The shadows had grown more aggressive.
Wu had been in the Fallen Boundary for three days, and already he could feel the chaotic energy pulsing stronger than before. The creatures of Chaos here were not mere anomalies—they were the leftovers of pre-Dao wars, imbued with fragments of Heaven's own discarded energies.
He crouched behind a jagged rock formation, observing a trio of them stalking across a warped field. Their forms were twisted, grotesque, and yet intelligent, moving with coordination no ordinary chaos creatures could muster.
"They're learning… adapting," Wu muttered. His black eyes flickered, analyzing their movement patterns, the way their energy fluctuated in small, almost imperceptible rhythms. "Interesting."
He waited. Patience was everything. One wrong step, and he would be torn apart before even realizing the attack.
Then, he saw it: a minor fissure in the ground, a natural trap created by the shifting Chaos energy. Perfect.
With a single step, he lured the closest creature into the fissure. It shrieked as the unstable energy tore it apart from the inside.
The others hesitated, momentarily confused by the disappearance of their companion. Wu's grin was faint but gray, calculating.
"Two down, one left. Let's see how smart you really are."
He dodged the creature's sudden lunge, rolling behind a warped boulder, using the chaotic terrain as cover. It was fast, faster than he anticipated—but he had predicted this.
A well-placed kick sent a fragment of rock flying into its path, disrupting its balance. With a swift motion, he moved behind it and thrust his hand into its chest, feeling the chaotic energy coil around his fingers like living metal.
A muffled shriek later, and the last creature lay defeated. Wu wiped his hand clean of the residual energy, his expression calm.
"In Honghuang, even the forgotten have teeth," he murmured. "Good training."