My dao to eternity

He followed the scattered traces deeper into the valley through the remainder of that day, the ground growing steadily more disturbed the further he traveled — snapped branches at heights no ordinary animal would reach, patches of scorched earth from talismans discharged in genuine desperation, the occasional print pressed deep into softer soil by something considerably larger than anything he'd encountered so far.

The Beast Tide had reshaped the landscape's danger in ways that made careful movement more necessary with every mile. He passed a pack of wolves moving with purpose rather than the aimless gathering he'd witnessed earlier, their attention fixed on something ahead of them rather than each other. He avoided a massive shape crossing a ridge in the distance, too far to identify clearly, close enough that his instincts insisted on distance regardless. He had no need for unnecessary fights, and the valley, sliding further into chaos with every hour that passed, offered him no shortage of reasons to avoid every one he could.

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