The dust finally began to settle, and the battlefield, once obscured by chaos, came into view. The silence that followed was thick, punctuated only by the faint crackling of lingering dark magic in the air. Sun Lixia stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest as the hazy figures before her took shape. Her eyes locked onto Zhang Yiming, or rather, Ping Jun—standing tall, triumphant, over Li Chen's unmoving form.
The pit in her stomach deepened. She held her breath, hoping beyond hope that Li Chen would stir, that he'd somehow rise and continue the fight. But Li Chen lay still, his body crumpled on the ground, his chest not moving.
Zhang Yiming turned toward Sun Lixia, a cold, twisted smile creeping across his face. He winked, as if savoring her dread. Her hands instinctively flew to her mouth, her pulse racing as her worst nightmare slowly unfolded before her.
