Chapter 3376: The Two Headed Void Loach

The courtyard continued to tremble as the Two Headed Void Loach slammed itself against the teleportation channel again. The translucent walls warped like stressed glass, rippling with spiderweb patterns of spatial distortion. The group watched with deepening worry, each tremor stronger than the last.

Daoist Chu held his breath as he examined the barrier. "The damage is spreading. I can see the stress points forming and the nodes straining to hold it."

Lin Mu nodded grimly. "It is focusing on two opposite spots. The heads are aligned on the left and right sides of the channel. They are biting in synchronicity. If they keep this up, the barrier will not hold."

Meng Bai rubbed his arms nervously. "Then we just attack it. Hit it from here."

Cattaleya tried first.

She gathered violent crimson energy in her palms, shaping it into a blade of condensed force. She slashed at the point where the creature’s mouth was pressing against the channel wall.

The attack never reached the loach.

Before it even got close, the attack collided with the channel barrier and dispersed harmlessly. The light absorbed the energy like water swallowing a stone. It rippled once, twice, then went still.

Or rather, still enough to show that the barrier had taken the blow. Not the beast.

Daoist Chu grimaced. "Every attack we release is weakening the channel. If we attack again, it might not hold."

Lin Mu nodded slowly. "The barrier was designed to protect the teleportation channel from outside threats, but not from internal strikes."

Cattaleya frowned. "I could try a softer approach, maybe a concussive burst instead of a sharp strike."

Lin Mu shook his head. "It is still too risky. Anything strong enough to reach the Void Loach will damage the channel more."

Meng Bai tugged at his hair. "So what are we supposed to do? Sit here and let it chew through the barrier?"

Little Shrubby hissed softly, flames flickering over his back. "We need a way out or a way to lure it off."

Daoist Chu stroked his chin. "I do not think we can lure it off. It is attracted to the spatial energy. The stronger the channel, the more appealing it becomes."

Cattaleya sighed. "This channel is not even strong. The ones I used in the past were far thicker."

Meng Bai turned to her. "What did you do back then?"

Cattaleya grimaced, rubbing her temples at the memory. "The first time, the Void Loach simply managed to latch onto the channel and make a hole. But the rest of the channel was sturdy. The stabilizing arrays sealed the breach and I fought it from inside the partial opening."

She gestured vaguely with her hand. "It was more like cutting through a membrane than choosing to break it. The channel never collapsed."

Meng Bai blinked with some hope. "So we just do that!"

"No," Cattaleya said instantly. "You are misunderstanding. That channel was far stronger. This one is too thin. If we punch even a small hole, the entire structure will unravel."

Meng Bai winced. "So what about your second time?"

Cattaleya’s face darkened. "The second time it shattered the entire channel. Completely. One instant I was inside, the next I was falling into open void."

Meng Bai’s throat made a small sound. "And... and then?"

"I fought it in the void," Cattaleya replied simply. "And I lost."

Meng Bai’s face twisted. "What do you mean you lost?"

"I barely survived," Cattaleya answered. "It would have eaten me if my clan had not been monitoring that teleportation route. They found me drifting months later. Without that rescue, I would not be here."

Meng Bai collapsed onto a chair and buried his face in his hands. "So we cannot replicate anything you did."

Daoist Chu sighed. "We clearly cannot do what she did. The channel strength is different, the conditions are different, and we have no external support."

Lin Mu looked around at the tense faces. "Then we need a different solution."

Cattaleya frowned. "You are thinking of using spatial arts to fight it, right?"

Lin Mu exhaled slowly. "It is one option."

Meng Bai leaned forward. "Can you do it?"

Lin Mu did not answer immediately. Instead he stared out into the trembling blue-white passage surrounding them.

He began analyzing the problem one more time.

If he used Meld to try stabilizing the channel, he would need to anchor it to some form of spatial reference. Meld created a stable pocket of existence by attaching itself to a specific location or coordinate in space and solidifying the space itself.

But the teleportation channel moved through space at unimaginable speeds, beyond even the speed of most Immortal flight.

Attaching Meld would be like throwing a grappling hook from a rapidly moving train. The anchor point would be torn away instantly, which could tear a hole through the channel or pull Lin Mu out.

If he tried adjusting Meld’s anchor point continuously, it would mean tracking the ever shifting spatial coordinates of the teleportation channel with absolute perfection. Even a minor miscalculation could eject him into the void.

And that was before even considering fighting the loach.

The Void Loach, a true void beast, was already dangerous. But a Two Headed variant was categorized in ancient records as a high tier void predator in the Immortal realm. Most cultivators who encountered one in open void died. Many who survived were crippled.

They possessed powerful spatial affinity. They could distort distance. They could fold their bodies. They could twist the void.

Even worse, their two heads allowed them to create spatial pull in two directions simultaneously.

Lin Mu’s thoughts darkened.

This would not be a normal fight.

Even if he went all out, there was no guarantee he could deliver a killing blow without damaging the channel. His spatial skills were precise but powerful. Too powerful for delicate environments. A strong enough spatial slash might kill the beast but also rupture the channel beyond repair.

Meng Bai watched Lin Mu’s expression and swallowed nervously. "Master Lin Mu... are we really that stuck?"

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