At that moment, amidst the drifting ash, floating embers, and the cool night breeze sweeping across the shattered canyon, Xu Xiansu appeared.
Her silhouette flickered with subtle ripples before solidifying, and she began walking towards him slowly, her pristine robes fluttering gently without a single speck of dirt or blood upon them.
"How is it? Are you okay?" she asked, her clear, melodious voice cutting softly through the heavy silence of the desolate crater.
Her sharp eyes carefully scanned his frame, noting the torn sleeves of his robes, the residual traces of the dark cosmic sludge that had receded back into his pores, and the slight rise and fall of his chest as his breathing gradually stabilized.
Haoran took a deep, steadying breath, letting the cool mountain air circulate through his newly expanded meridians, and opened his eyes.
"Yeah," Haoran replied, his voice calm, level, and steady.
