Lu Yuan took one last look at the cave that had changed his fate.
He knew that from tonight onward, everything would be different.
He would no longer be a Chess Piece at the mercy of others.
He would become a Chess Player.
And that "Mr. Shadow" lurking in the darkness would be the first stepping stone on his path to the heavens.
"Let's go."
At Lu Yuan's command, he led the way out of the cave.
Ghost Face followed close behind, his figure melting into the darkness as he scouted the way ahead.
Yun Chan stumbled along last. She glanced back at the dying campfire, and the final glimmer of a Water Moon Sect disciple in her eyes was extinguished for good.
The night was deep, and danger lurked everywhere.
A new hunt—and a chance to turn the tables—had only just begun. The Blackstone Ruins lived up to their name.
Jagged black rocks thrust up from the ground like the bones of silent giants, pointing toward the gloomy sky. The air reeked of sulfur and decay. Spiritual energy ran wild here like a pack of unleashed dogs, crashing about and tearing at the Spiritual Sense of anyone who tried to control it.
Ghost Face walked in front. His steps were light as fallen leaves, yet steady as stone. He didn't use a trace of Spiritual Power, relying entirely on a hunter's instincts to read the wind, the moss on the rocks, and the faint traces left by Demonic Beasts in the distance. He was like a true phantom, perfectly blending into this deadly wasteland.
Behind him, Lu Yuan followed at an unhurried pace. He seemed to be watching their surroundings, but his mind had already sunk into his sea of consciousness.
The once-empty world of his mind was now