"Boss!" Li Hu's eyes were bloodshot as he rushed towards Ning Yu without regard for anything, but he was violently bounced back by an invisible energy barrier and crashed heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Brother Tiger!" The others rushed forward to help Li Hu up, anxiously asking, "How are you?"

Li Hu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, shook his head, his eyes filled with worry and fear, "I'm fine... but the boss..."

Mu Xue stopped the others and said in a deep voice, "Don't go over there! His condition is very unstable right now. If we get close, it will only distract him and might even hurt him!"

“But, are we just going to stand by and watch our boss…” one member said anxiously, but was stopped by a sharp look from Mu Xue.

"Believe in him!" Mu Xue's voice wasn't loud, but it was full of strength. "He is Ning Yu, he cannot be defeated!"

The crowd fell silent, staring at the blinding light, their hearts filled with worry and prayer.

At the center of the light, Ning Yu felt as if he were in a chaotic void, countless fragments of memories churning in his mind—pain, struggle, despair…

"Power... surrender..." The ancient and evil whispers rang out again, tempting him and corrupting him.

"No! I can't lose!" Ning Yu resisted desperately, his consciousness struggling in chaos, trying to grasp a glimmer of light.

Suddenly, images flashed through his mind—scenes of him stabilizing the mysterious power within him. Those images were so vivid, so real, as if they had happened just yesterday.

"Yes! Those scenes!" Ning Yu seemed to have grasped a lifeline. He concentrated all his will and tried hard to recall those scenes, the feelings at the time, and the details he had forgotten.

As his memories unfolded, the images became clearer and clearer. He felt a familiar power slowly awakening within him, a power that belonged to him, not that violent, uncontrollable energy.

"Go back to me!" Ning Yu roared, concentrating all his will on that familiar power, guiding it, controlling it, and fighting against that violent energy.

Time seemed to stand still, with only that blinding light flashing incessantly, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, as if foreshadowing the intense struggle within Ning Yu's heart.

"Boss, he..." Li Hu and the others stared nervously at the ball of light, not daring to breathe.

Mu Xue clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh, but she didn't care. Her eyes were fixed on the ball of light, and she silently prayed, "Ning Yu, you must hold on..."

Suddenly, the ball of light trembled violently, and a powerful energy wave spread outwards...

"Oh no!" Mu Xue's expression changed. "He's going to..."

Before Mu Xue could finish speaking, a powerful shockwave suddenly spread outwards from Ning Yu. Everyone's vision went completely white, and they could see nothing but a deafening roar.

"Ah!" Everyone was thrown to the ground by the powerful shockwave. Some of the weaker members even coughed up blood and fainted.

Mu Xue struggled to steady herself, anxiously trying to see the situation before her, but the intense light stung her eyes, making it impossible to see anything.

“Ning Yu…” Mu Xue was filled with worry and fear. She didn’t know how Ning Yu was doing, or what would happen next.

Time seemed to pass for a long time, yet it also seemed to pass in an instant. The blinding light gradually dissipated, and the scene before everyone's eyes gradually became clear.

In the center of the once-dry riverbed, a huge, bottomless pit had appeared. Ning Yu lay wearily on the edge of the pit, the light that had enveloped him now gone, leaving only wisps of smoke drifting slowly in the air.

"Boss!" Li Hu was the first to react, rushing to Ning Yu's side and helping him up. "Boss, how are you? Are you alright?"

Ning Yu slowly opened his eyes, a trace of confusion and exhaustion still lingering in them. He shook his head slightly and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine..."

"It's alright, it's alright..." Li Hu cried tears of joy. He held Ning Yu's hand tightly, as if afraid that if he let go, Ning Yu would disappear.

The others also gathered around, looking at Ning Yu with concern, their eyes filled with worry and joy.

"I'm fine now." Ning Yu forced a smile, reassuring everyone, "I'm sorry to have worried you all."

"It's alright, it's alright..." Everyone breathed a long sigh of relief, and their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, were finally put at ease.

Mu Xue walked over to Ning Yu and carefully checked his body. After confirming that he was really alright, she finally felt relieved and gave him a disapproving look. "If you do this again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Ning Yu knew that Mu Xue was worried about him. He smiled, said nothing, and simply tightened his grip on her hand.

"Boss, what happened to you just now?" Li Hu asked curiously. "How could you suddenly..."

"It's a long story..." Ning Yu shook his head. He hadn't fully recovered yet and didn't want to say more. "Let's go back and talk about it first."

Supporting Ning Yu, the group slowly made their way back to the base, their faces beaming with the joy of surviving a close call. However, they were unaware that a far greater crisis was quietly approaching…

Suddenly, Ning Yu seemed to sense something, abruptly raising his head, his expression changing drastically, "Something's wrong, the base..."