The fog had yet to disperse.
Chen Wuya stood before the massive boulder, the steps beneath his feet already buried by fallen rocks. He did not look back. His right hand still pressed against his dantian as Misaligned Force circulated slowly through his body. The black line in his palm had faded until it was nearly invisible, yet an odd sensation remained beneath his skin, like fine needles lightly pricking him.
He took a step forward.
The instant his foot touched down, the dense fog suddenly churned. It was not driven by wind, but by some rhythm pushing it along—a heartbeat, pulsing once after another from every direction.
Twelve figures emerged from the mist.
They wore silver-black armor like the soldiers who had patrolled before, except a blood-red crescent marked their chests. Their blades were already drawn, their edges glinting dimly. Their pace was unhurried, yet perfectly uniform. With every step, a red pattern appeared upon the ground, swiftly linking into a circular formation.
Chen Wuya immediately held his breath.
He knew what this was—the Blood Moon Twelve Killing Formation. Mo Feng had mentioned it once: a lost joint-strike art of the Demonic Cult, driven by the resonance of twelve men's qi and blood. Once activated, any outsider entering the formation would die, and even their retreat would be sealed off.
He wanted to retreat.
But behind him stood the giant boulder, dense woods lay to either side, and the path ahead had been completely blocked. One more step, and he would tread into the formation's core.
He stared into the eyes of the nearest man. The other man's face was expressionless, but the fingers gripping his saber twitched faintly.
At that moment, a system prompt rang out in his mind:
``` [Error Path Activated: Universe Reversal Step can reverse