Chapter 15: The Evil Dragon and the Black Crow
“The primordial divine tree that sealed the Evil Dragon, the legend is true!” Qi Xiao’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
According to legend, deep within the Evil Dragon Forest lies an ancient divine tree named World Tree, which suppresses and seals an extremely evil demon dragon. Its entire being is filled with terrifying Calamity Force, and anyone who approaches this place will be devoured by the Calamity Force and die instantly!
“What is this?”
Xia Feng’s eyes were sharp, and he suddenly noticed a nearly transparent membrane in the air less than a meter in front of him.
He looked up suspiciously, and the membrane seemed to extend infinitely up, down, left, and right, with no end in sight.
At this moment, the membrane appeared to be expanding, moving closer to Xia Feng and the other person.
“Quick, run!” Qi Xiao seemed to recognize this thing, infinite dread welling up in his eyes. However, his injuries were too severe for him to move at all, so he could only place his hope on Xia Feng, his eyes filled with desperate pleading, “Save me…”
Qi Xiao felt that his dog life could still be saved; he didn’t want to die.
Xia Feng wasn’t foolish enough to immediately move forward and finish him off. In a blink of an eye, he had retreated behind Qi Xiao, giving a thumbs-up with a smile, “Go, you can do it! You’re the best!”
Although Xia Feng didn’t sense any danger, he still decided to let Qi Xiao test the waters first.
“You—”
Qi Xiao’s eyes widened in terror. Before he could react, the membrane, moving through heaven and earth, passed through his body in an instant. “Ugh—”
His words abruptly stopped, and his terrified gaze instantly became vacant and hollow. He slumped against the tree trunk, unmoving, facing the falling snow to the north.
“Hmm? Why is there no sound?”
Xia Feng, standing behind, couldn’t see his condition and called out in confusion, “Hey, are you still alive? If you’re not dead, say something.”
The membrane was still moving slowly. Xia Feng retreated step by step, staring at Qi Xiao’s back with suspicion. At this moment, he vaguely sensed something and looked closely.
He saw a nearly transparent, blurry ball of light in Qi Xiao’s head that was being drawn out and ascending. From its shape, it was vaguely recognizable as a human body.
“Is this… a soul?” Xia Feng murmured in confusion. He had only seen demonstration animations of such things during his first year of theoretical study, but he had never witnessed the real thing.
The transparent figure twisted at times, its face contorted, and it flailed its arms, letting out silent screams. It reached out to Xia Feng pathetically for help, but it was useless. The spirit body floated higher and higher.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
Heavy snow fell, and the wind howled.
Dense, dark gray mist surged from all directions of heaven and earth, instantly enveloping and devouring Qi Xiao’s spirit body, leaving only one gray eye filled with despair and terror.
“No!!!”
Xia Feng vaguely heard his piercing scream, which echoed through the sky.
In a flash, the gray mist dispersed, and the spirit body was completely decomposed, its soul scattered to the winds.
“This gray mist is… Calamity Force so dense it has solidified!”
Xia Feng mourned for Qi Xiao for half a second, then became incredibly excited, “So that’s how it is. In that case, I’ll respectfully accept!”
He stepped forward and instantly froze as he entered the membrane.
“Eh?”
Xia Feng suddenly felt light and nimble. He looked down and saw his head was below his crotch… Huh?
He kicked his legs as if swimming, and his spirit body began to accelerate upwards.
Soon, he saw large masses of gray mist clouds floating in the air. He sniffed his nose, “Gulp—”
It smelled like rich vanilla ice cream! His eyes filled with excitement. He tilted his head back, spread his arms wide, and shouted at the clouds with his eyes closed, “Come on! Hit me with everything you’ve got, I can take it!”
Whoosh— Whoosh—
Heavy snow fell, and a gust of cold wind blew past. Xia Feng opened one eye slightly. The gray mist masses in the distance remained motionless, completely lacking the enthusiasm they had shown towards Qi Xiao.
Xia Feng looked puzzled and swam towards a small gray mist mass using his hands and feet.
Whoosh—
The small gray mist mass instantly retreated ten meters.
“Eh?”
Xia Feng was stunned for a moment, then turned and flew towards the large gray mist mass in the north.
Whoosh—
The large gray mist mass moved even faster, retreating instantly and disappearing from sight.
“Eh eh????” Xia Feng took a deep breath. He refused to believe it and flew towards the super-large gray mist cloud to the east, saying fiercely, “Try running away if you dare!!”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The super-large gray mist cloud directly disintegrated into countless small mist particles, scattering and fleeing. In the blink of an eye, the heavens and earth were empty.
Snowflakes fluttered, and the north wind whistled. Xia Feng floated alone in the snowy world, feeling a chill in his heart.
Fine, fine, fine! So that’s how you want to play!
He felt blatant discrimination!
“No, I really don’t believe it!” He locked onto a small mist particle and gritted his teeth, continuing to chase. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Wherever he passed, the gray mist particles scattered and fled, like small fish panicking and leaving the moment a shark appeared in the lake.
