Chapter 91: Aftermath of the Abyss

The battlefield lay in eerie silence, the echoes of battle faded into the lingering mist. Smoke curled into the sky from the shattered gateway, its remnants scattered like the bones of a fallen giant. The celestial alignment had ended, yet its impact lingered in the very air—a heaviness, a shift that none could ignore.

Mei Lian and Yan Shun stood amidst the ruins, their gazes locked on the figure before them. Li Feng.

He had emerged from the Abyss, but he was not the same.

His body swayed slightly, his breath uneven. His once-glowing aura of power had dimmed, leaving behind only a shadow of its former brilliance. The Coiled Dragon's energy, once an undeniable force within him, was gone. What remained was a man stripped of the very strength that had made him feared and revered alike.

Mei Lian stepped forward, her voice hesitant. "Li Feng?"

His gaze lifted to meet hers, but there was something missing in his eyes—something hollow, as though a part of him had been left behind in the Abyss. He managed a weak nod, but even that seemed to drain him.

Yan Shun clenched his fists. "We won," he murmured, though there was no triumph in his voice. He looked around, taking in the devastation. The battle had not come without cost. The ground was littered with bodies, some of Shen Longwei's men, others warriors who had fought against him. The earth itself bore the scars of their war—cracked, broken, seared by the forces that had clashed atop it.

But the price they had paid went beyond the battlefield.

Yan Shun turned back to Li Feng. The man who had once stood at the pinnacle of power, the man who had fought against fate itself, now struggled to remain standing. It was a sobering sight.

Mei Lian reached out, her fingers brushing against his arm. "You're alive," she whispered, her voice carrying both relief and sorrow. "That's all that matters."

But was it?

Li Feng exhaled slowly, as if the very act of breathing was an effort. "The Coiled Dragon's power is gone." His voice was raw, lacking the strength it once held. "I can feel it. I... I am nothing without it."

Mei Lian frowned. "That's not true. You were never just your power."

He didn't respond. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, where the remnants of Shen Longwei's army scattered, their leader gone. Leaderless. Defeated. But the war itself was not over. The world did not stop simply because one warlord had fallen.

Yan Shun inhaled sharply. "This battle cost us more than we expected." He hesitated before adding, "And I don't just mean the Coiled Dragon's power."

Silence settled over them like a shroud.

Then, movement in the distance caught Mei Lian's attention. Her grip tightened around her weapon as she turned toward the shadows at the battlefield's edge. Figures—at least a dozen—stood there, watching.

They were dressed in unfamiliar attire, their silhouettes blending into the lingering mist. Warriors, their presence exuding an undeniable power. And at their front stood a lone figure, masked, their stance unreadable.

Li Feng's eyes narrowed, and despite his weakened state, he straightened, forcing himself to meet their silent scrutiny.

The masked figure tilted their head slightly, as though studying him. Then, they spoke, their voice low, carrying an eerie certainty. "So, this is the one who defied fate."

Mei Lian's breath caught in her throat.

Yan Shun reached for his sword instinctively. "Who are they?" he murmured, his voice tense.

Li Feng remained silent, his gaze locked onto the figure before him. Though the Coiled Dragon's power had left him, he still recognized a predator when he saw one.

Whoever these warriors were, they had not come to pay their respects. They had come because they had been waiting.

For what, Li Feng did not yet know.

But something told him that whatever battle they had just fought—it was only the beginning.

The masked figure took a step forward, the air around them shifting with unseen force. "You have taken something that does not belong to you, Li Feng," they said. "And now, the true war begins."