The wolf's corpse hit the ground with a wet thud.
Ling Tian stared at his fist, trembling not from fear, but exhilaration.
This power…
A chorus of howls echoed in response to the kill. More wolves.
He ran.
The ravine twisted into a narrow canyon, ending at a sheer cliff. Desperate, Ling Tian spotted a cave hidden behind vines, its entrance carved with fading runes.
Inside, the air hummed with residual qi. A skeleton in violet robes sat cross-legged against the far wall, a leather-bound manual clutched in bony fingers.
Ling Tian approached cautiously. The robes matched the Violet Thunder Sect's elders.
The manual's title gleamed in the dim light:
Thunder God's Fury – Low-Grade Martial Skill
Beneath the skeleton, a journal lay open. Ling Tian picked it up, dust cascading from its pages.
"If you read this, the sect has fallen. The Key is not what we believed. It is—
The runes on the walls flared blue.
Ling Tian barely dove aside as lightning arced where he'd stood.
The cave was a trap!
He grabbed the manual and bolted as the runes detonated behind him, the skeleton vaporizing in the blast.
Outside, dawn was breaking. In the distance, the Violet Thunder Sect's towers gleamed.
Liu Yang would be there.
So would answers.
Ling Tian tucked the manual into his robes and began the climb.