Amidst the thunderous roar of crashing waves and the lingering scent of blood that still clung to the water's surface, Bai Wangyan stood motionless beneath the deep currents. Reflections of blood-tinted scales and swirling bubbles danced around his soaked figure, a testament to the long and grueling battle he had endured.
His sharp, icy eyes locked onto the last surviving aquatic dinosaur its breath ragged, body trembling. Slowly, one of his hands began to rise. A glowing blue energy swirled around his fingertips, as if he were commanding the water itself to freeze in time. He was moments away from unleashing his final strike an attack powerful enough to cleave the sea in two.
…To end it all, right here.
To erase the savage beast before him with cold, unrelenting force.
But then his gaze caught something.
Something moving in the water…
.
.
.
.
A delicate figure was slowly sinking into the abyss, like a flower petal meeting the cold rain swallowed by the merciless, frigid currents. Her long golden hair floated gently, illuminated by the faint light filtering down from above, like the first light of dawn in the heart of winter...
Xin Tingting.
Her name echoed through his mind.
Yet his lips did not move.
Bai Wangyan did not call out. He didn't even reach out a hand.
His expression remained still... like a lifeless statue.
His eyes were dim, cold, and empty.
He simply stood there, watching her descend into the darkness.
He didn't know…
that at that very same moment, deep in the suffocating silence of the sea, Xin Tingting was overwhelmed by despair.
She believed
that no one would come to save her...
Her trembling fingers reached out, seeking the last thing she could cling to for life
the magical orb given to her by the old sage.
The moment her fingers brushed against its surface, a faint light began to glow within the glass
illuminating the abyss around her.
At that instant, Bai Wangyan raised a single hand. A surge of overwhelming force erupted from him, expanding in all directions. The immense pressure sent the last aquatic dinosaur recoiling in terror, retreating helplessly into the depths with a fearful roar.
He did not hesitate for even a breath.
Bai Wangyan shot forward without a word, cutting through the water with flawless precision and grace. Amidst the churning currents, both of his arms extended with one singular goal
to reach her.
But the moment his fingertips made contact with her body
He froze.
Suspended in the icy currents, his sharp eyes widened in genuine astonishment.
Something was happening.
A mysterious blue light radiating from within him began to seep out slowly. The light drifted upward, like mist dissolving into moonlight.
But it wasn't just energy…
It was something he could not control.
A strange sensation spread through his body.
Not pain at first, but a creeping numbness
like frost slipping beneath his skin.
Every pulse weakened, little by little… until sharp pain surged through him
sudden, intense, and merciless.
Yet even so, he chose to save her.
He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest
as if he would never let her slip away again.
She had once saved his life.
He could not let her die.
The glowing blue aura continued to rise like glittering stardust.
The young girl, with eyes as blue as the sky after rain, looked impossibly delicate adorable in a way that stirred the heart. Her golden hair, now soaked, clung to her face as if carefully straightened, somehow enhancing the natural beauty she already possessed.
And at that moment, she too saw the radiant blue energy drifting from his body.
It was breathtaking like starlight scattered beneath the sea.
But what astonished her even more…
was him. Bai Wangyan.
He had come to save her!?
Her eyes widened.
It felt like a dream.
She had only gone out because her stomach had growled from hunger…
She had no idea when he had even arrived beneath the sea.
She stared at him, eyes full of questions
How did he get here? Since when?
And… why was it him who saved me?
A flood of curiosity crashed into her like waves against the shore.
She was confused, disoriented, and could hardly believe her eyes.
Bai Wangyan usually so cold, so unreadable
was now holding her gently beneath the sea.
Her fingers instinctively clung to his robes, and she slowly lifted her gaze.
Her face, radiant like the morning sun, shimmered with an innocence and allure so pure, even the vast ocean couldn't dim it.
Her eyes locked onto the glowing blue aura steadily leaving his body.
She looked into his eyes and blinked slightly
Even underwater, his handsomeness never faded.
In fact, it seemed to intensify.
So much so, she forced her stinging eyes to remain open beneath the salty water.
His long white hair, now soaked, flowed like melted moonlight.
His pale, porcelain-like skin, his soft lips
Everything about him was perfectly crafted.
She couldn't tear her eyes away...
"He's… so handsome…"
The thought slipped out before she could stop it.
Her cheeks flushed pink despite being underwater.
Her heart pounded wildly
not from fear, but from joy.
He had come for her.
Her loneliness, her fear all of it vanished in a single moment.
She reached out, wrapping her small arms around his neck tightly
like a child clinging to her only doll during a nightmare.
She said nothing, simply looked into his eyes, her thoughts echoing:
I'm so glad… he came.
He's so handsome… even if I had to look at him for ten lifetimes, I'd never get tired of it.
A faint smile tugged at her lips
a smile that held admiration, gratitude… and a hint of mischief.
She let out a soft sigh, resting her head against his chest as if utterly drained.
She pretended to be weak
as if she were on the brink of unconsciousness.
But in truth… her heart was racing out of control.
She just wanted to stay in his arms…
for a little longer.
Just a little more.
His embrace… was warm,
even in the freezing depths of the sea.
And his touch… steady and strangely comforting.
He surged upward from the ocean floor like a streak of blue light, cutting through the darkness and pressure.
Until, at last
The surface shattered.
Water burst in all directions, the splash soft compared to the storm that was unfolding in that split-second.
A golden light paired with a pure silver glow burst forth from the orb in Xin Tingting's hand and the energy within Bai Wangyan.
The two powers intertwined unexpectedly, forming a radiant barrier of dual color that wrapped around their bodies.
Then… a strange force appeared.
A light so brilliant it seemed to envelope the world, leaving no gap behind.
The outside world vanished in an instant.
And when the two opened their eyes again
the world before them had completely changed.
They stood in a field bathed in a soft, ethereal glow.
Towering trees bore silver and gold leaves, glimmering beneath the pastel sky a sky painted in shades of pale blue and pink, bright but never harsh, warm but not hot.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers across the land.
But these weren't ordinary flowers.
Each one was a precious gemstone ruby, sapphire, topaz, or brilliant diamond.
Xin Tingting lay nestled in his arms, her trembling eyelids slowly fluttering open.
Her lashes heavy from the crushing pressure of the ocean depths.
And the first thing she saw… was Bai Wangyan's still, unreadable face.
Her breath caught for a moment.
She blinked slowly several times, unsure if what she saw was reality or just a dream.
Her voice was so soft it seemed to melt into the air.
"Bai Wangyan…"
She took a slow breath and continued, her voice tinged with relief and lingering fear:
"At first… I thought no one would come for me.
I was so scared…
I thought I'd die there…"
She bit her lip and raised her hand slightly, placing it against his chest.
"So I… tried using the magic orb.
I hoped… maybe it could help me.
Maybe at least take me away from that place…"
She paused, her lovely eyes scanning the strange new world.
This place was beautiful beyond words
but beneath that beauty was an eerie silence,
an unknown emptiness that seeped into everything.
"I didn't expect…
that the orb would bring both of us…
to a world like this."
Her voice faded at the end.
She wasn't sure if she should feel joy at surviving
or fear of this place neither of them had ever known before…