As Xu Feng skidded to a halt, his lungs heaving for air, he couldn't shake the sense of astonishment that enveloped him. The once chaotic pursuit by the wild boars had dissipated into an eerie silence, leaving him surrounded by the hushed whispers of an ancient forest.
Sweat trickled down his face, mingling with the grime and debris that clung to his skin, but there was an odd serenity in the middle of the disarray.
A flicker of relief surged through him as he realized he wasn't being chased anymore. The dense undergrowth had deposited twigs and leaves into his disheveled hair, yet despite the frenzied flight, he seemed unharmed, except for the fatigue gnawing at his muscles.
Glancing around, he assessed his surroundings.
The forest sprawled in all directions, an otherworldly expanse that dwarfed any woodland he'd ever encountered. The trees stood tall, ancient and imposing, their colossal trunks stretching upwards into a canopy that seemed to touch the heavens themselves.
