’m afraid the next few days won’t be peaceful."

Xu Wuyi was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Do we need to notify Grandmaster Shen?"

Ren Bai shook his head. "He already knows. He told me last night to pay close attention to the changes in the Rift. He said that if there are any anomalies, we shouldn’t act on our own. We are to observe first and wait for his instructions."

Xu Wuyi nodded, saying nothing more. The two of them just stood there at the entrance of the outpost, watching the increasingly shrinking Rift in the distance, and watching the technicians busy at work around it.

At 9:00 AM, Shen Jin walked out of the temporary command center.

His expression was slightly more serious than the past few days, but he remained calm and composed. He walked up to the Rift and fixed his gaze on the dark red tear, staring at it silently for a long time. Then, he turned around and spoke to Ren Bai and Xu Wuyi, who had followed him out.

"Get ready. We might have a situation today."

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear and firm. Hearing this, the surrounding Martial Artists subconsciously tightened their grips on their weapons, their eyes becoming much more vigilant.

Ren Bai asked, "Grandmaster Shen, what kind of situation do you think it will be?"

Shen Jin shook his head. "I’m not sure yet. But the Energy Fluctuations deep within the Rift are getting stronger, and they are rhythmic, not a chaotic energy tide. This indicates that something behind it is actively controlling them."

He paused, his gaze growing more profound. "It might be that after the death of the Tiger-shaped Beast King, a new Beast King has taken over that territory. Or, it could be that an originally stronger Beast King had been hiding this whole time, and now it can finally no longer hold back."

Listening to this, a subtle sense of urgency swelled in Xu Wuyi’s heart. If it was the latter, then the situation was far more complicated than imagined. That Tiger-shaped Beast King was already strong enough, requiring him and Ren Bai to join forces just to kill it. If there was an even stronger Beast King hiding behind the scenes, then today’s battle would hardly be an easy one. But he didn’t say anything, only silently tightening his grip on his spear.

For the next few hours, everything remained peaceful.

The technicians continued to operate the Energy Neutralization Devices. Beams of precisely calculated energy continuously bombarded the weak points of the Rift. The dark red tear continued to shrink at a visible pace, narrowing from just under five meters down to four meters, and then to three and a half.

Around 2:00 PM, the Rift had shrunk to less than three meters. But right at that moment, an incident occurred.

The originally calm Rift suddenly began to twist violently. The light on its surface flickered wildly, changing from dark red to bright red, and then from bright red to a blinding white. Terrifying ripples surged from deep within the Rift, frantically spreading in all directions. Wherever they passed, the Energy Neutralization Devices began to tremble violently.

The technicians’ expressions changed drastically. They desperately adjusted the parameters in an attempt to stabilize the devices. But that power was far too strong—so strong that they couldn’t control it at all.

BOOM!

One of the Energy Neutralization Devices exploded. Following closely was the second, and then the third. Explosions rang out in rapid succession as the expensive equipment was blown into pieces, one after another.

Flames shot into the sky and shrapnel flew everywhere. The surrounding technicians dodged frantically, but a few were still injured by the blasts, screaming as they collapsed to the ground.

Shen Jin’s expression darkened. He didn’t speak, simply raising his right hand and pressing it down in the air toward the direction of the exploding devices.

An invisible force surged from his palm, instantly enveloping the area. The flying shrapnel was frozen in midair, the raging flames were compressed into a thin line, and the injured technicians were gently lifted by that force and sent to a safe location. Then he retracted his hand and looked toward the violently twisting Rift.

The Energy Fluctuations surging from deep within the Rift had now reached their absolute peak. Like an awakening behemoth, it desperately tore at the increasingly shrinking tear, trying to break free from its restraints and descend upon the real world.

The expressions of the surrounding Martial Artists all changed. They could clearly feel the sheer terror of those fluctuations. That was not a power that an ordinary Star Beast could emit, nor even a Great Commander Level Star Beast. That was a Beast King, and a Beast King even stronger than the previous Tiger-shaped Beast King at that.

Ren Bai’s expression turned exceptionally solemn. He subconsciously clenched his fists, and the aura around him began to surge. Although he hadn’t fully recovered from his previous exertion, if that Beast King really charged out, it was impossible for him to just sit by and watch.

But right at this moment, a figure brushed past him.