The Sky Serpents were barely gone when the mountain felt heavy again.
This pressure was different.
It didn't slice through the air like wind or coil like scales.
It pressed.
Low. Coordinated. Patient.
Feng Lihan's expression darkened as the ground-level arrays flared, not with warning—but recognition.
"…Wolf Clan," he said quietly.
Mo Shan exhaled through his nose. "Of course. They never rush. They circle."
Behind them, Lin Yue's fingers tightened instinctively.
The egg answered with a slow, deliberate pulse—deeper than before.
Mo Shan was at Lin Yue's side instantly. "Sit," he said, already guiding him back toward the stone bench. "Your aura just spiked. That means your body's compensating."
"I'm fine," Lin Yue murmured, though his breath was a little thin.
"You're brave," Mo Shan replied flatly. "That doesn't mean you're healed."
Feng Lihan glanced back once. His gaze lingered on Lin Yue longer than it should have—checking, memorizing—before he turned toward the cliff edge.
"Seal the inner chamber," he ordered. "But don't cut him off from me."
Mo Shan nodded. "I'll anchor the resonance."
Lin Yue caught Feng Lihan's sleeve as he passed. "Wolves don't come to admire eggs," he said softly. "They come to measure prey."
Feng Lihan's lips curved—not in humor.
"Then they picked the wrong mountain."
The Wolf Clan delegation emerged from the lower ridges without sound.
No dramatic entrance. No display of power.
Just bodies appearing where there had been none—gray, white, black-furred beasts in humanoid form, eyes sharp and calculating. They spread naturally, flanking without being told.
At their center walked Alpha He Zhen.
Tall. Calm. Smiling.
"Hawk Alpha," He Zhen greeted, placing a fist to his chest in respect. "Your skies are loud today."
Feng Lihan didn't move. "You felt the egg."
He Zhen chuckled lightly. "Everyone did. But not everyone understands what it means."
"Enlighten me," Feng Lihan said coolly.
"A blessing like this," He Zhen said, gaze flicking briefly toward the mountain's heart, "changes territory. Balance. Power." He looked back, smile still in place. "The Wolf Clan believes such change should be… shared."
A low growl rippled through the Hawk warriors.
Feng Lihan's wings shifted, feathers scraping softly against one another. "Wolves don't share," he said. "You absorb."
He Zhen spread his hands. "We protect our own."
"That's the problem," Feng Lihan replied. "The egg isn't yours."
He Zhen's eyes sharpened—not hostile, but hungry. "The bearer, then. A non-Hawk carrying a pure Hawk egg is unprecedented."
The air dropped ten degrees.
Feng Lihan stepped forward.
"You will not speculate about him," he said, voice even—and far more dangerous for it.
He Zhen studied him carefully. "You've bonded deeply."
Before Feng Lihan could respond, golden warmth brushed the edge of the formation.
Lin Yue had stepped into view.
Supported by the stone wall, robes simple, face pale—but his aura was steady, luminous. The egg pulsed in response, its glow strengthening.
The wolves stilled.
Pack instincts screamed recognition.
Lin Yue met He Zhen's gaze calmly. "You came to see if I was weak," he said. "Now you know the answer."
He Zhen's smile finally cracked. "…Fascinating."
Feng Lihan shifted instantly, wing flaring to shield Lin Yue without hiding him.
"Enough," Feng Lihan said. "You've seen what you came for. Leave."
He Zhen bowed—deep, sincere.
"The Wolf Clan acknowledges this birth," he said. "And withdraws."
"For now," Lin Yue said quietly.
He Zhen's eyes flicked to him, amused. "Wolves are patient."
As they retreated into the ridges, the mountain exhaled.
Inside the chamber, Lin Yue finally sagged, Mo Shan catching him with a sharp breath. "That's it," Mo Shan muttered. "You're done being impressive for the day."
Feng Lihan knelt immediately. "Too much?"
Lin Yue smiled weakly. "Worth it."
Feng Lihan rested his forehead briefly against Lin Yue's temple. "They're counting."
"I know," Lin Yue replied. "So are we."
The egg pulsed—stronger, steadier.
Outside, the Wolf Clan vanished into shadow.
They had not attacked.
Which meant they were planning.