The Heart Sword swayed slightly in his hand, its tip tracing through the void and warping space in its wake.
With a turn of his hand, the Heart Sword vanished into thin air again. He looked behind him and saw Li Jiaojiao standing there, graceful and lovely.
"Jiaojiao, what happened?"
Li Jiaojiao bit her lip and slowly approached Li Dao. Gazing at his sharply defined face, she looked momentarily dazed and could not help saying, "Little bro-Junior Brother Li, the Pavilion Master wants me to leave first, along with Xiao Tian and the others."
"To preserve a spark for the Heaven Mending Pavilion."
Li Dao paid no mind to her odd reaction. He had long anticipated this day and nodded to her. "Leaving early is good. At least some hope can be preserved-"
But before he could finish, Li Jiaojiao spoke again. "But I refused."
"I grew up in the Heaven Mending Pavilion. It has shown me immense kindness. I can't leave at a time like this."
A flicker of surprise crossed Li Dao's eyes as he saw the resolve in hers.
Sensing her determination, he stopped trying to persuade her. Instead, he patted her shoulder and said, "Then stay. Follow behind me.
"I can't promise anything else, but protecting you is more than within my power!"
Li Jiaojiao smiled and nodded, as though a great weight had lifted from her shoulders. The two chatted in the small pavilion for a little longer.
Before long, however, a deafening rumble drew their attention.
Rumble-
Feeling the spatial fluctuations coming from the void, Li Dao spread the Purple-Gold Wings behind him and rose above the Heaven Mending Pavilion.
High above the depths of the Heaven Mending Pavilion, the void split open with a thunderous crash, and a flight of azure-gold steps descended