Chen Wuya's knees were still pressed against the ground. His left palm was charred black, pale smoke continuously seeping from the curled flesh. He did not move, his eyes fixed on the fissure where that red glow had flashed moments ago. Though the light had lasted only an instant, it had crawled along the crack like a living thing before vanishing into the depths.
Bai Zhi stood half a step beside him, her fingers still resting on his wrist. She did not let go or say a word, merely turned the sword hilt slightly so that its tip faced forward, ready to leave its sheath at any moment.
"Don't let your guard down." Chen Wuya finally spoke, his voice dry as grit scraping across an iron plate.
Mo Feng leaned against a broken pillar, half a folded fan dangling from his fingers. He had wanted to laugh, but the moment he grinned, he tugged at the wound on his shoulder, and blood seeped through the bandages again. He raised a hand to wipe his face, his fingertips coming away wet and warm. Only when he looked down did he realize he was still bleeding.
"What did you see?" he asked.
"Red light." Chen Wuya slowly pushed himself up from the ground, strength flowing into his right arm while his left was utterly useless. "Not fire, and not lightning. It was moving, traveling along the fissures."
Mo Feng frowned and struggled to straighten himself. He lifted a foot and lightly stamped the ground twice, closing his eyes to sense it for a moment. His expression abruptly changed.
"No... There's more than one energy disturbance beneath us." He lowered his voice. "Three nodes are falling out of balance at once, like fuse lines deliberately set alight, burning toward the center."
Bai Zhi's