"Going to Nethergloom Ravine?"
Lynn Ling hesitated and said, "Grandmother Sykes warned that Nethergloom Ravine is extremely dangerous. Even experts from the Holy Cult and Grand Witches from Loulan Golden Palace suffered heavy casualties exploring it—how could we possibly fare better?"
Quinn remained firm: "That place might be tied to my origins. No matter what, I have to go. This is my personal matter, unrelated to the Holy Cult or any of you. I'll go alone."
He got up and left the foundry, calling for the Dragon-Qilin. The beast was napping outside the workshop, but perked up at his voice: "Is it the next day already? Time to eat?"
Quinn leapt onto his back, grumbling, "It's not the next day! All you do is sleep and eat—what's the point of you? We're heading to Qingmen Pass!"
The Dragon-Qilin yawned, fire clouds billowing under his feet as he dashed northwest. "Cult Master, you've gotten fatter—two hundred jin heavier than before."
Quinn flared up: "Nonsense! I've lost weight forging swords these days. At most, my sword pouch adds a hundred jin. Clearly, you're the one who's gotten fatter!"
Lynn Ling and Serena Yunxiang rushed outside, only to see the Dragon-Qilin already soaring through the air, ten li away.
Lynn frowned. "Even if you're going, you should prepare thoroughly first. You're being too reckless, underestimating how deadly Nethergloom Ravine is."
Serena rubbed her backside—Quinn had smacked her so hard it still burned. "The Holy Cult never lacks experts. Ever since Drake Dandy kidnapped me, Heavenly King Yu and Shi have kept a close watch. They're definitely nearby. If he runs into real danger, they won't stand by. Too bad..."
She spaced out, then suddenly mused, "If the Holy Cult Master dies in Nethergloom Ravine, the Saintess could naturally inherit as Cult Master. Too bad I didn't go with him—otherwise he'd really die in there..."
Lynn snapped to attention, sneering, "You little fox—if you dare scheme against the Shepherd, I'll break both your legs and twist you into the shape of the character '出!'"
Serena giggled, "You little hussy, I've never liked you either. Always clinging to the Cult Master with your big chest, getting in the way so no one else gets a chance."
The two girls locked eyes, each finding the other unbearably annoying. They turned away, backs facing each other.
Serena's eyes gleamed. The Thousand-Silk Sword quietly unfurled, its fine threads slithering underground like spirit snakes, sneaking toward Lynn.
At the same moment, the Nine-Dragon Armament behind Lynn silently stretched, dragon scales shifting noiselessly, claws springing into blades. The dragon-shaped spirit soldiers glided toward Serena.
"I've been sick of you for ages!"
Almost simultaneously, the two girls exploded into action—unleashing ferocious moves. Lynn's dress was sliced open by the Thousand-Silk Sword erupting from underground; she narrowly dodged its strangling threads. Meanwhile, Serena darted like a butterfly, evading the Nine-Dragon Armament's combined assault.
Lynn flipped through the air, slamming her palm onto the ground. Her terrifying magic erupted—the earth shook, and a stone pillar burst forth, forcing Serena to leap skyward.
In a few strides, Lynn vaulted into the air, grabbed the Nine-Dragon Armament, and thunder and fire converged in the giant warhammer—she smashed it down!
Both sides instantly lost sight of each other, and for once, things quieted down.
Quinn opened his Azure Firmament Heaven-Eye, piercing the mist to find the path. Dragon-Qilin used the cover of fog to move deeper into the Duck-Tongue Strip.
The Emperor really did take my advice and weaponized cloud, mist, and lightning. With so many Wild Di troops, breaking through Qingmen Pass won't be easy for them.
The Duck-Tongue Strip stretched for a thousand li, part of the Great Ruins. At night, it became a barrier separating the two nations.
Entering the Great Ruins, the greatest danger was the darkness. Quinn, born and raised here as an outcast, knew this well, so he searched the area for ruins or stone statues that might offer shelter.
