The world was bleak and desolate.
Ash-black currents of destructive energy churned across the sky.
Even the crimson heavens could no longer cast their light upon the space surrounding Spirit-Melting Marsh.
Yet Xu Xiaoshou's gaze immediately fell upon A-Jie's shoulder.
"Blood...?"
Even without going over, the image conveyed by "Perception" showed that although A-Jie's back had already healed, the huge stain of blood was still a shocking sight.
Xu Xiaoshou's eyes narrowed.
"A-Jie bled..."
This seemed to be the first time he had ever seen A-Jie bleed.
No matter how powerful an enemy this fellow had faced in the past, he had always looked like an undefeated god of war.
He played weak before the weak, and grew stronger before the strong.
When he truly got stubborn and went mad with his attacks, it was gods he slew before gods, Buddhas he slew before Buddhas! But today...
This explosion had shown Xu Xiaoshou another side of A-Jie.
It was not omnipotent.
It was not far from his own conjectures.
If it did not use the power of the Demi-Saint, A-Jie's peak combat strength was perhaps only around the level of Cutting Path.
And under that earlier explosive attack, born from the union of two extremes and capable of annihilating ordinary Cutting Path experts...
Even someone as powerful as A-Jie had to pay a price to protect that tiny space where the Origin Mansion was hidden.
"Mama?"
There was a trace of confusion in A-Jie's call.
It seemed puzzled as to why, after they had reunited following such a long separation, its "mama" was not as delighted as it was.
Xu Xiaoshou fell silent.
He had brought A-Jie out of the Heavenly Mystery Gate and watched it grow step by step.
He could clearly sense that A-Jie's intelligence was rapidly developing.