The silence at the bottom of the crater lasted a long time.
Not a tense silence. More like the silence after a storm ends, when everyone is still not sure the wind has truly stopped. Marble dust slowly settled on the floor, the purple light from the magic circle had gone out entirely, and all that remained was the soft glow of the golden veins in the stone walls, which now looked far calmer than before.
Baihu was still standing, but its legs trembled. Its giant body, which had snarled and roared moments ago, was now like an old house propped up for years whose pillars had just been removed. It drew a long breath. Then another. Each breath sounded like someone just learning that air could be inhaled without pain.
Hua Chen still knelt not far away. He had not yet bandaged his bloodied palms, and he didn't dare lift his head. An emperor who had kept this secret in his chest for years now didn't know what to do with his two empty hands.
'Hua Chen.'
