As Azhdaha forced its way through the spatial fissure, it crossed dimensions and plunged from the erupting hollow disaster straight into the depths of Hollow Zero.
At that very moment, Sam Li, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and the Vigilant Yaksha, Xiao were already soaring high above New Eridu, arriving at the area where the Bangboo Repair Headquarters once stood.
Looking ahead at the hollow, whose expansion had now ceased, Sam Li and the others halted, descending slowly from the sky.
Instantly, they drew everyone's attention.
Some citizens, fearing the hollow disaster might resume its expansion, fled toward nearby streets while hastily pulling out their phones to record the Adepti's descent.
Others, recognizing Cloud Retainer and the others, realized salvation had arrived. They stopped running, gathered their courage, and stood in the open streets, starting live streams on their devices.
Still others called out loudly to the Adepti:
"Immortals! Many people have been swallowed by the hollow—please save them!"
"Immortal, be careful! This is an S-Class hollow disaster—there must be powerful Ethereal inside!"
"Don't worry! These immortals have suppressed dozens of hollows in the past half month. This one's just a sudden eruption—they'll handle it for sure!"
...
The surrounding citizens murmured among themselves, explaining parts of the situation to the Adepti.
Hearing their words, Sam Li said calmly, "The situation is urgent. Let's go in now."
Moon Carver smiled. "Your Imperial Majesty need not worry. With that fellow Azhdaha around, even a Destruction-Class Ethereal wouldn't stand a chance."
Cloud Retainer frowned. "There are too many ears around. It's better to address him as Adeptus Sam Li."
With that, the Adepti followed Sam Li and stepped into the hollow.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the environment changed dramatically. The concentration, activity, corruption, and pressure of the Ether all surged sharply.
Of course, such an atmosphere had little effect on the Adepti.
Cloud Retainer surveyed the surroundings. There were not only panicked citizens but also clear traces of battle.
The Bangboo Maintenance Headquarters had completely collapsed, and the nearby streets were fractured. Scattered across the area were remnants of Azhdaha's stone formations and the scorched marks left by Ethereal attacks.
Clearly, these were the aftermath of Azhdaha's battle against the high-tier Ethereal.
However, despite looking around, Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper could not find any trace of Azhdaha himself.
Moon Carver chuckled. "To have retracted that massive form so quickly—how unlike Azhdaha."
Cloud Retainer replied seriously, "It must be with that group of Bangboo. Let's find it and see what's going on."
Just as they were about to move deeper into the collapsed headquarters, Sam Li spoke. "Jiehu, Houzhang, the Ether concentration here is too much for humans. The citizens here—leave them to you. Take them outside."
Mountain Shaper nodded immediately. "We'll take care of it."
Once Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver went to assist the nearby civilians, Sam Li, Cloud Retainer, and Xiao entered the ruins of the collapsed building. Sure enough, they spotted several Bangboo.
But that wasn't all—they also saw someone completely unexpected: the bard, Venti.
After many days apart, Sam Li found himself facing the mischievous poet once again.
The moment they met, Cloud Retainer's eyes widened in surprise. "Barbatos… Mr. Venti, why are you here?"
Venti cleared his throat and smiled. "A tavern nearby hired Victoria Housekeeping Services, so I came to help. Of course, I didn't come here just for the drinks..."
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer's expression turned into one of resigned understanding—it was exactly what she had expected.
Then Venti laughed. "Mr. Zhongli, Miss Cloud Retainer, your timing is perfect. These Bangboo seem to be Azhdaha's followers, so I'll leave them in your care."
Cloud Retainer immediately caught on and asked, "Mr. Venti, we found signs of Azhdaha's battle nearby, but there's no trace of him. Do you know where he went?"
Clearly, she wasn't worried that Azhdaha might have been defeated.
Venti shrugged. "I'm not sure either. It was fighting a bunch of huge creatures just a moment ago. After it beat them, a spatial rift suddenly appeared in the sky. Azhdaha's incredibly strong—it just tore the rift open with its bare hands and charged right in."
Seeing Azhdaha easily overpower an entire group of monsters, Venti hadn't interfered. Instead, he stayed behind to guard the Bangboo and shield the surrounding civilians.
As for where Azhdaha had gone, Venti had no idea where the spatial fissure led.
After hearing Venti's explanation, Sam Li said quietly, "Hollow Zero..."
Even after all these years, Azhdaha hadn't changed—it still charged headlong into battle, chasing its enemies even to the deepest reaches of the abyss.
Upon hearing that Azhdaha had entered Hollow Zero alone, Cloud Retainer frowned. "He's as reckless as ever."
Venti tilted his head thoughtfully. "Hollow Zero... I've heard it's filled with beings on par with the gods. Azhdaha's in serious danger this time."
Xiao spoke seriously. "Mr. Sam Li, allow me to go and find Azhdaha."
Sam Li paused in thought, then nodded. "The spatial fissure here has already closed. We'll head to Scott Outpost—it's the best entry point to Hollow Zero."
In the previous operation, Sam Li had already witnessed the terrifying power of both Annihilation-tier and World-Ending-tier Ethereal.
If compared to the foes of the Archon War era, an Annihilation-tier Ethereal was equivalent to an ancient god's Retainer, while a World-Ending-tier Ethereal had already reached the threshold of a true ancient god. They were not easy opponents.
With Azhdaha's strength, it could certainly suppress a single World-Ending-tier Ethereal. But if surrounded by multiple Destruction-tier and World-Ending-tier Ethereal, even it might face danger—especially since Azhdaha had not yet regained its full power.
However, before heading to Hollow Zero, they first needed to deal with the immediate hollow disaster—clearing out the remaining Ethereal in the area.
With the help of the Bangboo who had just been repaired, they gathered the citizens of New Eridu trapped within the hollow. Then Sam Li and the Adepti personally led everyone out.
The moment they emerged from the hollow, they found themselves surrounded by a massive crowd—countless onlookers and multiple squads of Security Personnel maintaining order.
Seeing Sam Li and the Adepti leading a large group of survivors, accompanied by an army of Bangboo, cheers erupted from the crowd.
People shouted encouragement to the Adepti, their voices filled with relief and admiration.
Among the crowd, a group of fans even waved banners bearing the Adepti's names, their cheers echoing across the square.