Despite all their encounters with the Hollow, this was the first time Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others had ever seen time itself fall into disorder. Beside them, Zhu Yuan, Keqing, and the rest also realized something was wrong.
At that moment, Zhu Yuan swept her gaze across the group once more. After searching carefully and finding no trace of the one she was looking for, she asked in confusion,
"Where is Mr. Sam Li? Didn't he enter Hollow Zero with you?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi explained, "Strange phenomena appeared deep within Hollow Zero. The Ether concentration and activity inside were unbelievably high. Mr. Sam Li told us to return first while he continued deeper on his own..."
She then recounted to Zhu Yuan the bizarre sights they had seen within the Hollow.
Hearing this, Zhu Yuan frowned. "It seems our understanding of Hollow Zero is still far too limited..."
Qingyi's face was filled with worry. "If Sam Li is fighting alone and runs into a siege of Ethereal... that would be serious trouble."
She had seen Sam Li's strength in the Outer Ring and knew how strong he was. But no matter how powerful he might be, how could one person possibly take on the entirety of Hollow Zero?
As she spoke, Qingyi glanced at Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and the other Adepti. With so many of them here, not a single one stayed to support Sam Li?
Tsukishiro Yanagi explained, "Sam Li himself is also an Adepti. His strength is far greater than you can imagine. There's no need to worry."
At this, both Qingyi and Zhu Yuan raised their brows—not surprised, but as if things had finally clicked into place.
No wonder Sam Li was so powerful. He was also an Adepti of Liyue.
Beside them, Moon Carver smiled faintly. "We've already escorted our young friends out. Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Xiao—let's venture into the Hollow again."
Just as he was about to act, Cloud Retainer stopped him. "No need. Since he brought us all back, he must already have plans for what comes next. We shouldn't disrupt his strategy."
Mountain Shaper also agreed. "The main purpose of this operation was reconnaissance. He may move more smoothly on his own."
After all, when their group moved together, they inevitably drew the attention of the surrounding Ethereal. Once battle broke out, more would come, constantly exposing their location.
But with only Sam Li, he could suppress his aura, avoid detection, and advance deep into Hollow Zero unseen.
As they were discussing this, suddenly, a familiar figure approached. It was Soldier 11, stationed at Scott Outpost. She brought startling news:
"The Ether concentration along the edge of Hollow Zero has weakened. For the time being, Hollow Zero shows no signs of further expansion..."
At that, everyone was overjoyed.
Though suppressing Hollow Zero was still far off, halting its expansion meant they had at least achieved the first stage of their goal.
Thinking of this, Tsukishiro Yanagi smiled. "It seems slaying those Destruction-level Ethereal has already taken effect. I didn't expect it to work so quickly..."
But Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head. "No. Considering the scale of Hollow Zero, slaying just a few Destruction-level Ethereal wouldn't be enough to stop its expansion. Unless..."
Tsukishiro Yanagi frowned. "Unless what?"
Hoshimi Miyabi said seriously, "Unless, after we left, Mr. Sam Li went on to slay even more Destruction-level Ethereal..."
That had to be it. With Mr. Sam Li's strength, taking down Destruction-level Ethereal wouldn't cost him much effort.
Hearing her reasoning, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Keqing, and the other Adepti nodded in agreement.
But Soldier 11 froze.
Sam Li, alone, slaying even more Destruction-level Ethereal? Could that really be true?
She knew Sam Li was powerful, but she had also seen with her own eyes the terrifying might of Destruction-level Ethereal. They were beyond the reach of human technology to defeat. And yet Sam Li had slain many? ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⟡𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
Seeing her shock, Zhu Yuan explained solemnly, "Sam Li is also an Adepti of Liyue."
Soldier 11 suddenly understood. "I see..."
She should have realized it sooner.
Just then, Soukaku suddenly pointed toward Hollow Zero. "Yanagi, look! Look! A golden light just flew out of the Hollow—it looked like a golden spear!"
A golden spear? It had to be connected to Sam Li.
At this, everyone turned at once toward Hollow Zero, but saw nothing.
"Where?" Tsukishiro Yanagi asked urgently.
Soukaku frowned in confusion. "It disappeared right after flying out..."
Zhu Yuan asked seriously, "Soukaku, you didn't imagine that, did you?"
Soukaku swore solemnly, "I swear on the ramen from the noodle shop, I definitely didn't imagine it... Look, there it is again!"
Everyone looked up quickly.
Sure enough, a streak of golden light shot across the sky, then dissipated in midair. From that flash of gold alone, it had to be Sam Li.
Tsukishiro Yanagi frowned deeply. "What's going on?"
Moon Carver smiled. "No need to be surprised. He must have engaged the Ethereal again. A pity I left too soon—I cannot fight alongside him now..."
Zhu Yuan was stunned. "What kind of battle could break through even beyond Hollow Zero?"
As everyone marveled, suddenly, a faint golden light appeared on the pitch-black surface of Hollow Zero. It grew clearer and clearer.
Tsukishiro Yanagi gasped. "It's a dragon... No, it's Mr. Sam Li..."
Zhu Yuan blinked. "What do you mean?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi explained, "That golden dragon is Mr. Sam Li's Adepti form."
Everyone stared intently at the distant surface of Hollow Zero, watching the golden dragon roam across it...
The dragon was vast, yet from such a distance, they couldn't make out its exact movements.
Soon after the golden dragon appeared, another shadow emerged on the Hollow's surface—an even larger beast, seemingly locked in combat with it.
Though its outline was vague, Tsukishiro Yanagi roughly estimated the unknown Ethereal's size at six or seven hundred meters long. Its indistinct shape resembled a colossal bat.
Seeing this, Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, and the others gasped in shock, their hearts sinking with worry for Sam Li.
Though they had just said there was no need to fear for his safety as an Adepti... this monstrous Ethereal, one that nearly tore through Hollow Zero's very "Void Veil," visible even from the outside, was likely beyond the Destruction tier—reaching the legendary SS tier, the World-Destroying tier.
Such a terrifying existence was something even Hoshimi Miyabi had never witnessed. Beyond vague speculation, no records existed.
Faced with such a monster... could Sam Li truly prevail?