Volume One: Storm Over the Small Town Chapter 42: The Dragon Appears

Once he saw that Dugu Bai and Qian Muyun had composed themselves, Zhang Heng approached the edge of the cliff. Turning back to the other four, he said, “Alright then, let’s begin as I explained. Sister Muyun, I’ll need you to take me and the two young ladies down below.”

Qian Muyun stepped to his side, glanced down, and without another word, raised her delicate hand.

Zhang Heng had expected her to use her Void Traversing art again, but to his surprise, spheres of spiritual energy manifested around each of the three, enveloping them. Qian Muyun said, “Let’s go,” and with that, lightly leaped down.

Murong Qingxue and Yan Xueqing immediately followed suit.

Zhang Heng was momentarily stunned. Wasn’t it simpler to just traverse the void? Why make things so complicated?

Within the sphere of spiritual energy, Zhang Heng noted that aside from the crisp, fresh air, there wasn’t anything particularly remarkable. Did this thing actually work?

He reached out to touch it. It was soft and elastic—entirely unnatural by the laws of physics.

Seeing the three women had all leaped off, and Dugu Bai was ignoring him, Zhang Heng could only steel his nerves and edge closer to the brink.

Suddenly, as if summoned by Qian Muyun, the sphere began to descend toward the base of the cliff, regardless of Zhang Heng’s willingness.

Although he understood the sphere would deliver him safely, experiencing it firsthand was another matter. It was unexpectedly delightful, almost like riding an elevator.

As the spiritual energy sphere drifted downward, Zhang Heng’s heart gradually calmed.

Everything was orchestrated by the system.

He, Zhang Heng, was but a minor character.

He had no idea what awaited below, whether Dugu Bai and the others could handle the guardian spirit beast, or even if he himself could obtain the item hidden beneath. But since the system was so formidable, he would simply follow its instructions.

Upon reaching the foot of the cliff, the three women were already waiting. Though Zhang Heng’s arrival was rather awkward, none of them were in the mood to mock him. Their gazes were sharp, fixed on a mountain cave not far away.

That must be the place Zhang Heng had mentioned, where the scripture was hidden. Tension filled the air, but Zhang Heng himself was far less anxious.

He grinned at Qian Muyun. “Sister Muyun, we’ll leave this to you. We’ll find somewhere to hide.”

With that, he tried to pull Murong Qingxue and Yan Xueqing away with him to seek cover.

One on each side—what bliss.

Yet, embarrassingly, he couldn’t budge them at all. No matter how much effort he exerted, the two women didn’t move an inch.

Come on, ladies, give me a little face here.

Finally giving up, Zhang Heng released their hands and said awkwardly, “Perhaps you two could take me instead.”

At his words, Yan Xueqing unceremoniously grabbed Zhang Heng and flew off to the side, with Murong Qingxue following suit.

Flying wasn’t anything special; any advanced cultivator at the Qi Sea stage could manage basic flight.

If I cultivate for a few hundred years, I’ll be able to fly too.

Once the three of them were safely hidden, Qian Muyun swept her jade hand, instantly drawing in all the spiritual energy for several kilometers around. The air grew frigid, and Qian Muyun stood at the center, her form wreathed in white light, holy and aloof.

Zhang Heng realized she was getting serious now.

This was the first time he had witnessed a top-tier expert going all out, harnessing the very forces of heaven and earth—it was truly terrifying.

He watched as Qian Muyun spun lightly, and in the next instant, she vanished into the cave.

Gathering energy, spinning, teleporting—a flawless sequence.

But the next moment, Zhang Heng’s worldview shattered.

Qian Muyun had entered the cave in spectacular fashion, but within a second, she was hurled out just as swiftly, crashing into a tree with a thunderous crack as the trunk snapped apart.

Last time, outside the Dragon Burial Abyss, Qian Muyun had charged into a cave unprepared and thoroughly beaten the spirit beast inside.

But this time, even after mobilizing all her spiritual energy, she was thrown out in a second by the beast within.

The system had warned that Qian Muyun could not defeat the dragon inside, but Zhang Heng had never imagined she would lose this quickly.

Perhaps to salvage her master’s dignity, Murong Qingxue explained, “My master’s Aurora Mirage technique only reveals its full power in open spaces.”

Qian Muyun flipped herself upright, hovering in the air not far from the cave entrance, her eyes fixed intently on the opening.

Seeing that she seemed uninjured, Zhang Heng felt a bit relieved. If she had been hurt in the first round, there would be nothing left to do.

Just as Qian Muyun steadied herself, a beast’s roar, laden with overwhelming pressure, echoed from within the cave.

“Awooo—”

Though the sound was soul-shaking, Zhang Heng couldn’t help but laugh.

You sure this is a dragon’s roar and not a tiger’s?

The ground began to tremble.

Suddenly, the cave mouth exploded outward as a massive creature burst forth.

Its enormous body coiled in the air, but it didn’t immediately attack Qian Muyun. Instead, it fixed her with a fierce glare, its monstrous eyes full of wrath at this human who had disturbed its rest.

Zhang Heng was left speechless with excitement at the sight of the spirit beast—a dragon, a creature that existed only in mythology.

Four mighty claws seemed capable of tearing the sky, two dragon horns exuded a kingly aura, and its scales gleamed like an invincible armor.

As a descendant of the Celestial Empire, Zhang Heng naturally felt a kinship with dragons.

Qian Muyun, however, was not nearly so friendly. Having just been humiliated by this beast, there was no chance she would back down now.

Her hands moved in a blur as she silently intoned an incantation. Instantly, the air seemed to freeze. Icy energy swept through every corner. Before her, countless blades of ice appeared out of thin air, each radiating apocalyptic power.

Had it not been for Yan Xueqing shielding him, Zhang Heng would likely have frozen to death.

Qian Muyun swept her jade hand, and all the ice blades shot toward the dragon beast.

Seeing this human dare to strike first, the dragon was enraged. With a thunderous roar brimming with draconic might, it obliterated half the ice blades, but the remaining shards exploded upon its body. Even with its thick scales deflecting much of the spiritual energy, the attack managed to injure it.

Now it was truly furious.

The dragon beast counterattacked, its sky-shrouding claws bearing down on Qian Muyun with supreme force. It was fast—unbelievably so. Despite its colossal size, its speed was unaffected, and in a blink, it was upon her.

Had that claw landed, even a peak Nascent Soul cultivator like Qian Muyun would have been gravely wounded.

But the dragon had miscalculated, daring to challenge Qian Muyun in speed?

The Aurora Mirage was the fastest movement technique in the land; in other words, Qian Muyun was the swiftest person on the entire cultivation continent.

Just as the claw was about to strike, Qian Muyun moved. She dodged at lightning speed, circled around the dragon’s massive form, and appeared in the sky behind it.

Moving at such velocity, to the three observers Qian Muyun seemed to transform into a beam of light.

Seeing its prey evade, the dragon beast roared in renewed fury and attacked again. Yet Qian Muyun refused to confront it head-on, always dodging at blinding speed.

Man and dragon clashed in the air, exchanging hundreds of blows in moments, but no matter how ferociously the dragon attacked, it was unable to land a single strike on her.

From the perspective of the three onlookers, it looked less like a battle and more as if Qian Muyun were walking a dog—no, walking a dragon.

Witnessing this scene, Zhang Heng finally relaxed. As expected of the fastest in all the land—truly formidable.