If he couldn't return to Qingmen Pass before dark, he'd have to spend the night in the Great Ruins—so he needed to find a safe place to stay.
The Duck-Tongue Strip was eerily quiet; not a single bird or beast appeared along the way.
Quinn grew tense. No birds or beasts meant no safety here. At night, even the Great Ruins' spirit beasts couldn't survive!
He passed a lake, its blue surface as calm as a gemstone, not a ripple in sight.
It was a dead lake, with no fish or shrimp.
'There's nowhere in the lake to hide from the darkness.'
Quinn steadied himself and pressed on. Before he knew it, Dragon-Qilin had left the Duck-Tongue Strip; the surrounding peaks grew steeper, and a ravine appeared ahead.
Riding Dragon-Qilin, Quinn saw the ravine's trees growing wildly, clinging to the cliffs as if freed from gravity—some grew sideways, blocking out the sky.
It felt like entering an upside-down world, where the cliffs seemed like the ground.
The ancient trees were massive—some so thick it would take dozens to encircle them. Their tangled roots snaked everywhere, and beneath them glowed ghostly phosphorescence: the bones of giant beasts, some so strange even Quinn couldn't identify them.
Strangely, these bones rested on the cliffs, not the valley floor.
Even the leaves falling from the trees landed on the cliffs, not the valley floor. The ravine was so clean, not a single dead branch or leaf in sight.
Thud.
Dragon-Qilin carelessly bumped into a large stone floating in midair. The rock spun away, drifting to one side but still hovering.
Up ahead, the canyon path was filled with floating stones, large and small.
'Cult Master, have we entered Nethergloom Ravine yet?' Dragon-Qilin rumbled.
Quinn nodded. 'We should be within Nethergloom Ravine now. Still no sign of other living creatures... It makes me uneasy.'
He'd just said this when voices came from ahead: '...You always like it raw, but I prefer mine cooked—best when it's medium-rare, sizzling over the fire, juicy inside. Some new folks arrived lately, taste is great, but you insist on eating raw. See, now you're a mess.'
Medium-rare isn't tasty, not tender enough. Best roasted over fire, just singe the fur and eat—squeals are the best part...
Nonsense, medium-rare is best... Shh, quiet, someone's coming.
...
Quinn activated Fire Star Lord True Fire, transforming into a bull-headed, human-bodied, twin dragon-stepping Fire Star Lord. Dragon-Qilin carefully carried him forward to the source of the voices. Quinn looked around, stunned.
The voices came from here, but he saw no one—just a huge bonfire on the cliff, roasting a Grand Shaman from Loulan Golden Palace. The shaman, powerful but exhausted, wasn't dead yet; he weakly opened his eyes, glancing at Quinn and Dragon-Qilin.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, leaves stirred and two huge white bats dropped from the trees, hanging upside-down before Quinn. They were powerfully built, arms crossed over chests, eyes glowing white as if lit by pale flames.
Quinn's heart skipped. These bats were mutant beasts, terrifyingly strong, no longer exuding demonic aura but a god-demon presence—likely descendants of divine demons!
'Not human.'
One bat withdrew into the tree canopy. 'Disappointing. I thought it was another human.'
The other bat also retreated. Quinn quickly called out, 'Greetings, friends!'
Leaves rustled as the bats dropped back down, arms folded, saying in unison: 'Greetings! But we're not sharing—it's our catch! If you want to eat people, catch your own. There are more in the ravine.'
'I’m a vegetarian—been so since birth,' Quinn replied quickly.
The bats relaxed. Quinn said, 'I'm a newcomer. Friends, is the ravine safe at night?'
'No wonder you look unfamiliar. The ravine's very safe.'
Quinn breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the bats. They retreated, hanging by the bonfire, waiting for the shaman to finish roasting.
'That bull earlier had Fire Star Lord blood, but not tasty. People are better—juicy and delicious,' one bat said, staring at the fire.
'Then why did you lure him here? You know how dangerous this ravine is...' the other bat chuckled.