Rise of the Otherworld.

The palace trembled violently, precariously crumbling like a dying beast in its final struggle. Stones rained down like a torrential rain, each one carrying enough lethal force to shatter the crowd. Zhang Hao's face was solemn, and he swung his sword with impenetrable force, like a steel barrier, shattering the approaching stones. While struggling to resist, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone, follow me closely! Don't separate!" At this moment, he was like a steady beacon, guiding everyone to a glimmer of hope in this chaotic and perilous situation.

A mysterious man calmly stood at the rear of the group, his hands dancing like a phantom as he muttered a powerful shield spell. A pale blue light emanated from his hands, quickly forming a solid shield behind the group. The shield shimmered, trembling slightly under the rain of rocks, making a humming sound as if it would shatter at any moment. Yet, it stubbornly guarded the group's retreat, like a loyal guardian, sworn to the death to protect its master's safety.

With his nimble agility, Ling Yu darted through the cracks between the rocks like a flash of black lightning. With a keen eye, he constantly monitored the well-being of his companions, quickly lending a hand if anyone fell behind. The woman and the old man were no less impressive, casting their spells with all their might. The woman's ice spell instantly froze the rocks ahead, and then the old man's earth spell, like a powerful force, shattered the frozen rocks, clearing a narrow but hopeful passage for everyone to escape.

However, fate seemed determined not to let them off easily. Suddenly, a massive crack appeared ahead without warning, and from it erupted scorching flames, as if the gates of hell had been opened. The blazing flames rushed towards them with the power of destruction. The intense heat of the flames distorted the surrounding air, making a sizzling sound. "What should we do?" Ling Yu asked anxiously, a hint of despair in his eyes, his voice and shadow seeming insignificant amidst the roaring flames.

Zhang Hao stared intently at the crack, his mind racing as he quickly concocted a plan. His sharp gaze suddenly spotted a series of raised stone platforms on the walls on either side of the crack. These platforms varied in size and were irregularly distributed, yet they seemed like a glimmer of hope left by fate in a desperate situation. "Let's use these platforms to leap over!" Zhang Hao shouted, and before he had even finished his words, he leaped without hesitation. His swift and agile form, like a cheetah, he traced a graceful arc through the air and landed steadily on the opposite platform.

Seeing this, everyone followed suit. Lingyu and the woman quickly followed, and relying on their own abilities, they successfully jumped over the crack. But when it was the old man's turn, he was exhausted from the previous running and consumption. He didn't have enough strength after jumping and couldn't grab the edge of the stone platform. His body fell straight into the crack, and the flames below seemed to be waiting to devour him with a bloody mouth. "Not good!" Seeing this, Zhang Hao jumped back without hesitation, stretched out his hands and grabbed the old man tightly like an iron clamp. The mysterious man also quickly came over. He gathered spiritual power in his hands, and a powerful gravity spell acted on the old man, reducing the force of his fall. With the joint efforts of the two, they finally pulled the old man onto the stone platform.

At that moment, the palace shook with increasing intensity, as if the entire world were collapsing. The passage behind them was almost completely buried by the collapsing rocks, and the dust rising up obscured the sky. Not pausing for a moment, the crowd continued to run desperately forward. Their steps were hurried and frantic, their heartbeats resounding loudly in the silent passage, as if their lives were racing against time. Finally, they saw the palace exit. The door to hope lay just ahead, but the exit was blocked by a massive fallen rock, a roadblock blocking their final path to survival.

"Everyone, use your magic to blast it open!" Zhang Hao shouted, his voice filled with a desperate determination. Everyone immediately understood and quickly gathered their spiritual energy. Suddenly, a torrent of spells blasted towards the falling rock. Zhang Hao's fire spell was like a roaring fire beast, hurling itself at the rock with blazing heat. The mysterious man's lightning spell was like silver snakes, flickering and dancing over the rock. Ling Yu's wind blades were like sharp blades, slicing at the rock's surface. The woman's ice spell instantly enveloped the rock, attempting to weaken it. The old man's earth spell struck the rock's foundation from underground. Under the powerful impact of the spells, cracks appeared on the rock's surface, spreading like a spider web.

Just when everyone thought the rocks were about to explode, the roof of the palace began to collapse, and countless rocks fell like meteors. "There's no time!" Ling Yu was anxious, with a hint of despair in his voice.

Zhang Hao watched the roof, poised to collapse, suddenly struck upon an idea. He quickly turned to the mysterious man and said, "Use your gravity spell to hold the falling rocks in place. We'll seize this opportunity to push them away!" The mysterious man nodded without hesitation, quickly forming hand seals and unleashing a powerful gravity spell. A mysterious force surged from his hands, acting upon the falling rocks, causing them to pause in mid-air, temporarily halting their descent.

Seeing this, everyone immediately united, pushing the rock with all their might. Beads of sweat streamed down their foreheads, their muscles tensed from the exertion, veins bulging. Their breathing was rapid and heavy, each breath seeming to exhaust all their strength. "One, two, three, push!" Zhang Hao shouted, his voice firm and powerful, as if injecting strength into the crowd. They unleashed their last bit of strength, their resolve as unwavering as steel in this life-or-death moment. Finally, the rock was pushed open, creating a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

"Everyone, get out!" Zhang Hao shouted. They all emerged from the gap one after another. Ling Yu, the woman, and the old man quickly passed through. Just as Zhang Hao was about to leave, a falling rock struck him in the shoulder. Zhang Hao groaned, feeling a sharp pain, but he endured the pain, gritted his teeth, and squeezed out of the gap.

As they fled the palace, it collapsed behind them with a deafening roar. A vast cloud of dust rose like a mushroom, filling the entire valley. They collapsed to the ground, their hearts flooded with joy at having survived. Their faces were stained with fatigue and dust, but their eyes gleamed with the light of survival. "We succeeded..." Ling Yu panted, his voice tinged with both relief and exhaustion.

After a short rest, Zhang Hao slowly took out the Spirit Breathing Grass, which shimmered softly in the sunlight. He looked at it, then at his companions, and said, "Now that we have it, we can stabilize the Spirit Pearl." They all smiled at each other, their eyes filled with hope. They knew new challenges were coming, but at this moment, they were grateful for their successful escape and proud of their mutual understanding and unity...