No sooner had Azhdaha arrived than he was besieged by a horde of Ethereal.

At first, they were merely ordinary high-tier and Destruction-class Ethereal, which Azhdaha could easily deal with...

But soon, several World-Ending-class Ethereal appeared—massive beings whose combined power forced Azhdaha into a fierce struggle. In the chaos, he was struck and sent hurtling down into the very center of the hollow...

Here, Azhdaha found himself surrounded by a surreal, dreamlike landscape. In the distance stood a colossal figure, thousands of meters tall—its scale rivaling even Mount Aozang. Even after having witnessed the horrors of the Archon War, the sight before him left Azhdaha astonished.

Yet, before he could even process what he was seeing, several more World-Ending-class Ethereal surrounded him.

Still far from his peak strength, Azhdaha now faced multiple enemies on par with gods themselves—and even he began to falter under their relentless assault.

The next instant, fury erupted within him.

With a thunderous roar, the ground beneath his feet merged with his body.

Countless streams of Geo energy, along with earth and stone, fused into Azhdaha's frame.

The dragon, once two hundred meters tall, suddenly swelled to five or six hundred meters. His aura and the intensity of his Geo energy soared once more, radiating overwhelming might.

"Let me destroy you monsters—!"

The words barely left his jaws before Azhdaha raised one titanic foot and slammed it down, shaking the earth to its core.

But it didn't end there.

Spikes, each over a hundred meters tall, erupted violently from the ground beneath the Ethereal.

The ordinary high-tier Ethereal couldn't escape in time and were instantly impaled. Even some Destruction-class and World-Ending-class Ethereal failed to evade the attack and were grievously wounded in an instant.

However—

Even for Azhdaha, unleashing such a devastating technique came at a cost.

As the massive spikes crumbled and disappeared, several World-Ending-class Ethereal and over a dozen Destruction-class Ethereal surged forward once more. A barrage of attacks rained down on Azhdaha from every direction.

Had it been anyone else, they would have been obliterated.

But Azhdaha's hide was thick and unyielding, his rock-forged body absorbing most of the impact.

Even so, the continuous onslaught began to take its toll.

Worse yet, the strange environment of Hollow Zero's core slowed the regeneration of Geo energy—his recovery lagged far behind his expenditure.

If this continued, the battle would soon turn against him.

Realizing this, Azhdaha attempted several more attacks, but each failed to gain ground and only drained his energy further.

With a deafening roar, he finally broke free from the grip of several Destruction-class Ethereal, preparing to retreat from this lifeless domain.

If he chose to withdraw now, not even the World-Ending-class Ethereal could stop him.

But—

Just as he began to pull back, his massive body suddenly froze.

Something had caught his attention. Slowly, Azhdaha turned—and his gaze met that of the towering, otherworldly giant looming thousands of meters away.

An overwhelming sense of danger surged through him. He roared in defiance.

Though the giant had yet to move, its mere presence radiated a power that eclipsed even the mightiest gods of the Archon War.

The next moment, the ground began to quake violently.

The colossal being raised one hand—so vast it spanned tens of kilometers—and brought it crashing down toward Azhdaha.

Azhdaha did not dodge. His body flared with golden light as he gathered immense Geo energy, charging headlong into the descending hand—one nearly as large as himself.

...

While Azhdaha battled for his life—

Elsewhere within Hollow Zero, shrouded in the thick mist of condensed Ether energy, Sam Li and the Adepti once again crossed paths with Hoshimi Miyabi and her team.

Originally, according to Tsukishiro Yanagi's plan, they hadn't brought the proper equipment and shouldn't have entered the mist at all.

But without doing so, they would never find Sam Li and the others. With no alternative, Tsukishiro had placed his trust in Hoshimi Miyabi one more time.

Fortunately, their gamble paid off—they encountered Sam Li and the Adepti within the ether mist.

Cloud Retainer spoke calmly, "How did you end up here?"

Tsukishiro Yanagi quickly explained, "We've conducted many missions inside the hollows and have a deeper understanding of Hollow Zero, so we came to assist you."

Sam Li nodded slightly. "I appreciate it—"

Their earlier detour through Hollow Zero had been caused by their unfamiliarity with its terrain, costing them precious time.

But Sam Li had no intention of repeating that mistake.

He channeled more Geo energy, studying the surrounding landscape to ensure they stayed on course.

Just as the group prepared to continue their search for Azhdaha—

Sam Li suddenly stopped, his expression sharpening. He turned his head toward a distant direction.

Mountain Shaper asked curiously, "What is it, Mr. Sam Li?"

Sam Li replied quietly, "Azhdaha is over there. It seems he's facing a formidable opponent."

Even from afar, he could sense an aura—strange, unfamiliar, and immensely powerful.

But the distance was too great; he could only perceive its general presence, not its nature.

Moments later, Sam Li's tone hardened. "Xianyun, protect the two young ones... Follow my lead."

With that, he leapt into the air, stepping effortlessly across the void as he flew toward Azhdaha's location.

To keep up with him, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, and Cloud Retainer all manifested their immortal forms.

Cloud Retainer called out solemnly, "Hold on tight—"

Before Hoshimi Miyabi or Tsukishiro Yanagi could respond, she soared skyward, carrying them high into the air.

The speed was incredible.

Tsukishiro Yanagi nearly lost her balance, but Hoshimi Miyabi quickly grabbed her arm, steadying her.

The Adepti moved with astonishing swiftness.

Before long, guided by Sam Li, they reached the central region of Hollow Zero. The sights grew stranger and more dazzling—like entering another realm altogether.

Tsukishiro Yanagi cried out, "Section Chief, look ahead—!"

Hoshimi Miyabi raised her gaze.

Somehow, ahead of them, an enormous geo spear had materialized, hurtling straight toward the core of Hollow Zero.

It was Sam Li's technique.

Suddenly—

The ether mist around them dispersed.

Before Hoshimi Miyabi could take in her surroundings, a deafening explosion erupted, followed by a blinding flash of golden light that forced her to shield her eyes.

From nearby came Cloud Retainer's startled voice:

"What kind of monster is that?!"