The dense canopy of the primordial woodland formed a nearly impenetrable ceiling overhead, choking out the midday light until only a dim, emerald gloom remained.
Beneath the towering boughs, a heavy, cold mist crawled across the damp earth, rising to waist height and masking the roots, treacherous ravines, and winding trails in a blanket of suffocating white.
Shen Xinye moved quickly, jumping from branch to branch while navigating through the forest of thick and tall ancient trees, with her vision almost completely blocked by the thick mist.
Her slender, agile silhouette blurred against the gnarled bark of colossal ironwood trees whose trunks measured dozens of yards across.
Dressed in her sleek, black combat robes trimmed with the subtle silver crest of the Shen Clan, her movements were as light and weightless as falling willow leaves.
