In the plaza of the Myriad Phenomena Domain, the ground was paved with enormous slabs of bluestone, their surfaces mottled by the passage of time.
All around, towering peaks pierced the heavens, while clouds and mist drifted through the mountains like gauze, dreamlike and illusory, painting this place into a fairyland secluded from the world.
Yet at this moment, the atmosphere here was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
Night Owl and the others stood silently in the center of the plaza, the air around them thick with tension and gravity.
Night Owl clenched his fists with both hands and lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed tightly on the ground as though he were pondering something.
Some of the other Shadow Assassins frowned, while others bit down hard on their lips. Every one of them looked as though they were facing a formidable enemy.
Just then, more than a dozen figures slowly approached from afar.
Their steps were steady. They were precisely the long-missing branch hall masters of Xuantian Hall.
Their appearance made it seem as if undercurrents were surging beneath the once-peaceful plaza.
Night Owl looked up. The moment he saw those familiar faces, his heart gave a violent jolt, as though struck by a heavy hammer.
A flicker of delight flashed through his eyes. After all, the purpose of their trip to Dagan had been to find these missing hall masters.
But immediately afterward, the joy in his eyes was replaced by utter disbelief.
His eyes widened as he stared fixedly ahead, as though everything before him were an illusory dream.
He had imagined their whereabouts countless times. Perhaps they had been imprisoned by the Wanze Sect; perhaps they had already died in battle. But he had never imagined he would see them again in