Dragonfall Land

As the days passed, the human and two demons deep within the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences grew increasingly comfortable and familiar with one another.

At first, Black Mountain and Red Wind had still been grateful and polite over the pills, even keeping their voices down when they spoke. But they were demon beasts, after all, frank by nature, and within a few days, they had tossed that politeness to the back of their minds.

Trust accumulated in these small, ordinary moments.

At some point, Black Mountain began lying behind him while he meditated, like a warm little mountain, shielding him from the chilly mountain winds at night.

Whenever he traveled, Red Wind would also lower that imposing body, inviting him to climb aboard.

Si Chen did not refuse.

Leaning against Black Mountain's thick, soft fur, or sitting on Red Wind's broad, steady back as they passed through the mist-wreathed mountain forests, gave him some of the rare moments of peace he had known since leaving home.

The hatchling named "Red Bean" had changed even more astonishingly in the month or so since it had broken out of its shell.

It had long since shed its wet, naked, ugly newborn appearance. Thick, soft, crimson down now covered its body, and it had grown rapidly, becoming several times larger.

Its wings had grown stronger, too, allowing it to flutter through short flights. Deeply affectionate toward and dependent on Si Chen, it almost never left his side. Its favorite spot was his shoulder, where it would rub its fluffy little head against his cheek.

The intelligence it displayed left Black Mountain and Red Wind clicking their tongues in wonder.

"Go fetch that fruit." Sometimes, Si Chen would test it by pointing at a wild fruit on a low shrub nearby.

Red Bean would tilt its head and glance at him with its obsidian eyes, then usually flutter over, carefully grasp the fruit with its claws, and fly back to place it in Si Chen's palm,

Then raise its little head and give a "chirp," as though waiting for praise.

"Hey! That's downright uncanny!" Black Mountain scratched its belly with a bear paw, utterly baffled. "Ordinary demon beasts have brains like a lump of paste until they reach the third tier. All they know is eating and fighting. How many days has it even been since this one hatched?"

Red Wind swished its tail as well, its red tiger eyes full of curiosity. "It really is strange. Unless... it was born with inherited memories? But it looks ordinary no matter how you look at it, not like anything with a powerful bloodline..."

Red Bean seemed to understand that they were discussing it. Proudly lifting its little head, it paced two steps across Si Chen's shoulder, looking so amusing that Si Chen could not resist giving it a gentle poke with his finger.

Right in the midst of this easy, pleasant moment-

Bzz!

The dark scale that had lain quietly in Si Chen's Storage Ring suddenly released an incredibly powerful fluctuation without warning, after two full years of silence!

It was more than a hundred times clearer than the faint sensation from before, as though something were calling to it!

With a thought, Si Chen immediately took out the scale.

A faint black sheen now covered its once-dull surface. It no longer felt cold to the touch, either, but instead carried a trace of warmth.

"This is..." Just as he was about to examine it more closely, he heard two sharp intakes of breath beside him.

"A Flood Dragon Scale!" Black Mountain and Red Wind exclaimed almost in unison, their two pairs of enormous eyes fixed on the scale in Si Chen's hand, filled with shock.

"A Flood Dragon Scale?"

Si Chen looked at them. "You recognize this?"

"Recognize it? Of course we do!" Black Mountain's voice rose involuntarily. "That's a treasure, but it's also something that can get you killed!"

Red Wind's voice also held a trace of excitement. "Brother Si Chen, where did you get that?"

"Picked it up," Si Chen answered honestly. He had found it in Lü Yan's rather "poor" Storage Ring.

Black Mountain leaned closer, sniffing the scale with its enormous nose, and spoke in a rumbling voice. "No mistake, that's the scent of a Flood Dragon! It's very faint now, but there's no mistaking that pressure!"

Si Chen grew even more curious. "Flood Dragons... are they very powerful? And if this is a treasure, why would it get someone killed?"

Red Wind flicked its tail, drew a deep breath, and explained, "Flood Dragons are an unusual branch of the Demon Race. They carry dragon blood, and they're powerful and rare."

"When they sense their lives nearing their end, or suffer wounds too severe to heal, they shake off all their scales and shoot them in every direction, like... scattering bait..."

Si Chen was even more puzzled. He frowned. "Bait?"

"To lure powerful beings to the place where they fall." Black Mountain excitedly picked up the explanation, thumping its bear paws against the ground:

"The Dragon Race loves collecting treasures by nature, and Flood Dragons are no different! The place where one falls is bound to be piled high with everything it plundered over its lifetime!"

Si Chen looked at the scale in his hand, still confused. "If it's already dead, why would it lure others to its resting place?"

Red Wind's swishing tail paused, and its tone grew grave. "That's what makes Flood Dragons so terrifying, and so cunning. It isn't seeking a place to rest in peace. It's seeking a thread of hope for survival."

"Legend has it that if enough living beings, powerful enough, die where it fell, and their essence blood and souls are offered as sacrifices... that Flood Dragon, which should have died, has a sliver of a chance to defy heaven, wrest back its life, and rise again!"

Black Mountain nodded. "Exactly. That place is both a treasure vault and a slaughterhouse! Even so, whenever a Flood Dragon Scale appears, countless humans and demons flock to it like ducks to water. After all... that's a Flood Dragon's collection!"

Si Chen listened quietly to the end and understood.

This was a gamble both sides entered willingly. One side staked the treasures it had accumulated over a lifetime, while the other wagered their own lives.

Then would the "Yang Thunder" I'm looking for be there, amid this grand "Dragonfall"?

As though answering his speculation-

Rumble!!!

The entire Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences shook violently! It was as though a colossal beast that had slept for countless ages had rolled over beneath their feet.

A vast, terrifying aura thundered out from the deepest reaches of the mountain range, instantly sweeping through every inch of the forest.

Overhead, clouds gathered madly, vaguely forming a massive vortex that covered nearly half the sky. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth began to boil.

Like a storm, this fluctuation swept outward in every direction from the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences.

A thousand miles away, countless cultivators, whether meditating or occupied with other tasks, sensed it at that instant regardless of their cultivation. They raised their heads in horror and looked toward the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences.

"A rare treasure has appeared?"

"No! That aura... it's dragon might! A dragon-kind legacy hoard has emerged!"

"In the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences!"

Deep within the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences, even more powerful native demon beasts were thoroughly roused. They were more sensitive to a Flood Dragon's aura, and Dragonfall Land exerted an even stronger pull on their bloodlines. For a time, beast roars rose one after another throughout the mountains.

"It's here! It really is Dragonfall Land!" Black Mountain was so excited that it stood upright, waving its bear paws.

Red Wind's body tensed as well, its tiger eyes blazing. "Brother Si Chen, what do you say? Are we wading into these muddy waters or not?"

They exchanged a glance, each seeing the excitement and nervousness in the other's eyes.

Opportunity lay right before them, but the danger was equally clear.

Si Chen looked at the faintly trembling Flood Dragon Scale in his hand, then glanced at Red Bean, which was looking around curiously on his shoulder, and at the two demon companions beside him, who were loud and boisterous but sincere enough.

There might be something he needed there, and there might also be opportunities that would benefit them all.

As for danger...

I'll just beat it to death.

"All right." Si Chen nodded. "Let's go take a look together."

At his words, bold spirit surged in Black Mountain's chest, and it roared, "That's my brother! You've got guts!"

"Let's go! Let's meet that old Flood Dragon!" Red Wind gave an excited growl as well.

And so,

One human, one bird, one bear, and one tiger-this peculiar group followed the scale's guidance and set off deeper into the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences, toward the source of that dragon might.