At the critical moment, the stream of faith in Bai Cheng's palm surged out on its own, weaving into a shimmering Shield of Conviction before her.

The chains crashed against the shield, emitting a piercing screech of friction, yet failed to advance an inch.

"Pure conviction... this detestable power again!"

The phantom let out a furious roar. The nine chains simultaneously retracted, intertwining around it to form a dark golden cage. At the center of the cage, that point of nebula light began to violently expand!

"It's sacrificing this fragment of consciousness to forcibly condense a single strike!" Leng Ningxue's icy eyes turned frigid. "The power of this strike is already approaching the peak of King Rank Three!"

"We can't take it head-on!" Zi Yuan's long blade erupted with violet lightning. "Miss, retreat!"

But Bai Cheng did not retreat.

She looked at that expanding point of nebula light, then turned her gaze to the bronze oil lamp quietly burning amidst the fragments of the stone chamber.

The stream of faith surged within her, resonating with the lingering "Pathfinder's" obsession in the stone chamber.

Suddenly, she understood.

The original owner of this relic, that long-departed guardian of civilization, left this lamp ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) not merely to amplify the power of those who came after.

But to provide a light to illuminate the path

for those who walk forward in darkness, bearing the hopes of civilization.

"I... accept this entrustment."

Bai Cheng whispered softly, the light of faith in her silver eyes igniting like stars.

She stepped out of the train, her form transforming into a streak of silver light, charging straight toward the stone chamber fragments!

"Miss!" Qingniao and the others exclaimed in alarm, but it was too late to stop her.

The nine dark golden chains and the expanding nebula light simultaneously blasted toward Bai Cheng!

But Bai Cheng did not dodge.

She merely extended her hand. The stream of faith in her palm spread out like threads, gently touching the edge of the stone chamber fragments.

In the next moment, the wick of the bronze oil lamp in the stone chamber suddenly flared to life!

A warm, dawn-like flame drifted out from the lamp, passed through the boundary of the fragments, and landed in Bai Cheng's palm.

The moment the flame touched the stream of faith, it abruptly expanded, transforming into a clear pillar of light that enveloped Bai Cheng.

The dark golden chains and nebula light struck the pillar of light, melting away silently like ice meeting the blazing sun.

The phantom let out a reluctant roar, but under the illumination of that warm flame, it rapidly faded and disintegrated.

"No... impossible... pure Pathfinder conviction... has long been severed..." The phantom's final voice was filled with confusion and despair, before it completely dissipated.

The nine shattered seal runes turned to dust, and the stone chamber fragments slowly faded into nothingness, leaving only that bronze oil lamp, quietly suspended before Bai Cheng.

The runes on the lamp were now clearly visible. They were not words, but miniature scrolls of civilization:

Farmers sowing seeds, sailing ships on distant voyages, scholars gazing at the stars, warriors defending their homes... countless ordinary yet steadfast figures flowed endlessly across the lamp's surface.

Bai Cheng reached out and gently grasped the lamp.

A warm sensation transmitted from her palm, as if she were holding the warm hopes of countless lost civilizations.

An ancient and benevolent thought flowed from the lamp into her consciousness:

"Latercomer, the road ahead is perilous, the darkness long."

"But remember, as long as there are still people you wish to protect, places you wish to reach, sights you wish to witness..."

"This lamp will never go out."

The thought faded.

Bai Cheng looked down at the Pathfinder Lamp in her hand, the warm flame reflected in her silver eyes.

Behind her, Qingniao and the others had already rushed to her side.

"Miss, are you alright?" Yu Nian examined her nervously.

"I'm fine." Bai Cheng shook her head, carefully storing the Pathfinder Lamp away. "We've obtained it."

The train restarted, changed course, and sailed away from this shattered corridor of nothingness.

Outside the porthole, the deep gray void gradually faded, and the azure surface of the Emerald Sea came back into view.

But everyone knew that the brief tranquility had ended.

With the Pathfinder Lamp in hand, the key piece of the Annihilation Technique was complete.

Next,

it was time to return to the Abyssal Trench and settle the final score with that awakened Abyssal Pupil.

Bai Cheng stood before the porthole, her silver eyes gazing toward the northwest.

Deep within her soul, the mark of the Abyssal Pupil grew slightly warm, as if sensing her resolve.

The whisper sounded again, this time with a hint of playful anticipation:

"I... await you..."

Bai Cheng tightened her grip on the lamp in her palm, the flame flowing between her fingers.

She silently responded:

"We will meet soon."

The silver train tore through the sky above the Emerald Sea, returning at full speed toward the Abyssal Trench.

Outside the porthole, the sky was gloomy as ink, the sea churning with ominous undercurrents.

The closer they approached that sea area, the thicker the oppressive aura permeating the air became.

The Abyssal Pupil's will had mostly awakened, transforming the surrounding hundreds of nautical miles into its own domain, centered on the trench.

Bai Cheng stood before the main control console, her silver eyes calm.

In her palm, the flame of the bronze Pathfinder Lamp flickered slightly, resonating silently with the stream of faith within her.

Beside her, Qingniao, Zi Yuan, Leng Ningxue, Lu Duo, and Yu Nian were all fully armed, standing solemnly.

"Thirty nautical miles remaining." Leng Ningxue's voice came through the magic array, her ice-blue eyes reflecting the wildly fluctuating data on the energy monitor.

"The Abyssal Pupil's activity has reached its peak... four of the eight seal chains have been broken."

"Which means its power has recovered by half." Zi Yuan's long blade hummed softly, violet lightning coiling around it. "We must end this quickly. We can't let it continue devouring external faith."

Bai Cheng nodded, her fingertip tracing the star chart. "Proceed as planned. Qingniao and Zi Yuan will feign a frontal assault to draw its attention;"

"Ning Xue and Lu Duo will construct dual barriers of ice and life to seal the battlefield and resist soul erosion;"

"Yu Nian will control vines to disrupt its perception."

"I will carry the Pathfinder Lamp and look for an opportunity to open the Gateway."

"Miss, the Pathfinder Lamp's amplification lasts only ten breaths." Lu Duo reminded softly, life light rippling like water waves in her palm. "If the Annihilation Technique isn't completed within ten breaths, you will suffer backlash..."

"Ten breaths is enough." Bai Cheng tightened her grip on the lamp, the flame illuminating her resolute profile. "Trust me."

The train broke through the final layer of dark clouds, and the outline of the Abyssal Trench loomed ahead.

It was no longer ordinary sea. The seawater surged upward into the sky, forming a massive water curtain vortex dozens of miles in diameter above the abyssal fissure.

At the center of the vortex, those two nebula-like giant eyes were fully open, silver-gray star swirls slowly rotating as they coldly gazed down upon the intruders.

Four broken dark golden chains hung down on either side of the abyss, while the remaining four, though not completely broken, had most of their surface runes dimmed, groaning under the strain.

"Insects... have returned." The Abyssal Pupil's thought washed over everyone's souls like a tide, devoid of emotion yet chilling to the bone.

"Bringing the flame of faith... perfect, as the first offering for my return to this world."

Before the words faded, eight giant tentacles formed of seawater and darkness suddenly extended from the vortex. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Each surface shimmered with phantoms of countless civilizations wailing in agony, carrying the terrifying law of soul devouring, as they viciously lashed toward the silver train!