The Summons from the Southern Wastes

A Heavenly God Palace had appeared in the southern region of the Eternal Continent, stirring movement across the lands. Each night, the celestial hall suspended among the drifting clouds radiated thousands of rainbow beams, drawing down the light of countless stars. Some suspected it to be the ruins of an Ancestral God's dwelling, causing the vast, boundless essence of heaven and earth to surge and ebb with its pulse.

Heavenly Emperor City in the Southern Wastes responded to the wind and clouds. Many factions selected experts to hasten to the Tianluo Kingdom, hoping to obtain an Ancestral God's legacy treasure, or at least a sacred artifact. If they could acquire an ancient treasure like the Dragon-Slaying Blade, the Demon-Sealing List, the Sacrificial Altar, or the Tree of Longevity, that would be more than enough. But such divine objects passed down from the primordial age could not be many. Too many would make them mere autumn spinach. The struggle for spiritual treasures would surely be fierce; none without great power could claim them.

Xiao Chen sat quietly at home. How was he to forge a distinctive cultivation path? He sat in meditation for seven days, his mind nearing exhaustion, his divine consciousness nearly shattered.

The bright moon hung high, its limpid light spilling down like water. Xiao Chen walked into the courtyard and looked up at the moon. His thoughts soared like a divine dragon leaping a million leagues, in an instant coiling within the Guanghan Palace, then in a blink drifting among the infinite stars.

He laughed freely, the anxiety in his heart dissipating. Being too deliberate left a clinging obsession in the mind, falling instead into the inferior path. What was a distinctive Dao? To forcibly carve out an unprecedented heavenly road? Given his current cultivation realm, it was still too early. Everything… should be natural. He cut off that thread of obsession, letting his mind become clear again. Instantly, he felt his spirit full and his heart empty and numinous.

To walk a different Dao, one must tread across the hundreds and thousands of existing heavenly paths. Without seeing the myriad forms of the world, how could one understand the words 'vicissitudes'? Without observing the billions of blossoming beauties, how could one know splendor from frivolity? Only through experience can one understand. Only through pain can one comprehend.

To advance and break through, treading the path of one's predecessors and sensing the wisdom of the ancients was indispensable. Xiao Chen's heart was now still. Three days of 'willfulness' had been the source and driving force, allowing his cultivation thoughts to shed the old and want to walk an extraordinary road, breaking the established cultivation journey. Four days of 'sitting still' had been the awakening, letting him 'understand' and 'comprehend'.

Xiao Chen's cultivation had not advanced, but his mind had undergone a transformation. His heart-sea was vast, able to embrace all things in heaven and earth, able to contain billions of stars. What he thought and felt all began with the heart—this was where the source of power lay, the root of self-sublimation. Cultivation began now, surpassing the original self.

While the outside world roiled with winds and clouds, Xiao Chen remained unmoved. External treasures could not confuse his true self. Seeking heavenly divine weapons was inferior to cultivating one's own body. The human body itself was a treasure trove, containing endless power. If one could open the sealed gates within, the gain would exceed all external treasures. Exploring the body's treasure, he dug for the true Dao that belonged to himself, cultivating calmly and naturally.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. The celestial hall in the Tianluo Kingdom still could not be breached. Cultivators gathered in ever greater numbers, and several fierce battles had erupted there, with many renowned practitioners killed or wounded. Undercurrents also surged in Heavenly Emperor City.

On the eleventh day after the heavenly palace appeared in the Tianluo Kingdom, a lazy-seeming young man who looked as if nothing mattered wandered through the streets. He sauntered like an idler, making his way to Beast-Fighting Street, his eyes roving around the area near the three great beast-fighting palaces.

Just then, the patriarch of the Rigen family, Slofer, emerged from a magnificent palace complex in that district. It was the beast-fighting arena that had been reduced to ashes back then, now fully rebuilt, though it had never re-hung the sign reading 'Heavenly Emperor Beast-Fighting Palace.' Recently, the family had been making intensive preparations to rise again. As Slofer stepped out of the arena, he happened to see that lazy young man looking around with utter indifference.

In that instant, Slofer's breath caught. Two sharp beams of light shot from his eyes. That face he would never forget. The scene from over thirty years ago seemed to flash before his eyes—it was precisely this lazy-mannered young man, like an idler, who had defeated all the younger generation of Heavenly Emperor City on this very Beast-Fighting Street, and had nearly slapped him to death. The older generation of the Rigen family had been forced to act, nearly crippling the youth.

