The White Explosion
XiaoYan stared at Mi-An.
The sword was raised above him.
His body was already covered in wounds.
His strength was almost gone.
Around him, the disciples, saints, and gods struggled against the dark force that held them in the air.
HaoNan was among them.
Everyone was helpless.
The INSHI watched.
Mi-An prepared to strike.
XiaoYan's breathing became heavier.
He didn't want to fight her.
Not like this.
Not when she wasn't herself.
But he also knew that if he did nothing, the sword would come down.
His fingers pressed against the ground.
He gathered whatever strength remained inside his body.
His muscles trembled.
His wounds burned.
His entire body felt as though it was about to collapse.
But he refused to give up.
Mi-An moved.
The sword began descending.
XiaoYan suddenly pushed forward with everything he had.
"YHHHAAAHH!!"
His scream exploded through the area.
He used all of his force to push Mi-An away.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive white energy erupted.
The light covered the entire area.
The dark force holding the disciples, saints, gods, and HaoNan disappeared.
Everyone fell.
THUD!
Bodies crashed against the ground one after another.
The white energy continued spreading before gradually fading away.
Silence followed.
The wind settled.
The trembling of the earth stopped.
The sea began to calm.
Everyone slowly looked around.
The INSHI was nowhere to be found.
Mi-An was nowhere to be found.
They had disappeared.
XiaoYan remained where he was.
His body was weak.
He could barely stand.
HaoNan slowly moved.
The disciples began recovering.
The gods and saints looked around in confusion.
No one immediately understood what had happened.
The danger had vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
Then Saint LuQi quickly stood up.
His attention immediately turned toward XiaoYan.
He saw the condition XiaoYan was in.
LuQi hurried toward him.
"XiaoYan!"
XiaoYan tried to respond.
His body swayed.
Saint LuQi reached him before he could fall.
He supported XiaoYan and helped him get to his feet.
XiaoYan could barely remain upright.
LuQi held him firmly.
Without wasting time, he took XiaoYan inside.
The others remained outside.
The deserted village was once again quiet.
But the silence no longer felt peaceful.
Mi-An had returned.
The INSHI had taken her away.
And XiaoYan had been left wounded, not only by the blades that had pierced his body, but by the sight of the person he had waited for becoming something cold and unfamiliar.
Saint LuQi continued helping him inside.
XiaoYan's footsteps were weak.
Yet he remained conscious.
The questions remained unanswered.
What had the INSHI truly done to Mi-An?
Where had he taken her?
And what would happen when XiaoYan saw her again?
For now, however, there was only one thing that mattered.
XiaoYan needed to survive.