The Heavenly Pit

Red Wind naturally lowered his body, motioning for Si Chen to climb on.

Si Chen did not stand on ceremony. He lightly leaped onto the tiger's broad, warm back and found a comfortable place to sit, while Red Bean perched obediently on his shoulder.

"Hold on tight, Brother Si Chen!"

With a low growl, Red Wind pushed off with all four limbs, becoming a red streak weaving through the forest.

Black Mountain lumbered ahead to clear the way. The ground trembled beneath his heavy footsteps, yet his pace was no slower.

They had developed this rapport over the past month.

It had started when Si Chen tried several times to pick some wild fruit nearby on his own. Unsurprisingly, he lost his way in the ancient forests of the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences every single time.

Each time, Black Mountain and Red Wind had to follow his scent and expend a great deal of effort to find him.

After that, whenever they needed to go anywhere slightly farther away, either Red Wind carried him or Black Mountain led him.

The two demons had gone from speechless at Si Chen's hopeless sense of direction to thoroughly accustomed to it.

Si Chen himself was quite untroubled. After all, he had already survived being lost for two years.

The Dragonfall Land, where wind and clouds converged, seemed almost within reach. But a distant mountain could run a horse to death; it was far farther away than it looked.

Along the way, they encountered several groups of beings also heading toward the source of the dragon's oppressive aura.

There were wary human cultivators riding Magic Artifacts, conversing quietly in groups of three or five, as well as fierce members of the Demon Race in all manner of forms, traveling alone or together toward the same destination.

Sure enough, news of the Flood Dragon's death had drawn out every lurking ghost and monster.

The closer they came to their destination, the more humans and demons they encountered.

Red Wind and Black Mountain made no effort to conceal their auras. Most ordinary demonic beasts and human cultivators chose to step aside upon sensing those two powerful demonic presences, sparing them considerable trouble.

They traveled for well over half a day. Only when the sun sank behind the western mountains and they crossed a final ridge covered in jagged, grotesque rocks did the view suddenly open up.

An enormous Heavenly Pit lay before them, its sides sheer and its depths unfathomable, filled with a faint gray mist.

Most striking of all was a dimly glowing entrance barely visible at the very center of the Heavenly Pit, as though it led to another world.

But a barrier visible to the naked eye blocked everyone's path at the entrance.

The humans and the Demon Race occupied opposite sides, as sharply divided as two rivers of different colors, each visibly wary of the other.

On the human side, cultivators wore all manner of attire. Some belonged to sects, others to lineages, and quite a few were Rogue Cultivators. They spoke in low voices, their gazes occasionally sweeping toward the depths of the Heavenly Pit.

The demons came in varied forms and radiated a wild air. Most retained their original bodies, some crouching, others pacing.

Si Chen and his companions drew considerable attention upon arriving.

A white-robed youth riding a majestic Crimson-Eyed Tiger, accompanied by a Mountain-Shaking Bear the size of a small hill-such a combination could hardly escape notice.

What surprised the human cultivators even more was that several powerful demonic beasts in the demons' camp actually greeted Si Chen with familiar growls when they saw him.

"Hey! Boss Black, Boss Wind, you're here too!" a Pig Demon grunted.

"Interested in that old Flood Dragon's collection too, young Si Chen?" A Giant Eagle with feathers sharp as blades landed on a nearby rock and spoke in human language.

Si Chen nodded to them. These were all "neighbors" he had met while wandering around with Black Mountain and Red Wind over the past month.

During that month, Black Mountain and Red Wind had often taken Si Chen roaming through the depths of the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences.

With his uncomplicated disposition and their deliberate introductions, he had become a familiar face to quite a few demons who had awakened their intelligence.

The demonic beasts also found this human youth likable and accepted him.

Their friendly interactions immediately sparked whispers among the human cultivators.

"Who is that brat? How is he so familiar with those beasts?"

"They seem pretty close... Those demonic beasts are actually treating him so politely?"

"A mere Foundation Establishment Realm brat, coming to a place like this and calling demonic beasts his brothers..."

Their voices were quiet, but everyone present possessed keen ears and sharp eyes. They heard every word clearly.

Black Mountain snorted in displeasure, spraying a puff of white vapor. His bear eyes, as large as bronze bells, glared their way. "What are you staring at? Who my brother chooses to befriend is none of your damn business!"

Those words were like a stick thrust into a hornets' nest. The human cultivators erupted at once.

"Impudent! Such insolence!"

"Wallowing with demons, willingly degrading himself! A disgrace to humanity!"

A sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked cultivator pointed at Si Chen and cursed, "Brat, didn't your parents teach you how to behave like a human being?"

Si Chen had paid little attention to their remarks, but the moment he heard that, his gaze turned cold.

His parents, his loved ones, and his warm lineage flashed through his mind.

He would not allow anyone to sully that warmth with such words.

Bzz-

A long spear formed entirely of dazzling lightning instantly materialized in his palm, then tore through the air toward the insolent young cultivator with a piercing explosive crack!

Thunderbolt Spear-that was the name Si Chen had given this move.

The young cultivator had no time to mount any effective response. He felt only the breath of death rushing toward his face, and his eyes widened in terror.

"Watch out!"

An older cultivator beside him abruptly shoved him aside.

Squelch!

Blood burst forth!

The lightning spear grazed the young cultivator's shoulder, and the raging lightning instantly vaporized his entire right arm! Even the shock wave blasted a large, charred crater into the ground behind him.

