The Mist Forest was already a huge headache. Between the smoke that made your eyes water and the trees that seemed to try to trip you on purpose, everyone was having a tough time. But there was one thing nobody knew: the forest was rigged. Hidden beneath the dirt and moss were ancient teleportation arrays—magical trapdoors that could send you anywhere on the mountain without warning.
Xiao Yan was struggling to balance on a slippery root when Tang Shuya sidled over. She didn't appear tired at all, which was honestly beginning to get annoying.
"So, Xiao Yan," Shuya said, tilting her head as she walked beside him. "What's your deal? What's your real story?"
Xiao Yan felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck. He wiped his face with his sleeve, avoiding her sharp, searching eyes. "Miss Tang, you're way too curious. I don't really have a story. I'm just a guy. I'm definitely not some noble or a genius like you."
(Keep her from knowing I have a legendary background,) He thought, his heart pounding. (If she finds out I'm a prince from a fallen empire, this whole trip gets ten times more complicated. Michael, help me out here!).]
Before Xiao Yan could tell the system to shut up, he felt a soft pressure on his left arm.
"Brother Yan," Jinyao said softly, taking his hand. She looked a bit nervous about the fog, her fingers cold but steady.
But the peace lasted about half a second. Shi Lieya, who was stomping along behind them, saw what was happening and her eyes practically caught fire. She charged forward, grabbed Xiao Yan's right hand, and used her shoulder to give Tang Shuya a firm shove.
"Back off, Scholar girl!" Lieya huffed. "He needs to focus on the path, not your twenty questions."
"You...!" Tang Shuya stared at Lieya, her face turning a bright shade of red. She looked like she was about to snap her fan over someone's head.
She didn't get to finish talking. The ground beneath their boots suddenly lurched. It wasn't a small shake; it felt like the mountain was a giant dog trying to shake off fleas.
BOOM!!!!!!
A massive explosion echoed from a few hundred yards away. You could hear the sound of metal clashing and people screaming.
"Quickly, let's check it out!" Jinyao said, her face turning pale.
They ran toward the noise, pushing through thick bushes. In a small clearing, they saw a young demon—smaller than the others but much more vicious—dancing around three human disciples, mocking them as he cut their robes to ribbons with a jagged blade.
But as Xiao Yan reached for his sword, the air around them started to hum. The ground glowed with a weird, sickly blue light.
"Wait, what is—?" Xiao Yan started to say.
FLAShhh!!!!
The world turned white. It felt like being pulled through a straw.
While everyone else was getting dizzy, Yan Bingxue was actually having a decent day. She stood in a garden of crystal flowers, her white veil spotless and pristine. Scattered around her were the frozen bodies of several high-level spirit beasts and a few demon scouts who had tried to ambush her.
She reached down and picked up a glowing, red fruit—a Dragon-Blood Pear—and tucked it into her sleeve.
"Well, those ones were really no challenge," Bingxue whispered to herself. She looked around the quiet, beautiful core of the mountain. It was peaceful here, but she felt a strange tug in her chest, like she was missing something. Or someone.
Xiao Yan hit the ground hard. Oof!
He sat up, coughing and rubbing his backside. "Is everyone okay? Lieya? Jinyao?"
No answer. The forest here was silent. The girls were gone. The demon was gone. He was completely alone in a part of the woods where the trees were black and the leaves felt like velvet.
"System? Michael? Where are we?"
[Well, Master... I'm... nottttt... available for the time being. Connection... dropping... enjoy the... walk...]
"Wait! Michael! Don't you dare leave me—"
The golden light in his mind flickered and died. The system was gone.
"Great. Perfect. Just me and my bad luck," Xiao Yan grumbled. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. If he was going to survive this without Michael's map or the girls' help, he needed to stop holding back. He was tired of pretending to be a weakling.
He reached into his storage ring and pulled out his silk robes—the ones that had been upgraded with ancient runes. He threw them on, feeling the spirit energy instantly wrap around his body like a warm hug. Then, he pulled out his sword.
He looked at the blade, then at the Sky Black Mjolnir—the heavy, thundering hammer-core he had hidden away. "Let's see if this works."
He pressed the two items together. The air hissed. The red lightning from his own body acted like a weld, merging the black hammer-core into the steel of the sword. It didn't look like a normal sword anymore. It was heavy, dark as the night, and covered in pulsing red veins of electricity.
"The Sword of Heaven and Earth," Xiao Yan whispered, feeling the weight. The power of thunder in the blade began to reason with the laws of nature around him. The fog even started to move away from the weapon.
"Gosh, that is real power," he muttered, swinging it once. The sound it made wasn't a swish—it was a crack of thunder.
Snap.
A twig broke behind him. Xiao Yan froze.
A demon stepped out from behind a black tree. This one was tall, with four arms and a face that looked like a peeled orange. He saw Xiao Yan—alone, looking messy, and holding a weirdly heavy sword.
"Well, well, well," the demon hissed, his four hands gripping four different bone daggers. "I found a little blind one. A stray human who lost his friends. It is your doomsday today, boy. This is your end."
The demon didn't wait. He put his head down and charged like a bull, his daggers spinning in a circle.
Xiao Yan didn't even turn his head. He was looking at his new sword, wondering if the balance was right. He looked completely distracted, like he didn't even know the demon was there.
"Hey! Idiot! Watch out!"
A familiar, cold voice cried out from the trees just a few meters away.
Xiao Yan blinked.
He didn't have time to look. The demon's daggers were inches from his back.
To be continued!!!