CHAPTER 117 — FRACTURE AND FORESHADOW
The pain receded slowly.
Not fully.
But enough for breath to return.
Long Hao's vision steadied inside the underground chamber, the fractured core still embedded in black stone before him. The red pulse was calmer now—subdued, almost contemplative.
For a brief moment, nothing moved.
Then—
The chamber groaned.
Not metaphorically.
Stone shifted.
A faint crack crawled across the ceiling above them.
Zehell's head snapped upward.
"That's not good."
The fractured core dimmed further, its light withdrawing inward like something conserving strength.
[ SYNCHRONIZATION: 50% STABLE ][ STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: DECLINING ]
Longyu's voice came sharper.
"Integration attempt triggered destabilization of seal framework."
Translation:
The prison didn't like what just happened.
A second crack split across the chamber wall.
Sand began trickling from unseen fissures above.
Zehell didn't hesitate.
