Dragon Song

Zhang Tianmou found his deputy in the corridor, looking bewildered with a few subordinates in black coats. "Strange, there are no other exits in this corridor, how can we not find him? Han Ming, did you really see him enter this corridor, or did you make a mistake?"

Zhang Tianmou looked up at the corridor. Its deep arched structure led to a thick, closed wooden door at the end, secured with a brass lock. Torches in sconces, shaped like gargoyles extending from the walls, flickered, casting unsteady light on the polished red wood paneling.

"What exactly is going on?" he walked over and asked.

"Captain."

"Captain, you're here," his deputy said sheepishly. "It's really weird. We chased him here and he just disappeared. There's clearly no other exit. Unless he can phase through walls, or used some strange Magic Device."

"Did you use a magic detector to trace him?" Zhang Tianmou's gaze kept drifting to the door at the end of the corridor as he asked.

"We did, but found no clues. The guy just vanished into thin air," the deputy replied irritably. He was a member of the Star Gate Commando, not a private detective. If every stowaway was like this, the government might as well form an anomaly investigation team; it might be more promising. But Zhang Tianmou seemed unaffected by his mood. He pointed to the door and asked, "What's behind there?"

"A cellar."

"Did you look?"

"We did. It's empty."

"Does an empty cellar need to be locked?" Zhang Tianmou turned back and asked.

The deputy was stumped.

"Open the door," Zhang Tianmou said then.

The deputy had someone get the key and walk over to open the door. "Where did this key come from?" Zhang Tianmou looked at the key.

"We got it from Mr. Mazak earlier. I was going to ask him to find someone to help us open the door, but he just gave us the key," the deputy replied.

By then, the person with the key had opened the door. The heavy wooden door swung open, revealing a downward staircase into darkness. The deputy removed a torch from a gargoyle's mouth and walked over. Zhang Tianmou peered down by the torchlight. The cellar wasn't deep. The stone floor was covered in a layer of dust. The torchlight cast dim, uncertain light forward, with a noticeably thinner layer of dust in the center.

"What was originally stored there?" he asked, pointing.

The deputy and the others exchanged glances, unable to answer. They were looking for a person, who would care what was originally in the cellar? Besides, it was something so big, the person couldn't have taken it with them.

Zhang Tianmou took the torch from him and descended a few steps. The others were a bit confused by his actions; the cellar was clearly empty. But Zhang Tianmou stared intently at the shadows distributed in the cellar and suddenly said, "Go get a few more torches."

Just as the deputy was about to turn, the shadows in the cellar suddenly surged, coalescing like black smoke. When the dust and smoke settled, the figures of several short teenagers appeared behind them.

He wore a cloak, holding a dark Smoky Crystal in his hands, and looked up at them. The soft brim of his lowered hood obscured half his face, revealing only his chin and neck, and fine, soft silver hair.

"Smoky Crystal?" the deputy exclaimed.

"You are from the Chosen's military. Why are you following me?" the teenager asked, his voice raspy.

Zhang Tianmou's eyes widened slightly upon seeing the sharp canine teeth. "Luotao?" This was quite different from the target's description. However, the teenager's actions made him suspicious. He asked casually, "You used this Smoky Crystal to sneak into the competition, didn't you? What's your purpose?"

"I recall you don't interfere in the affairs of the natives," the teenager replied, neither subservient nor arrogant.

Zhang Tianmou looked at him and slowly drew his sword. "In principle, yes. But right now, I'm asking you this question as an individual. The owner of this inn is my friend."

The teenager looked at him, saying nothing.

"Captain?" the deputy asked nervously. If this teenager wasn't their target, their current actions were against regulations.

"You all step back. The operation is over. Return to the hall," Zhang Tianmou said.

But he completely drew his sword, holding it in his hand, pointing it at the teenager—it was a Rapier, its blade long and narrow, flashing with a cold, sharp light, tapering to the hilt.

As the two faced off, a tremor ran through the inn's floor.

Zhang Tianmou felt a sway and quickly grabbed the wall. He heard his deputy cry out behind him and knew something was wrong. He looked up and saw the teenager take a step back, black smoke swirling from beneath his cloak, completely enveloping him.

