Mo Feng's fingers twitched again. A thread of black seeped from beneath his nails, as if something inside were forcing its way out. Chen Wuya panted as he took a step forward, only for his knees to buckle and nearly send him to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself upright and reached his trembling hand toward the groove at the heart of the formation.
Bai Zhi watched his back and suddenly felt a chill around her ankle.
Looking down, she saw that the black sludge had already crawled over the threshold, spreading across the floor and wrapping around her boot like a living thing. She tried to pull her leg free, only to find it clinging to her skin like a red-hot iron chain biting into flesh, the pain catching her breath.
"No!" The dragon maiden spun around sharply, her voice rising out of tune. "You're with child!"
Before her words had even faded, the black fluid suddenly sped up, crawling up Bai Zhi's calf. Wherever it passed, cloth scorched and split, leaving behind a dark-red mark. Bai Zhi let out a muffled groan but did not retreat. She watched Chen Wuya's swaying back, watched blood drip from his fingertips and raise blue smoke from the runes, watched his lips turn purple as he continued forward.
She raised her hand and bit down on her index finger.
The instant blood welled out, she pressed her finger against the Reverse Scale fragment.
"With the blood of the thirteenth-generation successor of the Qingfeng Sword Sect, awaken the Dragon God!"
Her voice was not loud, yet it cleaved through the suffocating air like a blade. The Reverse Scale shook violently, fine cracks spreading across its surface as golden light burst from the fissures. The light was not dazzling, but it carried