We stepped off Yulong’s back, arriving at the base of the mountain in question. Already, the warmth of the valley was fading away here, though instead of cold, this place had more torrential downpour and lightning for days. Bright flashes continued to dominate the area.“The Qi is particularly bad here. Even we avoid this place nowadays. It’d do you best to be careful,” Yulong said.“Thanks, we will,” I said with a smile.Flee waved the big dragon off as it flew back into the valley as we continued on towards our destination.“Alright… here goes,” I said, as we made our way up.***The sky roared in a downpour of rain that drowned the world out. Lightning crackled, striking right next to me as wind threatened to blow me onto jagged peaks nearby. I’d recalled both Flee and Ash into my spirit, and was struggling to shield even the others as we climbed.The path was treacherous, with some places only having 5-inch wide paths and footholds that threatened to crumble at any moment. The ear

I stared in shock at Elder Yan sitting on the peak. Or at least, I thought the man was Elder Yan, especially with what he’d called Yan Yun, but the man was barely recognizable now. He looked worn down, broken, his clothes were torn in places and filthy and his hair and beard had grown out and were unkempt. I would struggle to recognize him as the same powerful and arrogant Elder I had once known.The man stood up and I felt the tribulation dispelling above us, the Qi starting to calm down around us at last.“Is... is it truly you, Yu’an?” He asked, heading towards Yan Yun and I found myself instinctively walking in front of her to protect her. It seems I was not the only one as Zhang and Liuxiang both also stepped forward, their guards raised.The man clearly froze at that, and I noticed that it was only now that he finally registered our presence. A flash of something passes in his eyes and for a moment, a deep seated sorrow seems to overwhelm him, but it passes soon and then I see a

Chi flared in my body as I shot forward, heading straight towards the demon. Power swirled within me as I aimed to tackle the demon down into the ground, but the creature was quick, noticing my strike as he spun through the air to dodge.I turned, following the creature as we clashed once mid air before landing on the ground simultaneously. Yan Yun, Zhang and Liuxiang quickly followed a moment later, all landing behind me.I had my fists raised, observing the demon. It was humanoid, with dark black skin that had a hint of red in it. Its arms had spectral chains wrapped around him that seemed to fade in and out of reality, and the creature had a sharp face that looked at the rest of us with amusement.“Quite the gathering you have here,” the demon said, putting the box-like artifact that contained the Azure Dragon in a pouch at its waist. His eyes flickered around before settling onto me. There was a pause, as he recognized me. “You…” the demon whispered, before an unsettling smile too

Lightning crackled, a storm brewing as the two domains clashed with one another. I watched with relief as Elder Yan stood there, in the demon’s path, Qi swirling around him menacingly as the demon reconsidered his position.“How are you escaping my domain?” The creature asked, with a hissing undertone as the mismatch spoke for it.“Because mongrels like you have no hold over me. I would offer you the opportunity to scram and escape, but that is far too much dignity for filth like you. Let it be known that your end was writ at the hands of Yan Xian,” Elder Yan said, taking a stance as golden lightning crackled around him, pushing back on the demon’s domain.I couldn’t believe I was thinking this in this situation, but he looked kind of badass right now.“Very well, you shall be chained as well,” the demon exclaimed, rushing forward as the two engaged. The world shook around them as the battle commenced, Qi vs Gu, lightning vs chains.Elder Yan jumped and moved and dodged the strikes, a

The skies trembled, as the Azure Dragon appeared with a roar, shaking the very heavens themselves. We all stumbled back, watching the Divine Beast make an appearance. The giant dragon flew into the skies, the heavens crackling above us with a storm. The Qi around us shivered and vibrated with power and a power aura filled the entire Cradle. Across the valley, I could feel the attention of all the dragons now focused in this direction.I wanted to reach out to the Azure Dragon, call it out and make it hear us, but I paused as lightning crashed down near me and I realized something. The Azure Dragon wasn’t listening. I could see it in the dragon’s eyes, there was no rationality there, only rage, as it continued to lash against unseen forces.The world crackled, lightning striking down once more as the Azure Dragon continued to roar, stuck in a haze of anger and fury, blinded by it. The entire valley began to shake, all the Qi within it starting to flow inwards and towards the Azure Drag