Jiang Qiao stared at his own shadow.
His brows furrowed slightly.
The gray-blue gleam of his Dual Pupils churned faintly in his eyes, like two cold lamps embedded in their sockets.
The thing inside the shadow seemed unaware that it had already been discovered.
It remained curled up there, shrinking itself into a tiny ball like a child hiding beneath the blankets and holding its breath.
Only, this "child" was clearly no harmless thing.
It radiated intense malice.
Jiang Qiao could feel his shadow being pushed outward bit by bit.
The fist-sized displacement had now become two fists wide, and it was shifting faster and faster.
"Interesting."
"Hiding in my shadow, and you still want to steal it?"
Jiang Qiao sneered inwardly.
He recalled the things he had seen in this mausoleum—the countless densely packed human faces, that bizarre mechanism imitating the human immune system.
If that passageway was the blood vessel of some strange existence, then what was this thing hiding in his shadow?
A parasite?
Or something else?
But now was not the time to ponder that.
First, he had to force this damned thing out.
Jiang Qiao raised his right hand, palm facing down, and lightly swept it through the air.
Whoosh—
Scorching flames.
They erupted from his palm without warning.
Their target was his own shadow!
The instant the flames hit the ground, it was like gasoline had been splashed out and set alight. With a rush, they rapidly spread along the edge of his shadow, drawing a blazing ring beneath his feet in the blink of an eye.
Inside the ring was his shadow.
Outside it was bluish-gray rock.
And the moment Stove Fire began burning it, Jiang Qiao immediately sensed something different.
Something inside the shadow was struggling frantically.
It was a strange sensation.