Re-birth: The Beginning after the End-Chapter 218: WHAT ARE THESE?

Their forms shifted between solid and vapor, with elongated limbs that moved contrary to physical laws and faces that contained too many features arranged in impossible geometries. The longer she looked, the more her mind struggled to interpret what her eyes perceived, as if the very act of observation caused them to become increasingly incomprehensible.

"What are these?" Li Hua whispered, glancing up at Mo Xing with genuine alarm. For the first time in either of her existences, she felt the unfamiliar chill of fear creeping along her spine.

Mo Xing's expression mirrored her own confusion, his golden eyes widening with rare uncertainty. "I don't know," he admitted, the words seemingly painful for him to acknowledge. "Though I feel like they shouldn't exist in this Realm or this world."

Before the group could retreat, the nearest entity launched itself at the group. Its form twisted mid-air, reconfiguring from humanoid to something that resembled a predatory insect crossed with serpentine features.

It struck against Elder Fu's barrier, the impact sending ripples of distortion through the protective formation while barely repelling the entity—a concerning sign that even the elder's formidable defenses might not hold against a sustained assault.

"Move!" Mo Xing's command shattered the paralysis that had gripped the disciples, his voice carrying authority that cut through their terror. Without waiting for Elder Fu's order, he pulled Li Hua into swift motion, getting ahead of the others.

They fled along the lake's perimeter, maintaining distance from both the churning waters and the reaching entities that pursued with unnatural speed. Their uncoordinated retreat had led them toward the Northern shore.

To their collective relief, they spotted a vibrant patch of crimson against the otherwise blighted landscape—the legendary crimson lotus they had sought, somehow preserved in a perfect circle of untouched soil amid the corruption. The blossoms pulsed with internal light, their petals fanning outward like hands warding off the miasma that dominated the surrounding terrain.

"I'll hold them off!" Elder Fu called back, his voice tense but controlled as they approached the crimson sanctuary. "Quick! Pull out the seven lotuses!"

Li Hua and the other disciples went forward and began tot quickly pull them out.

Unlike the other disciples whose terror manifested in visible tremors and wide eyes, Li Hua maintained an outward composure that belied her internal dread. Her instincts screamed warnings she had never before experienced—these entities existed outside the natural order she had mastered across two lifetimes. For the first time since her rebirth, she faced something she doubted her considerable abilities could overcome.

She looked up to find Mo Xing standing unnaturally still beside her, his attention fixed on the entities outside the barrier. His expression remained unreadable, but something in his golden eyes had changed—a recognition or understanding that hadn't been there before.

As she watched, he slowly raised his right hand, and darkness began to coalesce around his fingers—not the shadow essence she's seen him use before, but something older and more powerful. The darkness wrapped around his hand like living ink, sending ripples of disturbance through the ambient spiritual energy.

"You know what these are," Li Hua whispered, the realization striking her as she observed his unusual reaction.

Mo Xing turned to look at her slowly, his golden eyes momentarily clouded with something she'd never seen in them before—uncertainty. When their gazes met, he shook his head almost imperceptibly. "It feels too familiar," he admitted, voice uncharacteristically hesitant, "but I've never once seen these things in the centuries I've lived."

Li Hua's brows furrowed in concern, his confusion more unsettling than any confidence might have been. She returned her attention to the barrier where the creatures smashed against the protective field repeatedly, each impact creating visible fractures in the shimmering energy.

She glanced toward Elder Fu, alarmed to see his face glistening with sweat, his complexion ashen as spiritual essence drained from him at an alarming rate. With horrifying clarity, she realized the entities weren't merely attacking the barrier—they were actively consuming the elder's essence with each collision.

"Fuck!" Li Hua shouted, causing Mo Xing to turn toward her. He followed her gaze and noticed that Elder Fu was pale, his form beginning to buckle as he sank to one knee.

"Stop," Mo Xing commanded with unexpected authority. He swept his arms in a fluid motion, obsidian energy streaming from his fingertips to form a dome-like barrier around their group. Feeling the relief, Elder Fu immediately dropped his hands and slumped to the ground, his labored breathing the only sign he remained conscious.

"Whatever those things are, they're consuming the essence of whoever maintains the shield against them!" Li Hua warned, her voice cutting through the rising panic. She glanced at the disciples who were already harvesting the crimson lotuses with practiced efficiency, their movements quick but methodical despite the chaos. "Prepare for combat when you're all finished!" she commanded.

Li Hua knelt beside Elder Fu, channeling a stream of wood essence into his depleted meridians while keeping watch on Mo Xing, whose face had grown strained with the effort of maintaining the barrier.

The entities outside redoubled their assault, throwing themselves against his shield with increasing ferocity. Unlike Elder Fu's purely spiritual defense, Mo Xing's barrier seemed to incorporate something darker and more fundamental—a power that repelled the creatures more effectively and with apparently minimal effort. To most observers, he appeared completely at ease, but Li Hua noticed the slight pallor that had crept into his usually pink lips—the only outward sign that maintaining such powerful protection exacted any cost at all.

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After a few breaths and once Li Hua confirmed that Elder Fu was stabilized, she rose to her feet and surveyed the prepared disciples. "Ready?" she called out, her voice sharp with authority as the elite cultivators completed their formations, weapons drawn and spiritual essence flowing between them.

Mo Xing also nodded, his stance and expression betraying none of the strain she knew he must be feeling. "On three," he replied, voice steady and controlled. "One... two..."

The disciples braced themselves, cultivation energies flaring around their weapons and hands.

"Three!"

Mo Xing dropped the barrier with a sharp gesture, immediately pivoting to offensive stance as the entities surged forward, their impossible forms distorting as they rushed toward the now-exposed cultivators.