The Space Trace Bead grew slightly warm in Luo Chen's palm.
The Evil Emperor's words made him pause, but this was no time to dwell on them. Luo Chen returned the bead to the space between his brows, mounted the Ice Feather Eagle, and flew toward Heaven Dou City. The bead slowly rotated in his Spirit Sea, on one side of the Hourglass Mark, one warm and one cold, like two lamps of different colors.
He returned to Heaven Dou City at noon the next day.
Luo Chen stayed home for a day, helping Luo An'an with her homework, eating the fish Lin Xiaomei had stewed, and listening to Luo Dashan talk about the branch shop. Only after An'an had gone to bed that night did he return to his room. He pushed open the window, and the night wind poured in, carrying the chill of early autumn.
The Space Trace Bead emerged from between his brows and hovered before him, its silvery-gray sheen especially clear in the darkness.
He reached out and grasped the bead. A chill seeped from his palm, traveled up his meridians, passed his wrist, arm, and shoulder, then finally stopped between his brows. The light on the bead's surface dimmed, as if it had fallen asleep.
Luo Chen waited a long time, but nothing happened.
"...That's it?" The Evil Emperor sounded distinctly disappointed. "Are you sure this is the Space God's divine trial? There aren't any hints?"
Luo Chen didn't answer. He closed his eyes and tried to probe inside the Space Trace Bead with his spiritual power. The bead responded—a faint tug came from deep within it, pointing roughly west-northwest. It was light, like a single strand of hair pulling at him.
"It's telling me to go that way." Luo Chen opened his eyes