The black smoke surged upwards to the cellar ceiling and spread towards the entrance. But some of it remained on the ground. Zhang Tianmou lunged forward and slashed with his sword. The blade passed through the smoke, cutting empty air.

The smoke was already gathering towards the ceiling. Zhang Tianmou threw down the torch, switched his Rapier from his right hand to his left, drew a Hand Cannon with his left hand, pulled back the hammer with his thumb, and prepared to fire.

But at that very moment, another tremor ran through the ground, and the entire inn shook violently. Everyone lost their footing and leaned against the walls.

"What's happening?" the deputy couldn't help but exclaim.

Zhang Tianmou had to brace himself on the ground with his sword blade, looking up as the smoke flowed along the ceiling towards the outer corridor. He raised his Hand Cannon and fired. With a flash of fire, the bullet hit the smoke. A muffled groan came from within the black smoke, but it still rolled out of the corridor at top speed.

And at that moment, everyone heard a piercing shriek from far away—

The shriek arrived like a tide, causing the surrounding light to dim. The flames of the torches were suppressed to their minimum, weak like candlelight.

The surroundings darkened uncontrollably.

The Dragon Horn Hall was brightly lit.

Blood Night Demon Moon listened to the surrounding discussions about the previous match. No one expected such a huge upset in the finals. A contestant from the preliminary qualifiers had eliminated a main tournament participant; this was unprecedented. The match had been conducted in full view of everyone, with no foul play, only an astonishing battle.

As a result, the audience was eager to know who Fang Heng was.

In fact, including the contestant from the Elpaxin Artificer Guild who forfeited, this was the second main tournament contestant Fang Heng had eliminated. People couldn't help but wonder if the final champion would be a contestant from the preliminary qualifiers.

"What do you think?" Blood Night Demon Moon sat back in her seat, her slender fingers moving rapidly, typing on the glowing display.

R: It's okay.

Blood Night Demon Moon: Just okay?

R: What else?

Blood Night Demon Moon frowned and typed, "Don't play dumb. You know what I mean—"

Before I understand what you mean, I think you should turn off the tracking window first. Real-time video transmission is really expensive.

Blood Night Demon Moon raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction: "What, is it bad to look at me more? Did you cheat on me while I was away?"

R: ...

R: Relatively speaking, I'm more concerned about the person behind you. I think you'd better stay away from him.

Blood Night Demon Moon was stunned and instinctively looked back. It was the center of the hall, and above the dome hung that ferocious, giant, pitch-black dragon horn. This dragon horn had been hanging there for decades, but no one knew who its owner was.

At this moment, a person stood blankly under the dragon horn, head bowed, thinking about something unknown. It was a native, wearing the clothes of a hotel doorman, and he seemed to be holding something in his hand, with wisps of black smoke curling around it.

Blood Night Demon Moon glanced at the other person again and realized that he had been standing there for a long time. She remembered that when she had returned earlier, she had seen the person standing in that spot in the same posture.

She suddenly felt that something was wrong and stood up, wanting to find a nearby Dwarf Guard. But at this moment, the doorman took a step forward, and the entire hall suddenly swayed slightly.

Blood Night Demon Moon felt dizzy, and her hands immediately braced against the wooden table.

On the field, staff were clearing the area, while Naturalists and Mages were busy using Magic Crystals to rearrange the terrain for the next match. Hong Ye walked through the crowd and came to Fang Heng's side, preparing to return the Clockwork Sprite to him.

"You're very skilled. I'm convinced I lost," she said.

"You too," Fang Heng blushed involuntarily when praised and replied sheepishly, "Miss Hong Ye, your fighting style is very unique, but the Overload Flow isn't really suitable for you."

Hearing this, Hong Ye couldn't help but look at the Clockwork Sprite in her hand, then at the young man, and suddenly said, "Is this what you say to girls?"

"Ah?" Fang Heng was stunned, not understanding.

At this moment, Tian Lan was the first to rush over, shouting congratulations to Fang Heng: "You did it, Ai... Brother Shaya, that Clockwork Sprite was amazing!" The French Girl looked extremely excited, as if Fang Heng had won the match, and she was happier than he was.

Fang Heng could only offer her a smile.

