Ruan Xiaotian has died, strangled by Li Yifei himself. He conveyed an even more maddening message to Li Yifei—that this valley might still be a Formation Method, a vast and frightening one, and that to escape, they need to find a method, otherwise, they'll remain trapped here.
As for the cave from which they came, there's simply no way to go back; it only allows entrance, not exit.
Li Yifei didn't believe in fate. He spent an hour running back only to find the cave had collapsed. Li Yifei understood why Ruan Xiaotian said it could only be entered and not exited—the cave was blown up by him.
Back at the scene, Li Yifei grabbed the barely alive Ruan Xiaotian. This former Unparalleled Strongman now seemed listless, extremely weak due to excessive blood loss leading to dehydration, causing his whole body to swell and look considerably plumper.
