The sun sank in the west, its dying light red as blood as it shone over the ruins of a wildwood wreathed in black flames, deepening the desolate air.
Across these ruins, nearly a hundred li in radius, lay dozens of craters of varying sizes, each hundreds of feet across. Ravines and chasms crisscrossed everywhere, bearing witness to the fierce battle that had taken place.
Wu Lianyi stood alone where a mountain ridge had been razed to the ground, slowly putting on an Opera Mask bearing a black-and-white cloud pattern.
The mountain wind stirred his robes and swept up clouds of black ash-the remains of rocks, grass, and trees-scattering them like dust.
Bai Fuyun and Wu Xun had long since lost their former air of immortal grace or imposing might. Both lay sprawled on the ground in utter misery, like two wild dogs on the verge of death, their bodies trembling and twitching.
"You... you actually... concealed... concealed such tremendous strength!"
Blood spilled from Bai Fuyun's mouth, his face filled with incredulous shock as he forced the words out.
Wu Lianyi ignored him, merely turning in silence and walking away.
Before long, three azure birds flew in from afar, while dozens of sand leopards and gray wolves raced across the ground.
They carried numerous Spirit Tamers, all disciples of the Myriad Phenomena Sect and the Great Wilderness Sect.
Having detected a battle here, they had followed its traces all the way over, only to discover unexpectedly that it seemed to involve a Heaven Tier battle in which they could not intervene.
Their leader was the elder stationed at a nearby training institute. His cultivation was only at middle Earth Rank, and he dared not approach rashly. Only after all activity here had completely subsided did he finally muster the courage