They crashed onto black, glassy scree as Yue Chan's platform dissolved. Lin Tian hit the ground, breathless. He lay staring at the gray sky, feeling a deep, resonant ache through his meridians.
Like I've been hammered on an anvil.
Groans and coughs surrounded him. Lu Cang was already on his feet, spear in hand, scanning the desolate landscape. "Clear," he rasped, his voice raw from heat and smoke.
Xueya rose, her soot-streaked robes smoldering. She offered a hand; her cold fingers soothed his scorched skin.
"You're an idiot," she said, her eyes sparking with awe.
"It worked," Lin Tian said, letting her pull him up. His legs felt like water.
"Barely," Su Lan muttered, brushing cinders from her hair. Her Flowing Ember Body had handled the heat best, but even she looked drained, her usual fiery vibrancy dimmed.
"My control nearly slipped twice in that vent. If the thermal column had fluctuated…"
