"This is bad!"

"Everyone, run...!"

"Xiao Ruofeng has gone mad! For the Seven-String Ancient Chapter, he’s trying to take us all down with him!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The ground wasn’t just crumbling under Xiao Ruofeng’s feet.

The cracks didn’t spread far enough to cover the entire valley, either.

But they did swallow up the most crowded areas.

If Fang Shuwen hadn’t rushed over because of Shui Qianliu, and if Chen Qi hadn’t followed him, their position would have been safe.

But at this very moment, the ground beneath their feet gave way.

Their bodies plunged downwards uncontrollably.

In that instant, even Fang Shuwen felt a jolt of pure dread. His gaze swept down into the pitch-blackness, with no idea of its depth. If they kept falling... the three of them would be smashed into three meat patties—two large, one small.

WHOOSH! The wind roared in his ears. People were all around him... everyone was falling.

After plummeting for seventy or eighty feet, Fang Shuwen finally managed to catch his breath, executing Ascending the Clouds to step forward through the air.

He had no idea if the thirteen steps would be enough to reach the edge of the chasm.

But at this point, all he could do was try.

In an instant, the thirteen steps were complete. With his level of Inner Strength, Fang Shuwen’s eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, but as far as he could see, he was still a long way from the cavern wall.

Reaching the edge was clearly not an option.

But Fang Shuwen didn’t give up. He scanned his surroundings. It wasn’t just people who had fallen—entire buildings had come crashing down as well.

If there was any debris nearby, he could use it to push off.

But just then, a voice suddenly called out:

"Watch the sword!"

Fang Shuwen immediately stopped looking for a foothold below. He stepped out and, sure enough, his foot landed squarely on a sword.

The sword had been thrown and was still flying backward, so Fang Shuwen couldn’t ride it. But that brief moment of purchase was enough for him to launch himself forward another thirteen steps.

He shot into the air, using Ascending the Clouds to take seven more steps, and finally reached the cavern wall.

He spread his fingers, channeled his Divine Technique, and slammed his hand into the rock wall.

The hard rock, like tofu in his grasp, crumbled instantly. This gave him the leverage he needed. He reversed his grip, digging into the shattered stone, and planted his feet against the wall.

His left arm dipped slightly with the weight of Fang Lingxin and Shui Qianrou.

Shui Qianrou was nestled safely in Fang Lingxin’s arms, tightly protected and unharmed. Fang Lingxin’s own arm, however, had scraped against the rock wall.

But compared to plummeting into the chasm, a mere scrape was nothing.

Fang Shuwen quickly asked:

"Where are you hurt?"

"I’m fine, and Rou’er is fine, too."

Fang Lingxin answered quickly, wanting to put Fang Shuwen’s mind at ease.

Fang Shuwen breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he look toward the source of the voice, an amused smile touching his lips.

"Where did you get a sword?"

Hanging from the wall not far from him was none other than Yu Yaoguang, dressed as a man.

’No wonder I couldn’t find them before,’ he thought. ’They really did come in disguise...’

’But then why did Xiao Ruofeng show up so openly?’

He had many questions, but this wasn’t the time to ask them. Yu Yaoguang was listening intently to the sounds below. After a moment, she spoke to Fang Shuwen.

"There’s water below. I heard splashing.

"As for the sword... I’m already in disguise. What’s so strange about carrying a personal sword to complete the look?

"What do we do now? Go down or up?"

Fang Shuwen looked up, then glanced at Shui Qianrou.

Shui Qianrou quickly said:

"Big Brother, I’ll listen to you."

Shui Qianliu had also fallen when the ground gave way. Although Shui Qianrou was desperate to find her brother, the little girl was sensible enough not to beg Fang Shuwen to go down. Instead, she left the decision to him.

Fang Shuwen glanced up. The top of the chasm was at least a hundred feet away.

Climbing up would be incredibly difficult.

But going down... the depth was a complete unknown.

’But if there’s water down there,’ he reasoned, ’Shui Qianliu is probably alive. That means there’s still a chance to complete my mission.’

’Besides, Chen Qi, the Young Venerable of the Dragon Emperor Hall, fell down here too.’

’He’s a vital clue in my search for Undying Island. I can’t just leave him behind.’

He immediately said to Yu Yaoguang:

"I’m going down."

"Alright, we’ll go down together."

Yu Yaoguang agreed without hesitation.

Fang Shuwen thought for a moment, then nodded.

It was pointless to climb back up. Even if they made it to the top and found a rope, it would never reach the abyss below. A rescue was a fool’s errand.

Rather than struggle futilely, it was better to go down and investigate.

With their minds made up, the two set off. Fang Shuwen began sliding down, striking the rock face with his palm every twenty or thirty feet to control his descent.

Yu Yaoguang did the same, only she used her fingers instead of her palm.

Sliding, pushing off, sliding... pushing off again...

After a few rounds of this, they could finally see the situation below.

Before them was a massive subterranean pool. The ripples from the falling debris hadn’t yet settled.

Looking further, they could faintly make out a shoreline. People were climbing out of the water and disappearing into the darkness beyond, into a place they couldn’t identify.

Because they had delayed by clinging to the rock face, most of the survivors had already climbed out of the water. As for the rest... they would never climb out again.

Falling from such a height, some had been killed on impact with the water’s surface.

Others had been even unluckier. They had survived the fall into the water, only to be crushed by the debris that followed...