Falling Through the Hole

"Are there a lot of ancient beasts in this Elderworld?"

"Not that many, actually. But the ones that survived are all extremely powerful." Grandpa Gene the High Saint looked worried.

Just then, the beast's mouth snapped shut, plunging them into darkness.

They could feel themselves moving, as if they were flying.

"Oh no, it's heading back to its lair!" Grandpa Gene the High Saint said anxiously.

Grace, on the other hand, was much calmer: "Don't worry, High Saint. No matter how strong it is, it still has to sleep, right? Once it's asleep, we'll shrink the Celestial Sphere and sneak out!"

"I'm worried it might take us deep into Elderworld. Even if we crawl out of its mouth, we won't be able to get back!"

"Why wouldn't we be able to get back?"

"Elderworld is already shattered! It's a broken space! The area people can reach is just the tip of the iceberg. If we end up deep inside, there's no way back!" Grandpa Gene the High Saint knew all too well how terrifying Elderworld could be.

"Oh, I see!" Grace started to worry too.

But what could they do?

All they could do was hope the beast wouldn't fly too far and would stop soon.

But it just kept flying for a long, long time.

Grace and Grandpa Gene the High Saint both fell asleep and woke up inside that dark mouth before it finally stopped.

Then, as if it was bored, the beast tried to spit them out again.

It huffed and puffed several times, but the Radiant Celestial Parasol stayed firmly wedged in its throat.

Suddenly, Grace had an idea. She took out a bunch of sleeping powder and tossed it down its throat.

Maybe the powder would make it fall asleep.

But it worked pretty slowly. More than half an hour passed before they finally heard its steady breathing.

"Finally, it's asleep," Grace whispered. "Let's get out of here, quick!"

The two of them put away the Radiant Celestial Parasol and flew along its tongue.

When they reached its teeth, Grandpa Gene the High Saint squeezed through a gap and propped open its lips.

Grace flipped herself out through the gap.

Once outside, they found themselves atop a mountain peak even taller and grander than Mount Eastborn.

Naturally, neither of them was in the mood to admire the view—they hurried away.

After flying some distance, Grace couldn't help but glance back.

She wanted to know what kind of spirit beast that massive creature really was.

One look, and she realized—the enormous spirit beast sleeping atop the mountain looked just like the Flying Demon Drake from the illustrations!

A gigantic Flying Demon Drake, its combat power rivaling the Dragon Clan!

Just then, the Flying Demon Drake suddenly opened its eyes!

"Ah!" Grace screamed in fright. "It's awake! Run!"

Grandpa Gene the High Saint sped up, flying forward as fast as he could.

But as soon as it woke up, they felt a powerful suction—no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't move forward and were pulled backward instead!

They were dragged right into the Flying Demon Drake's reach, and with a swipe of its wing, it slammed them hard into the ground.

The Flying Demon Drake hadn't eaten its fill in ages.

She looked absolutely delicious and nutritious!

Today, it was determined to eat her!

If eating her alive was too much trouble, it would just smack her dead and then chow down!

The Flying Demon Drake pinned both of them to the ground, then slowly raised its wing.

Were they already squashed flat?

But under its wing, instead of squashed people, a hole suddenly appeared!

They... slipped right through the hole.

The Flying Demon Drake was furious.

It used its feet and wings together, digging at the hole to make it even bigger...

......

Grace and Grandpa Gene the High Saint had been swatted by the Flying Demon Drake straight into a deep pit underground.