Moments later, Ogre dropped to his knees, looking up to the sky as he let out a deafening roar. Flames erupted from his chest,
but somehow, he managed to keep his soul bound within. Yet, with each passing second, his strength waned, and the power
of the Golden Light grew weaker.
Tian, Da Shan, and Mei realized that if the God of War failed to seize the Demon King’s soul, the consequences would
be catastrophic. Without hesitation, they moved, appearing beside Ogre in a flash. Taking advantage of his weakened state
under the Golden Light’s suppression, they plunged their weapons into him at once.
The stabbing pain jolted Ogre back like a raging beast. His hollow eye sockets flared with fiery anger, locking onto Da Shan,
who stood closest to him. Da Shan’s heart pounded with terror. He tried to step back, but it was too late.
With a snarl, Ogre drove his fist straight into Da Shan’s chest, ripping out his blue, translucent heart, faintly sparking
with lightning. Ogre crushed it effortlessly, shattering it into pieces. Da Shan’s eyes widened in horror, his mouth open as
if to speak, but no words came. His body gradually dissolved into gold dust, blown away by the wind.
Seeing this, Mei and Tian were frozen with horror. The terror paralyzed them just long enough for the Demon King to make
his next move. Black, smoky spikes shot out from his body, like a porcupine’s quills. Before Mei and Tian could react,
their bodies were pierced by hundreds of the sharp, dark spikes.
Mei collapsed instantly, overwhelmed by the intense, demonic aura in the spikes. Tian, a half-demon, managed to summon
his last reserves of strength. With a desperate cry, he threw a punch toward Ogre’s heart. Ogre, still struggling to
retain his soul and weakened by the Golden Light, barely caught Tian’s hand, attempting to push it away from his chest.
Suddenly, a shadow streaked across like a blazing comet. Ogre immediately released Tian’s hand, grabbing at his neck where
the phantom cat had clawed him. The phantom cat returned to its position, guarding the formation.
Seizing the chance, Tian drove his hand deep into Ogre’s chest and ripped out his heart. Ogre could no longer hold onto
his soul as it was drawn into the Golden Light, and his body faded to dust, scattered in the wind.
A powerful gust burst from the Golden Light, like a raging tornado, sweeping up dust, weapons, and debris from the battlefield.
The winds howled for a full minute before the light vanished, leaving the ground littered with remnants of the battle.
As the light faded, Ming An Xian found himself in a strange place, unable to see his companions. He was surrounded by
emptiness, a void without light or darkness, stretching endlessly. Yet, he could somehow sense the vast, hollow space around him.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Time seemed to blur in the silence, and questions flooded his mind: Where am I? Why is there no light? How can I get out of here?
These thoughts circled endlessly, making him feel trapped for an eternity. Just as he began to lose hope, he felt his body
tearing apart, as though something inside him was escaping. He realized, with a strange certainty, that the evil spirits once
sealed within him were being freed. But who would dare release them?
As Ming An Xian pondered, an image of Ogre’s terrifying face suddenly appeared before him. His blood-stained teeth gleamed
like dragon claws, his mouth wide open, ready to bite.
"Ahhh!" Ming An Xian gasped, jolting awake, his chest heaving as he frantically looked around. His body trembled, still shaken
by the terror of almost losing his head. Instinctively, he raised his hand, touching his head to make sure he was still whole.
Though Ming An Xian confirmed his head was intact, he couldn’t put his mind at ease. Looking around, he realized another problem had emerged. He was in a place unlike any he’d seen. “Where is this? Am I inside someone else’s vision again? But this feels real,” he thought, standing up and scanning his surroundings, trying to memorize every detail.
The beauty of the place was beyond description. Four tall, steep hills rose side by side, surrounding a vast green valley. To the northwest, a carefully crafted stone staircase led up one of the hills. From another hill flowed a waterfall that emptied into a clear river, which wound its way toward a rock face on the opposite side. A long wooden bridge spanned the river, leading to a pagoda with a sloping, cleft roof. “It must be an underground river,” Ming An Xian murmured, his gaze fixed on the mesmerizing water.
Shifting his focus, Ming An Xian turned to see what lay behind him. To his surprise, a large courtyard with five wooden buildings stood about a hundred meters away. The courtyard was surrounded by wooden walls, giving it an ancient, weathered look. The roofs were covered with wooden tiles that had turned green over time, with plants and moss creeping across the roof and walls. The buildings were positioned similarly to the four surrounding hills.
An ember-red sun rose in the distance, half-hidden by the hills, casting a warm glow over the landscape. Birds soared and chirped in the sky, and different kinds of fruit trees dotted the green fields. Apart from the pagoda across the river, the entire area was filled with vibrant flower beds.
From where he stood, Ming An Xian could see a plum tree full of ripe fruit in the center of the courtyard. He tried to take a step forward, but his legs felt numb. Stumbling, he fell to his knees, using his hands to support himself.
As he caught his breath, he noticed a small, damp figure lying on the ground nearby. Its wet fur clung to its tiny body, making it look like a drenched chick. Ming An Xian crawled closer and recognized it—it was a creature he’d seen once before. How had it come to be here? He gently picked it up; it was alive but weak, barely able to move.
“It must be a young puppy,” he said, standing up and cradling the little creature in his hands. Leaving the riverbank, he walked toward the entrance of the courtyard. “Let’s go take a look,” he murmured to the creature, his mind wandering to how he had ended up here. The last thing he remembered was being attacked by snakes in the desert.
“The snakes!” Ming An Xian looked down at his legs, still remembering the bite marks. How was he still alive? What had happened? Where was he? Lost in thought, he hadn’t realized he’d reached the center of the courtyard.
Meanwhile, Yu Long woke up feeling more rested than he had in a long time. Stretching and yawning, he pushed himself to his feet. He looked around and gasped. Where was he? How had he gotten here? He was sure he hadn’t walked into this place.
“Where’s the entrance?” Yu Long turned around, searching, but found no visible way in or out. Before him stood a throne with bones scattered across it. On the wall behind the throne was an image of an elegant young boy with bare shoulders and messy hair, wearing only battle trousers. The boy’s back was to the viewer, his torso adorned with a striking red tattoo of a cat.
As Yu Long studied the image, a strange familiarity washed over him. The figure looked just like him—but how had his image been carved there? And what was the significance of the mysterious cat tattoo? Not dwelling too much on it, Yu Long’s thoughts turned to finding an exit.
Suddenly, he stopped. His breathing quickened as his heart pounded. “Ming An Xian!” he murmured, recalling how he’d followed Ming An Xian into a small lake. They’d sunk to the bottom and been carried away by a powerful current—then everything went dark. That was all he remembered. “So where is Ming An Xian now?” He began searching every corner of the hall, hoping to find him.
“An Xian! An Xian!” he called, again and again, but no reply came. A sense of urgency took hold of him. “I have to find him,” he muttered, running around and feeling along the walls, searching for a hidden exit.
Approaching the throne, Yu Long hesitated, then climbed the stairs toward it. “If there’s a way in or out, it must be controlled from here,” he thought, his determination mounting as he neared the ancient seat.