3:17 a.m.
Ji Chen jolted awake, drenched in sweat.
His bedroom was pitch black, yet he could clearly see every crack on the ceiling. This wasn't night vision—it was coming from his hand.
The jade imprint in his palm glowed faintly with a rhythmic teal light, pulsing like an alarm beacon.
The warning talisman has been triggered.
Su Wan's voice echoed from outside the window, nearly scaring Ji Chen out of bed.
He yanked open the curtain—and saw her hovering in midair, standing on a silver flying sword. Her long hair danced in the night breeze, moonlight casting a pale glow across her features. She looked like an immortal descended from the heavens.
"You—how are you—"
"Open the door first," she cut him off, gently descending.
Ji Chen rushed to the door. Su Wan slipped inside with practiced grace and slapped a talisman onto the frame. It ignited in a flash of golden light, forming a protective seal that shimmered briefly before vanishing.
"There are Night Owl members nearby," she said rapidly, scanning the room. "The warning sigil picked up at least three of them. Full initiates—not puppets like last time."
Ji Chen's heart started racing. "Are... full members strong?"
"The weakest is mid-stage Spirit Flow." She pulled three silver needles from her belt and quickly placed them in the room's four corners. "You're barely a novice. You won't last a second in a head-on fight."
Ji Chen swallowed hard. "So what do we do?"
"We hide." She pulled out a crumpled yellow talisman. "This is an Invisibility Talisman. It'll cloak you for ten minutes, max. I'll lure them away—"
She froze mid-sentence.
Outside the door came three soft scraping sounds—like claws dragging across wood.
"We're out of time." Su Wan's expression darkened. She rapidly formed hand signs, silver light pouring from her fingertips and forming a thin, transparent barrier in the air.
Ji Chen's palms were slick with sweat. His spiritual energy surged out of control, swirling chaotically inside him like a panicked school of fish.
He tried to regulate it using the breathing method from the Celestial Genesis Tome, but fear made it impossible to focus.
Bang!
The front door exploded inward with a blast of invisible force, splinters flying in all directions.
Three shadows stood in the doorway.
Unlike last time, they weren't wearing masks.
Their faces were deathly pale, like corpses. The one in front had blood-red eyes, and a grin that stretched from ear to ear, revealing rows of jagged, serrated teeth.
"Found you... little rat." His voice was like fingernails on glass, sharp enough to make Ji Chen's teeth ache.
Su Wan stepped in front of him, her silver bow reappearing in her hand.
"You're attacking in a populated district? Not afraid the Bureau of Paranormal Control will come after you?"
"If we kill you both, who's gonna report it?" the red-eyed man cackled, then lunged.
Su Wan loosed three arrows in rapid succession.
But two of the attackers intercepted them mid-air. One opened his mouth and spat a cloud of black mist—the arrows melted instantly, hissing into puddles of molten iron.
Ji Chen stumbled backward, crashing into the coffee table. He grabbed a fruit knife, fully aware it was probably useless—but better than bare hands.
The red-eyed man swiped a claw at Su Wan. She dodged—but it was a feint.
He twisted midair and launched himself straight at Ji Chen's throat.
Time slowed.
Ji Chen saw the man's claws elongate, glowing faintly green.
He instinctively raised his arm to block.
The jade mark in his palm flared to life.
"ARGH!" the attacker screamed as a burst of golden light severed his arm. Black blood gushed like a fountain.
Ji Chen stared in disbelief at his right hand. A phantom blade of golden light had formed, flickering in sync with his breathing.
"The Heavenly Tome is protecting him!" Su Wan shouted, loosing an arrow that pierced another attacker's knee.
"Ji Chen—use Spirit Eyes! Look for their weak points!"