The atmosphere suddenly became silent. There was no sound of animals singing to enliven the night. There was no movement at all—only silence and stillness. Even the night wind did not blow as usual. Only a white mist slowly descended from above, growing thicker by the moment. The two young men were still unaware of the presence of a group of unseen figures. They remained immersed in dreams, deep in their slumber. There was no movement from either of them until the increasingly cold air made their bodies shiver. Ho Chen stirred, hugging his knees. The piercing cold had become unbearable. The absence of a fire for warmth also played a significant role in waking him from sleep. There was a reason why Ho Chen did not light a fire. The warm glow could attract wild animals and venomous snakes. Furthermore, the unfamiliar surroundings added to his caution. The young man opened his eyes and sat up, hugging his knees. While resisting the persistent drowsiness, he scanned his limited sur

Ho Chen sharpened his gaze. He focused on a building situated on an island surrounded by tall trees.Even though the building wasn’t entirely visible, Ho Chen—who was used to exploring dense forests—could still confirm that what he was seeing wasn’t a mistake. But what puzzled him was, why would there be a structure in the middle of a lake located almost at the mountaintop? Who built it, and how was it constructed?The twenty-year-old’s brows suddenly furrowed. He vaguely saw a large bubble of air rising from the island, moving toward Fang Yun, who was still enjoying a swim at the lake’s edge.Not wanting anything bad to happen to his friend, Ho Chen shouted at the top of his lungs, warning Fang Yun to get out of the water immediately.“Fang Yun, get out of the water, now!” Ho Chen pointed at the air bubble that was moving faster and faster.Fang Yun thought Ho Chen was just joking around. He even teased Ho Chen to join him in the water.“I’m not joking, look over there!” Ho Chen shou