The second time he saw the Fallen Knight.

He still rode on that pitch-black warhorse, and with his arrival, the surrounding environment began to darken, as if covered in ink.

Han Zhan's eyelids twitched at this scene.

He had only seen the Fallen Knight strike once.

During that strike, he had extinguished a Mechanical Sect quantum missile that was about to explode with just one move, equivalent to a full force attack from a Tier Eight powerhouse.

Zhan Ning said that the Fallen Knight's strength was at the Tier Eight Peak, like the Tier Eight Knights of the Imperial realm and the regional leaders of Great Xia, they held the highest authority and possessed the power to judge the world, hence they were also dubbed Judgment Knights.

That was just in general terms.

Having encountered Tier Nine beings, Han Zhan always felt there was an indescribable feeling about the Fallen Knight.

It was just a feeling.

His gaze didn't linger long on the Fallen Knight, to avoid attracting his attention.

The Fallen Knight urged his horse forward, glancing at Zhan Ning and Yu Lian first, then pausing briefly on Han Zhan.

"Let's go."

His voice, deep and resonant, echoed from within the heavy, pitch-black helmet, as if speaking from a distant abyss.

After speaking, the Fallen Knight moved to the front of the team.

Zhan Ning patted Han Zhan's shoulder, his usual playful expression absent. "Follow closely behind the lord, and don't stray beyond the range of the black flames on either side."

As soon as he finished speaking, clusters of pitch-black flames appeared on both sides of the ground where the hooves had tread.

Zhan Ning and Yu Lian followed without a word.

Han Zhan mimicked them, and as he stepped into it, the scenery of Sun Never Sets Port vanished, replaced by walls of pitch black.

Thick, black ink dripped from the walls, slowly sliding down.

"This is the lord's 'Path of Corruption.' While walking this path, you must stay vigilant and remain within the fire's coverage, or else you might be taken by unknown entities, never to return."

As Zhan Ning's core knight, it was only natural for him to safeguard him.

Yu Lian walked alone at the end of the team, not saying much.

"Why are we taking this path? I mean, the Mechanical Sect's mining area isn't far from Sun Never Sets Port."

"For enough concealment, so as not to startle the enemy." This time, it was Yu Lian who answered.

"Every leader of a faction should maintain enough mystery and concealment, avoiding easy detection and discovery, which is very important in the City of Extreme Evil."

Seeing that Han Zhan was still somewhat clueless, Yu Lian provided a simple example.

"If you're discovered approaching the mining area with several Tier Four and Five Knights, what do you think the Mechanical Church would do?"

"Depending on how much they value this mining area, they might ignore us if they don't care much. If they do, they'll send forces just strong enough to overpower us, considering all possible variables."

Yu Lian nodded slightly, acknowledging Han Zhan's statement.

She blinked her beautiful eyes, glancing at Han Zhan.

"I didn't realize you had such a deep understanding of the Mechanical Sect. Have you had many dealings with them outside?"

Without waiting for a response, Yu Lian returned to the previous topic.

"Have you considered what the Mechanical Sect would do if they discovered that the Fallen Knight, the leader of the Sun Never Sets Knight Order and a Tier Eight Peak being, was approaching their mining area?"

They'd try their utmost to eliminate him.

Han Zhan understood.

"Everyone's both a hunter and prey."

Hearing Han Zhan's instinctive remark, the Fallen Knight at the front paused slightly, then continued ahead.

Yu Lian and Zhan Ning both looked surprised, as if not expecting Han Zhan to have such insight.

"I like what you said. It's very true." Yu Lian nodded.

"Actually, there's another reason for taking the Path of Corruption," Zhan Ning added, "and that's speed."

"The Path of Corruption isn't a physically existing road. Walking on it is over a hundred times faster than on a real road."

This greatly reduces the time we spend on travel.

As they spoke, the black flames on either side grew brighter, yet their light was negligible compared to the surrounding darkness.

The flames flickered, always on the brink of extinguishing.

Han Zhan and the others quickened their pace to keep up.

Behind them, the flames began to extinguish, and once they did, that area was completely consumed by darkness.

Han Zhan could even hear eerie, evil laughter from the endless darkness, as if demons were whispering in his ear.

"Don't listen, don't look. Keep following the flames forward."

Zhan Ning's voice resounded again by his ear.

Han Zhan steadied his mind, refraining from pondering the horrors lurking in the darkness of the Path of Corruption, and kept pace with the group.

They continued for another ten minutes or so.

The Fallen Knight in the lead pulled the reins, and the warhorse stopped with a neigh.

Around them, the walls smeared with black sludge collapsed with a crash, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.

It was still pitch black, as if moving from a cramped narrow area into another larger, darker space.

"We've arrived."

The voice of the Fallen Knight sounded ahead, and Han Zhan realized they had reached the lower area of the Mechanical Sect's mining area!

Here, its depth and size were unknown, like an expansive void, stretching into boundless darkness.

Silence enveloped the surroundings, with not a sound to be heard.

The group emerging from the Path of Corruption lined up, scanning their surroundings.

No further instructions were needed.

Yu Lian walked ahead of everyone from the group.

"Moonlight." Yu Lian's voice echoed clearly and melodiously in the vast space.

With her voice, a Knight's Aura, resembling moonlight, began to form at her feet.

The Moonlight Knight lived up to her name.

Under the illumination of Moonlight, the scene at the mine's bottom became clearly visible to everyone.

Han Zhan saw the remnants of previous collapses, with debris and silt from the surface piled into small mounds.

He also saw an array of peculiar mechanical equipment buried within these mounds, likely used to mine metal ore.

At first glance, everything seemed quite normal.

At this moment, everyone's gaze fell on Han Zhan.

"Come on, Decomposer, it's time for you to show us what you can do." Zhan Ning said in a deliberately relaxed tone.

Without hesitation, Han Zhan extended his hand, and the Nuwa Stone illuminated the surrounding area.

In the instant the Nuwa Stone's light swept across,

a massive phantom appeared before them.

It was a picture frame!

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