Dragon Song

When Zhang Tianmou found his deputy, the latter was standing in the corridor with several subordinates in black coats, completely baffled. "Strange. There aren't any other exits in this corridor, so how did we lose him? Han Ming, did you really see him enter this corridor? Could you have been mistaken?"

Zhang Tianmou looked up at the corridor. Its deep arched structure stretched all the way to the end, where a heavy wooden door stood shut with a brass lock hanging from it. Torches were set in the mouths of gargoyle statues jutting from both walls, their flickering light casting a clear glow across the mahogany paneling.

"What exactly happened?" He walked over and asked.

"Captain."

"Captain, you're here." His deputy looked a little embarrassed. "It's really strange. We chased him here, then he suddenly vanished. There clearly aren't any other exits unless he can walk through walls or used some other strange Magic Device."

"Did you use a mana detector to trace him?" Zhang Tianmou's gaze remained fixed on the door at the end as he spoke.

"We did, but we didn't find anything. That guy vanished into thin air." His deputy answered irritably. He was a member of the Star Gate Commando, not a private detective. If every stowaway was like this, perhaps the government would have better prospects setting up a paranormal investigation unit. But Zhang Tianmou seemed unaffected by his mood. Pointing at the door, he asked, "What's behind it?"

"A cellar."

"Did you check it?"

"Yes. It's empty."

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

His deputy was struck speechless.

"Open the door," Zhang Tianmou said at last.

Only then did the deputy have someone take out the key and step forward to unlock it. "Where did this key come from?" Zhang Tianmou glanced at it.

"We got it from Mr. Mazak earlier. I originally wanted him to send someone over to open the door for us, but I didn't expect him to hand us the key directly," the deputy replied.

By then, the man with the key had opened the door. Beyond the heavy wooden door was a flight of stairs leading downward, pitch-black beyond. The deputy removed a torch from a gargoyle's mouth and brought it over. By the firelight, Zhang Tianmou looked down. The cellar was not deep, and a layer of dust covered the stone floor. The dim light stretched forward, revealing that the dust in the middle was noticeably thinner.

"What used to be there?" he asked, pointing to that spot.

The deputy and the others exchanged looks, unable to give a proper answer. Weren't they here to find someone? Who cared what had once been stored in the cellar? Besides, whatever it was, it had been too large for that person to carry away.

Zhang Tianmou took the torch from his hand and descended several steps. The others could not make sense of what he was doing. The cellar was clearly empty. But Zhang Tianmou studied the shadows scattered throughout the room closely, then suddenly said, "Go get several more torches."

The deputy had just begun to turn around.

The shadows in the cellar suddenly stirred, gathering like black smoke. When the smoky haze dispersed, it revealed the figure of a short youth.

He wore a cloak and held a dark Smoky Crystal in his hands. He raised his head to look at them. The soft brim of his lowered hood concealed half his face, revealing only his chin, neck, and fine silver hair.

"A Smoky Crystal?" the deputy blurted out.

"You're from the military among the Chosen. Why are you following me?" the youth asked in a raspy voice.

Zhang Tianmou caught sight of his sharp canine teeth and paused slightly. "A Luotao?" That did not quite match the target's description. Yet the youth's actions made him suspicious, and he casually asked, "You used that Smoky Crystal to sneak into the competition, didn't you? What do you want?"

"I thought you didn't interfere in the affairs of the natives?" the youth replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

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

The youth looked at him without saying a word.

"Captain?" His deputy grew nervous. If this youth was not their target, then what they were doing violated regulations.

"Step back. The operation is over. Return to the hall," Zhang Tianmou said.

But he fully unsheathed his sword and held it out toward the youth. It was a rapier, its narrow blade glinting with a cold light as it tapered back toward its basket hilt.

Just as the two faced each other, a tremor traveled through the inn's floor.

Zhang Tianmou swayed and hurriedly braced himself against the wall. Hearing his deputy cry out behind him, he immediately realized something was wrong. Looking up, he saw the youth take a step back, black smoke curling beneath his cloak and completely enveloping him.