Terrified, full of disgust.
“Fine, very good, excellent! You win!” Xia Feng saw that he couldn’t catch any of them and finally gave up.
However, when he looked down, he froze in place.
On the endless snowfield, dozens of people stood scattered, all with dazed expressions, gazing silently in the direction of the World Tree.
These people were likely from adventuring parties or military forces that entered this area years ago, attempting to explore the so-called Evil Dragon treasure, only to meet their end here.
Xia Feng gazed into the distance and could faintly see withered bones, severed limbs, and ice sculptures half-buried in the snow.
The surface scene was like this. From this, one could imagine how many souls were hidden beneath the perpetually falling snow.
Xia Feng returned the way he came and tried the method taught in his textbook. His spirit body could indeed return to its physical form and its bodily functions were normal. He then relaxed his will again, letting his spirit body soar and fly deeper into the forest.
He flew for over an hour without realizing it, but the distance to the World Tree standing between heaven and earth seemed to have shortened not at all.
However, he unexpectedly discovered a second membrane stretching across the sky and land.
Xia Feng looked up at the dim sky. It was still snowing. The lone blood moon in the sky emitted blood-red light that pierced through the clouds, draping the land in a cold, blood-red cloak.
“Dong— Dong dong!”
The light gold glow in his chest pulsed faster, emitting drum-like tremors. This was the primal power of the Calamity Demon Heart rooted in his spirit body. It seemed to be sensing something, becoming excited, cheering, and stirring the desires within his heart.
It was as if it were telling him that what he wanted was ahead!
“Is the Evil Dragon… just up ahead?”
Xia Feng took a deep breath and stepped forward, passing through the second membrane.
“Eh? Eek!!!” His mind instantly became chaotic, and the scene in front of him flew by at lightning speed. The sound of wind whistled past his ears, as if a terrible suction force was pulling him towards the World Tree!
As his heart leaped in alarm, he quickly adjusted his state and looked down, his pupils involuntarily constricting. He saw, on the vast land rapidly receding behind him, densely packed humanoid skeletons kneeling with swords in hand. They had horns on their foreheads and bone tails on their backs, forming a dense, black mass, bowing their heads towards the distant World Tree, as if paying homage to the king of heaven and earth, the true lord of the world!
As he flew along, these sword-bearing skeletons covered the entire snowfield – ten thousand! A million! Ten million! They were densely packed, like a sea of bones, spectacular and terrifying.
Xia Feng’s scalp tingled.
But he no longer had time to think. Under the effect of the strange suction force, his speed increased exponentially. The surrounding scenery began to distort, turning into a blurry fluid. His body also seemed to be bathed in an invisible force. Although he didn’t need to breathe, he felt a suffocating pressure, as if he were breathing rapidly and with difficulty.
Soon, he saw vast masses of gray mist clouds, piled up like mountains, covering the sky.
These clouds became excited upon seeing him, as if saying “It’s been so many years, finally some fresh food.” But in the next instant, they seemed to sense something, drooped, and then fled frantically in all directions, as if afraid of perishing if they were any slower.
As the clouds parted and the mist cleared, Xia Feng moved unimpeded. Before long, he found the gray circle surrounding the World Tree drawing near, growing larger in his vision. Whoosh—
He passed through the third membrane between heaven and earth!
The world spun, and he suddenly lost all strength. Dong, dong, dong! He fell directly from the air, his head hitting the ground with a painful thud.
“Hiss!!” Xia Feng clutched his forehead and struggled to get up. “Damn it, why does it still hurt even in spiritual form!”
He looked up. The crown of the giant tree, stretching straight to the sky, was endless.
“Strange, why did the Calamity Force suddenly disappear?”
He raised his hand and tried to grasp the air in confusion, clearly sensing that the concentration of Calamity Force around him had dropped to near zero, a stark contrast to the outside where the mist formed a substantial sea.
!
Looking around, he found himself in a patch of pansies.
Not far ahead, there was a jade-white path paved with withered bones and remains. Pansies bloomed on both sides, interwoven and clustered, leading towards an unknown end.
Xia Feng walked along the white bone path for a long time.
Finally, it seemed he had reached the end. He took a deep breath and pushed aside the flower bushes. The scene before him made him subconsciously freeze, stiffly and slowly raising his head.
In the center of the thick, endless tree trunk was embedded the skeletal remains of a pale giant dragon. It stretched its neck, composed of hundreds of bone segments, towards the sky. Even in its slumber, its majestic head remained held high. Its solid bone claws stepped on the ground paved with exotic stones, around which burned an unceasing azure flame.
And directly beneath the desolate dragon skeleton was a black and gold divine seat, upon which sat a gray-haired woman with her eyes closed!
She wore a veil-like starry skirt of light gray adorned with mist-like light, and sat quietly with her hands clasped on her knees. A silent and mysterious aura emanated from her, like a proud goddess dwelling in the Moon Palace.
