The silence that followed Liu Wei's disintegration hung heavy in the chamber, broken only by the faint hum of the suppressive arrays etched into the walls. Where the treacherous guard had sat moments before, only empty space remained—not even ash to mark his passing.
Elder Feng Lianhua's pale blue eyes held no remorse, her expression as cold and pristine as fresh snow, but I caught the subtle tension in her jaw, the way her fingers trembled almost imperceptibly against her robes.
The ice queen had just committed herself to the most dangerous expedition imaginable, and we both knew it.
Mei Ling broke first, her voice a whisper of barely contained panic. "Husband... the Abyssal Demon Realm? That place is forbidden even to the great sects. They say cultivators who enter either never return or come back... changed. Corrupted beyond recognition."