The black smoke surged to the cellar ceiling and spread toward the doorway. Part of it remained on the ground, however. Zhang Tianmou lunged forward and slashed with his sword, but the blade passed through the smoke and struck nothing.

The smoke had already gathered at the ceiling. Zhang Tianmou threw away the torch, transferred the rapier from his right hand to his left, then drew a Hand Cannon with his reverse grip. He cocked the hammer with his thumb and prepared to fire.

But at that very moment, another tremor ran through the floor, and the entire inn shook violently. No one could keep their footing, and they had to support themselves against the walls.

"What's happening?" the deputy cried out despite himself.

Zhang Tianmou had to brace his sword against the ground. When he looked up, the smoke had already flowed along the ceiling and out into the corridor. He raised his Hand Cannon and fired. The bullet struck the smoke amid a burst of flame, and a muffled groan came from within the black haze, but it still rushed out into the corridor at top speed.

At that very moment, everyone heard a shriek coming from somewhere far away—

The shriek rolled toward them like a tide, dimming the light around them. The flames of the torches were pressed down to tiny, feeble points like candle flames.

The surroundings kept growing darker.

Dragon Horn Hall was brightly lit.

Blood Night Demon Moon listened to the people around her discussing the earlier match. No one had expected such a massive upset in the finals. A main-event competitor had actually been eliminated by a qualifier from the preliminary rounds—something that had never happened before. Yet the match had unfolded in full view of everyone, without any backstage manipulation. There had only been an astonishing battle.

Naturally, the audience became eager to know just who Fang Heng was.

In fact, counting the Elpaxin Artificer Guild competitor who had forfeited, this was already the second main-event competitor Fang Heng had eliminated. People could not help wondering whether the final champion of this competition might actually be a preliminary-round contestant.

"What do you think?" Blood Night Demon Moon returned to her seat, her slender fingers moving rapidly as she typed into the glowing window.

R: Not bad.

Blood Night Demon Moon: That's it?

R: What else?

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

R: Before I figure out 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 displeasure. "What, is it so bad to look at me a little longer? Have you been fooling around while I wasn't there?"

R: ...

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

Blood Night Demon Moon froze and instinctively looked behind her. There was the center of the hall. Above, from the dome, hung that enormous, savage black dragon horn. It had hung there for decades, but no one knew who its owner had been.

At that moment, someone stood blankly beneath the dragon horn with his head lowered, as though lost in thought. He was a native, dressed in the inn gatekeeper's uniform. He seemed to be holding something in his hand, with wisps of black smoke coiling around it.

Blood Night Demon Moon looked at him again before realizing that he had been standing there for a long time. She recalled seeing him in that same posture and spot when she had returned earlier.

A vague sense of unease suddenly rose within her. She stood up, intending to find a nearby Dwarf Guard. But at that very moment, the gatekeeper took a step forward, and the entire hall gave a slight shudder.

Blood Night Demon Moon felt dizzy and immediately planted both hands on the wooden table.

On the arena, staff members were clearing the field. The naturalists and magic engineers were busy using Magic Crystals to reset the terrain for the next match. Hong Ye made her way through the crowd to Fang Heng, ready to return the Clockwork Sprite to him.

"You were very good. I'm completely convinced by my loss," she said.

"You were too." Fang Heng could not help blushing whenever he was praised. He answered, extremely embarrassed, "Miss Hong Ye, your fighting style is very unique, but Overload Flow doesn't really suit you."

Hong Ye heard that and could not help looking at the Clockwork Sprite in her hand, then at the big boy before her. She suddenly asked, "Is this what you talk about with girls?"

"Huh?" Fang Heng froze, unable to make heads or tails of it.

At that moment, Tianlan was the first to rush over. She shrieked as she congratulated Fang Heng, "You did it, Ai... Brother Shaya, that Clockwork Sprite was unbelievably cool!" The French girl looked so excited that it seemed as though Fang Heng's victory had made her happier than it had made him.

