The instant the Mystic Iron Sword tore through the plane barrier, Hua Qiang felt a scorching current rush at his face, while the space around him seemed to be kneaded into wrinkles.
When his vision cleared again, the ground beneath his feet was no longer the cold rock of the Fiend Cavern secret realm, but earth blanketed in fine golden sand.
The distant sky glowed an unusual indigo, with three crimson celestial bodies of varying sizes suspended within it. Dark, winding patterns could be seen across the largest one's surface, remarkably like the crouching form of the Wolf Clan—this was Tianlang Star, the core planet of the Tianlang Plane.
"Squeak, squeak!"
"Boss, we're here!"
Rat King Xiao Hui jumped down from Hua Qiang's shoulder. The moment his claws touched the sand, he sharply pulled them back, then cautiously stepped on it twice more, his bean-sized black eyes brimming with curiosity.
He flicked his tail, his nose constantly sniffing at the mingled scent of metal and vegetation in the air. Suddenly, he darted toward a patch of low crimson shrubs ahead, only for Hua Qiang to scoop him back in one grab.
"Don't run around. This place isn't like the secret realm. We should get a grasp of the situation first."
Hua Qiang tightened his grip on the Mystic Iron Sword and swept his gaze across the surroundings.
The golden sand on the ground shimmered faintly beneath the indigo canopy of sky. The distant mountains were not the usual bluish gray, but entirely dark bronze. At their peaks stood enormous stone wolf-head statues, their fangs bared as though guarding something.
Occasionally, birds with wingspans stretching several zhang swept across the sky. Their feathers bore crimson-and-black patterns, and their piercing cries cut through the clouds with a wild, intimidating force.
The two