The dash

Theo rushed out to the streets before the dust that the explosion kicked up could settle.

Theo ran out before the ringing in his ears could stop. He was lucky that the explosion went off on the other side of the wall, otherwise, even his cultivation couldn't protect him, turning the few scratches and bruises he got into likely lethal wounds.

And even if he ended up with just a few broken bones, given how they needed to get as far away as quickly as possible, breaking his leg would be no different from having his heart squashed into a paste.

"Move, move, move!" Theo shouted, hurrying his disciples.

There were only a few seconds left before the dust would settle, removing the protective blanket of the reduced visibility that it offered.

Clang!

The sound of a sword hitting a sword rang just a fewteen meters away.