But at this moment, her head was bowed slightly, her eyes half-closed as if she were in an eternal sleep from which she could not awaken.
“Could she be the Evil Dragon?” Xia Feng took a deep breath and cautiously approached step by step.
The woman did not react, nor was there any barrier around them.
As he got a little closer, Xia Feng could finally see the woman’s complete appearance.
The woman’s cloud-grey, soft hair cascaded lazily over her shoulders and neck. A dark gold Cross mark was painted on her forehead. On the left side below the cross, exquisite crystal-white dragon scales extended to the corner of her upturned eyes, while the right side was holy and world-beautifying, pure and untainted by dust.
“Dong! Dong dong! Dong dong dong!!”
Xia Feng’s expression changed, and he clutched his chest. His black pupils widened in shock, and his heart suddenly began to pound rapidly, like it was going mad and dancing with excitement in his chest.
Oh no, it was the feeling of his heart being moved!
The feeling of his heart being moved, as if seeing a peerless delicacy he wanted to devour immediately!
“Gulp—” Xia Feng stared intently at the woman less than ten meters away. The Calamity Force emanating from her could no longer be described as merely dense or fragrant; it was intoxicating.
She seemed to be a human-shaped entity condensed from the ‘Calamity Spirit Liquid Sea’, and the alluring power contained within nearly drove Xia Feng to madness!
“Slap!”
He slapped his own right cheek hard, forcing himself to retreat two steps, panting heavily while holding his knees.
After a while, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked up. It seemed ten meters was a boundary.
Once within ten meters, he would sense the Evil Dragon’s boundless Calamity Force and be overcome by a frantic urge to consume.
Xia Feng let out a breath and stared at the woman on the divine seat with a confused yet serious expression. “Ahem, that, Evil Dragon, uh, Miss Evil Dragon, hello, are you awake? If you are, say something!”
Woman: “…”
“Hey, hey? Miss Evil Dragon, can you hear me?” Xia Feng shouted loudly.
Woman: “…”
“Miss Evil Dragon, can we discuss something? I need to absorb a bit of your Calamity Force. Are you willing?”
“If you don’t speak, I’ll assume you agree~”
Woman: “…”
“Alright, thank you for your generous gift!” Xia Feng clasped his hands together and bowed. “For this great kindness, I will surely repay you tenfold in the future!”
Rustle—
The sound of rustling leaves broke the silence. Xia Feng was startled, and his guilty conscience made him quickly retreat dozens of meters, adopting a defensive stance.
“Who?!”
There was no response.
He looked up in confusion, searching carefully, and suddenly discovered a …
Crow?
The crow was only about three hand spans in size, completely black. Its eyes were also half-closed, and its claws rested quietly on the branch.
Xia Feng’s brow twitched. He didn’t believe that a black crow that could appear in this place would be an ordinary animal.
“Hey, Miss Evil Dragon is sleeping, but you should be awake, right?” Xia Feng shouted.
As expected, the black crow slowly opened its eyes. Its two dark, star-like pupils were indifferent as it looked down at the human below the tree.
Its beak opened, and it spoke human words in a cold, indifferent tone:
“Human, do you see the path of withered bones you came from? That is the fate of all intruders over tens of thousands of years. If you don’t want to die, do not enter Her Calamity Force Field and return the way you came.”
Xia Feng blinked and said earnestly, “So, what you’re saying is, if I still want to go in, you won’t stop me?”
Seeing that this foolish human wasn’t listening to advice at all, the black crow glanced at him calmly and, too lazy to say more, slowly closed its eyes and resumed its slumber.
Very well, since you won’t stop me, there’s nothing more to discuss. Let’s go!
Xia Feng took a deep breath and stepped forward!
“Ugh—”
His face instantly turned red. His heart raced like it was on a high-speed chase, and a buzzing sound of blood rushing to his ears filled his ears. His breathing grew rapid. “Gulp!”
His black eyes stared intently at the gray-haired woman on the distant divine seat. Xia Feng struggled to control his desires, slowly approaching step by step.
When he reached the base of the divine seat, he had managed to adapt to this state of heightened desire and madness, his eyes regaining a sliver of calmness.
Because of this, he discovered that next to the woman’s bare, snow-white feet, dangled a pale white dragon tail, as sharp and cold as silver armor.
Xia Feng shifted his gaze from her dragon tail and bare feet, looking up. This close distance allowed him to personally feel Miss Evil Dragon’s alluring figure, like a magnificent and vast Calamity Spirit Liquid Sea made into a delicacy, just one lick of which would excite him for a long time!
Xia Feng mused to himself as he stepped onto the platform.
Finally, he easily reached the divine seat, close to the Evil Dragon!
Rustle!!
At this moment, the black crow on the branch, which was about to go back to sleep, suddenly opened its eyes again, its dark pupils filled with extreme surprise.