Fang Heng could only return her enthusiasm with a smile.

Etila and the others also came over. The elven girl smiled and nodded at him, followed by Jita and Hudi. Luo Yu came last. The tall youth's eyes were filled with admiration as he looked at Fang Heng. Apart from Hudi, he was probably the only one among them who understood just how astonishing Fang Heng's maneuver had been.

"Luo Yu, Jita," Hong Ye said only then.

Only then did Jita and Luo Yu notice her. Startled, they nervously said, "Sister Hong Ye." The two of them were merely trainees of the Taboris Oak Knights, while she was not only a full member but one of its best. She was practically a senior among seniors.

Hong Ye smiled. "You found yourselves a good team."

Both of them instinctively looked at Fang Heng.

Hong Ye also looked at him and asked, "Are you a member of Elite's youth training team?"

Fang Heng shook his head.

The girl looked surprised. "Then are you with the Silverwood Spear? Or Silver Weslan? That would be quite far away."

"Brother Shaya doesn't have a guild. He's a solo player, Sister Hong Ye," Jita answered softly.

Hong Ye's eyes lit up. "Would you be interested in joining the Taboris Oak Knights? There are plenty of beautiful girls in our guild, little brother."

Fang Heng scratched his head awkwardly.

Jita lowered her head and pretended not to hear, while Luo Yu coughed twice under his breath.

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

Hong Ye frowned at the voice. Turning around, she indeed saw Wu Di and Liuli Yue approaching one after the other.

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

"The last among the top ten," Hong Ye added.

"At least we're better than some unknown guild that came out of nowhere," Liuli Yue immediately shot back.

"This unknown guild ranks far higher than the Silverwood Spear in the Sea of Clouds region. How laughable. The Crown of Silverwood has more than just your one branch guild," Hong Ye said with a cold sneer, raising an eyebrow.

"A defeated opponent," Liuli Yue said disdainfully. "You couldn't even beat some snot-nosed kid."

"You—" Hong Ye was so angry she nearly exploded on the spot.

At last, Tianlan caught on and shouted, "Pah! Brother Shaya isn't some snot-nosed kid! Besides, aren't you the same? You're next, and you'll be carried out too!"

Liuli Yue's brow twitched. "What did you say?"

"Enough." Wu Di finally could not bear listening any longer and interrupted them. "Mr. Shaya, what is your decision?"

With his dead-fish eyes, he looked at Fang Heng as if life had lost all meaning.

"Keep dreaming. Brother Shaya would never join the Silverwood Spear. Not in this lifetime," Tianlan loudly answered before Fang Heng could.

"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. Tianlan grumbled inwardly, but her mouth refused to concede. "Of course I know, because... because... right, because he has a grudge against the Silverwood Spear!"

The moment she said that, Hong Ye, Liuli Yue, and Wu Di—all six eyes—turned toward Fang Heng.

"Ah—?"

After hearing Tianlan's answer, Fang Heng could not say a word for a long time. This blunt little girl nearly made him cry from anger. Never mind that it was a misunderstanding in the first place—even if it had not been, she could not say it right to their faces.

He was just about to explain when the hall floor suddenly shook violently, sending everyone staggering. People hurriedly grabbed tables and chairs, barely managing to keep their balance.

Then a distant shriek seemed to come from the farthest horizon.

Every source of light in the hall dimmed at the same instant. The sound wave spread in all directions, followed by the crashing of glassware shattering. On the stone walls around the hall, the flames of torches held in gargoyle mouths were reduced to thin threads, while the hanging lamps and candlesticks on the wooden tables went out together.

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

Terrified screams rose one after another. The attendants, spectators, and goblins in the hall scattered in panic. Only the adventurers managed to remain calm, though only for the moment. Covering their ears, they felt the ground tremble again as dust flew into the air.

Fang Heng found the scene vaguely familiar. He instinctively looked in that direction and happened to see smoke spreading through the dome, as if some colossal creature were awakening within it. Then it spread its wings and swooped down.

It landed in the center of the hall.

It was a dragon—