A day later.
The subterranean air of the remote cavern was frigid, thick with the sharp tang of calcified stone, ancient moss, and the subtle, lingering trace of spatial displacement.
Deep within the winding crevices of the barren mountain range, the passage of hours possessed no warmth, marked only by the monotonous, rhythmic dripping of groundwater from the jagged ceiling into stagnant puddles.
Spirit Xu Xiansu stood there, hovering mid air, meditating, when she suddenly opened her eyes and frowned.
"Yan Xiao, let's leave."
The voice was not a gentle whisper brushing against the waking mind, but a sudden, urgent ringing that struck like an iron bell directly against his sea of consciousness.
The youth gasped, his eyelids flying open to reveal bloodshot pupils, his spine jerking against the rough limestone wall where he had been sleeping.
