The air around Madam Tang crackled with tension, a cold, suffocating energy wrapping itself around her like chains. Zhang Yiming stood a few feet behind her, his eyes gleaming with a mix of anticipation and triumph, his posture rigid with excitement. The dark energy that had enveloped him throughout the battle now seemed to pulse in sync with the Celestial Forge itself, resonating with the raw power she was about to unleash.
Her hands trembled as she continued the ritual. The ancient words spilled from her lips, foreign and guttural, their meaning long lost to time. Yet the weight of their power pressed down on her, each syllable pushing her closer to the edge. She could feel the portal stirring, an ancient beast awoken from centuries of slumber. The earth beneath her feet vibrated, and the air hummed with the weight of a thousand lost souls.
