A series of clanging sounds erupted as sharp blades sprang from the edges of Ye Lanxin's oil-paper umbrella.
The umbrella instantly transformed into a formidable weapon, spinning through the air and slicing the bats assailing Liu Yilin into fragments.
However, the bats were too numerous, emerging in waves. Ning Beichen didn't want to waste time. The bronze ancient sword behind him unsheathed on its own, executing a move from the Songshan Sword Art, "A Sword Startles the Heavens."
Instantly, a rain of swords descended from the sky. The bats above had nowhere to hide, their bodies pierced by the sword rain, falling like drops of water, and a large number perished.
Occasionally, a bat would evade Ning Beichen's sword rain, only to be taken down by Luo Yingying and the others working together.
As the bat carcasses plummeted into the abyss, they all dissolved into red light, vanishing as if swallowed by the depths.
"Let's go!"
Ning Beichen commanded, leading the women forward. Although bats continued to appear along the way, they were no match for the group's coordinated efforts.
As they walked, the path ahead abruptly ended, the break shaped like a lightning strike, making it look increasingly bizarre.
"Do you feel like this path is the break in a broken sword?" Liu Yilin asked.
"It does look quite similar, but there shouldn't be such a massive sword in this world, right?" Ye Lanxin replied.
"Not necessarily. This is the Ancient Path; even if it were a broken sword, it wouldn't be surprising," Luo Yingying chimed in.
"If there really was such a huge sword, who could wield it? The ancient giants?" Ning Beichen mused with longing.
"Perhaps. Regardless of whether it's a broken sword, the problem now is what do we do?" Luo Yingying asked.
"Miss Ye Lanxin, are there any other paths here?" Ning Beichen inquired of Ye Lanxin.
"The Ancient Path has no forks; it's one way only, either forward or back. But when I came before, there was clearly a path. I don't know why it's become like this. You have to believe me," Ye Lanxin shook her head, defending herself.
"Don't worry, we're not blaming you. If what you say is true, then we're in trouble," Ning Beichen stated.
Beyond the break, the path was shrouded in a black mist, obscuring everything. Even Ning Beichen's special eyes couldn't penetrate it, let alone others.
"I wonder if there's a path ahead? If there is, how far away is it? Without being able to fly with our swords, can we jump across?" Liu Yilin began a rational analysis from a scientific perspective.
"Let me test it," Luo Yingying said, taking out the snake-like whip she carried.
Ning Beichen recalled that her whip could extend over a hundred meters, making it ideal for testing.
Luo Yingying flicked the whip towards the black mist. It darted into the mist like an agile snake.
Initially, Luo Yingying appeared relaxed.
However, after about two seconds, her expression suddenly changed drastically. She was forcefully pulled forward by something, and with a swoosh, she was dragged into the black mist.
"Yingying!"
None of them expected this to happen, including Ning Beichen.
The main reason was Luo Yingying's formidable strength, so Ning Beichen had been focused on Liu Yilin, not paying much attention to her.
After all, if Luo Yingying couldn't handle it, Ning Beichen himself would be even more helpless.
But at this moment, Ning Beichen couldn't worry about anything else. He immediately said to Ye Lanxin, "Miss Ye Lanxin, please look after Yilin. You two stay here, I'll go in and see."
"Ning Beichen, be careful." Liu Yilin didn't argue or try to stop him. Instead, she was remarkably calm. Luo Yingying was her friend too, and neither she nor Ning Beichen could abandon her to danger.
Ning Beichen didn't even have time to respond before he plunged into the black mist, as time was of the essence.
As soon as Ning Beichen entered, his feet lost purchase, and he began to fall.
The sound of rushing wind filled his ears. Ning Beichen tumbled through the air like a falling iron ball, surrounded by dense black mist, seeing nothing.
Ning Beichen had no other option. He summoned the bronze ancient sword with his mind and then used his sword to hover, finally halting his descent.
However, as Ning Beichen hovered with his sword, he didn't feel anything amiss. Even if there were, he couldn't worry about it now.
His sole focus was finding Luo Yingying, but the surrounding black mist made it impossible to see, let alone find anyone.
"Yingying, Yingying..." Ning Beichen shouted her name loudly.
"Ning Beichen, I'm here," Luo Yingying's voice drifted from somewhere within the black mist.
Ning Beichen immediately rode his sword towards the black mist, but he saw no sign of Luo Yingying along the way.
"Yingying, where are you? I can't find you," Ning Beichen shouted.
"I'm here," Luo Yingying's voice called out again, but from a different direction.
Ning Beichen rushed over, but still couldn't find her.
"Luo Yingying, I can't find you. Keep talking, and I'll follow your voice," Ning Beichen shouted.
"Okay, I'm here..." Luo Yingying kept talking, repeating her location.
But something strange happened. No matter how Ning Beichen searched, he couldn't find Luo Yingying. Even though her voice was right beside his ear, Ning Beichen still couldn't see her.
"Yingying, can you fly with your sword?" Ning Beichen asked, out of options.
"No, I can't fly with my sword," Luo Yingying replied.
"Then, what's your situation? Are you falling into the abyss?" Ning Beichen inquired again.
"I don't know. I think I'm standing on some soft cloud layer, surrounded by black mist, and I can't see anything," Luo Yingying said.
It was incredibly bizarre that they could hear each other but not find each other.
Just then, Ning Beichen suddenly heard Luo Yingying cry out again.
"Ning Beichen, I think I'm moving! Ah! I see a rock wall! I must be at the bottom of the abyss."
"Wait for me." Ning Beichen didn't hesitate and plunged his sword towards the bottom of the abyss. Since he could fly his sword in the black mist, he wasn't overly worried about his own safety.
"Ning Beichen, don't worry about me anymore." Not long after, Luo Yingying's voice drifted over again.
She knew her situation was dangerous and bizarre, and she didn't want to endanger Ning Beichen's life as well.