The air was thick with the pungent smell of sulphur and some kind of melting metal.

When rain hit the ground, wisps of acidic white smoke rose.

In the distance lay an endless dark red plain, jagged with bizarre rocks, sporadically dotted with huge, tumor-like molten rock hills, emitting billowing black smoke.

The lead clouds in the sky bore an ominous crimson hue.

"This damn place... more eerie than Anvil Fortress."

Chu Kuanglan muttered gruffly.

The five maintained a tight formation, swiftly traversing this land as if scorched by hellfire.

Suddenly, Jiang Wei, walking beside Fang Qingyu, tugged sharply at his clothes, pointing with her small hand to a distant rocky plain on the right side of the team. A hint of seriousness flashed in her clear, large eyes.

Fang Qingyu immediately looked in the direction she pointed.

He saw on that rocky, jagged, dark red plain an exceptionally conspicuous "black line" rapidly spreading toward them!

The entire surface of the plain undulated like a living thing, forming a fast-moving "soil wave" several meters high, with the "black line" being the wave crest!

"What the hell is that?!"

Chu Kuanglan also followed the gaze, exclaiming in his gruff voice, his face instantly losing its color.

Lu Jiuyuan and Wei Banmeng also turned back, their pupils shrank as they saw the unfolding scene!

"Not good!" Wei Banmeng's cold voice carried unprecedented urgency.

The next moment!

In Fang Qingyu's night vision, behind that "black line," it was as if the gates of Hell had opened!

Numerous black insignias representing Life Ghosts, like an erupting black volcano, instantly filled his entire view!

Dense, layered, impossible to discern the specific number, nor individual forms!

Within the range of vision was only a madly surging, wave of black water representing death!

They were being driven by the undulating "soil wave," propelled at a speed far exceeding individual limits, like a breaking dam of black torrents, sweeping toward all living things near the transmitter point!

"Run!!!"

Fang Qingyu's roar was like a thunderclap, instantly drowning out the sound of wind, rain, and the muffled ground rumble!

He scooped up Jiang Wei and turned, heading in the direction perpendicular to the Life Ghost swarm.

That was the direction of Dingyuan Station, where he exploded with his highest speed!

Thunder Instant Cloud Trace was pushed to the limit, a ring of air burst beneath his feet, turning him into a blurred afterimage!

"Damn it!!!"

Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan were horrified, hesitating not a bit, almost at the moment Fang Qingyu's shout fell, turned and fled frantically, pushing their body technique to the limit!

"Why is there such a large group of Life Ghosts in the Abyss!!!"

Lu Jiuyuan shouted incredulously as he ran, his voice distorted.

Wei Banmeng moved just as quickly, the chilling aura emanated even though Profound Qilin Double Blades hadn't been unsheathed, her speed hauntingly swift as well.

They weren't the only ones who reacted.

Near the transmitter point, other Hidden Dragon Plan participants who just landed also saw the terrifying scene sweeping in like a natural disaster.

"Run fast——!!!"

"Damn it! What the hell is that!"

"To the sides! Run quickly to the sides!"

Someone shouted in terror, trying to break out towards the wings of the Life Ghost torrent.

But despair quickly crawled onto their faces!

The spread of the "black line" formed by the Life Ghost swarm was too wide! Too fast!

Like a giant, rapidly closing black pocket!

Running to the sides?

Simply couldn't make it out of that continually expanding encirclement!

"Too late! Follow those in front!"

Someone shouted, making the same choice as Fang Qingyu and the others.

Instantly, all Hidden Dragon Plan participants aware of impending doom, like herded sheep, wildly darted in the direction Fang Qingyu's group was escaping to!

The wind roared by their ears, cold rain stung their faces, but at that moment, none of them cared.

Behind them, the tsunami-like black tide loomed closer and closer!

The howl from hell, footsteps, and the roar from countless claws tearing the ground combined into a soul-shattering noise, like the Death God's death knell, closely pursuing behind!

Despair, like cold vines, began to wrap around the hearts of every runner.

No one thought, upon entering the "Abyss," that after their feet barely touched the ground, they would not be welcomed by exploration and opportunity, but by such a monumental, bizarre catastrophe!

Fang Qingyu charged ahead with Jiang Wei in his arms, his eyes icy sharp, mind spinning quickly.

Charge through? Not possible!

Against those numbers, even he, once caught in it, would be instantly submerged, drained of the last speck of strength!

Must find obstacles! Or... a place to hide!

Just as he was about to stop, rally anyone able to fight to seize a fighting chance...

"Over here! Everyone come quickly!"

An urgent and loud voice.

Suddenly called out from beneath a giant, twisted molten rock hill to their left as they fled!

At the base of that dark red molten rock cliff.

A young man in Federation combat uniform was half-exposed, frantically waving at them!

Beside him, there was a dark hole in the rock wall forcibly expanded by some power!

Fang Qingyu's spirit lifted!

Wei Banmeng reacted swiftly, her sharp gaze swept over the young man, immediately shouted: "It's a Hidden Dragon Plan participant too!"

"Quick! Get inside!"

Without hesitation, Fang Qingyu turned sharply, darting towards that opening!

"Follow!" Wei Banmeng followed closely, at the same time shouting to the crowd fleeing behind: "There is a refuge! Hurry!"

Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan, like grasping for a life-saving straw, surged with their last ounce of strength towards it.

Other desperate Hidden Dragon Plan members, like drowning men seeing driftwood, screamed and used the last bit of strength to rush to that hole.

Fang Qingyu was the first to reach the entrance, without hesitation, he dashed inside with Jiang Wei.

Inside the entrance, the tunnel extended downward a good several dozen meters.

And the bottom led to a relatively spacious cavern.

Inside the cavern were already gathered more than a dozen people, those who had escaped in earlier, pale-faced, bearing the aftershock of surviving disaster, sitting or leaning, breathing heavily.

Fang Qingyu didn't linger to look, immediately set Jiang Wei down, turned, and guarded the inside of the entrance.

Wei Banmeng and the other three followed swiftly inside.

Immediately after, seven or eight straggling Hidden Dragon Plan members scrambled in, the last one entering was the man who had shouted.

And just after he entered.

The faint light above disappeared completely.

Cut off much of the terrifying noise outside like a tsunami.

Rumble!!!

Countless heavy, dense footsteps, claws scraping rock, mixed with screams and roars, like surging black tide, fiercely pounding on the molten rock hill where they hid!

The entire cavern shook violently, dust and small pebbles falling down.

Then, from above and the surrounding rock walls, came the dense sound of "thump thump thump," like torrential rain on a rooftop!

The sound of countless Life Ghosts trampling, colliding, even trying to dig into the mountain.

Among this, were a few very short, extremely terrified and painful screams!

Sounds of those who failed to escape inside or tried to break out from other directions, instantly swallowed by the black torrent...

The sounds abruptly ceased.

Inside the cavern, fell into dead silence.

Only the stifled heavy breathing of everyone remained, and beyond the rock walls that never ceasing noise, like coming from the depths of Hell, of trampling and howling...

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