The figure in the fog flashed past, and Chen Wuya's pupils contracted slightly. He had seen it clearly—the key in that person's hand was almost identical in form to the Bone Key, except its surface gleamed a dark red, as if it had been soaked in blood.
"Stop." He gave a low command and raised a hand to signal the group to halt.
Everyone immediately checked their steps, even suppressing their breathing. Bai Zhi quietly moved to his side, turning her sword hilt half an inch. The sapphire on its tassel gave off a faint, ghostly glimmer in the thick fog.
Chen Wuya took out a small cloth pouch from his pack, poured out several black pills, and handed one to each group. "Keep it under your tongue. It can mask fluctuations in true qi." He put the last pill into his own mouth, bitterness spreading across his tongue. "From here on, no one is completely trustworthy—including our own people."
The leader stood at the front, a jade token pressed against his chest. His heavy gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on Chen Wuya. "You suspect... someone forged a key?"
"It isn't suspicion." Chen Wuya stared at the vague silhouette on the far side. "Someone has already gone in."
The guardians' expressions changed sharply. One of them shouted angrily, "Impossible! The secret realm only opens once every twelve hours, and only a keyholder can trigger the mechanism!"
"Rules are dead." Chen Wuya sneered. "People are alive. You guard the door. I care about who's waiting for us behind it."
Before his words had faded, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled faintly. Then a rune slowly emerged from the wet mud, spreading outward in a ring, its edges twisted like serpents.
"Fall back!" the leader commanded sharply.
But