He reached into his coat, pulling out a small pendant, a faintly glowing shard shaped like a half-moon. When he released it, it floated in front of him, expanding into a thin circular mirror. Within it, faint lines of light began to converge, forming a directional pattern.
"Tracking resonance," he murmured.
The mirror pulsed once, then turned toward the western quadrant of the forest.
His eyes narrowed. "So she's deeper in."
As he moved, the world seemed to whisper faintly, a thousand murmurs overlapping. His steps were soundless, precise, his energy perfectly contained. Even the creatures lurking beneath the roots didn't sense his presence until he was already past them.
And when one dared to approach, a shadowy remnant of a dark spirit, shrieking as it lunged, Ji Xiulan didn't even glance its way. A flick of his finger was all it took.
A strand of light coiled from his hand, slicing cleanly through the creature. It disintegrated before it could even scream.
