Chapter 242 Book 5 Barely Alive
The pungent scent of blood mixed with the decaying musk of the Hollow Fang Forest filled the air. Gnarled trees twisted upward like the fingers of a dying god, their leaves dull and unmoving under a sky choked with mist. The forest floor was littered with shattered bark, scorched earth, and spent brass casings.
Li An stood amidst it all, legs trembling, blood dripping from her left shoulder where a jagged, broken blade protruded—Elder Gi Dong's last strike before she defeated him. The knife was no ordinary weapon. It pulsed with dark intent, hungrily sucking at her spirit energy like a leech. Her body was a battlefield of agony and defiance, yet her gaze burned with cold clarity.
