The darkness was extremely noisy. Rocks, vegetation, and wooden beams sucked in from the opening continuously flew past Meng Ruji.

Avoiding these objects wasn’t difficult for Meng Ruji, but suddenly, a black arrow shot rapidly toward her. Meng Ruji turned like a fish in water, dodging the arrow.

Meng Ruji’s figure paused slightly. Looking back, she saw it was an arrow condensed from malevolent energy.

The arrow struck a boulder, piercing straight through the house-sized rock.

Were there even actively attacking malevolent energies within this formation?

Meng Ruji’s heart sank. Looking ahead into the darkness, she didn’t know how many more hidden arrows awaited her.

But Meng Ruji had to find the Golden Staff.

The Golden Staff was the object that activated this formation. To stop this formation and then break it, she needed the Golden Staff’s power. To save the Wuliu realm and save herself, this was the only method she could think of now.

This formation was positioned high up and had just formed – it hadn’t yet harmed the people below. But if this continued, Zhuliu City, the area outside Zhuliu City, and the entire Wuliu realm would be devoured.

She had to hurry!

The delay caused by the hidden arrows only slowed Meng Ruji’s speed for an instant.

The next moment, Meng Ruji pulled out a gold pearl from the stolen money pouch and formed a protective incantation.

She continued forward.

In this entire dark, chaotic environment, Meng Ruji was like a falling meteor, carrying tremendous force, pursuing forward without hesitation.

Arrows of malevolent energy continuously struck Meng Ruji’s protective barrier. Amid the thunderous impacts, more and more cracks appeared on the barrier.

The gold pearl in Meng Ruji’s hand also emitted an ear-piercing, spine-chilling buzz, like a final scream.

But Meng Ruji remained unmoved. The moment before the gold pearl turned to powder, she pulled out another gold pearl, activated techniques, and repaired the barrier’s cracks.

But attacks from the shadows would never stop. The repaired barrier kept shattering under continuous impacts.

Breaking, repairing – the cycle continued endlessly.

Meng Ruji was determined to catch up with the falling Golden Staff, but she never seemed to be able to catch up.

Finally…

All the gold and silver in the money pouch were exhausted. Her fingertips explored and only touched an empty pocket.

The malevolent energy ahead didn’t stop!

The next moment, existing cracks on the barrier were struck by arrows of malevolent energy and shattered instantly. A black arrow aimed directly at Meng Ruji’s eyes!

Meng Ruji’s pupils contracted. She turned urgently, but it was already too late.

The black arrow of malevolent energy pierced straight through her shoulder!

The force was so great that it dragged her, making her crash hard into a boulder behind her, almost pinning her to death on the rock.

Meng Ruji heard the sound of bones shattering in her shoulder. A mouthful of bloody metallic taste surged up her throat, and her head went numb and dizzy.

With almost her last bit of will, Meng Ruji raised her hand, placing her fingertip on the black arrow shaft. She wanted to pull out the arrow, but no longer had the strength.

However, the malevolent energy arrow gradually disappeared on its own, not dissipating into smoke, but merging into Meng Ruji’s blood.

The malevolent energy followed her blood, spreading from her shoulder to her neck. Burning pain came from every blood vessel, as if gnawing at her heart.

Meng Ruji wanted to force this energy out of her body, but without silver money, she couldn’t use techniques. She couldn’t even move her fingers.

She was pulled by the wind in the darkness, her hair flying in disarray. Some stuck to her forehead, covered in cold sweat, some clung to the corners of her mouth, bleeding with fresh blood. The malevolent energy traced terrifying patterns under her pale skin.

Meng Ruji gasped, irresistibly pulled into deeper darkness.

At this moment, she couldn’t completely control her body or fate.

She floated like the rocks beside her, the distant wooden beams – like dead objects, lifeless.

Wind-riding was no longer possible. The Golden Staff probably couldn’t be recovered…

She seemed to have truly reached a dead end.

She stared at this chaotic “world,” racking her brains trying to figure out how to break the situation. But in the end, she seemed to only hear this “world” whispering in her ear:

“This is the end.”

Her chest felt blocked by stagnant energy. She wouldn’t accept this fate, but at this moment, she couldn’t even cry out.

Her breathing grew weaker and weaker. All images began to slow in her eyes. She saw a black arrow of malevolent energy rushing toward her, this time aimed directly at her brow.

Perhaps this was the end.

But Meng Ruji still wouldn’t allow herself to close her eyes. If she were going to die here, she would see how her life would be taken.

