As Jun Qianzi's voice abruptly cut off, the talisman spontaneously combusted, turning to ash and dispersing in the wind.
Lian Xuanxiao stood silently in place, sword in hand, his eyelids slowly drooping as if he had aged several years in that fleeting moment.
"Sigh..."
He heaved a long sigh, sheathed his sword, and lifted his right sleeve.
On his lean arm, a deep, charred scar was engraved, stretching from his elbow to his shoulder and chest, all the way to his heart, and spreading out like a spider web. It seemed alive, appearing and disappearing with each breath he took.
Lian Xuanxiao let his sleeve fall, faced Chang'an, and gazed at the country he loved.
I don't know how much longer I can hold on...
He shook his head and vanished, leaving behind only the lifeless, barren pit in the forest, silently facing the sky.
————
The great fire was extinguished.
Hovering over Chang'an City, which was enveloped in billowing smoke, Chen Danqiu finally exhaled in relief.
