Elsewhere.
On the sea.
A streak of purple light cut across the sky, staggering toward Great Xia.
Blurred shadows flashed past Lu Baoyou's eyes. Agonizing pain came from every part of his body, and he wheezed like a broken bellows, using nearly all his strength to maintain the wings behind him as they beat with difficulty.
He could not see the scenery around him and could only rely on his senses to determine his direction.
Perhaps he really was getting closer to Great Xia, but he had no idea which part of the coast he was heading toward, or how far away it still was...
Lu Baoyou could not think about any of that right now. Under the onslaught of pain, his consciousness gradually blurred. If not for the lingering obsession in his heart forcing his body onward, he would likely have lost his last trace of life and fallen into the depths of the sea.
"Almost... almost there," Lu Baoyou muttered.
He clenched his teeth and beat his wings with all his strength. Just then, an unhealthy flush appeared on his face once more, followed by a violent spray of blood... shattered organs flowed down with the blood, staining his clothes crimson.
His vision went black, and his body plunged headfirst into the sea like a kite with its string cut.
As a spray of water erupted, his consciousness sank into chaos. Seawater flooded wildly into his mouth and nose, yet he did not struggle at all, sinking toward the seabed like a massive stone...
The lights and shadows before his eyes gradually faded. It was as if he were about to fall into an abyss. In the hazy darkness, scene afterimage after scene flashed through his mind.
A bitter winter, beneath a bridge, a burning bonfire, a girl