Etila and the others also walked over. The elf girl also smiled and nodded at him, followed by Jita and Hudi. Finally, there was Luo Yu. The tall young man looked at Fang Heng with admiration. Among these people, apart from Hudi, he was probably the only one who understood how astonishing the former's operations were.

"Luo Yu, Jita," Hong Ye said at this point.

Jita and Luo Yu finally saw her and were startled, saying nervously, "Sister Hong Ye." The two were just Trainees of the Taboris Oak Knights, while she was not only a formal member but also one of its outstanding individuals, a senior among seniors, so to speak.

Hong Ye smiled: "You've found a good team."

Both of them subconsciously looked at Fang Heng.

Hong Ye also looked at him and asked again, "Excuse me, are you a member of the Elite youth training team?"

Fang Heng shook his head.

The girl was curious: "Is it the Silverwood Spear? Or the Silver Weslan? That's a bit far."

"Brother Shaya doesn't have a guild. He's a lone wolf, Sister Hong Ye," Jita replied softly.

Hong Ye's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Are you interested in joining the Taboris Oak Knights? We have many beautiful girls in our guild, little brother."

Fang Heng scratched his head sheepishly.

Jita lowered her head, pretending not to hear, while Luo Yu coughed softly.

But at this moment, another voice came from behind them: "Join the Silverwood Spear."

Hong Ye frowned upon hearing this voice and turned around to see Wu Di and Liuli Yue walking over, one after the other.

Wu Di formally repeated to Fang Heng: "The Silverwood Spear is a branch of the Crown of Silverwood in the First World. Our main guild is one of the top ten guilds in the Super Competition China region."

"The bottom of the top ten guilds," Hong Ye added.

"Better than some unknown guild that popped out of nowhere," Liuli Yue immediately retorted.

"This unknown guild's ranking in the Sea of Clouds region is much higher than the Silverwood Spear's. It's hilarious. You're not the only branch of the Crown of Silverwood," Hong Ye said, raising her eyebrows and sneering.

"Loser," Liuli Yue said disdainfully, "can't even beat a mere boy."

"You—" Hong Ye was so angry she almost exploded.

At this time, Tian Lan finally reacted and shouted, "Pfft, Brother Shaya isn't a mere boy! Besides, you're no different. It's your turn soon, get carried away next!"

Liuli Yue's eyebrows twitched: "What did you say?"

"Enough," Wu Di finally couldn't stand it and interrupted them, "Mr. Shaya, what's your decision?"

He looked at Fang Heng with his dead fish eyes, somewhat listlessly.

"Don't dream, Brother Shaya will never join the Silverwood Spear, not in this lifetime," Tian Lan blurted out loudly.

"Your name is Shaya? How do you know he won't join our guild?" Liuli Yue immediately retorted.

Brother Ed isn't called Shaya either. Tian Lan thought to herself, but she refused to back down, replying, "Of course I know, because... because, that's right, because he has a grudge against the Silverwood Spear!"

As soon as she said this, Hong Ye, Liuli Yue, and Wu Di, a total of six pairs of eyes, all turned to Fang Heng.

"Ah—?"

Fang Heng was speechless for a long time after hearing Tian Lan's answer, almost crying from the outspoken girl. Putting aside the fact that it was a misunderstanding, even if it wasn't, she shouldn't have said it in front of others.

He was about to explain, but at that moment, the ground of the hall suddenly shook violently, making everyone stumble. People quickly grabbed onto tables and chairs to steady themselves.

And a distant, piercing shriek seemed to come from the far horizon.

All the light sources in the hall dimmed at the same time, and sound waves spread in all directions, accompanied by the shattering of glass objects. The flames of the torches in the mouths of the gargoyles on the stone walls around the hall were reduced to a single wisp, and the lamps and candlesticks on the wooden tables were all extinguished.

The entire Dragon Horn Hall seemed to plunge into darkness in an instant.

Screams of terror rose and fell, with the waiters, audience, and little goblins in the hall scattering in all directions. Only the adventurers could keep their composure, but it was only temporary. Everyone covered their ears, feeling the ground tremble slightly again, and dust flew up.

Fang Heng had a faint sense of familiarity with this scene. He subconsciously looked in that direction and happened to see the smoke filling the dome, as if some colossal creature was awakening. Then, it spread its wings and flew down from there.

It landed in the center of the hall.

It was a dragon--