Chapter 141: Newas 7
Night draped Stonehold City in an uneasy silence. Torchlight flickered on every corner as guards stormed through the streets in groups of ten. Doors were kicked open. Civilians questioned. Inns ransacked. No rest. No mercy.
But beneath their feet, a different silence stirred—one far older, and far more dangerous.
In the sewers below the Temple District, Adrian moved through the darkness like mist itself.
He was cloaked in his usual disguise—his Qi hidden beneath the Veil of a Hundred Shadows—but tonight, that wasn’t enough. He carried with him a small wooden box carved with ancient sigils from the Mistshroud vault. Inside it, a decayed talisman pulsed with twisted, unstable spiritual energy.
It was bait.
Not for the guards. Not for Richard.
For the demonic cultivators.
Adrian placed the box at the intersection of three ley lines beneath the district—a junction of power. He activated the rune beneath the box, masking its unstable aura just enough to keep it hidden from mortals, but irresistible to predators.
Then he vanished, becoming mist and shadow once more.
Meanwhile – Temple District Rooftops
Three cloaked figures crouched on the rooftop of a burned temple. They had arrived just after dusk, without sound or announcement. Even the spirit beasts of the region had gone quiet.
"Something calls to us," one hissed.