The Clan's Destruction

"Mm... I... when did I fall asleep?" Huo Zhi's long lashes fluttered a few times as she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing that entered her vision was Xiao Yan's face.

"You... Xiao Yan?!" Huo Zhi's voice was hoarse from just waking up, filled with disbelief.

Seeing that she had finally awakened, Xiao Yan revealed a faint smile of relief. "You've been asleep for three or four days. You exhausted yourself too much before, but fortunately, you're fine now."

Yet Huo Zhi seemed not to have heard the latter half of his words at all. Her bright eyes, now restored with life, repeatedly confirmed the reality of the figure before her—the sharply defined face, the deep gaze, the distinctive black robes, the steady bearing. Everything was so familiar.

But how could this be possible?

On that blood-soaked night at the Pill Tower, she had personally witnessed the world-destroying strike of a Spirit Clan Dou Sheng expert. That overwhelming torrent of energy had swallowed Xiao Yan whole. Before such absolute power, someone at the Dou Zun level could not possibly have survived. She had begged her brother and the elders, but in the end, nothing had changed. She had checked again and again, only to be forced to accept that cruel truth...

The enormous confusion nearly drowned her, leaving her speechless. She could only stare blankly at Xiao Yan, scarcely daring to blink.

"Xiao Yan... is it... really you?" Her voice was very low, as though she still did not dare believe that what lay before her was real.

"It's me, Huo Zhi. I'm back."

In a daze, she even reached out her fair, slender fingers and pinched Xiao Yan's cheek. Only when the warm, real sensation touched her fingertips did Huo Zhi truly believe it: the figure who had