CHAPTER 55: SENIOR! COUNT ME IN!

Nantian Xiu thought of Blindman Lu's earlier words and murmured to himself, "They're in a different league, huh? No wonder that boy could unleash such power even at the Qi Absorption Realm."

In that moment, he felt the fire that had been lit inside him burning even stronger. The thousand-year-old cultivator who had once been content with his standing on the continent was gone. What remained was someone more like a teenager, full of restlessness. The calm and steadiness he had cultivated over the centuries had vanished, replaced by an intense desire to step beyond this world.

Nantian Xiu slowly said, "Senior, I've made up my mind. I want to join you."

"Oh? That fast?" Blindman Lu smiled at him. "I'm curious. What made you decide so quickly?"

Nantian Xiu chuckled but didn't answer. Instead, he turned to face the heart of the Fire Region and voiced the question lingering in his mind. "Sir, why did you return from the Outside? Was there some kind of crisis? What exactly is this Dark Rebellion?"

"Why did I come back?" Blindman Lu was just about to explain when a beam of purple light appeared in front of him. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? It's starting already?"

As the purple light appeared, Blindman Lu smiled and gave a small nod toward the center of the Fire Region.

"You'll understand these things soon enough. For now, let's watch the trial." Blindman Lu took out two rocking chairs from his storage and handed one to Nantian Xiu. "By the way, hand me your sword."

Nantian Xiu obeyed without hesitation. He drew his life-bound longsword from its sheath and handed it to Blindman Lu.

Blindman Lu accepted the sword and, with a subtle flick of his wrist, used a concealed technique to hurl it toward the massive stone circle.

Watching the sword arc through the air, Nantian Xiu frowned in confusion and turned toward the valley. "Senior, why did you do that?"

"Heh, Little Lu might be clever, but he's the type who needs a bit of motivation to act. If nothing's pushing him into this trial, he'd probably back out right away."

As he spoke, Blindman Lu moved his fingers through the air, weaving spirit qi to inscribe more than a dozen talismans.

He counted, "Spirit-Sealing Talisman, Godslayer Formation, Dragon-Binding Seals, Puppet Commands... Close enough. Off you go."

He casually tossed the entire batch into the stone circle.

Nantian Xiu took in everything Blindman Lu had done, then asked with a trace of uncertainty, "You're using my safety to push Lu Chen into this trial... but we've only just met. Would he go through with it for my sake?"

"Little Lu has always valued emotional bonds more than anything. Once he sees your sword, he'll know you're in danger. Even if you push him away, he won't leave."

With everything in place, Blindman Lu sat back in his rocking chair, sneering. "Hmph. Even if he tries to run, those talismans will lock him in."

"Sentimental ties and talisman seals... Senior, are you trying to sever all his paths of retreat?"

Nantian Xiu looked up at the sword and the glowing talismans suspended in the air. He thought about all Blindman Lu had done, then asked, "Are these talismans meant to suppress his power? Senior, what exactly have you prepared?"

"Nothing much. Just vengeance for a destroyed village."

Blindman Lu looked down at Lu Chen in the valley, his voice tinged with sorrow. "In a few days, it'll be the first of May. Little Lu will turn nineteen. Consider this an early gift for his coming of age."

***

At that moment, Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er were seated beneath a withered tree. Not far from them, just above the lava lake, loomed a massive stone circle.

The lava bubbled and popped, occasionally splashing against the rocks, but everything else remained eerily still.

Wan'er glanced at the entrance with worry creeping into her voice. "It's been almost half an hour... why isn't grandpa here yet? Could something have happened to him?"

Lu Chen sighed and tossed a stone toward the entrance. It struck the spirit qi wall and immediately bounced back. "We rushed in a bit too quickly. Turns out this passage is one-way only."

Wan'er looked at him. "Lu-gege, what do we do now? Should we keep waiting? Grandpa said this secret realm is already unstable."

"Grandpa Xiu is very powerful. The beasts here won't hurt him."

Thinking of what Nantian Xiu had said earlier, Lu Chen's voice faltered slightly. "Let's wait a bit longer. Maybe something held him up."

Just then, Wind Dragon seemed to sense something. Spirit qi surged across his body as he directed the Hunyuan Greatsword to rise into the sky.

"Roar!"

Following a thunderous roar, Wind Dragon transformed into a massive, dark cyan dragon. The Hunyuan Greatsword embedded itself between his brows.

He coiled his body tightly, shielding Lu Chen and Wan'er beneath his belly, then turned toward the stone circle and unleashed a series of deafening roars.

Lu Chen looked up at the dragon, confused. "Wind Dragon, what's wrong?"

"They're here."

"They?"

A massive firestone, tainted with lava, suddenly came crashing down toward the three of them.

Wind Dragon's pupils tightened. He tracked the falling boulder until it was just three meters above them, then flung the Hunyuan Greatsword forward and split it in a single stroke.

The shattered pieces rained down. Each fragment carried a surge of spirit qi, punching deep craters into the ground. The pits multiplied, linking together into a circular trench. Molten rock from the pool spilled along that ring and began to close in around them.

Lava hissed and spattered on every side. Lu Chen swiftly summoned the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. Its vines unfurled into four shields that enclosed Wan'er on all sides.

