The dark forest fell dead silent once more, save for the crackle of distant embers rising from Crimson Iron City and the rustle of leaves in the night wind.
Peng Kai sat frozen against the stone cliff for several breaths, staring at the empty space where Shen Yu had stood just a moment prior.
The lingering pressure of those burning red eyes still weighed heavily on his soul, freezing the marrow in his bones far more than the Imperial Herald's golden light ever had.
Clenching his teeth against the fading sting in his ribs, Peng Kai reached down with trembling, blood-caked fingers.
He grabbed the sheepskin map and pulled the heavy, black leather-bound manual to his chest.
The book pulsed with a faint, familiar demonic Qi, the second half of the devilish technique that had granted him his Nascent Soul breakthrough.
"The Dark Moon Empire..." Peng Kai muttered, his voice a raspy whisper as he traced the ink-drawn border paths on the map.