The arrow of malevolent energy was unstoppable, instantly reaching Meng Ruji’s face. But the expected pain didn’t come.

She watched as the black arrow stopped.

The black arrowhead was only a hair’s breadth from her brow, so close that the skin on Meng Ruji’s forehead could feel the strange, eerie coldness of the malevolent energy.

With a “bang,” the arrow of malevolent energy shattered, this time truly turning into black mist.

Had someone also overcome layers of danger to come save her?

Meng Ruji supported her gradually blurring eyes, trying hard to see clearly. She wanted to find a “possibility,” but unexpectedly, she found a “certainty.”

Someone had jumped into this abyss, disregarding life and death, overcoming dangers to find her.

“Mu Sui…”

She called this name. Her voice was extremely small and hoarse, but still revealed her disbelief.

Malevolent energy had already crawled all over her face, making her eyes completely chaotic. She couldn’t see Mu Sui’s face clearly or distinguish his expression.

Mu Sui also didn’t speak. He remained silent, so Meng Ruji didn’t know what emotions he was feeling at this moment.

Meng Ruji only thought to herself that they were comrades in battle. As a comrade, he should come to save her. But at the same time, Meng Ruji also believed that with the small amount of comradeship between her and Mu Sui, he didn’t need to risk his life to save her.

He was a cold person and a money-making merchant. In his system of weighing benefits and drawbacks, Meng Ruji felt she wasn’t worth him risking his life to rescue.

Meng Ruji’s body was exhausted, but her mind was very clear.

After calculating everything, she finally used her last strength to lift her finger slightly, pointing in the direction of Mu Sui.

“The Golden Staff is below…” Her words were almost breathless. “Don’t delay, hurry and chase it.”

Of course, Mu Sui had the same purpose as herself – that’s why he was so desperately chasing inside!

Just then, for that instant, she had mistakenly thought Mu Sui had come to save her…

It was her mistake.

Her perspective was too narrow.

But what Meng Ruji couldn’t understand was that she had pointed the direction and spoken, but the person holding her didn’t move.

Her waist was tightly clasped by Mu Sui. He remained silent, but his strength was so great it caused her pain.

Then something even stranger happened. Meng Ruji felt the burning pain in her body caused by malevolent energy erosion slowly disappearing.

Quieting down, she could even hear the sound of malevolent energy withdrawing from her blood, rustling like water in ditches finding an outlet and being gradually drained away.

She again felt only the simple pain from her injury in her shoulder.

In her eyes, the malevolent energy that had caused her vision to be chaotic also gradually receded. Meng Ruji’s eyes gradually regained clarity, and finally, she could see Mu Sui’s face…

His lips curved downward, slightly pressed together. His eyes seemed covered by a layer of mist as he gazed at her, their eyes meeting.

Meng Ruji felt his eyes held many emotions and stories. For a moment, she was stunned by his gaze.

“Why?” Those somewhat cold lips uttered these three words in a low, hoarse voice.

Without beginning or end, Meng Ruji didn’t understand: “What?”

“Why are you willing to sacrifice your life to save people?”

Meng Ruji was startled and instinctively answered: “I’m just trying to save myself.”

“Zhan Ye originally intended to take you away. You didn’t need to risk this life.”

“Then you…” Meng Ruji asked him, “Why are you willing to risk your life to save me?”

Her counter-question made Mu Sui fall silent.

Meng Ruji didn’t dodge. She looked directly into Mu Sui’s eyes and saw the chaos and confusion in them.

He seemed to be the “lost one” Mo Li had spoken of – not knowing why he had come here, why he had come to save Meng Ruji, or why he was trapped by her words.

Why was he willing to risk his life to save her?

Mu Sui couldn’t answer.

Without giving him more time, amid the howling wind, another long arrow of malevolent energy shot over. This arrow even far exceeded any previous attack. Its speed was so fast that Meng Ruji couldn’t react.

Mu Sui almost instinctively pulled her gently, pressing her into his embrace.

The hidden arrow flew past Meng Ruji’s ear.

This arrow’s force was greater than all the previous ones. It collided with another arrow of malevolent energy shooting from another direction in the air. Immediately, thunderous sounds echoed throughout the entire space, and the shock wave seemed ready to overturn the entire world.

In this fierce wind, Mu Sui held Meng Ruji. He pressed her head into his chest, then turned, using his back to shield her from the shock wave’s impact.

