Nian Bing instinctively lunged towards Hillard, grabbing him and pulling him aside, just narrowly avoiding a fissure that spread out from behind Hillard. But before the two could celebrate, a loud bang resounded and in the surging shockwave, their bodies spun uncontrollably in mid-air, plummeting towards the abyss. In the midst of falling, Nian Bing tightly held onto Hillard's arm, putting two knives inside his ring, while summoning his Xuánjī knife with the limited spiritual power he had barely regained.
Darkness swallowed their figures, chilling coldness filling with the black fog, turning the originally scarce life valley into a land of death. All plants and animals were gradually disintegrating in the black fog, Death Valley taking shape, eerie shrieks echoing within. There was an exceptional coldness, as an enormous evil Qi emerged.
