Blessing of the Rift

The ground shook as Kai Thanos strode forward, his senses alert. His awareness stretched like an invisible web, spanning five hundred meters in every direction. Around him, a throng of giant red ants surged like a sea of death. But for Thanos and his disciple Lee, it was a playground.

Lee moved like a blur, his fists plunging into ant exoskeletons with sickening crunches. Each time his knuckles made contact, Qi burst from the dead creature, flowing into him like invisible rivers. His movements were fluid and precise, a symphony of controlled aggression.

Across from him, Thanos unleashed his psychokinetic power like a titan wading through a storm. Each flick of his wrist meant a twisted neck. Each flex of his fingers meant hurling ant corpses like missiles, sending them crashing into their own ranks.

"Why can I read their thoughts?" Thanos mused aloud amidst the combat. His mind-reading ability, suppressed since his arrival in the cultivation world, had inexplicably returned.

As ants crumbled beneath his might, Thanos pondered. "Is it because this Rift doesn't adhere to the world's will? A loophole, perhaps?" The words scarcely left his mouth when another ant tried to lunge at him—its thoughts an open book. It never stood a chance.

Finally, the last ant fell. Lee deftly collected valuable anatomical trophies, stowing them in a dimensional pouch. "We've hit the jackpot," the voice in Thanos' head chuckled.

"You've been silent for a while now," Thanos telepathically communicated with the voice.

"Being a spectator is less fun than you'd think," the voice replied, almost petulantly.

Thanos smirked. "When I become a god, it might change" he thought, inciting enthusiasm from his constant internal companion.

"Really?!" The voice rambled like a child discovering a new playground.

Lee raised an eyebrow. "Master?"

"It's nothing," Thanos said, his eyes glinting with anticipation. "Let's proceed. According to the ants' memories, there's a lair nearby guarded by a Stage 5 beast. We could use it as a base to consolidate our gains."

Lee looked at the mountain of dead ants and nodded. 'Master's abilities have always been unique, but this is the first time he's used them so extensively,' he thought.

Together, they moved on, following the psychic breadcrumbs in Thanos' mind. Each step felt like a descent into another layer of hell, but for them, hell was just another word for opportunity.

Within minutes, they arrived. The lair was an underground cavern, its darkness almost tangible. Yet, for Thanos, whose senses penetrated the murk, it was like broad daylight. He saw the creature that guarded the lair—a grotesque mix of reptilian and avian features, perched like a sentinel.

"Let's finish this," he said, telegraphing his intentions to Lee.

Lee readied his fists, while Thanos extended his palm forward. Invisible tendrils of psychokinetic energy snaked through the air, aiming for the creature. The beast sensed the imminent danger and roared, charging at them.

Lee's fists shot out like cannons, intercepting the creature mid-charge. Each blow was a mini-explosion, charring flesh and shattering bone. The beast retaliated with a flurry of claw swipes, but it was fighting against a storm it couldn't comprehend.

The beast's claws met nothing but air, missing Lee by inches, but its tail whirred around to strike. Lee barely dodged, feeling the wind from its near-miss ruffle his hair. It was fast, unnaturally so, even for a Stage 5 creature.

Thanos's eyes glinted, an unsettling shade of blue. "You're strong. Good." His voice held a note of excitement that was almost terrifying. He lashed out with his psychokinetic tendrils, wrapping them around the beast's limbs. For a moment, the creature was suspended in mid-air, held fast by Thanos's overwhelming will.

But the beast snarled, a guttural noise that rattled their bones, and broke free, its raw power momentarily matching Thanos's psychokinesis. It lunged at Thanos this time, but he sidestepped, simultaneously driving his palm into its side. A blast of Qi erupted from his hand, rippling through the beast's body.

The creature howled in agony but didn't falter, its eyes aflame with a murderous fervor. It conjured a ball of dark energy in its mouth, aiming directly at them.

Lee acted on instinct. His fists, engulfed in his own Qi, shot out, disintegrating the energy ball into harmless sparkles. However, in that split second, the beast used its tail to hurl rocks and debris at them. Thanos extended his hands, and the flying objects veered off course, missing them entirely.

They were in a deadlock, each side refusing to yield. The beast's breaths were heavy, filling the air with the scent of battle. Sweat dripped from Lee's forehead; his senses were pushed to the limit.

Then Thanos grinned, a mirthless smile. His eyes flickered, and suddenly, he knew what the creature was going to do next—read its very intentions. 'So, my theories were right,' he mused. The beast felt a shiver down its spine as if sensing that its thoughts were laid bare. But by then, it was too late.

Taking advantage of this newfound clarity, Thanos unleashed a barrage of psychokinetic lashes, aimed precisely where the creature would be, predicting its every dodge and parry. Lee seized the moment, his fists hammering into the beast's weak spots, one after the other, in a relentless storm of blows.

Both men unleashed hell, their attacks perfectly synchronized, and the creature couldn't hold on any longer. With a final screeching howl, it collapsed, its energy finally drained, its body marred by countless wounds.

As it fell, Lee and Thanos felt the strange Qi from the creature seep into them, enriching their own Qi and making them stronger, a fitting end to a harrowing battle.

Lee looked at Thanos with renewed awe. "Master, that was..."

"Expected," Thanos cut him off, his eyes still aglow. "Let's harvest what we can. There's much more to do."

As Lee began the task, Thanos pondered over his new discoveries. Reading minds, even those of non-natives in this chaotic rift—this was a game-changer. And the voice in his head chirped excitedly.