After leaving the last of the four great sects, inspiration burst through Huang Tian's mind, and countless ideas surfaced.
He sat on horseback and closed his eyes. Without guiding it, he let the flood-dragon horse carry him into the distance.
The horse seemed to know its master had entered a realm of profound mystery. It dared not run, instead walking lightly across the land.
It passed through wild grass and flowers, crossed one lush forest after another, reached the main road, then strayed from it again.
"Roar—"
A tiger's roar came from afar, echoing in every direction and startling birds into flight.
The flood-dragon horse perked up. Carrying its master, it ambled toward a hill ahead.
They called it a mountain, but it was not particularly high. It looked more like a gentle slope.
From a distance, five young men and women could be seen on the slope with several guards. They led their horses and spread out mats, seemingly about to sit and enjoy the view.
"Brother Qin, this place really is strange. When we climbed up, it didn't look high at all, just like a little hill. But now we're here, there's a sheer cliff right in front of us!"
A girl in a green dress peered curiously down the cliff. The rock face was mottled and yellowed, with clumps of shrubs and wild grass growing along its incline, scattered with flecks of green.
Farther below, clouds as soft and white as cotton drifted slowly past the middle of the cliff. The valley beneath appeared and vanished through them.
From deep in the valley came occasional roars of tigers and cries of apes, some deep and powerful, others high and piercing, as though they were calling to one another.
The man she called Brother Qin was a young