One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Master Wang coughed up a mouthful of blood—not the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but warm, bubbly blood surging up from deep in his throat. It splattered onto the ground with a "plop," forming a large, dark red pool. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, where Zhang Lingyu scooped him up and tucked him under her arm.

The most recent "tyrant" has broken free of its restraints, and its huge bone blade, accompanied by a mournful whooshing sound, swept towards the last two, Fujiwara Sousuke and Eagle Country Catherine!

It didn't come from the side—it caught up from behind. That "tyrant" had legs longer than a person's, and each stride covered three or four meters. After breaking free from time-stop, it caught up with the back of the group in just two steps.

The bone blade swept across at an extreme speed, so fast that it cut through the air, emitting a sharp, whistling sound.

"Catherine!"

The man in the suit turned around in horror. His pupils reflected the enormous bone blade, which grew larger and closer, almost filling his entire field of vision.

"Ice coffin!"

Catherine's face turned deathly pale. With her last ounce of strength, she conjured a thick, spiked ice wall behind herself and Fujiwara Sousuke.

The ice wall was more than half a meter thick, and its surface was covered with densely packed ice spikes, each more than a foot long. The tips of the ice spikes were as sharp as needles, gleaming with a cold white light under the dark red glow.

"boom--!"

The bone blade struck the ice wall!

It wasn't a clang—that's the sound of metal striking ice. It was a boom—that's the sound of a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting open.

The ice wall shattered with a deafening roar! It didn't crack, it didn't collapse, it exploded—the entire ice wall, under the impact of the bone blade, shattered into countless fist-sized ice chunks, flying in all directions, as if it had been blown apart by explosives!

The shockwave from the explosion sent Catherine and Fujiwara Sosuke flying forward, coughing up blood, and crashing heavily onto the edge of the pipe entrance.

Catherine's back slammed against the metal door frame with a loud thud, and she felt as if her spine was about to break. She lay on the ground, gasping for breath, blood bubbling from the corner of her mouth.

Fujiwara Sousuke fell face-first to the ground, knocking out a front tooth, splitting his lip, and smearing blood all over his face. He struggled to get up, but it was as if all the strength had been drained from his body, and he couldn't move. Then he passed out and lay motionless.

The "tyrant," with its eyes bloodshot and heavy steps, caught up!

Its eyes—those two murky, dark red eyes—were fixed on Catherine and Fujiwara Sosuke, who had fallen to the ground. The massive bone blade was raised high once more, ready to strike a second time.

Further back, even more monsters are about to surround us!

Rippers, shriekers, shapeshifters… they surged in from all directions, like a giant net being pulled in. The black tide surged, roared, and howled, threatening to engulf everyone.

Just as everyone was about to be blocked at the entrance of the pipe, and all their efforts were in vain!

At this critical moment—

Nie Lingfeng, who was the first to rush into the pipe entrance, suddenly turned around!

His movements were so fast that Chen Duo, who was beside him, didn't even have time to react. One second he was rushing forward, and the next he had turned around and was facing the way he came.

He quickly handed Xiaoyun, whom he was holding, to Chen Duo, who had just rushed in. His movements were light but swift. Xiaoyun slid from his arm into Chen Duo's embrace, like a precious piece of porcelain being passed on.

"Take her away! Don't look back!"

He spoke sternly. His voice wasn't loud, but every word pierced the ears of everyone present like nails.

Then--

To everyone's astonishment, instead of venturing deeper into the pipe, he stepped out and stood outside the pipe entrance once more.

Alone.

Faced with the surging tide of monsters—black, surging, boundless waves that swept over everything.

And the relentless "tyrant"—its massive bone blade still dripping blood, its murky eyes still fixed on him.

"Brother Nie!"

"Brother Lingfeng!"

Zhang Chulan and Chen Duo gasped in shock.

