"Ah!" Zheng Zha reacted the fastest, and at that moment, they were the closest to the edge of the cliff. Thus, when the cliff collapsed, he fell to the lowest point, nearest to the explosion of that fireball. Several seconds after dropping off the cliff, the intense, scorching air forced him to leap upwards desperately. Even though he was completely exhausted, the "Instant Annihilation" state still kept his limbs functional, and "Moonwalk" allowed him to plant his feet in the void, sending him soaring several meters high, charging back towards the still-intact edge of the cliff.

However, the others were not so lucky. Three Hobbits fell off the cliff first, closely followed by Aragorn and Legolas. Four of the veteran members also dropped: the woman from the North Ice Continent team who used the crossbow, Nios from the South Flame Continent team, and from the Central Continent team, Zhang Heng and Zhao Yingkong—this group of four followed the five characters from the plot line downward.

It all happened in an instant, faster than words can describe. Only then did everyone's true capabilities become undeniably clear. Aragorn and Legolas simultaneously drew their melee weapons. The moment they jammed the Wufeiku Hand weapon into the cliff face, their other hands shot out to grab the falling Hobbits beside them. Unfortunately, there were only two of them; one grabbed Frodo, and the other grabbed Merry. Pipin, however, continued his descent, plummeting directly into the lingering, cyan-blue flames below the cliff in full view of everyone.

Then, without even a sound, he was reduced to ash.

Among the other four members of the surviving squad, Zhao Yingkong reacted the quickest. Her landing spot wasn't ideal, still four or five meters from the cliff edge. She coiled her body tight, then forcefully straightened out, using the momentum to push off a large rock behind her, shooting out like an arrow toward the cliff edge. The direction she shot was precisely where Zhang Heng had fallen.

It turned out Zhang Heng had fallen unconscious immediately after using "Arrow of Wind."

He was completely unresponsive as he fell. It was entirely due to Zhao Yingkong’s superhuman nerves and skill that he didn't suffer the same fate as the Hobbits.

Of the remaining two, the girl with the crossbow was several meters away from the cliff. She lacked Zhao Yingkong's agility and could only fall directly into the fireball, instantly incinerated. Only Nios was somewhat fortunate.

He fell right against the cliff face, and in this critical moment, he managed to grab a protruding stone pillar on the edge, hanging precariously. If not for that, given his skill level, he likely would have met a grim end.

Zheng Zha finally reached the edge of the cliff. He looked back just in time to see the Hobbit and the veteran member vanish. Shocked, he saw everyone dangling from the cliff edge in extreme danger. He immediately wanted to use the "Instant Annihilation" state to save them, but as soon as he circulated his internal power and Vampire energy, his whole body felt as if it were being ripped apart by pain. There were seven people below the cliff, but he feared that trying to save them would only result in him falling off himself. Realizing this, Zheng Zha roared loudly: "Gungnir! Turn to frost and save them all!" As the shout left his lips, he turned back, his heart sinking—Gungnir was lying on the ground, his face pale green and ashen.

He had completely reverted from his ice form back to his original shape; it was clear that freezing those four bodies had consumed every ounce of his energy.

How could he possibly save the others now? "Alright!" Zheng Zha grew even more anxious. He roared down to those below the cliff, "Hold on!" Then, turning, he charged toward the nearby skeleton.

Less than ten seconds had passed since the first cliff explosion. Just as Zheng Zha was about to reach the Skeleton Steed, a violent tremor erupted again from beneath the cliff, as if a second explosion had rocked the very depths of the earth. Zheng Zha cursed internally but had no time for further thought. He leaped onto the Skeleton Steed and raced toward the cliff.

Sure enough, the cliff face began to crumble again, sending massive chunks of rock plummeting downward. As Zheng Zha rode the Steed toward the edge, he saw the very rock into which Aragorn had jammed his sword beginning to fracture. Without hesitation, he grabbed Aragorn's arm, abandoning the longsword, and threw him—along with the adjacent Hobbit—up toward the cliff edge. Those above would naturally catch Aragorn, but Zheng Zha showed no pause, accelerating downward immediately.

The rocks on the cliff face were collapsing rapidly. Zheng Zha only managed to toss Legolas onto the safe ground above before he watched in horror as Zhao Yingkong and Zhang Heng, below the Elf Prince, plummeted toward the abyss. A falling piece of rock struck the little girl’s hand, causing her to lose her grip and fall further down.

