The wind did not settle.
It moved across the land in slow, uneven currents.
Carrying dust.
Carrying sound.
Carrying something else.
Xu Tian stood where the creature had fallen.
Watching.
The broken fragments remained scattered across the ground.
Dark.
Rough.
But now-
Still.
"…Not fading," he thought.
The previous ones had crumbled quickly.
Lost their form.
Disappeared into dust.
This one-
Did not.
Xu Tian lowered his gaze slightly.
Studying it.
The cracks along the fragments remained visible.
But the structure held.
As if something inside-
Was still there.
The girl shifted slightly in his arms.
Her eyes fixed on the remains.
Not afraid.
But focused.
Xu Tian noticed.
"…You see it too."
He crouched slightly.
Careful.
Measured.
Then reached out.
His fingers touched one of the fragments.
Cold.
Not like stone.
Something different.
Denser.
The moment he made contact—
A faint reaction.
Subtle.
But real.
Xu Tian's eyes sharpened.
"…Still active."
He withdrew his hand.
Slowly.
The energy inside him moved slightly.
Not reacting.
But aware.
Xu Tian stood again.
Looking ahead.
The land stretched out.
Empty.
But no longer silent.
"…Something's wrong."
The wind shifted again.
This time-
It carried a different sound.
Faint.
But repeated.
Like something moving across the ground.
Not fast.
But steady.
Xu Tian turned slightly.
His gaze moved toward the distance.
There-
A faint outline.
Barely visible.
Low structures.
Broken shapes.
Not natural.
"…Ruins."
Old.
Collapsed.
Spread across the uneven land.
Xu Tian observed for a moment.
The feeling from before-
Still present.
But now-
Clearer.
Stronger.
Not just from one direction.
From there.
The ruins.
The girl's grip tightened slightly again.
Xu Tian adjusted his hold.
"…So that's where we're going."
He didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward.
The ground shifted beneath his feet.
Loose.
Unstable.
Each step required control.
But his pace remained steady.
The wind grew colder.
Sharper.
As he moved closer.
The ruins became clearer.
Broken walls.
Collapsed structures.
Fragments scattered across the land.
Not abandoned recently.
Old.
Very old.
Xu Tian slowed slightly.
His awareness expanded.
"…Not empty."
The feeling was clear now.
Stronger than before.
More than one presence.
Hidden.
Watching.
Waiting.
The energy inside him moved.
Calm.
Ready.
Xu Tian stopped just before the edge of the ruins.
Not entering yet.
Observing.
The silence here was different.
Not natural.
Forced.
As if something-
Was holding it in place.
The girl's eyes moved across the ruins.
Then stopped.
One direction.
Xu Tian followed her gaze.
There-
A deeper section.
Collapsed inward.
Darker than the rest.
"…Inside."
Xu Tian exhaled slowly.
The air felt heavier here.
More concentrated.
More dangerous.
"…Good."
This was what he needed.
Not simple enemies.
Not random encounters.
Something deeper.
Something that mattered.
Xu Tian stepped forward.
Crossing into the ruins.
The moment he entered-
The air changed.
The wind faded.
The sound disappeared.
Silence.
Complete.
Xu Tian stopped for a brief moment.
"…Different."
Not open.
Not free.
Controlled.
Again.
But not like the town.
This felt older.
Less stable.
More dangerous.
Xu Tian continued forward.
Step by step.
The broken structures surrounded him.
Close.
Uneven.
Shadows stretched across the ground.
Long.
Distorted.
The deeper he moved-
The heavier the feeling became.
Not pressure.
Not yet.
But presence.
Watching.
Waiting.
And this time-
It wasn't hiding.
It was letting him come closer.
Because whatever was inside-
Was not afraid.