Time lost its meaning in the absolute silence of the cave residence.

Lin Changsheng's body no longer resembled a human form.

The spot where he sat cross-legged looked like a piece of charcoal burned for centuries, its surface covered with a thin layer of ash shimmering with a dark golden luster. If not for the faint, almost imperceptible signs of life, anyone would think this was nothing but a mummified corpse consumed by fierce flames.

Inside the charcoal, the silent war had reached a fever pitch.