The silence in the corridor was heavy, almost suffocating, broken only by the sound of their footsteps echoing faintly against the cold stone floor.
The faint smell of scorched air and frost still lingered on their clothes from the last chamber, a constant reminder of how close they had been to disaster. None among the group needed to say it aloud.
If this was only the first chamber of the repository, what awaited them deeper inside would undoubtedly be worse.
Senior Sister Xuan Qing kept her sword drawn as they walked, her eyes scanning every groove and tile they passed.
The blade reflected the faint glow of the illumination talismans, its edge gleaming like a sliver of moonlight. "The elders were right," she muttered, her voice low but carrying in the corridor. "The arrays here aren't like anything we've seen in the other complexes. This place was built to keep intruders out at any cost."