Zhang Chulan had already stepped out—one foot outside the pipe, the other still inside. He wanted to rush out, to fight alongside Nie Lingfeng. But then he looked at the bald bear in his arms—no, the bald bear wasn't in his arms; the bald bear was standing behind him, leaning on his cane.

Master Wang Ye was being held under Zhang Lingyu's arm, already unconscious. Blood was still flowing from the corner of his mouth, and his face was ashen, like that of a dead man.

He can't go out. If he goes out, no one will protect these people.

Nie Lingfeng did not turn around.

With his back to them, he slowly raised the Snow Drinking Blade in his hand.

The icy blue light on the blade was more intense and concentrated than ever before. It wasn't a soft halo, but a blinding, burning light, like a small star ablaze on the blade. The light radiated outwards from the blade, dyeing the space within several meters around it icy blue.

It even emitted a faint, almost unbearable hum—a "buzzing" sound, not from the blade itself, but from the air. The air was trembling, the space itself was groaning.

His aura was also rising, compressing, and condensing at an astonishing speed! His Qi was circulating wildly within his body, compressing and compressing again, like someone desperately blowing air into a small balloon. His meridians groaned, his dantian screamed, and his internal organs felt as if they were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

The ground beneath his feet, centered on him, began to rapidly condense into thick, ever-expanding ice crystals. Starting from the soles of his shoes, the ice crystals spread outwards, layer upon layer, making a crackling sound. Wherever they passed, the ground transformed into a smooth, mirror-like surface of ice.

An extreme chill permeated the air, chilling even the soul. This chill wasn't felt on the skin—it was felt deep within the bones, in the blood, in every single cell. It was as if something had ripped your soul from your body and thrown it into an ice cellar hundreds of degrees below zero.

The monsters in the distance, those that were still charging forward, began to hesitate. Their steps slowed, their roars weakened, and fear appeared in their eyes—a fear not of instinct, but of the deepest part of their souls, the most primal fear of death.

"You guys go first."

Nie Lingfeng's voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it carried an undeniable resolve. That calmness wasn't due to a lack of emotion, but rather because the emotion was so intense and turbulent that it had solidified into ice. Beneath the ice, however, lay boiling magma.

"I'll cover the rear."

"No! We'll go together!"

Zhang Chulan's eyes were red. Not from crying, but from being bloodshot. His eye sockets were full of blood vessels, and his eyeballs looked like two red-hot glass beads.

"Chu Lan! Listen to him!"

Master Wang Ye's voice came from under Zhang Lingyu's armpit. It was weak and hoarse, as if it came from a very far place, but every word was crystal clear.

"Trust him! He has a way to get away! You'll only be a burden to him if you stay! Go!"

Zhang Chulan's body stiffened.

He watched Nie Lingfeng's proud and resolute back—his black coat fluttering in the cold wind, the icy blue light of the Snow Drinking Blade in his hand illuminating half of his profile. There was no fear, no hesitation, only calm on that face—like a mirror reflecting the death before him.

He looked into his arms again—he wasn't holding anyone; his hands were empty.

No, he had nothing in his arms; Xiaoyun was with Chen Duo.

Then she looked at her weakened companions. Master Wang Ye was already unconscious, blood bubbles still seeping from the corner of his mouth. Zhang Lingyu's face was as white as his hair. Chen Duo held Xiaoyun, who was still unconscious. Bald Bear leaned against the wall, as if he might die at any moment.

His teeth were almost crushed, making a "crunching" sound, and the muscles in his cheeks bulged like two iron balls. He almost bit his jawbone off.

Finally, he stomped his foot hard! With that stomp, a large section of the rock beneath his feet shattered, sending fragments flying in all directions, as if someone had placed a small bomb on it.

"Brother Nie! You fucking bastard, you absolutely have to come back alive! Otherwise, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

His voice was hoarse, as if sandpaper was stuck in his throat. The blood vessels in his eyes were even more prominent, but he didn't cry. He wouldn't cry. He would only kill.

"Walk!"

