Blackstone Castle suddenly trembled violently, as a powerful wave of psychic energy surged through the entire structure.
This shock immediately drew the attention of Mia and everyone else.
"Enemy attack!"
Mia quickly turned around, urgently instructing the two guards at the door, hoping they would take immediate action.
However, the two guards remained motionless, their expressions cold as they shook their heads.
"You can't leave. Without your brother's orders, you are not permitted to go anywhere."
She clenched her teeth, anxiety swelling in her heart, realizing that she had to act immediately.
Noticing that there were fewer guards outside, she quickly glanced at the maid beside her.
The maid instantly understood and moved swiftly, decisively.
In a flash, she struck, moving like lightning.
Before the two guards could even react, they both died straight away, blood dripping from the corners of their mouths.
Mia glanced at the fallen guards and immediately said, "Go check it out!"
Her voice was filled with urgency and unease as she quickened her pace, her heart racing with a sense of foreboding.
Their family had two extremely important psychic souls, and they were located right beneath the Blackstone Duke's room.
The Blackstone Duke had once taken her there, but at that time, she hadn't fully grasped the significance of these two psychic souls.
The continuation of the Blackstone family to this point was largely due to those two crucial psychic souls.
"If those things fall into the else's hands..."
Mia didn't dare finish the thought, the unease in her heart intensifying.
...
Elric stood at a crossroads, torn between two paths.
The left path exuded a biting chill, while the right was so scorching that it was unbearable to approach.
For a moment, he couldn't decide which way to go, caught in indecision.
Just as he fell into a brief period of contemplation, Calista's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Don't just stand there. Someone's already noticed this place, and we don't have much time. Avoid the right path; go left."
Elric was instantly snapped back to reality by Calista's words, realizing the urgency of the situation.
Without hesitation, he nodded, setting aside his uncertainty and choosing to trust Calista's judgment.
Wasting no time, he dashed down the left, icy path.
As Elric sprinted ahead, the cold in the air grew increasingly intense.
The temperature dropped rapidly, as though the entire corridor was enveloped in ice and snow.
He noticed that a thick layer of frost was forming on the walls, and the air was filled with a biting chill.
Sharp icicles hung from the ceiling, glistening with cold light.
With each step forward, the ground became more slippery as snow and ice began to coat the surface.
The further he went, the wider the corridor became.
But the cold in the air was becoming more and more piercing, the frigid winds cutting through his skin like blades.
Elric's body began to tremble involuntarily, unable to withstand the sudden onslaught of cold.
A thin layer of frost quickly formed on his eyebrows and eyelashes.
His breath grew heavier, with each exhale producing visible white mist that dissipated into the air.
"So cold..."
Elric wrapped his arms tightly around himself, trying to conserve his body heat.
But even so, he felt his body gradually losing warmth.
Calista's voice echoed in his ears once more.
"Use your psychic energy to resist the cold."
Taking a deep breath, Elric quickly began circulating his internal psychic energy, attempting to fight off the increasingly freezing environment.
Before long, a fierce snowstorm erupted ahead.
Blizzards accompanied by powerful winds, carrying immense psychic energy, surged from the depths, sweeping through the entire passage.
"What the hell!"
Elric cried out as he lost his balance, nearly being blown away by the sudden gale.
He barely managed to steady himself, but the storm continued to pelt him with snowflakes, which lashed at his face like cold knives.
The icy wind stung his skin, and his vision blurred.
The swirling snow engulfed him entirely.
Elric could barely make out the path ahead, his body swaying under the relentless force of the wind, struggling to stand firm.
He had to lower his head and bend his body, trying to minimize the impact of the storm.
Calista's voice became more urgent.
"Just a little further! Hold on a bit longer!"
Gritting his teeth, Elric endured the freezing cold and the battering snowstorm, continuing to focus his psychic energy.
He concentrated the energy into his legs, trying to keep himself anchored to the ground.
He bent even lower, his fists clenched tightly, the knuckles turning white as he fought to maintain balance.
Elric continued to push forward with each step.
"Who are you?"
A deep, ancient voice suddenly echoed through the snowstorm, carrying immense pressure.
Elric's eyes widened, stunned by the sight before him.
At the end of the blizzard stood a massive white pillar, propping up the entire cavern, connecting the ceiling and the ground.
The pillar was coated in thick layers of frost, emitting an intense chill.
Around the pillar, countless chains were coiled.
The chains were heavy and thick, seemingly crafted to bind the power of the pillar.
They were wrapped tightly around the pillar at various angles, each one encased in ice.
At the center of the pillar was a formless mass of blue and white psychic energy, swirling chaotically without any fixed shape.
The energy shifted constantly, sometimes like smoke, sometimes like flowing liquid, its blue-white glow flickering erratically.
The ancient voice had come from within the pillar, which seemed to possess a life of its own.
"Psychic soul..." Elric trembled as he uttered the words.
The ancient voice spoke again, its tone calm but filled with power.
"Why have you come here?"
Just as Elric was about to respond to the psychic soul's question, Calista abruptly emerged from her jade pendant, momentarily stunning Elric.
He didn't understand why she had appeared at this moment, and before he could ask.
Calista stood before the massive icy pillar, her upper body exposed, with only a white cloth wrapped around her chest.
Calista unleashed a barrage of punches toward the enormous frost-covered pillar, her movements swift and powerful.
Boom! Boom!
Each punch caused the chains to tremble.
The intense psychic energy reverberated through the pillar, even causing the surrounding air to quake.
With every strike, the energy beneath her fist surged.
With each blow, different psychic beasts appeared above her, adding strength to her attacks.
The chains groaned under the pressure, emitting a deep metallic hum.
Elric instantly recognized her technique.
It was none other than the "Furious Strike!"
Her punches were devastating, filled with overwhelming psychic energy, causing the very space around her to shudder.
Elric's own "Furious Strike" seemed like a mere breeze in comparison, the difference between their powers as vast as a thousand-fold.
"Give up. I will not leave this place," the blue and white psychic soul said calmly, its tone devoid of any emotion.
Hearing this, Calista stopped her assault, her fists slowly lowering.
Panting, she raised her head, locking her gaze on the blue and white psychic soul, and coldly asked, "Why?"
The psychic soul flickered slightly, but its voice remained steady, without the slightest hint of emotion.
"I wish only to survive. The conflicts and grudges of the world no longer concern me.
In life, I endured countless battles and schemes.
Now, I simply want to live out my remaining days in peace, away from the struggles and turmoil of the world. Leave now."