The Inner Zone of the Immortal Sacred Land was far more complicated than it appeared.
And she and Shen Yi were sitting at the heart of it, like two pebbles dropped into a deep pool.
Yet Xilos had a faint sense that something had quietly changed the moment they stepped through that doorway.
Far in the depths of the universe, in a corner unknown to anyone, a small house floated silently in the void.
Inside, a figure sat cross-legged, regulating her breathing.
Feng Qingyao slowly opened her eyes. The deep sword wound on her body had faded until it was almost invisible.
The old injury that had plagued her for who knew how long had finally begun to close, worn down bit by bit by the power Shen Yi had left behind, drawn from the same source as her own, and by her own Authority. The wound corroded by Black Fog was slowly healing too.
She glanced down at the nearly vanished scar, and a faint smile touched her lips.
"Shen Yi."
"You really have some nerve..."
She spoke softly to herself.
It was hard to tell whether her tone held resignation or something else.
Though she was far away, she still knew a little of the commotion Shen Yi had caused in the Immortal Sacred Land.
No one Beyond the World had ever dared to break out of the Immortal Sacred Land in defiance of its seven Hall Masters. Shen Yi really did have nerve.
But if he hadn't, he wouldn't have been the one she chose.
Feng Qingyao thought no more about it.
She closed her eyes again and resumed regulating her breathing.
Though the sword wound had healed, the power drained from her body was far from restored. She had little time left to prepare.