Ruby's tone held not only respect but a strange softness, a kind of reverence rarely seen from cultivators who once viewed power as the only currency that mattered.
Riley glanced at her for a brief moment—just long enough to offer a faint smile, unreadable but warm—and then ascended the ship's steps without another word.
He stepped onto the polished deck and looked out at the horizon, hands folded behind his back.
The boat responded to his presence instantly. The runes ignited, and the air around them shimmered as spiritual energy poured into the vessel.
With a gentle hum, it lifted off the ground, rising into the clouds with silent majesty.
Below them, the vast immortal realm stretched on—mountain ranges that pierced the heavens, cities suspended in the sky, and ancient sects protected by divine beasts.
Somewhere out there, Ruby's past waited for her.
Somewhere out there, the roots of her pain and the source of her strength still lingered.
