Chapter 359: Abyssal Egg
Sam opened his eyes to a dark room. Something felt wrong. A shiver ran through his body as his eyes darted around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Shadows danced across the table under the window, which had his few belongings haphazardly dumped on it. Opened pill bottles were scattered around him as he sat deathly still on the cushion. His senses were heightened as he subconsciously cycled his Qi. His eyes darted at every movement.
He was possibly acting paranoid, but ever since becoming a cultivator, he had started depending more and more on his spiritual sense. It helped reveal the truth of the world around him, and he had learned to trust it. Right now, it was telling him there was a lurking unseen danger.
Slowly standing up while careful not to make a sound, he stepped over to the table and clasped his hand around his sword's handle. He had been sharpening its blade in preparation for the upcoming matches and had left it out.
Should I escape out the backdoor and run to Hugo for help? Sam thought. His friend from Darklight City had entered the tournament with him and was staying a few houses away. I could also run into the street and call for a Redclaw to protect me.
Deciding that was a good idea, Sam curled his fingers around the sword's hilt. Picking it up with ease and still surprised at how light it felt since reaching the Soul Fire Realm, he raised the sword and saw how the moonlight reflected off the blade. His heart froze. He locked eyes with someone through the window. It was a half-masked woman shrouded in black cult robes, and upon seeing him, she smiled. A predatory smile.
"Found you," she mouthed before rushing off to the side.
Sam stood there dumbly, rooted in place in sheer terror. The off feeling that had awoken him from his meditation had been that woman's encroaching bloodlust. She was here to kill him, and worst of all, he recognized those lips. They belonged to that arrogant woman who had pulverized him into the mud a few days ago.
Fear gripped his soul. While he had experienced a power-up to the Soul Fire Realm, he knew the difference between them was still vast. She had humbled him greatly that night.
The door rattling broke him out of his stupor. He turned and staggered through his dark room toward the back door. Half-empty porcelain pill bottles shattered underfoot as he desperately ran toward the exit. There was a loud crash behind him, and he barely had time to sidestep a flying part of the door. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. His breathing became erratic as he spun and saw the woman's figure backlit by moonlight through a cloud of dust.