The third chapter: Piercing the Sky
After three cracks appeared on the black circular platform, the light of the entire mysterious magic array began to flicker ceaselessly, and the rumbling sound seemed to grow even louder and faster, as if urged on—
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!...
Like a torrent of thunder, the sounds rang out relentlessly. With a deafening crack, the entire black circular platform shattered to pieces, and the mysterious magic array that had been inscribed upon it was naturally destroyed along with it. Visible ripples of space spread outward from the point of explosion in every direction.
The dragons in Misty Valley were still puzzling over the humanoid creature from moments ago when they suddenly felt the earth trembling. Every single dragon was struck by a wave of dread, and they immediately unfurled their leathery wings and took flight. In the span of a single heartbeat—
CRACK!
Several miles of terrain erupted in a violent explosion, and the small mountain blocking the underground passage was reduced to powder in an instant.
"Awoooo~~~" A deep, guttural roar echoed up from beneath the earth.
Where the black circular platform had once stood, space itself was torn open like a sheet of white paper, revealing a massive rift. From within it burst forth a strikingly handsome yet eerie young man in dark gold robes, hunched protectively over three small kittens cradled in his arms.
The young man looked rather worse for wear at the moment, with streaks of blood still marking his face.
Whoosh!
The rift behind him vanished, though the space in its wake remained unstable, with various chaotic forces rippling through the area.
"I've... finally escaped." The young man gazed at the destabilized spatial point behind him, his face brimming with wild elation.
"Haha... How many years has it been? I've finally gotten out of that wretched place." Between the young man's brows was a vertical scar shaped like a knife wound, and suddenly it split open to reveal a golden-pupiled eye.
That golden eye gazed out toward the heavens and the earth.
"This place... is actually the Yulan Continent." The eerie young man broke into a delighted laugh. "This is wonderful."
"Father, I'm hungry." One of the kittens in his arms spoke up.
"I'm hungry too."
The other two kittens chimed in as well.
Cats that could talk?
Could they be Saint Realm magic beasts?
"Good, haha — there are over a hundred young dragons up there. Have yourselves a fine meal." The eerie young man laughed heartily.
"Oh!"
Three kittens cheered in excitement, then transformed into three streaks of lightning as they shot upward from underground. As they flew, their bodies grew continuously larger and larger... The eerie young man smiled faintly and took a single step that carried him to midair above Misty Valley.
Inside Misty Valley, over a hundred dragons circled overhead in confusion, having no idea what had caused the explosion beneath the earth.
"What is that?"
Three enormous silhouettes materialized in the sky above Misty Valley. Each creature stood a full thirty meters tall and nearly a hundred meters long. They resembled lions magnified dozens of times over — but they were not lions, for each of these beasts possessed massive wings, and each had six eyes.
Six eyes. Twin wings. Bodies as vast as the legendary Behemoth.
Yet even a Behemoth was not as terrifying as these three creatures.
"Awoooo~~" All three beasts opened their cavernous maws and roared, and in an instant each gaping mouth became a vortex. An astonishing force of suction lashed out at every dragon present.
Over a hundred dragons scrambled to flee in terror, but the suction was far too powerful. Most bewildering of all, this force of consumption affected only the dragons — the boulders on the ground below remained completely undisturbed.
"Awoooo~~"
The dragons roared in furious panic, but against that horrifying suction, they were helpless. One by one they were pulled in. A dragon of enormous size was drawn into the maw of one of the six-eyed beasts.
What horrified the dragons most was that these creatures' stomachs seemed to be bottomless pits. A dragon was only slightly smaller than these beasts, so a single one should have been enough to fill their bellies. Yet after one dragon was swallowed, the beast continued to suck in more.
One after another, dragon after dragon...
The suction from those three gaping mouths was far too terrifying. Eighth-rank dragons could not resist at all, and they were devoured one by one by the three colossal monsters. In the span of just a few moments, over a hundred dragons had been completely consumed.
"Now that was satisfying." One of the beasts laughed heartily. "It's been so many years since I've had a proper meal."
"I thought I was going to die in that wretched place, never to escape. What a shame about Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother." Another beast let out a low sigh.
All three creatures fell silent.
The mere thought of the thousands of years they had endured in that hellish place sent chills down their spines. There had been no future, no hope, with death lurking at every turn. Had it not been for their father, the three of them would likely have been killed long ago. But even with their father's protection, the weaker Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother had perished.
"Father is here."
The three beasts spotted the eerie young man hovering nearby and immediately shrank down until they were the size of ordinary lions. Only their multicolored fur set them apart, shimmering with stunning beauty. Their twin wings were far more magnificent than the leathery wings of dragons.
It was only those six eyes that remained somewhat unsettling.
"Father." The three beasts happily flew to the young man's side. By now the bloodstains on his person had vanished entirely, his dark gold robes were spotless, and a gentle smile graced his face.
"Had a good meal?" The eerie young man chuckled. "Oh, there are two more eighth-rank magic beasts over there."
The young man turned his gaze toward the western reaches of Misty Valley, and a beam of four-colored energy shot off in that direction at blinding speed. Moments later, two enormous Rapid Dragons, bound by the four-colored energy, were dragged through the air and brought before him.