No one in the entire camp slept that night.
Aside from the guards rotating through three shifts, Xu Feng and Li Hengkong sat on rocks outside the cave, each watching one side and occasionally exchanging a few words.
But most of the time, they remained silent.
Everyone knew how powerful Piris was.
If something really had happened to him... it would be a devastating blow to the remaining expedition members.
At first light the next morning, Xu Feng and Li Hengkong set out.
Andy had wanted to accompany them, but Li Hengkong stopped her with a look.
"Stay here. We can't leave the camp with only one Radiant God."
Andy opened her mouth, but ultimately did not insist.
The two hurried along, reentering the ruins through the northern entrance Piris had originally chosen.
This was already Xu Feng's third time stepping into these ruins.
Day had not fully broken yet. A thin, blue-gray mist shrouded the crumbling walls around them, making the place look even more sinister than in daylight.
"They entered through this gap."
Li Hengkong crouched at the edge of the ruins and pointed beneath a half-collapsed low wall.
Several loose stones there had been overturned underfoot, and a patch of weeds had been crushed. The traces were still fresh.
Xu Feng leaned closer to inspect them. Aside from footprints on the rubble, there were several vines severed by a sharp weapon.
The cuts were smooth and fresh, left by a battle blade.
One behind the other, they followed these traces deeper into the ruins.
After about a kilometer, the buildings ahead grew more densely clustered.
The traces left by humans were still there, imprinted at varying depths in the loose dirt and rubble.
As Xu Feng walked, he memorized the surrounding terrain, his gaze sweeping back and