As the giant erupted with terrifying power, torrents of hyperactive Ether energy surged from its body, instantly strengthening the surrounding Ethereal creatures.

Seeing this, Sam Li frowned slightly. "So it even has that kind of effect."

Before he could think further about the principle behind it, the newly empowered Ethereal lunged toward him one after another.

Sam Li raised his hand and fired—a single shot pierced straight through the first one. Even enhanced, their defenses still couldn't withstand his assault.

Then came more—Destruction-tier and Apocalypse-tier Ethereal swarmed from all directions, attacking him just as they had once besieged Azhdaha.

As he fought, Sam Li realized these Ethereal were identical to those he had slain before—their forms and energy signatures completely the same.

Could it be… the ones he killed last time had revived? Did the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant possess the ability to resurrect them?

The thought didn't surprise Sam Li much. These massive creatures were, after all, creations of that giant—its tools for harvesting life. The ability to produce identical copies wasn't strange at all.

"If they can keep reviving, then I won't have to worry about role progress anymore."

To Sam Li, these colossal Ethereal were nothing more than bundles of progress and points.

In full combat focus, every sweep of his spear was sharp and precise, cutting down one Destruction-tier or Apocalypse-tier Ethereal after another.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Successfully defeated Destruction-tier Ethereal—Three-Headed Hellhound. Gained System Points ×150,000——]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Role-Playing Progress +0.1%——]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Successfully defeated Apocalypse-tier Ethereal—White Sky King. Gained System Points ×300,000——]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Role-Playing Progress +0.3%——]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Successfully defeated Destruction-tier Ethereal—Death Reaper. Gained System Points ×150,000——]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Role-Playing Progress +0.1%——]

...

The notification sounds echoed endlessly in his mind.

Though each reward brought only a small increase, the accumulation quickly pushed Sam Li's role progress to ninety-six percent—one step closer to completion.

He had also amassed a large amount of system points.

After several hours of nonstop battle, his rate of progress began to slow. Each new kill granted less than before.

When his progress reached ninety-seven percent, defeating a Destruction-tier Ethereal added only 0.05%, while even slaying an Apocalypse-tier one yielded just one percent.

By the time Sam Li had wiped out every Ethereal in the area, his progress had barely risen beyond ninety-seven percent.

At this pace, reaching one hundred percent would require several times—perhaps even dozens of times—the number of Destruction-tier and Apocalypse-tier Ethereal.

Sam Li's gaze turned toward the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant. As his progress advanced, his power surged again, and he was eager to face it once more.

The giant seemed to sense the danger. Before Sam Li could attack, it spread its massive hand and struck first.

Sam Li showed no fear. He thrust the Vortex Vanquisher forward, aiming straight at the giant.

As the weapon shot out, it rapidly absorbed Geo energy, expanding from a two-meter spear into a colossal weapon hundreds of meters long.

He aimed directly for the starry eye in the giant's palm.

A thunderous boom followed. Geo energy clashed with the radiant power of the Sun-Colored Starlight, releasing a shockwave that tore through half of Hollow Zero.

Sam Li pressed forward, pouring more power into the attack. The massive rock spear shattered layer by layer, but finally broke through the giant's defense, piercing its palm completely.

However, Sam Li knew such an injury was insignificant—it would heal in moments.

He didn't stop. His attacks came one after another until the giant's entire arm shattered.

Enraged, the two Sun-Colored Starlight gems in its chest flared brilliantly. A multicolored energy beam erupted from its core, racing straight toward Sam Li.

The strike came too suddenly.

Feeling the immense power within the wave, Sam Li didn't attempt to block it. With a flicker of movement, he dodged aside again and again.

When he looked back, the dense Ether mist behind him had been ripped apart, a massive chasm torn open by the blast, its depths stretching endlessly into darkness.

The battle raged on for more than ten hours.

The clash between Sam Li and the giant left the central region utterly devastated. What had once been a world brimming with life now lay in deathly silence—perhaps, Sam Li thought, this was its true form all along.

At last, when no more Destruction-tier or Apocalypse-tier Ethereal appeared, Sam Li temporarily withdrew from Hollow Zero, planning to return in a few days.

...

When Sam Li emerged from Hollow Zero, he found the Traveler, Paimon, Ganyu, Keqing, Shenhe, Nicole, Zhu Yuan, and Cloud Retainer waiting for him at Scott Outpost.

Seeing him, Paimon let out a long sigh of relief. "You're finally back! Azhdaha kept saying he was going to Hollow Zero to help you. If you hadn't come out soon, he and Cloud Retainer would've gone in!"

Sam Li said calmly, "I ran into some complications, but it's nothing serious."

They returned together to the Hollow Zero Operations Department.

On the way, Paimon sneaked a glance at him and whispered, "Sam Li, I heard your identity got exposed?"

Sam Li nodded. "Yeah. They all know now."

Seeing him look at her, Paimon quickly raised her hands. "Don't look at me like that! The Traveler and I didn't say a word—it definitely wasn't us!"

Sam Li: "…"

When they arrived at the Operations Department, Sam Li shared his suspicions with Keqing, Zhu Yuan, and Hoshimi Miyabi.

Hoshimi Miyabi frowned deeply. "So you're saying that the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant can resurrect both Destruction-tier and Apocalypse-tier Ethereal?"

Sam Li nodded. "Exactly. I estimate the revival process takes around two to three days."

They calculated the timing—the intervals between his last two entries into Hollow Zero had been precisely three days.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Yuan said seriously, "No wonder Hollow Zero hasn't shown any decline despite us destroying so many Destruction-tier and Apocalypse-tier Ethereal. So that's the reason…"