In the irresistible force, he held her, standing steadily in the air.

He didn’t speak. All Meng Ruji heard was his steady heartbeat.

Her shoulder hurt terribly, but this pain made Meng Ruji incredibly certain at this moment that she wasn’t dreaming… A person who had always questioned “why save people” was now truly standing beside her.

With the most resolute silence, protecting her.

He might not have found a reason to save people yet, but he was already doing such things.

The shock wave subsided. In just moments, more arrows of malevolent energy attacked from the darkness.

Meng Ruji had to temporarily suppress all emotions in her heart. She grabbed Mu Sui’s clothes with her uninjured hand and told him while dodging:

“I don’t know why these arrows condensed from malevolent energy are becoming more numerous and stronger… We’ve delayed the time. Finding the Golden Staff will probably be even more difficult…”

Before she finished speaking, another violent, malevolent energy rushed toward them, then collided with arrows behind them.

Shock waves surged. Amid the chaotic roaring, Meng Ruji contemplated ways to break the situation when she suddenly discovered a point that confused her.

“I chased the Golden Staff here and spent all the stolen money. There must have been thirty or fifty gold pearls. In the end, I inevitably got injured. Mu Sui, how did you chase after me? Using Inner Core power will cause backlash for you, right?”

Meng Ruji looked up slightly at Mu Sui and saw that his complexion was normal, showing no fatigue. Where was the vulnerability of lying in her arms, seeking touch at night?

His expression was now cold and condensed as he looked back at her. The emotions in his dark pupils were more serious than Meng Ruji had ever seen.

“The Golden Staff can’t be found.” Mu Sui didn’t answer Meng Ruji’s confusion but responded to her previous statement. “Creating this Heaven-Fall Formation requires tremendous power. The Golden Staff should have melted into this formation.”

Three hundred and thirty-three gold pieces…

Already melted…

If the formation core had merged into the formation, then this formation could never be broken.

They could only watch helplessly in this formation as the entire Wuliu realm was devoured. Then, when the formation’s power was exhausted, everyone’s lives and the mountains and rivers of the Wuliu realm would turn to nothingness, completely disappearing from this world.

“But…” Meng Ruji looked at Mu Sui, probing, “You have a way to break it, don’t you?”

Mu Sui didn’t answer.

The arrows of malevolent energy around them began slowly condensing. They seemed to have gained consciousness, aiming at Mu Sui.

Only now did Meng Ruji vaguely understand in her confusion.

Previously, what she had seen as chaotically attacking arrows randomly shooting about might not have been attacking her at all.

But rather, she pursued Mu Sui, who had followed behind her.

They surged up from the depths of the abyss, rushing one after another to shoot Mu Sui dead. The attacks on Meng Ruji were only because she had blocked their path!

So after Mu Sui came to her side, the arrows’ power became stronger and the attacks more frequent…

“My husband… exactly… what kind of person is he?”

Meng Ruji still received no answer.

But the surrounding arrows now fired all at once toward them.

Mu Sui didn’t even loosen his hand around Meng Ruji’s waist. He raised his other hand, and black wind rose from around his body.

This wind carried the unmistakable aura of malevolent energy.

Meng Ruji watched him, seeing surging malevolent energy pouring from his body. This malevolent energy didn’t infect her but instead condensed into a semi-transparent black barrier around them, blocking the external wind and waves.

The arrows carrying such tremendous force fell like rain on Mu Sui’s barrier, but like spring wind turning to rain, those arrows instantly disappeared into the barrier. Conversely, Mu Sui’s barrier grew larger and larger, as if absorbing the power of those malevolent energy arrows.

“I’ll take you out.”

He gave her only this one unquestionable statement.

Meng Ruji saw him turn his five fingers. Malevolent energy wrapped around the barrier. He carried her like a black blade, cutting through the long sky, slashing through the surrounding gloom. When the darkness receded, in the next moment, Meng Ruji glimpsed the last ray of sunset outside.

Then they emerged.

So effortlessly, it was astonishing.

She was carried by Mu Sui, standing in the air. Zhan Ye hadn’t left yet. He looked at them in shock as they leaped out from the darkness, then stared in amazement at Mu Sui, who seemed to stand in the final rays of sunset.

Malevolent energy overflowed from Mu Sui’s body, but in the backdrop of evening clouds, for a moment, he had the divine light of a deity, only…

It was black.

He seemed like an ancient remnant, a deity from the abyss.

Gazing at all living beings as if looking at ants.