The rumble grew louder, like thunder rolling across the grove. Through the canopy, I spotted the dark silhouettes of war ships descending—sleek, predatory things bristling with formation arrays.
But it was the massive flagship that made my enhanced senses prickle with danger. That cold, familiar aura radiating from it could only belong to one person.
Elder Feng Lianhua. The ice queen herself.
"Shit," Lin Yue muttered, nocking an arrow instinctively. "How many this time?"
I extended my senses through the Nature Harmony connection, feeling the grove's whispered warnings. "Twelve ships. Maybe two hundred cultivators, most of them Foundation Establishment fodder. But Feng's brought friends—I sense at least three other Nascent Soul signatures."
Mei Ling pressed closer to me, her new Core Formation aura flickering with nervous energy. "Husband, should we run? With so many—"
"No." I cut her off, mind racing through possibilities. The system pinged helpfully:
