The Wind Rises and Clouds Surge

The top nine of the Ten Great Demonic Beast Clans had remained unchanged for thousands of years. The tenth spot, however, was the complete opposite, changing every year. After all, there were too many powerful Demonic Beast species in this world. While they couldn't compete with the monsters that consistently held their spots on the list like the top nine (the Desolate Beasts were on the verge of extinction on the East Emperor Continent, their position precarious), they could still fight for the tenth spot.

The Giant race was a frequent visitor to the tenth spot on the list. Although the term "Giant" might sound like a bunch of brutes, most Giants actually possessed considerable intelligence. They lived in groups, had their own culture and language, with the Hundred-Eyed Giants and Long-Armed Giants serving as prime examples.

However, Mountain Giants were an anomaly among Giants. Their bodies were composed entirely of earth and stone, their intelligence was low, and they couldn't even roar. But none of this could conceal their formidable strength; their mere hardened bodies were enough to deter countless Demonic Beast hunters.

Another characteristic that set Mountain Giants apart from other Giants was that they never lived in groups, always preferring to be solitary. It was unprecedented for more than one Mountain Giant to appear in the same location at the same time.

--This was also why everyone had let down their guard after the Mountain Giant fell.

Si Nan Ying felt the ground tremble, and then a shadow enveloped her. She didn't even have time to react!

"Miss!"

Si Nan Yuan's heart leaped in terror. Almost instinctively, she was about to throw a punch--Si Nan Yuan's Supernatural Ability was to emit shockwaves, and at this distance, it was enough to blast Si Nan Ying out of harm's way--though it would cause her Miss some pain, it was better than being crushed by the Mountain Giant's hand!

But before the punch could be thrown, Elder Hong intercepted her. With a raise of his hand, a hard, luminous barrier appeared between Si Nan Ying and the giant hand. The giant hand struck the barrier and was repelled!

"In your haste, you forgot I was here. You're still too inexperienced as a captain," Elder Hong said, completely unfazed. Saving people from danger was routine for him. He then turned to Si Nan Jing, "Don't blame yourself either. Mountain Giants are naturally difficult to detect when they're in the earth and stone. For now, let's deal with this one..."

Before he could finish speaking, Si Nan Jing cried out in surprise again--

"How can this be! One... two... three... This entire mountain is full of them!"

"What!?"

"Run!" Elder Hong reacted the fastest. He flew forward, grabbed Si Nan Ying and Si Nan Jing, and without hesitation, leaped down the steep slope. Simultaneously, the entire mountainside erupted with thunderous roars. Huge cracks spread across the rocks, and countless massive boulders crumbled from within, sending debris and earth flying everywhere! Through the dust-filled sky, towering figures emerged – indeed, over a dozen Mountain Giants!

The other team members followed Elder Hong, leaping down the slope one after another. One unlucky individual was a bit slow and was sent flying by a stone fist, their fate unknown. Elder Hong, carrying two people, showed no signs of fatigue, leaping down the rocky terrain like an antelope. Whenever he encountered a steep drop, he used his luminous barriers to cushion their descent, moving with incredible speed.

Finally reaching flat ground, Elder Hong immediately set down the two women and turned to deploy two massive luminous barriers. One, thick as a city wall, was placed above them to block the Mountain Giants; the other, thin and elastic, caught all the team members who had jumped down.

"Don't engage with these stoneheads. The best course of action is to--!"

BOOM--!

The word "action" was drowned out by a deafening explosion. A massive boulder directly above their heads detonated, and a new Mountain Giant burst forth from within.

"--!?"

The ensuing series of events happened in the blink of an eye:

After appearing, the Mountain Giant leaped directly towards the group, its landing spot aimed at--Si Nan Ying.

Although Elder Hong was powerful, the two barriers he had deployed earlier occupied most of his attention, causing him to react a beat too late.

In her desperation, realizing she couldn't dodge, Si Nan Ying instinctively released a bubble above her head.

That bubble was nothing like its usual crystalline transparency. Its outer membrane was stained with murky black, emitting an extremely dangerous aura as it drifted towards the Giant.

Si Nan Yuan, closest to Si Nan Ying, sprang into action the moment she saw the bubble.

"Miss!"

A powerful shockwave erupted from Si Nan Yuan's palm, instantly blasting Si Nan Ying away from her original spot.

At the same time, Elder Hong deployed the sturdiest luminous barrier yet, separating the dark bubble.

Then--

The thunderous explosion was clearly audible for miles. Everyone's consciousness went blank, leaving only a ringing in their ears. The ensuing darkness filled the void. The sensation of falling, the feel of rock, the pressure rushing towards them, all faded as their consciousness was gradually consumed by darkness...

My childhood wasn't exactly happy.

From the time I could understand things, I lived in a lavish mansion. There were maids and servants aplenty, delicious food, precious decorations, everything that money could buy.

Except, there were no friends.

I had four older brothers and one older sister. We shared the same father but had different mothers. My brothers were all much older than me and stayed in their own territories, rarely interacting. Even when they occasionally met, they wore fake smiles and spoke cold, social pleasantries, showing no brotherly affection whatsoever. Playing with me was out of the question. My sister didn't have their scheming nature, but she seemed naturally introverted and quiet. She would only humorously play with me for a bit before quickly leaving, retreating to her study.

The two people closest to me were my mother and my maternal uncle.

Though my mother was in poor health, she always indulged my willful nature. When I played alone in the courtyard, she would sit under the shade of a tree and watch me from afar. Her illness limited her mobility, preventing her from playing with me, but as long as we were together, she never let me out of her sight.

My uncle was a very learned man. Only when I was with him could I quietly read. He was knowledgeable and told me many stories about the outside world, like the prosperity of the Central Sea Islands, the religions of the West Saint Continent, the unsolved mysteries of the Far North, the legends of the Netherworld... It was then that I developed the idea of becoming an adventurer.

However, good times don't last. One day, while chatting with me, my uncle inadvertently mentioned his deep friendship with my late father's younger brother, my uncle. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he seemed frightened, covered his mouth, and left hastily. Later, I saw him enter my father's room and never come out. I told my mother about it. For the first time, my mother's expression turned grave. She said she needed to talk to my father and mentioned something about "making sure to take me away"... But when I saw her again, she looked much thinner and didn't explain what had happened, only holding me and weeping silently.

A few years later, my mother's illness worsened, and she passed away early.

As I grew older, I finally understood the past events, understood what it meant to be the daughter of the Si Nan Family's patriarch. The more I understood, the heavier the chains binding me felt. I decided to stop thinking about it, to stop worrying about the unavoidable, and to cherish every moment of happiness, to do what I wanted to do now, and live in the present...

Yet, deep down, I still hoped for someone to take me far away...

Then, I woke up.

Si Nan Ying groaned and stirred. She seemed to have had a dream, a dream about some unhappy things...

Since they were unhappy things, she wouldn't think about them anymore! Live in the present, live in the present~

Slowly opening her eyes, her vision was completely black. The air was filled with the pungent smell of dirt. She tried to move her limbs, fumbling around. Her hands met a cold, hard surface. Her back felt uncomfortably prickly. She tried to sit up, but as soon as she moved her upper body, her head hit something hard, making her see stars from the pain.

What... happened...

They encountered an alarmingly large number of Mountain Giants on the small mountain. Just when they thought they could escape, they were entangled again, and then...

Si Nan Ying's heart sank. That's right, in her desperation, she hadn't considered the power of the bomb and had directly unleashed her ultimate move. She was probably trapped now by the collapse she had caused!

The last time her Supernatural Ability went out of control, she had collapsed a building at the family estate. What about this time? She hadn't flattened the entire mountain, had she? If that were the case, then Sister Yuan, Sister Jing, Grandpa Hong, and the other team members... were they all...?

Si Nan Ying's emotions spiraled further out of control, her worry for her companions' safety nearly driving her mad. It was all her fault, all because of her! What was the point of talking about leaving the Si Nan Family, or adventuring around the world, when she couldn't even control her own Supernatural Ability, and had even endangered her companions!

"Hmph! Little Ying, before you blame others, look for the reasons within yourself! If you still can't control your Supernatural Ability, why would the guards not let you act?"

"Effort is effort, but what's the use of effort without results!"

"Weakness means being at the mercy of others!"

"Uncontrollable power is no different from weakness! This is where it ends for now, reflect on yourself properly!"

Elder Hong's past admonishments echoed in her ears, each word a stab to her heart. If only she could be more useful, if only she were smarter...

No, she couldn't wallow in despair any longer! If she couldn't even manage to get out alive, then nothing else mattered! With that thought, Si Nan Ying began to feel around the soil and rocks beside her. Of course, she didn't dare to use her bubbles to clear the way, nor did she want to risk causing a secondary collapse by digging directly. She could only feel her way around bit by bit, understanding the pressure points of the stones, and without damaging the load-bearing rocks, she began to slowly excavate with her hands.

One minute passed, ten minutes passed, an hour passed. The pitch-black darkness rendered time meaningless. Her compass had fallen somewhere on her person, so she couldn't tell which direction she was facing. Her fingernails had long since cracked, her once tender jade fingers were covered in bloody scratches, and her palms were bruised, yet she still didn't stop. After an unknown amount of time, the space she occupied had clearly expanded significantly, but it was still far from an exit.

Si Nan Ying was utterly exhausted. Her body ached as she lay on the broken stones, forcing herself to think about where to dig next...

Is this it? Is this where it ends?

Is this a punishment from heaven for being so useless?

So tired, so sleepy, I just want to sleep...

But if I fall asleep like this, I'll die, won't I...

Crack. "...Huh?"

A sound came from the darkness. It sounded like someone was digging through rocks, just like her. Was she hearing things?

"...Ying, Little Ying, where are you..."

This voice is... Xiao Ye!?

Si Nan Ying instantly felt a surge of strength throughout her body. She shouted with all her might, "Xiao Ye, it's me! I'm right here!"

The sound of digging stopped, replaced by a melodious female voice. "Little Ying? Is that really you?"

"Hurry! I found her! She's down here!"

The sound of hurried footsteps approached from a distance. With a series of falling rocks, a sliver of white light appeared in the darkness. The light grew stronger and stronger, until finally, with a rumble, a large rock was moved aside, and Si Nan Ying saw the outside world again!

What greeted her eyes was the fiery red sunset, figures rushing about, and a friend dressed in a dark red trench coat. It was a scene she saw every day for the past few days, yet now it brought tears to Si Nan Ying's eyes.

The beautiful woman in red carefully picked her up and, as if sensing her thoughts, whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, the others who were buried have also been found. A few are seriously injured, but no one has died yet."

No one has died... yet.

"That's great..."

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