The victory was short-lived.
A sharp pulse of spiritual energy rippled through the Fallen Boundary, far stronger than any chaos creature. Wu froze, sensing it immediately: a cultivator, and not a minor one.
He glanced at the plateau above him. A figure stood there, a woman in flowing dark purple robes, her presence pressing down like a mountain. Even from this distance, he could feel the authority in her energy—the unmistakable aura of a Saint.
"You shouldn't be here," she called out, her voice carrying over the distorted winds. "The Fallen Boundary is no place for the unprepared."
Wu tilted his head. "And yet, here I am. Who are you?"
"I am a Saint of the Eastern Continent, sent to investigate disturbances in this area," she replied, her eyes narrowing. "Your presence is… irregular."
Wu's faint gray smile formed. Irregular, yes… outside Heaven's calculations.
"Perhaps. But irregularities can be… interesting."
Her gaze sharpened. Even at a distance, Wu could sense the subtle movement of her cultivation, the meticulous control she held over her own energy. He had fought Chaos, he had fought unpredictable beings—but this… this was a different level.
"You will leave," she said flatly.
Wu's eyes narrowed. "Or?"
Her aura flared, causing the surrounding air to tremble. The ground beneath him distorted with the invisible force of her will. Wu felt the pressure, felt Heaven itself trying to correct this anomaly.
A subtle smirk crossed his face. "Then I will survive. Somehow."