Twenty days!
They had been gone for a full twenty days!
Fortunately, Gu Zhao had given them a heads-up. Everyone in the palace knew the Ink Flood Dragon's Dao Practice was profound, but also that there were no reports of it ever appearing to cause harm. They understood this would be a protracted fight, so they had settled in to wait patiently.
But they couldn't help but worry.
Zhuo Qingyan had practically taken root on the summit of Cuiluo Mountain, gazing silently toward the West like one of the fabled statues of a wife awaiting her husband's return.
When she saw over a dozen figures streaking across the sky in multicolored trails of light, a radiant smile bloomed on Zhuo Qingyan's face. Then she saw Gu Zhao at the head of the group, flying straight toward her without slowing down at all.
Zhuo Qingyan froze for a moment, then saw Gu Zhao open his arms in mid-air.
"Ah!"
With a soft cry, Zhuo Qingyan found herself swept into Gu Zhao's embrace as he carried her skyward.
...