He looped his right arm around her waist, leapt, caught the Hunyuan Greatsword with his left hand, and landed steadily atop Wind Dragon's head.

Gathering every thread of spirit qi, Lu Chen lifted the massive sword crosswise before him, getting ready for battle.

He cautiously scanned the surroundings, ready to strike at any moment. "Wind Dragon, what's going on?"

"They're here," Wind Dragon replied.

He stared at the massive stone circle floating above the lava of the Fire Region, then spoke slowly, "I know you've arrived. Show yourselves."

A chuckle followed. "Heh, Wind Dragon, your senses are as sharp as ever. I have to admit, when it comes to this, I'm no match for you."

The lava pool suddenly churned violently. Lava surged upward, gathering into the shape of a massive, double-horned creature.

As Wind Dragon caught sight of the long spear forming behind the creature, his mood turned aggressive.

He roared at the horned beast emerging from the lava, "Flame Demon, so you've sensed the reappearance of the Beast King's legacy too. Are you ready to pledge allegiance to our king?"

"Our king? There is only one king, and that is the Beast King."

The lava exploded with a boom. A Flame Demon clad in black flaming armor burst out of the magma.

"Even if this little brat has received the Beast King's inheritance, it doesn't affect us. If he wants our recognition, he'll have to prove himself."

Lu Chen stared at the almost ten-zhang-tall towering figure. "A fully-grown Flame Demon?"

It looked just like the smaller Flame Demon he had slain before. Its lower half remained buried in the lava pool, steadily absorbing fire energy.

"That's them, my lord," came a voice from below.

A heavily wounded giant serpent emerged from the magma beneath the Flame Demon's feet. It was the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon Nantian Xiu had pinned earlier with a longsword. Somehow, it had escaped.

With one of its horns gone, the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon had degenerated into a mere giant serpent, with its vitality, aura, and cultivation plummeting.

Wind Dragon swung his tail, hurling a massive boulder straight at the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon. "Filthy beast. So what if you survived? The Beast King holds the power of life and death over every beast in the secret realm."

The boulder froze in mid-air before it struck the Purpleflame Fire Flood Dragon.

A deep, rough voice echoed from within the rock. "Little Dragon, since when did you dragons become so petty? You are not even willing to spare a fellow creature who's just developed a hint of awareness now? Isn't that right, Lady Water?"

A water lotus took shape beside Lu Chen. She gently played with Lu Chen's hair with her tendrils. "That's right, Little Dragon. After all these years, you're still not as calm as this young man here. Look at him, he is not even flinching."

Lu Chen's eyes shifted toward the lotus. The moment she appeared, a crushing pressure locked his body in place. He couldn't move and could only let the tendrils play with his hair.

"Get lost! Don't humiliate me with a mere avatar. He's a snake! And I'm a dragon! We've never been the same kind."

Furious, Wind Dragon swept his tail across the water lotus, shattering her.

A massive lotus, spanning three zhang wide, slowly took form atop the giant rock, echoing with laughter. "Hehehe, that wasn't me! I'm just curious whether Little Lu Chen truly carries that bloodline. Otherwise, the Beast King's treasure would end up in the wrong hands."

"Hmph, I have no interest in dealing with you." Wind Dragon turned toward the spear embedded in the stone circle and shouted, "Metal freak, why are you still hiding? Do I need to invite you out personally?"

As soon as Wind Dragon roared, the long spear vanished.

Lu Chen quickly turned his head. He tried to follow its movement, only to find the spear had already appeared right before him, with its tip hovering just a hair's breadth from his eye.

Oddly enough, despite the spear's threatening presence, Lu Chen didn't blink. Instead, his eyes remained locked on the weapon.

The spear vanished once more, reappearing by the stone circle. "Not bad. You've got guts. You might have what it takes to be the new Beast King."

As the spear started speaking, Lu Chen finally came back to his senses. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized how stunned he'd been when the spear suddenly appeared so close to his eye.

Luckily, the way he had held his ground in that moment was enough to earn Metal General's approval.

Wind Dragon said coldly, "Flame Demon, Mountain God, Water Lotus, Metal General... Looks like all the major chieftains are here. If you're going to test him, then bring it on."

With Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er on his back, Wind Dragon charged straight toward the four chieftains.

From the moment he sensed their combined presence, he knew this confrontation was inevitable. He was also well aware that as long as Lu Chen carried even a trace of the Beast King's inheritance, none of them would truly harm Lu Chen.

This was because of a rule they had established long ago. Whenever a new human inherited the Beast King's legacy, the chieftains would each put the successor through a trial. It was a long-standing agreement, and none of them would dare break it.

Hence, no matter how overwhelming their presence was, or how threatening their words sounded, their sole focus was on Lu Chen's trial.

Nevertheless, that didn't mean the tension among them was just for show. Their rivalry was real, and it had been simmering for thousands of years.

Boom!

Flame Demon struck Wind Dragon, sending him crashing to the ground with a single blow.

He looked down at the fallen dragon and said with a hint of mockery in his tone, "Wind Dragon, this won't do at all. Where's that pride you used to have?"