The speed of the Bone Steed could not match the acceleration of a fall, and the speed would only increase. Zheng Zha's eyes were blazing with desperation. Those two were comrades he was willing to trade his life for. He could calm down quickly if others died, but if they died, he would carry the guilt and sorrow for the rest of his life. Without a second thought, he stamped off the saddle, propelling himself with even greater speed toward the two falling figures.

The deeper they went toward the valley floor, the higher the temperature became. Fortunately, the cyan-blue flames had settled deep into the chasm, preventing the two from being instantly turned to ash. Zheng Zha used "Moonwalk" twice mid-air to boost his speed, finally catching up to them within a hundred meters. He swept Zhao Yingkong into one arm and tucked Zhang Heng under the other, already initiating "Moonwalk" again with his feet.

After using the "Annihilation" state for so many seconds previously, followed by continuous use of the "Instant Annihilation" state, this level of high-intensity exertion had pushed Zheng Zha's body to its limit. In a "normal" "Annihilation" state, he could usually ascend over ten meters, but now he could only manage about six or seven. After several consecutive "Moonwalks," the height of his leaps slowly began to decrease, and his legs were already twitching violently.

(Damn it... I'm going to die, I really am... Hold on, the Skeleton Steed is only twenty meters away!) Zheng Zha's teeth were almost ground to powder, and fresh blood streamed from the corner of his mouth. Just then, another shadow plummeted from above. Zheng Zha looked closely: the silhouette was Nios, his face etched with panic. The section of rock the man had been clinging to had finally broken away. As he fell, cries of distress rose from the cliff edge—the two women from the South Flame Continent team, one older and one younger.

Zheng Zha instinctively tried to reach for Nios. After all, he still had one free arm; Zhao Yingkong was merely hanging on him, and with Zhang Heng held under the other arm, the remaining limb was sufficient to grab him. But as he reached, hesitation flashed through Zheng Zha’s mind. Nios was a formidable intellect, though no match for Chu Xuan, he far surpassed the rest of the members from the three teams present. Allowing such a person to live introduced too much uncertainty into the Lord of the Rings world. It might be better to let him perish in this accident; the South Flame Continent team's fighting strength would be reduced, removing any secondary threat.

It was quicker than thought; although many things crossed Zheng Zha's mind, they amounted to the blink of an eye in that moment. They were about to pass one another, and Nios closed his eyes with a bitter smile. In that split second, Zheng Zha fiercely grabbed him by the collar. The downward momentum dragged the three of them several meters further down. Furthermore, each subsequent "Moonwalk" only granted a meager four or five meters of upward lift. Everyone watching from the cliff edge saw it all... (He's pushing his limits!) Zheng Zha desperately engaged the "Annihilation" state, not the half-mastered "Instant Annihilation." The moment he entered "Annihilation," he crazily spammed "Moonwalk," leaping upward with the absolute fervor of someone fighting for their life. Dragging the weight of three people, in the final second of "Annihilation," he slammed onto the back of the Skeleton Steed. The weight of the four caused the Steed’s legs to buckle slightly, but fortunately, the Steed’s trait of ignoring physical force saved them, allowing all four to sit securely on its back. Then, Zheng Zha weakly tugged the reins, and the skeletal mount slowly began to trot back up the cliff face...

"While I truly admire your courage and ability to save everyone..." Chu Xuan sat on the ground holding a few Snow Berries. He looked at the listless Zheng Zha lying before him and sneered, "I am very curious. Let's concede the first part of the journey; after all, the Green Devil Skateboard couldn't catch up to save so many people, and direct contact with the four plot characters upfront might cause the Skateboard to lose power... However, after that, when you saved the three of them and leaped up together, why didn't you use the Green Devil Skateboard to fly up?"

"Huh?" Zheng Zha stared dumbly at Chu Xuan with his mouth agape. The man, as if nothing was amiss, continued eating his Snow Berries, acting as if he couldn't see Zheng Zha’s bewildered state.

"In such a dangerous moment, I..." Zheng Zha tried to argue a few times, but after a long pause, he managed a bitter laugh, "I am an idiot..." At that moment, Nios, supported by You Zhi Ya, walked over to the Central Continent team. He said quietly, "I know you hesitated for a moment when saving me, but you still saved me... I won't say much more; I absolutely owe you this life debt! I will repay you in the Lord of the Rings world!"