The silence remained.
Even after the creature fell.
It did not return to normal.
It stayed-
Heavy.
Xu Tian stood still for a moment longer.
Watching the fragments on the ground.
They did not move.
Did not react.
But they also did not fade.
"…Again," he thought.
Different from before.
The deeper he went-
The more things changed.
Xu Tian lifted his gaze.
Looking ahead.
Into the ruins.
The darkness stretched further.
Deeper.
Not just shadows.
Something else.
Something that held the space together.
"…Not natural."
He stepped forward.
Carefully.
Measured.
The ground beneath him shifted slightly.
But not unstable.
Just worn.
Old.
Each step echoed faintly.
But the sound didn't travel far.
It was absorbed.
As if the ruins themselves-
Were holding it in.
Xu Tian moved deeper.
The broken structures grew denser.
Closer.
Less open space.
More enclosed.
The path narrowed.
Then-
Opened again.
A larger section.
Collapsed walls surrounding it.
Forming a rough circle.
Xu Tian stopped at the edge.
His eyes moved slowly across the area.
"…This was a central point."
Not random.
Not destroyed by chance.
This place had meaning.
At the center-
Something remained.
Xu Tian stepped closer.
The air grew colder.
Denser.
The presence-
Clear.
Stronger than before.
At the center of the space-
A structure stood.
Partially broken.
But still intact.
A pillar.
Dark.
Smooth.
Unlike the rough stone around it.
Xu Tian's eyes narrowed.
"…Different material."
He approached slowly.
Each step careful.
The closer he got-
The heavier the air became.
Not pressure.
But resistance.
As if something-
Did not want him closer.
Xu Tian didn't stop.
He stepped forward again.
The energy inside him moved.
Calm.
Steady.
The resistance didn't increase.
But it didn't fade either.
He reached the center.
Standing in front of the pillar.
It was taller than him.
Cracked in places.
But still whole.
Its surface-
Smooth.
Cold.
Unnatural.
Xu Tian observed it silently.
"…This is the source."
Not confirmed.
But clear enough.
Everything around it felt connected.
The silence.
The presence.
The creatures.
Xu Tian raised his hand.
Slowly.
Then-
Stopped.
Just before touching it.
The girl's grip tightened suddenly.
Stronger than before.
Xu Tian noticed immediately.
"…Not safe."
He lowered his hand slightly.
Thinking.
Observing.
The pillar remained still.
But the air around it-
Moved.
Faint.
Subtle.
Not wind.
Something else.
Xu Tian stepped slightly to the side.
Changing his angle.
The pillar remained the same.
But the feeling-
Shifted.
"…It reacts to position."
Not just an object.
Something more.
Xu Tian narrowed his eyes.
"…Then what happens if I disturb it?"
The thought remained.
But he didn't act immediately.
Because something else-
Was wrong
The silence.
It had been constant.
Unbroken.
Until now.
A faint sound.
Behind him.
Xu Tian didn't turn immediately.
He listened.
Slow.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
Footsteps.
Not fast.
Not hidden.
Coming closer.
Xu Tian's eyes sharpened.
"…So I'm not alone here."
He turned.
Slowly.
Toward the sound.
The ruins remained still.
But something was approaching.
Something heavier than before.
Something that did not hide.
Because whatever it was-
Did not need to.