Chu Xuan had previously attempted to manifest the power of belief into various effects. For instance, in Transformers, he channeled this power throughout his body, allowing him to leap off energy beams—an action completely defying physical laws. What he was doing now was far simpler: using the power of belief purely as propulsion to shove Zheng Zha far away.

Zheng Zha had just been engulfed by that massive blob of flesh. The intensely corrosive liquid had practically scoured his entire being. His clothes were definitely gone, and every hair on his body had been completely dissolved. He looked utterly miserable. Only the inherent anti-corrosion properties of the Qian Long Bian () state saved him from having even his bones completely eroded. Still, even without the aid of Chu Xuan’s two shots, once he got his internal energy and the vampire energy flowing, he could have broken free from the flesh mass easily enough. Thus, just as Chu Xuan pushed him away, he had already activated his energies, and shielded by their power, he shot forward unharmed… though, naturally, he was now completely hairless.

It wasn't until the force pushed him several hundred meters that Zheng Zha truly grasped the situation: the entire floating landmass was beginning to collapse and sink, threatening to plunge into the magma layer of the mantle in moments.

If they fell in, not only would the cultivation manuals be lost, but everyone unable to fly would certainly perish.

(It’s a blessing that Imhotep is here; his flight and my wings rely on innate ability. Otherwise, I’d have to abandon this precious heritage and focus solely on saving everyone…) While thinking this, Zheng Zha was propelled by the power of belief.

His speed had nearly doubled that of the Tī () technique—an astonishing velocity. Forget ordinary people; most of the group, including Chu Xuan, could only perceive a blur. This speed allowed him to cover tens of thousands of meters in a very short time. Only when he was about a thousand meters from the pavilion did the propulsive force from the belief power finally vanish completely. Zheng Zha touched down and, without hesitation, activated the Tī technique, continuing his rapid surge forward.

Behind him,

the giant flesh mass continued to proliferate wildly. If its volume were scaled to the height of the former First God, it had already reached an astonishing size of three to four hundred meters. After Chu Xuan shattered a large section with his power of belief, that large piece didn't disintegrate; instead, it regenerated on the ground into new flesh masses resembling the main body. From the perspective of Chu Xuan and the others, a vast, rolling sea of flesh stretched out, inducing an inescapable sense of nausea and terror in anyone who saw it.

Once Zheng Zha was far removed from this sea of flesh, it immediately surged toward the plaza where Chu Xuan and the others stood.

"...I don't plan on eating meat for the next year... That’s too disgusting, isn't it?" Cheng Xiao said from within the whirlwind enveloping him as he ascended while looking down at the flesh sea below.

Imhotep's whirlwind could not lift people indefinitely.

It could carry four people at a time. Since he was ascending over a thousand meters high, it seemed the continent and the plaza were enclosed within an invisible, circular dome. Outside this dome, unrestricted flight was possible. The first ones to ascend were Cheng Xiao, Zero Point, and then Ansu Na and Jonathan, making four in total.

Once the whirlwind reached above a thousand meters, Cheng Xiao’s Green Goblin Glider suddenly activated. He flipped onto the board and then managed to carry the other three onto the glider with him, though it was quite crowded.

However, once he utilized the glider's hovering capability, they could just manage to stay aloft in the high air.

Imhotep didn't pause, diving back toward the ground. The collapse of the entire landmass was accelerating; even the floor of the plaza was beginning to crack. With time running out, the window of opportunity for everyone was rapidly shrinking.

The few who remained were those possessing area-of-effect skills. Zhang Heng and Wang Xia's abilities needed no further discussion; the two unleashed their attacks frantically, showing no reservation. Zhang Heng's group energy shots and Wang Xia's amplified electric paddle bomb (demon power) surge—at this final juncture, neither cared about conserving energy or strength, only about containing the flesh mass beyond the confines of the plaza. They had witnessed Zheng Zha’s terrible state when he lost all his hair, and they believed that being swallowed by this flesh mass would result in far more than just losing one's hair.

"...The energy is entirely within its body. That crystal must be the central control system—the computer's CPU. Once the central control system is destroyed, the remaining energy is inherited by the body of the First God, causing it to proliferate wildly... In that case, perhaps this state is its true potential."

Chu Xuan, clutching his two Gauss pistols, watched the gigantic flesh mass silently. Only when a portion of it crossed the firing range of Zhang Heng and Wang Xia did he deploy his power of belief to attack. It was fortunate his power was so immense, allowing him to firmly guard the junction between the plaza and the land. Otherwise, with hundreds of meters of flesh surging forward, the group still unconscious behind them would surely be dead.

"...Chu Xuan... Although this isn't the time for such a comment, could you please not wear that fanatical expression while we’re fighting? Seeing you like that makes us feel quite creeped out..." Wang Xia managed a wry smile.

Zhang Heng immediately nodded vigorously beside him, though he looked far more haggard than Wang Xia. He had nearly exhausted all his stamina using the Bao Lie Shan Zhi Shi (); now, after forcing out so many energy dispersals, he was only standing there through sheer willpower. If not for that, he would have collapsed the next second. Even so, he held his bow steady, showing no tremor as he stood his ground... "Looking cool, aren't I?" Cheng Xiao asked Ming Yanwei, who stood not far away. Qi Tengyi was piloting the Green Goblin Glider, carrying Liu Yu, Ming Yanwei, and Overlord on the board. Cheng Xiao's question was directed at Ming Yanwei, who had been staring fixedly at the ground.

Ming Yanwei startled slightly, looked up at Cheng Xiao, and then returned her gaze to the ground. Her physical conditioning was only at an ordinary person’s level; looking down from over a thousand meters, the people on the ground were mere specks. She couldn't clearly make out Zhang Heng or the others. But when Cheng Xiao asked the question, she silently nodded, seemingly affirming his inquiry.

"Men... always have to walk a path of their own growth. Some men mature from awkwardness after being beaten a few times as boys; some mature after losing a few loves. But some men only achieve greatness after navigating life-and-death crises, after experiencing extreme sorrow and joy..." Cheng Xiao also looked down, murmuring as he watched. "Is Zhang Heng one of those men? And what kind of man do you desire?" Ming Yanwei's eyes immediately grew distant. She squinted and looked down again. As the plaza continuously sank, the small black dots grew less distinct, and her gaze became even more confused... The land and the plaza continued to sink, less than two thousand meters remaining before impact with the mantle magma. Not only was the descent speed increasing, but the ground was starting to fracture into pieces. Simultaneously, the flesh mass had expanded to a size that Zhang Heng’s trio could barely suppress; if it continued, it would crush them entirely into the plaza just by its sheer weight.

And at this moment, Zheng Zha was still four hundred meters away from the pavilion housing the cultivation manuals, leaping toward it—