He ran...
The spirits' howls erupted behind him, their wails clawing at his back. Tao Yiming's shrill laughter echoed through the trees, closer than it should have been. Zhang Yan's bare feet pounded the earth, his breath ragged, his shadow thrashing like a living thing to clear his path. Branches snapped as spectral energy tore through the undergrowth, barely missing his legs.
Faster.
The forest blurred; a nightmare of grasping roots and flickering green light. His body screamed with every stride, but he forced himself onward, weaving between trees, using his shadow to vault over fallen logs. A spirit materialized ahead, its jaws unhinging in a silent scream. Zhang Yan didn't slow. His dagger flashed, severing its form, and he plunged through the dissipating mist.
Closer.
The air changed. The rot of the forest gave way to the faint tang of smoke; oil lamps.
Voices murmured in the distance, unaware of what was yet to come...
The residential district.
Tao Yiming's snarl cut through the night. "You think they'll save you? Weakling; all of you are mere prey..."
Zhang Yan ignored him. He focused on the glow ahead, the faint outline of rooftops. His hands came together as his fingers danced, producing seal after seal as his shadow coiled beneath him, compressing, priming...
Now!
He launched himself forward, his shadow exploding into a dozen tendrils that propelled him through the air.
A spirit's claw swung at his back, tearing fabric and dragging deep ravines across his spine but the district's outer wall loomed.
He landed hard, rolling to absorb the impact, and sprinted toward the labyrinth of cramped huts and alleys. Behind him, the forest erupted—a cacophony of shrieks as Tao Yiming's ghosts stilled at the edge of the forest, their eyes distracted with the many outer district's fresh blood and bodies, no longer paying him any mind as they dived towards the unsuspecting outer disciples...
Tao Yiming's face scowled as he watched the fleeting shadow disappear into the distance...
But Zhang Yan didn't look back.
He vanished into the shadows of the sleeping residential quarter, his breath steaming, his wounds throbbing in time with his pulse as blood marred what little was left of his robes.
The chase was over.
For now...