Fang Chen frowned slightly at Little Crane's words. Little Crane was highly accomplished in the Space Law, yet even it said the path here was hard to find. That alone showed how treacherous this place was.
"Thanks for the effort, Little Crane," Fang Chen said.
Little Crane immediately shook its head. "It was nothing!"
Fang Chen looked up at the Fire Glazed Saint. "Senior Huo Li, now that Little Crane has found a way through, let's set out!"
"All right!"
The Fire Glazed Saint nodded.
Little Crane took the lead, and Fang Chen and the others followed it northeast—toward the place where the Divine Wing Overlord Lion Kings had lived.
As it flew, Little Crane said to Fang Chen, "Those Divine Wing Overlord Lion Kings were clever. They knew this was the only exit to the outside world, so they made their home here and blocked the other Sacred Beasts' way. They turned that fertile plain into their territory. They could sleep all day, then kill a Sacred Beast whenever they got hungry. What a life! Too bad we've arrived. Their good days are over!"
While it spoke, Little Crane led Fang Chen and the others into the Spatial Storm. Saint Ziwei and his companions followed close behind.
Inside the Spatial Storm, Little Crane guided them through its shifting currents. Sometimes they had to cross straight through the storm; at other times, they had to wait for a Space Rift to vanish before moving on.
A year later, Fang Chen and the others finally passed through the Spatial Storm and entered a far broader expanse.
But this was nothing like the fertile plain they had seen before. Red earth stretched out before them, its surface covered in exposed Stone as far as the eye could see. Dark clouds pressed low