Xiao Yan lay panting heavily in the shadow of the ruins.
His Soul Armor was completely shattered, and half of his body was burned by the high temperature, causing him excruciating pain.
The Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus, formed from the fusion of Xiao Huohuo's Heavenly Flames, combined with Han Feng's terrifying power.
If he hadn't reacted quickly, and if his Soul Armor hadn't absorbed most of the impact, he would be a charred corpse by now.
But he had no time to reminisce about his good fortune.
In the distance, the elders of the Jia Nan Academy were busy setting up a seal around the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Great Elder Su Qian had already fainted and was carried away by several elders.
Zi Yan's cries still echoed in the air. Lin Yan and the others surrounded her, silent and motionless.
Meanwhile, the powerful figures from the Black-Corner Region had already carried the unconscious Han Feng and disappeared into the horizon.
Nobody noticed him.
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, enduring the excruciating pain, and slowly retreated.
His movements were very light and slow, trying not to make any noise. He had just arrived here and was unaware of the situation from both Jia Nan Academy and the people of Black-Corner Region.
Given his current severely injured state, he dared not trust anyone else and could only try to find a place to heal first.
The shadows of the ruins provided Xiao Yan with excellent cover. He concealed his presence and gradually moved away from the battlefield.
Finally, after retreating behind a cluster of collapsed buildings, he was completely out of their sight.
Xiao Yan leaned against the broken wall, panting heavily.
Cold sweat mixed with blood slid down his forehead, blurring his vision.
He gritted his teeth, stood up, and staggered away into the distance.
We can't stop here.
He needs to find a safe place to heal his wounds.
Xiao Yan glanced around and immediately headed towards the forest surrounding the Inner Academy.
Along the way, he saw too many horrific scenes—collapsed buildings, scorched ground, and several corpses that had not been recovered from the aftermath of the battle.
Having escaped everyone's sight, Xiao Yan swallowed several pills and, with great effort, gradually left the Inner Academy complex and entered the mountains.
However, the sudden and severe injury, coupled with the inability to heal immediately in order to escape the battlefield as quickly as possible, caused Xiao Yan's consciousness to begin to blur.
After entering the mountain range, Xiao Yan forced himself to find a cave hidden by vines. It wasn't even a cave, just an empty space where vines hung from the rocks above, blocking the view.
Xiao Yan stumbled into the cave, but could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.
Darkness completely engulfed him.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yan awoke from his unconsciousness.
Judging from the light filtering through the vines, it must be nighttime.
He struggled to sit up, his body wracked with excruciating pain.
He looked down at his body.
It was a terrible sight.
Half of his body was burned, his skin was charred black, and in some places even the bright red muscle was exposed.
My ribs throbbed with pain, probably because several were broken. My Soul Power was almost completely depleted, and my meridians were throbbing with pain.
Xiao Yan gave a wry smile.
This time, I really escaped with my life.
Who would have thought that his entry into Battle Through the Heavens would be so coincidental?
Having just appeared, it found itself in the center of the battle between Xiao Huohuo and that person, directly withstanding their attacks.
"Such attack power is probably comparable to that of Soul Saint..."
Xiao Yan couldn't help but recall the ripples of flame from the explosion, which were a hundred feet in size.
He took a deep breath and took out a jade bottle from the Black Dragon on his wrist.
He poured out a pill and swallowed it, then gently peeled off the clothes that were clinging to his bloodied and mangled body. He then applied Blood Coagulation Powder, sat cross-legged, and began to heal his wounds.
As the pill entered his stomach, a warm power slowly spread, nourishing his damaged meridians and flesh.
Xiao Yan closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
It took seven days for Xiao Yan's injuries to heal considerably. Xiao Yan opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.
After seven days of treatment, although he is far from being at his peak, he is at least able to move around freely.
He stood up and stretched his limbs.
The bones crackled and popped, and there was still a dull ache throughout the body, but it was much better than it had been seven days ago.
He walked to the cave entrance and peered out through the gaps in the vines.
The mountains and forests remained silent, with the occasional chirping of birds. In recent days, a few students from the academy had passed by the edge of the mountain range, but not many.
Most people today are dealing with post-war ruins.
Xiao Yan withdrew his gaze and did not choose to stay there any longer.
This is just the edge of the mountain range, too close to the Inner Academy buildings.
He will need some time to recover from his injuries, and if the Inner Academy teachers and students resume their cultivation, this place will be easily discovered.
After cleaning up all the traces inside the cave, Xiao Yan ventured several miles deeper into the mountains, found a secluded cave, entered it, sealed the entrance, leaving only a small opening for observation and ventilation, and then continued to heal his injuries.
Several more days passed, and when Xiao Yan opened his eyes again, a glint of light flashed in them.
He has fully recovered to his peak condition.
The Soul Power within his body was abundant and surging, even more solid than before.
Xiao Yan stood up, stretched his body, walked to the cave entrance, and then Xiao Xin made his way towards the Inner Academy complex.
Nearly half a month has passed, and the Inner Academy has changed a lot.
The collapsed buildings have been cleared away, and new buildings are being constructed.
Xiao Yan could sense that, though faint, Xiao Huohuo's aura still existed deep within the sealed tower.
However, he didn't know how much longer Xiao Huohuo could hold on, so he had to hurry and rescue him.
As dusk fell, Xiao Yan quietly sneaked into the Inner Academy.
He changed into a student uniform he'd borrowed from a clothesline, head down, blending into the crowd. The setting sun cast its last rays, shrouding his face in shadow, making him difficult to see.
On the training ground, many students were practicing. But their faces lacked their usual vigor and were instead clouded with gloom.
"Sigh, that battle was so tragic. So many people died..."
" Xiao Huohuo was devoured by the Fallen Heart Flame, and we don't know what happened..."
"Alas, the people of Pan Gate are all deeply saddened now..."
I heard hushed whispers.
Xiao Yan lowered his head and walked past them, gradually making his way to the vicinity of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Outside the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, on the plaza where the battle had taken place, Xiao Yan saw some familiar faces.
It was after the battle that everyone was worried about Xiao Huohuo.
Along the way, Xiao Yan also roughly figured out the situation of the Inner Academy from everyone's discussions.
If Xiao Yan wasn't mistaken, those people should be Zi Yan, Lin Yan, Hu Jia, and the others from the Pan Gate.
Zi Yan was no longer as lively as before; she stood quietly, motionless.
The smile that used to grace her delicate, pretty face was gone, replaced by deep sorrow.
Lin Yan stood beside her, wanting to say something, but he only opened his mouth and ultimately said nothing.
Hu Jia's eyes were red, clearly she had just been crying.