Outside the Great Capital, deep within the dark Nine Horizontal Mountain Range.
The sea of blackened trees swayed with the night wind, stirring up waves of shadows.
Woo...
A strong, spotted leopard cat silently approached through the forest towards a black-robed figure seated cross-legged in meditation.
The leopard cat's eyes glinted with menace, its throat muscles pulsing as it prepared to pounce and feast upon the black-robed person.
"Those Spirit Court curs plan to play tricks again. Those four fools of spring, summer, autumn, and winter have also been lured over, making them mindless thugs." A robust female voice suddenly spoke from behind the leopard cat.
Frightening the leopard cat into a tremble, about to let out a shriek.
But the cry got stuck in its throat, firmly choked off by a rough, sturdy hand, unable to escape.
Crack.
Like that of a tiger, the leopard cat had its head twisted three hundred and sixty degrees in an instant.
