Chapter 57: The Shadow’s Approach

The sun barely peeked over the jagged peaks of the mountain range as Li Feng and his allies gathered their strength after a restless night. The Black Phoenix Talisman still pulsed with a sinister glow, nestled in Li Feng's palm as if feeding off his hesitation. Mei Lian had been watching him closely since dawn, her unease growing with every flicker of dark fire that danced across the talisman's surface.

"We need to move." Yan Shun's voice was firm, breaking the tense silence that had settled over them. He stood near the edge of their hidden refuge, his sharp eyes scanning the valley below. "Shen Longwei's forces won't give us time to recover."

Mei Lian frowned. "Running won't solve anything. You saw what happened in the Vault. Shen Longwei isn't the only one after the talisman. If we keep running, we'll just end up more exhausted and easier to pick off."

Yan Shun turned to her, crossing his arms. "And fighting them head-on, when we're barely standing, is a better plan?"

Li Feng exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "We don't have the luxury of choice. If Shen Longwei finds us first, we won't last."

A rustling sound in the distance made everyone tense. Mei Lian reacted instantly, leaping into a crouch and signaling for silence. She slipped into the shadows, vanishing among the trees like a wraith. A few heartbeats later, she returned, her expression grim.

"We're not alone," she whispered. "They're coming."

Yan Shun's jaw clenched. "How many?"

"Enough."

Before they could formulate a plan, the attack came swiftly and without mercy. Figures cloaked in deep crimson emerged from the trees, their movements too fluid, too precise to be mere mercenaries. The assassins moved like shadows, their blades glinting in the dim morning light.

Li Feng barely had time to react before one of them lunged. He parried on instinct, his sword ringing against the assassin's curved blade. The force of the impact sent him skidding backward.

"Shen Longwei sent assassins already?" Zheng Wei muttered through gritted teeth, gripping his staff as he barely deflected another strike. His injuries had slowed him, but his spirit remained unbroken.

Yan Shun fought with calculated precision, his strikes swift and lethal, but his focus wavered for a brief moment. His brow furrowed as he blocked an attack, his opponent's stance triggering a flash of recognition.

"This isn't Shen Longwei's doing," he muttered. "Their movements… they belong to someone else."

Mei Lian spun mid-air, slicing through the defenses of an assassin before kicking them back. "What are you saying?"

Before Yan Shun could answer, Li Feng felt a surge of energy from the talisman. The Coiled Dragon Ring pulsed in response, and his vision blurred. Suddenly, he wasn't standing in the mountain clearing anymore. He was somewhere else—somewhere ancient, surrounded by fire and shadows.

He saw warriors locked in combat, their faces blurred by time. A great battle was taking place, but it wasn't the present. It was a memory. And then, amidst the chaos, he saw a figure—a warrior shrouded in black flames, wielding both the Coiled Dragon Ring and the Black Phoenix Talisman.

The ground trembled beneath him, and he was yanked back into reality just in time to block another strike. His breaths came in ragged gasps, the echo of that vision still fresh in his mind.

"Feng!" Mei Lian's voice cut through his haze. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I… I saw something. This battle—it's not the first time it's happened."

Before she could press for more, Zheng Wei slammed his staff into the earth. A burst of golden light erupted outward, disrupting the assassins' movements for a brief moment. It was enough.

The assassins suddenly retreated, vanishing into the trees as swiftly as they had appeared. But one lingered just long enough to deliver a final message.

"The lady watches," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "The storm is coming."

Then, he was gone.

Yan Shun remained still, his grip on his sword tightening. "That wasn't Shen Longwei's style."

Li Feng frowned. "Then who—"

Yan Shun exhaled. "Lady Yuexiang."

The weight of his words settled over them like a storm cloud. The battle had just begun, and now, they had more than one enemy watching from the shadows.