Meanwhile, several miles from that scorched wasteland of destruction, deeper within the Western Wilderness Mountain Range, a narrow cave entrance lay half-hidden by dense vines and jagged strange rocks. Like the entrance to a colossal beast's throat, it was concealed beneath the shadow of a steep cliff face.
The cave was dark and damp, filled with the scent of earth and moss. Cold droplets seeped from its rough walls.
Thud!
A dull impact shattered the cave's deathly silence.
A charred figure crashed heavily onto the cold, hard stone floor.
It was Lu Changsheng.
At this moment, Lu Changsheng had dragged his nearly ruined body here through sheer force of will.
"My injuries are too severe..."
Lu Changsheng sighed faintly.
He turned his head with difficulty, trying to inspect his injuries. Yet his vision was blurred, while agonizing pain and the dizziness caused by blood loss crashed relentlessly against his consciousness like waves.
Trembling, he used his right hand—barely still capable of feeling—to slowly brush across his charred, cracked chest.
His body was now covered in fractures and wounds, like porcelain that could shatter at any moment. Enduring the pain, he gathered a thread of mental power so faint it was like a dying candle in the wind, then examined himself internally.
His internal organs appeared utterly shattered. His heart beat so weakly it seemed asleep, while his lungs were completely damaged; every breath brought tearing pain and the stench of blood.
Almost none of the bones throughout his body remained intact. His arms and leg bones had suffered multiple comminuted fractures. The Dragon Elephant Golden Body that had once gleamed brilliantly was now completely dim, covered in scorch marks and cracks deep enough to expose bone.
"Hah..."
A hoarse gasp escaped Lu Changsheng's throat, thick with the smell of blood.