The young cultivator let out a piercing scream, clutched the stump of his arm, and collapsed unconscious.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden attack.

That violent power of lightning, that unmistakable lightning spear...

Someone in the crowd cried out, "It's him! Si Chen, the one who killed Elder Lü of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect in Ancient Gaze City two years ago!"

At those words, an uproar swept through the human camp.

The name of the man who had slain a Golden Core cultivator while only at Foundation Establishment and razed the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's outpost two years earlier had long since spread throughout the surrounding region.

Now, at the sight of that unmistakable Thunderbolt Spear, someone had recognized him immediately.

"Si Chen! It really is you!"

A roar filled with hatred etched into the bone rolled across the sky like thunder.

Several fierce streaks of sword light pierced the clouds and arrived above the Heavenly Pit in an instant.

The man at their head wore lavish robes, his face bearing a strong resemblance to the late Lü Yan. He was none other than Sect Master Lü Ci, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator! Behind him followed two Golden Core elders with deep, powerful auras.

From afar, Lü Ci had already heard the commotion and that name he hated to his very bones.

His gaze instantly locked onto the white-robed youth riding the Crimson-Eyed Tiger-the only human there standing among the demons.

Enemies meeting face-to-face saw red. The murder of his younger brother and the humiliation of his sect now surged into towering killing intent.

"Your life is mine!"

Lü Ci wasted no words. A terrifying, supremely condensed streak of Sword Qi carrying Nascent Soul pressure hurtled toward Si Chen!

The strike was swift as lightning and contained a Nascent Soul Cultivator's full power, determined to kill Si Chen on the spot!

"Roar!"

"Raaagh!"

Without needing to exchange a word, Red Wind and Black Mountain moved simultaneously.

Wind blades whirled furiously around Red Wind. Black Mountain reared upright and, with a roar, slammed his enormous paw toward the sword light, bearing enough force to shatter a mountain!

Boom-!

A deafening explosion rang across the sky. Violent waves of energy scattered in every direction, sending many weaker cultivators staggering.

Red Wind and Black Mountain's massive bodies both slid backward several steps. They had forcibly withstood a furious strike from a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

"You old bastard, trying to hurt our brother right in front of us?" Red Wind bared his fangs, wind blades circling his body.

Seeing Black Mountain and Red Wind act, the other demons stepped forward, all ready for battle.

Among demons, the strong devoured the weak, and fighting to the death was commonplace. But when faced with human oppression, they were remarkably united against the outsiders. Besides, this was the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences-their territory!

The other cultivators in the human camp frowned at the sight.

They had come for the Flood Dragon's legacy, not to help the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect take revenge, much less wage war against the Demon Race. Several leading figures immediately spoke up to intervene.

"Sect Master Lü, please calm yourself! Exploring the Dragonfall Land takes priority!"

"Indeed. The barrier has yet to open. Could you set aside your personal grievances for now?"

Lü Ci's face was livid, his chest heaving.

He stared fixedly at Si Chen, sheltered behind the two great demons, then swept his gaze over the demons opposite him, poised to strike.

He knew he would likely be unable to succeed here today.

Forcing a battle would only make the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect the target of every arrow.

"Hmph!"

Lü Ci gave a heavy snort, forcibly suppressing his surging killing intent. "Little beast, I'll let you live a little longer! Once we enter the Dragonfall Land, let's see who can still protect you!"

With that, he swept his sleeve and led his disciples back to the front of the human camp, refusing to look their way again.

Black Mountain spat disdainfully toward the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, then turned to Si Chen and split his broad mouth in a grin. "Don't be scared, brother. We're here! Anyone who wants to touch you has to ask whether my paw agrees first! I'll slap the yolks right out of his balls!"

Si Chen looked at the bear and tiger standing before him, and at the surrounding demons who, despite having known him only a short while, were willing to stand up for him. A warm feeling enveloped him.

He gently patted Red Wind's neck. "Brother Black Mountain, Brother Red Wind, thank you for what you did just now."

"Thank you, my ass!"

Black Mountain turned his head, utterly unconcerned. "If we're brothers, don't give me that. Keep being polite and I'll sit on you till you're dead!"

Red Wind flicked his tail as well, indicating that there was no need to worry about it.

Just then, the dull scale inside Si Chen's Storage Ring began trembling violently again.

The moment he took out the scale, something strange happened.

Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Dozens of objects flew up from among the humans and demons at the same time! Upon closer inspection, they were all similar Flood Dragon Scales! As though answering some summons, they transformed into streaks of light, racing toward the dark entrance at the center of the Heavenly Pit!

"My scale!"

"What's happening?"

Si Chen's scale likewise flew from his hand into the air. It turned out that he was far from the only one who possessed this "key"!

Before everyone's astonished eyes, the Flood Dragon Scales belonging to different holders swiftly gathered in midair, as if responding to an invisible summons, and vaguely formed the hazy outline of a Flood Dragon!

The outline gave a soundless roar, abruptly changed direction, and plunged into the Heavenly Pit below as though it had come alive, vanishing into the entrance.

Humans and demons alike stared in shock at this unimaginable sight.

"Could this be the true key to opening the Dragonfall Land?"

As though confirming their speculation, the moment all the Flood Dragon Scales disappeared into the Heavenly Pit, the barrier blocking everyone at the entrance slowly faded, eventually vanishing altogether.

An ancient aura, mingled with the oppressive presence of a dragon, flowed out of the deep, dark opening.

The Dragonfall Land had opened.