Half a year later.
A world of deepest black lay shrouded in darkness. The land was utterly barren, without a trace of life. Only the magma continually gushing from the fractured earth and the scorching winds that occasionally howled through the air lent a final flicker of vitality to this space, which resembled a scene of the apocalypse.
Within the space stood a towering, precipitous mountain. Like a gigantic sword, its peak pierced the clouds, seemingly thrusting straight through the entire space.
Atop the mountain, a graceful figure sat cross-legged on a rounded black stone. Her hands shifted rapidly, forming cultivation seals, their insubstantial afterimages appearing around her. With each breath, dragons of energy, so solid they seemed tangible, radiated searing heat as they circled the tip of her fair nose.
She wore a plain white robe. Though it was not ornate, every movement revealed an air of nobility. A pale purple sash was loosely tied around her slender waist, tracing its already delicate contours into captivating curves.
Higher up was an exquisite, breathtakingly beautiful face. Even Feng Qing'er, whose beauty was renowned throughout the Central Plains, would have paled beside her.
Her exquisite face looked calm and composed, giving her an air of serenity. She was like a blue lotus untouched by the dust of the mortal world, ethereal and elusive, to be admired from afar but never profaned. Simply sitting there in silence, she could engrave herself into one's heart and haunt one's dreams.
Yet this dreamlike woman, who seemed to have stepped out of a painting, sat within a barren, despairing space resembling purgatory, utterly at odds with everything around her.
This space was a small world created by a Dou Sheng Expert of one of the Central Plains' ancient clans for its outstanding disciples to cultivate