The white marble floor of the grand terrace split open with a deafening roar as a towering pillar of golden emerald fire erupted straight through the subterranean bedrock.
Sparks of blinding light shot into the purple sky, shattering the remaining cloud cover and bathing the ruined courtyard in a fierce, primordial glow.
From the center of the roaring column of flame, a single figure rose into the open air, stepping onto the cracked stone rim with heavy, deliberate strides.
Ye Chen stood amidst the rising smoke, his bare chest exposed to the cold mountain wind.
Yet the wind did not register against his skin. A profound, unnatural winter had settled into his nervous system, locking his tactile receptors at an absolute zero threshold where warmth no longer existed.
His skin was pale, sm