Nie Lingfeng shouted again. That single word was like a knife, severing all hesitation and reluctance.

Chen Duo took a deep look at Nie Lingfeng's back.

That figure wasn't particularly tall, but in her eyes at that moment, it was like a mountain. A mountain that could shield her from all wind and rain, all monsters, and all death.

She nodded vigorously, hugged Xiaoyun, supported Bald Bear, and turned to run deeper into the pipe. Her steps were steady, each one firm, as if she were measuring the distance between herself and Nie Lingfeng with her feet.

Zhang Lingyu silently bowed to Nie Lingfeng. His waist was bent very deeply, his forehead almost touching his knees. Then he straightened up, carrying the unconscious Daoist Wang Ye, and turned to follow Chen Duo.

Feng Baobao glanced at Nie Lingfeng, blinked, and seemed to want to say something. Her lips moved as if to say "You must live," but in the end, no sound came out. She simply swung the katana in her hand—the blade of which was full of nicks, like a saw—and then turned around swiftly to chase after Chen Duo.

The British suit-wearing elite gritted his teeth and dragged the unconscious Fujiwara Sousuke—who lay limp on the ground like a bag of cement, the elite grabbing his collar and pulling him along—and supported the badly injured Catherine, staggering deeper into the pipes. Catherine's leg was too heavy to drag; she clung to the elite's shoulder like a rag doll.

Zhang Chulan took one last look.

He saw Nie Lingfeng's back—a black coat, the icy blue glint of his blade, and ice crystals spreading across the ground.

He saw the monster ahead—the tyrant's bone blade was raised to its highest point and was about to fall.

He saw the darkness deep inside the pipe—a darkness so deep, so very deep, like an endless tunnel.

With a gritted teeth.

He caught up with the group.

Outside the pipe entrance, only Nie Lingfeng remained.

And the horde of monsters that was so close at hand.

And the "mother hive" in the center of the dome, still staring intently at this side, emitting unwilling roars.

Most of its "eye" crystals have shattered, dimmed, and stopped shining. But the remaining small half still stubbornly and tenaciously, like stars that refuse to go out, firmly locks onto the direction of the pipe entrance.

They've locked onto Nie Lingfeng.

The "Tyrant's" bone blade, with the force to split mountains and shatter rocks, was already upon them!

The bone blade slashed down from above, so fast that the friction between the blade and the air produced a hissing sound. The air around the edge of the blade twisted and deformed under the high temperature, like a thin layer of heat wave.

The blood on the blade was flung away at high speed, forming an arc of blood droplets. The droplets landed on Nie Lingfeng's face, warm and carrying a strong, metallic smell.

In Nie Lingfeng's eyes, the icy blue light flashed like a burst of cold stars!

It wasn't a "light up"—it was a "flash"! Deep within his pupils, the icy blue light, like a fuse that had been lit, exploded with a "whoosh," instantly filling his entire eyeball.

He held the knife with both hands.

He poured all the power he had compressed to the extreme—a power that combined the essence of Cloud-Dispelling Palm, Heavenly Frost Fist, Wind God Leg, and even the Snow Drinking Blade itself—into this one strike without reservation. This power had been compressed within him for too long and too much, like a volcano stuffed into a matchbox, ready to explode if it wasn't released.

The frenzied circulation of his Qi made his meridians feel like water pipes stretched to their limit. Veins bulged on his arms, neck, and forehead, writhing under his skin like earthworms. His face turned from pale to ashen, and his lips went from bloodless to purple—a sign that his blood was being frozen by the true essence of icy coldness.

"The final move of the Six Arts of Unyielding Cold: Eternal Mysterious Ice - Heaven and Earth in Silence!"

There was no earth-shattering roar.

There was no dazzling light.

only--

Nie Lingfeng gripped his sword with both hands and, facing the surging monster horde ahead and the massive "mother nest" further away, simply slashed down with his blade.

"Buzz—"