Bursting out of the portal and returning to the Ancient Realm, all three of them had somewhat ragged auras.
True Lord Tianluo's face was pale, his chest rising and falling slightly. Fine ice crystals had formed on his black-flame battle robe, and his aura was noticeably weaker than before he had entered.
Fang Mo was also breathing hard, and the exhaustion deep in his eyes was impossible to hide. Repeatedly using Calamity Destruction Slash and pushing his ice talent to its limits had taken an enormous toll on him as well. Having only just fought a major battle before plunging into another bloody struggle, even his powerful physique was beginning to tire.
True Lord Qingshui was slightly better off, still composed in his blue robes, though his gaze had grown more grave.
"Senior Brother Qingshui, why did you come in?"
True Lord Tianluo asked between breaths.
True Lord Qingshui looked at the world of wind and snow inside the portal and said solemnly, "I sensed something was wrong, so I went in to help you get out!"
"Good thing you did, or we might not have broken out anytime soon!"
True Lord Tianluo sounded rueful, his expression graver than ever. "Here in the Ancient Realm, the laws of heaven and earth still suppress it somewhat. But over there, its domain's power expanded enormously. We were forced to retreat before we even reached its core!"
He paused, then looked at Fang Mo and said with feeling:
"If not for Fang Mo's powerful ice talent and perception, we might have lost our way inside that domain!"
True Lord Qingshui looked at Fang Mo. During their earlier discussion, they had decided to have Tian Luo take Fang Mo along precisely because of his ice talent. It seemed they had made the right choice.