The first rays of morning pierced the canopy as the carriage broke through the forest's edge. Mist clung to the ground like a living veil, weaving through the roots and rocks of the mountain path.
Beyond the fog, half-shrouded in clouds, stood Blackmist Temple — a sprawling ancient complex carved into the side of the cliff, its spires rising like black fangs into the sky.
Jin Yue leaned out, squinting through the mist.
"Is this... the place?"
Li Feng didn't answer immediately. His gaze was fixed on the temple's highest tower — the one that didn't appear on any map, the one only those with a certain spiritual sense could see.
He nodded once. "We're here."
The carriage rolled to a stop outside the heavy outer gate, guarded by two silent monks in black robes, their faces veiled and their auras completely suppressed — yet strangely suffocating. Jin Yue felt his skin crawl as they wordlessly opened the gate.
"Why does this place feel… different?" Jin Yue asked, stepping down beside Li Feng.
Li Feng said nothing, but his fingers twitched under his sleeve.
Because this wasn't just a resting point.
This was one of the seven sanctuaries that once belonged to a now-buried order — one Li Feng had helped seal away long ago.
The monks bowed in silence and led them through narrow stone halls, dimly lit by cold-blue lanterns. The silence was eerie, not reverent — like the walls themselves were watching.
They were shown to separate chambers, but Jin Yue hesitated at the door.
"You'll be nearby?" he asked.
Li Feng's gaze lingered on him for a moment. "I'll be close enough."
Then, without another word, he turned and vanished down the corridor.
Hours Later
Li Feng stood alone at the cliff's edge, just outside the temple's rear wall, where the mist cleared enough to show the valley below.
He remembered this place.
Not from this life…
But from the one before it.
And the whispers from the shadows had returned. Not loud. Not aggressive. Just present.
Reminding him:
You are not free.
You are only pretending.
Behind him, Jin Yue stepped lightly onto the stone path, unaware of the internal war waging within the man standing at the cliff's edge.
"I couldn't sleep," Jin Yue said quietly.
Li Feng didn't look at him. "Then you're learning."