The two of them, on a cliff shrouded in black gas, leaped down one after another.
Their figures intertwined continuously.
They were like two grasshoppers hopping around in the fields.
However, their vitality was far superior to ordinary beings, making them akin to resilient little bugs.
But...
As the saying goes, even the heavens can block one's path, and Lady Luck cannot always stand by their side.
Soon, in their continuous downward leaps, they had no idea how far they were from the bottom of the cliff, for the deeper they went, the more profound the murky gas became.
The murkier it was, the less they could see.
It felt as though they had been falling for a very long time.
It seemed like eons had passed...
"Slap!"
At this moment, Duan Chen suddenly raised his hand and slapped his own face hard.
His eyes instantly cleared. Upon regaining his senses, the first thing Duan Chen did was to raise his hand and slap Jun Ci next to him.
Jun Ci was completely stunned by the slap, coming back to his senses in a daze and looking at Duan Chen, who had just struck him.
However, he was not an impulsive or quick-tempered person.
After receiving Duan Chen's slap, his first thought was not whether Duan Chen had gone mad, but why Duan Chen had hit him.
Soon, he regained his clarity and recalled his own aberrant state just moments before.
Just a moment ago, he had begun to feel despair.
Despair at not knowing when they would reach the bottom, or when they could finally rest.
It felt as though he was perpetually exhausted.
But now...
Jun Ci glanced at his watch. Less than ten minutes had passed.
He spoke softly to Duan Chen, "Brother, thank you just now."
Duan Chen shook his head. He too had only just come to his senses.
Furthermore,
If Jun Ci had truly encountered any problems here, it would have been Duan Chen who was in trouble.
Duan Chen: "Be careful. I don't know what's wrong with this place, but it feels like time is distorted. Just now, I even felt like many years had passed."
Jun Ci nodded gravely.
It was clear that he too had noticed something was amiss.
The two of them did not separate again, but stayed close together, even attempting to maintain a proximity of not falling too far behind each other during their leaps.
The further down they went, the more dangerous it became.
Moreover, as they descended, Duan Chen could faintly hear growling sounds.
He asked, "Did you hear that?"
Jun Ci immediately nodded in response.
He had indeed heard it.
It was a roar that seemed to be born of despair, filled with a miasma that could corrupt the spirit. It felt as though it was in their ears, above their heads, and behind them.
It made one feel involuntarily itchy all over, as if swarms of fleas had jumped onto them, compelling them to scratch uncontrollably, only to find at the end that the fleas were mere figments of their imagination.
There were no fleas; only their own scratch marks were real.
He forced himself to remain composed.
Duan Chen's voice came from ahead: "If I'm not mistaken, we are about to reach the bottom of the cliff..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Chen suddenly realized.
He could vaguely see the ground at the bottom of the cliff.
His heart couldn't help but leap with joy.
"Jun Ci!"
"Look!"
As he spoke, Duan Chen instinctively turned his head to look for Jun Ci, but received no response, nor was Jun Ci anywhere in sight.
His eyes quickly dimmed.
Something had happened.
Duan Chen's guard was at its highest.
While Jun Ci's strength might not be top-tier,
He was still a formidable opponent that Duan Chen could barely contend with.
And such a Jun Ci had been silently snatched away here, without even a chance to warn Duan Chen.
What kind of entity had taken Jun Ci?
His gaze subtly lowered, not daring to look behind him. If he wasn't mistaken, the entity that had taken Jun Ci should be behind them. However, at this moment, ignoring the ground ahead to focus on his back would be the most foolish course of action.
Duan Chen calculated in his mind. Since Jun Ci had already been taken, and he didn't know where he had gone, as long as he could find the entrance, there should be a way to locate Jun Ci.
The disappearance of Jun Ci was not a source of grief for Duan Chen.
Because he could recall the shield of the Thousand Illusions Pandora and fully activate it upon himself, further enhancing his defense.
The shield form of the Thousand Illusions Pandora was undeniably effective, capable of resisting both physical and mental attacks.
When only protecting himself, Duan Chen could easily feel that his sense of security had also greatly increased.
However...
He gritted his teeth slightly and stepped onto the ground beneath his feet.
The soil here was exceptionally soft and moist. The moment he stepped on it, he felt an inexplicable suction,
As if it were trying to pull him into the depths of the earth.
Duan Chen subtly shifted his gaze and lifted the sole of his foot.
He could easily see the mud clinging to the sole of his shoe, stubbornly tugging at it.
Sensing that he was watching, it reluctantly detached itself.
He did not linger here for long. The more he remained still, the faster he would sink.
Though walking was a dragging, difficult affair, he had to find a way to leave.
The surrounding murky gas was pervasive and could easily lead to mental confusion.
But with the shield form of the Thousand Illusions Pandora completely protecting him, Duan Chen was able to maintain his clarity.
He could clearly observe everything around him.
The bottom of the cliff was not filled with swarms of monsters as he had imagined, nor was it utterly empty.
There were fungi here, blue mushrooms, emitting a soft glow. There were mushrooms of various colors everywhere, and occasionally he could see flowing lava.
This created an atmosphere of intense heat.
Yet, this heat could not dispel the murky aura of the place.
On the contrary, it seemed to agitate the murky gas, making it even more stifling.
Duan Chen walked alone, his eyes scanning his surroundings, alert for any potential dangers or unforeseen events.
However, as he walked for a considerable distance, he found no sign of danger.
Instead, along the way, he frequently encountered various medicinal herbs.