After a blinding flash of light, the room was left in utter disarray. Tables and chairs were overturned, books were scattered across the floor, and the once-bright room was now enveloped in an eerie silence. Lu Chen and Huo Yao sat weakly, collapsed on the floor, their magical robes in tatters, exposing pale skin covered in startling, bloody gashes.
"Are we... successful?" Huo Yao's voice was faint, like a gossamer thread. She struggled to stand, only to collapse back to the ground with no strength left.
Lu Chen's condition was no better; the backlash of the forbidden magic made him feel as though countless needles were piercing his body, the intense pain leaving him barely able to breathe. Enduring the agony, he reached out and gently grasped Huo Yao's hand, feeling her icy skin.
Chapter 454