Location: Demon Realm Border Territories (Multiple Sites)
Time: Day 222 (Doha Actual)
Realm: Demon Realm
The canyon reeked of sun-baked stone and old blood—very old blood—the dried kind that'd been sitting in rock cracks for decades. Metallic. Rusty. Mixed with a sharp granite scent from stones that'd been heating under the afternoon sun for hours.
On either side, three hundred meters of sheer walls rose straight up. The path was narrow enough that one would need to fly single-file through the bottleneck, which was honestly stupid from a tactical perspective. One way in. One way out. Perfect ambush terrain.
Heihuo's twenty-one bronze warriors moved through in standard formation—five-dragon wedge with their heir at center, protected. His amber-scaled body caught the light as he flew, flanked by two Peak Blazecrowned guards whose scales bore white scars from a thousand battles.
They were scanning for silver queen essence signatures.
Weren't gonna find any.
