Thick fog rushed at us, carrying the smell of rust. I immediately held my breath and stretched out an arm behind me, shielding Hongxiu and Ye Qingwan.
"Don't breathe in," I said. "There's something in this fog."
All three of us held our breath. A faint spiritual pressure flowed through the mist, pricking our skin like fine needles. Using my Pseudo-Primordial Body to sense the ground, I detected regular tremors coming from beneath the stone steps—once every three breaths, like some kind of formation in operation.
The scar on my left cheek grew faintly hot. The system operated soundlessly as the Residual Dao Fragments were dismantled and reassembled. I saw through it: this fog was not dead. It would slip into the meridians with every breath and muddle the mind. We had to move quickly.
"Keep your heads down and stay close to the wall," I said in a low voice. "Turn right after seven steps. Don't look back."
The three of us followed my lead. The moment we moved from where we had been standing, a muffled boom sounded overhead. Several streaks of silver shot down through the fog and embedded themselves in the spot we had just left. They were mechanism arrows, their blue-glinting tips clearly poisoned.
Hongxiu sucked in a cold breath. "This place... why is it full of killing moves everywhere?"
I did not answer. The fog ahead churned, and six clusters of crimson light flared to life like the eyes of wild beasts.
The rock wall split apart, and six bronze beasts stepped out. They were tiger-shaped, with thick limbs, lightning patterns wrapped around their claws, crimson eyes, and intricate rune formations carved into their chests. The instant they landed, they charged at us, swift enough to whip up howling gusts.
"Scatter!" I roared.
Ye