Chapter 72: The Abyss' Grip Tightens

The air was thick with tension as the woman's malicious laughter reverberated around them. Lin Tian's heart pounded in his chest, but his eyes remained locked on the shadowy figure standing before him. The battle had reached its peak, but the victory that had seemed so close now felt farther away than ever.

His staff still pulsed with the power of the Hidden Realm, and his beasts, although battered, were ready to fight to the end. Baihu's fur was scorched, and Xinya's fiery energy was beginning to wane, but their loyalty to Lin Tian was unwavering. They would stand with him no matter the odds.

The woman, cloaked in shadows, stood just out of reach, her eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction. "You are strong, Lin Tian. I will give you that. But your power is limited, and your Hidden Realm is no match for the true power of the Abyss."

Lin Tian clenched his fists, the weight of her words sinking in. His Hidden Realm was still growing in strength, still developing, but it wasn't invincible. Against an enemy as powerful as the Abyssal Beast and its mysterious mistress, the odds seemed insurmountable.

He needed a plan, and he needed it fast. The woman had spoken of the Abyssal Beast as if it were an unstoppable force—an entity that existed outside of the natural laws of the world. Lin Tian had always known that his journey would be fraught with danger, but he had never expected to face something like this. Something ancient, something powerful beyond comprehension.

"You think you can just walk away with victory, don't you?" Lin Tian's voice was low, but filled with resolve. "I won't let you destroy what I've fought for."

The woman's smile widened, and she stepped forward, her eyes glinting with malice. "You still don't understand, do you? The Hidden Realm was never meant to be a place of peace. It is a curse, Lin Tian. A curse that binds this world to the Abyss. And now, it will be consumed."

The ground trembled beneath their feet, and Lin Tian's instincts screamed at him to act. But it was already too late. A surge of dark energy shot from the woman's outstretched hands, and the Abyssal Beast—still writhing and regenerating—roared once more, its power growing exponentially.

Lin Tian's heart skipped a beat as the beast's aura grew more intense. The sheer volume of dark energy was suffocating, pressing down on him and his companions. It was as if the very air itself was becoming tainted, the world around them warping in response to the beast's growing power.

Baihu growled, her fur standing on end. "Master, we need to retreat!"

Lin Tian's mind raced. There was no way to defeat the creature now—at least not with force alone. He glanced at the woman, then back at the Abyssal Beast. The situation was dire. They couldn't win this battle through sheer strength. But Lin Tian had something the woman didn't anticipate: the Hidden Realm's adaptability.

"Xinya, Baihu, get back!" he shouted. His voice rang with authority, and for the first time in a long while, the power of the Hidden Realm responded without hesitation. Lin Tian closed his eyes, focusing all his energy into the Hidden Realm inside him. He could feel its vastness, its potential, stretching beyond the limits of his body. The power he had barely begun to tap into now surged forth, like a torrent ready to break free.

The Hidden Realm's essence flowed into the very land beneath him, and the environment around him began to shift. The earth cracked and twisted, and glowing roots burst from the ground, entwining with the energy of the Abyssal Beast. The landscape began to warp as if it were being remade by Lin Tian's will.

"Impossible," the woman whispered, her voice laced with disbelief. "How can you control it?"

Lin Tian's eyes gleamed with a newfound intensity. "You're right. The Hidden Realm isn't just a source of power—it's a living, breathing force. And now, I am its master."

With a single motion, Lin Tian directed the energy of the Hidden Realm toward the Abyssal Beast, binding it in place. The beast howled in agony, its form struggling against the tendrils of energy wrapping around it. But no matter how hard it fought, it couldn't break free from Lin Tian's control.

The woman stepped forward, her eyes narrowing with fury. "You dare defy the Abyss?" she hissed.

"I dare," Lin Tian replied coldly. "And I will never let it fall into your hands."

The Hidden Realm pulsed around him, its power growing ever stronger. Lin Tian could feel the tension in the air, the energy building to a breaking point. The Abyssal Beast's power was overwhelming, but the Hidden Realm's adaptability was something it couldn't comprehend. With each passing moment, the creature grew weaker, its energy slowly siphoned away by Lin Tian's control over the realm.

But even as victory seemed within his grasp, Lin Tian knew this fight was far from over. The woman's power was still immense, and she wouldn't give up easily.

The Abyssal Beast let out a final, ear-piercing roar, and for a moment, Lin Tian thought it would break free. But the Hidden Realm was too strong, its roots too deeply intertwined with the creature's very essence. Slowly, the beast's form began to dissipate, the darkness around it dissolving like smoke in the wind.

Lin Tian's body trembled with exertion, the weight of the battle taking its toll. But his resolve remained unbroken. The Hidden Realm pulsed one final time, and the last of the Abyssal Beast's energy was absorbed into the realm itself, leaving only a faint trace of its dark presence behind.

The battlefield fell silent.

"You're finished," Lin Tian said, his voice steady but tinged with exhaustion. The woman's dark aura had begun to wane, her power visibly faltering in the aftermath of the battle.

"You… You think this is over?" she spat, her voice filled with venom. "The Abyss will never be defeated. You may have won today, but there will always be another force, another entity, waiting to consume you. The Hidden Realm belongs to the Abyss now."

Lin Tian's gaze hardened. "Not as long as I'm here to stop it."

With that, he turned away, signaling to his beasts to follow him. The woman, defeated for now, remained motionless behind him, her form dissolving into the shadows. Lin Tian knew this wasn't the end, but it was a victory he'd hold onto for as long as he could.

The battle for the Hidden Realm was just beginning.