But that had provoked a great catastrophe. Overnight, a black wind swept through all of Heavenly Emperor City. That elder of the Rigen family had crumbled to dust in an instant, and their family's 'Heavenly Emperor Beast-Fighting Palace' had been reduced to ashes in a single night. 'How could it be him?!' Slofer felt as if his heart had been clawed. The old wounds seemed torn open. The shame of those years filled his heart, but he dared not show his anger. 'He hasn't aged at all, still the same as back then. His cultivation must have already left the mundane and become transcendent.' Slofer's mind shook violently. He quickly lowered his head, wanting to pretend he hadn't seen.

But the lazy young man who seemed to care about nothing had already spotted him. He nodded with a faint, ambiguous smile and sauntered away. Slofer broke out in a cold sweat. When he turned back, the youth was already far away.

'Slofer, why are you drenched in cold sweat?' From not far off, the patriarch of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Qingyun, had just walked out of the Xuanhuang Beast-Fighting Palace.

'I saw… that person!'

Soon, the principal figures of the three great beast-fighting palaces all received word: that man had appeared again!

In Xiao Chen's courtyard, the Little Defiant Dragon had mostly recovered. This time it had taken twice as long as before to heal, but that alone would astonish anyone who knew the details—after all, those had been lethal wounds. As expected, the Little Defiant Dragon had undergone another transformation after surviving its deathly ordeal. A faint luster flowed over its body, and the surging power within could be clearly felt. Its strength had risen a full step. The Little Defiant Dragon could finally move on its own. Xiao Chen decided to leave this city of strife immediately. If not for fear that the journey's hardship would worsen the dragon's injuries, he would have departed long ago. Heavenly Emperor City was no longer a place to stay. He was now at the very peak of the storm; if time dragged on, an accident might occur.

Bang, bang. Knocking came from outside. Xiao Chen walked out and opened the gate. A young man he had never seen before stood at the entrance, lazily sizing him up.

'Are you Xiao Chen?'

'Yes.'

The young man, like a feckless loafer, circled Xiao Chen twice and said appraisingly, 'Not small nerve, daring to borrow the name of that old master deep in the Southern Wastes to make your flag. Heh heh…'

Xiao Chen said nothing, merely watching him silently.

'Pretty calm, aren't you. Aren't you afraid that if that old man in the Southern Wastes finds out, he'll reduce you to ashes with a wave of his hand?'

'If you have nothing else, you can go back to pressing your streets.'

With that, Xiao Chen shut the door with a bang, the gate nearly hitting the young man's nose.

'Hey, this kid…' The lazy young man was startled, then shook his head with a laugh, muttering to himself, 'Not too vulgar yet.'

With a flash of light, he appeared directly in the courtyard, materializing before Xiao Chen. 'Kid, you don't need to be wary of me. Given my strength, I have no need to bluff.' Xiao Chen's expression tightened. He had indeed sensed that this young man was unfathomable, no ordinary person. And those eyes—they carried an ancient, weathered quality.

'You remind me a bit of myself thirty years ago.' The young man patted Xiao Chen's shoulder, introducing himself as if they were old friends. 'My name is Long Teng.'

'You… the one who nearly slapped a member of the Rigen family to death?' Xiao Chen instantly knew who this was—the one who truly came from the Southern Wastes.

'Heh, so we're alike, aren't we? Aren't you thirty years later slapping someone from their family too?'

'How could I compare to you? If you cause trouble, someone covers for you; you're a bona fide princeling. If I cause trouble, I die.'

'Hey, kid, you know my identity and still don't address me as senior—and you dare speak to me like this?' Long Teng sat lazily in a wicker chair in the yard, looking at Xiao Chen sideways.

'Seeing how young you look, I don't feel it. You seem like the same generation as me.'

'Can't be bothered with you. The reason I came this time is mainly for—'

Swish! A streak of rainbow light swept toward them, cutting off Long Teng's words, rapidly enveloping him.

Long Teng vanished from his spot, as if he had never been there, instantly appearing on the small stone arch bridge not far away. He called out, 'Little ferocious beast, you really live up to your name. You've improved a lot this time—almost got you.'

Keke said not a word, its big eyes fixed on Long Teng. Then the Little Defiant Dragon and the Azure Dragon King also appeared in the courtyard.

'Let me be direct. I came here for the two of them. Their performance has met that old master's satisfaction in the Southern Wastes. This time I'm ordered to take them back.' Long Teng pointed at Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon, then nodded. 'You two still remember the trial that old man spoke of last time, right? You've barely passed.'

'Ya-ya!' The snowy-white little beast bared its teeth and claws, meaning it would rather die than go back.

The Little Defiant Dragon hesitated for a moment, then silently nodded.

'Heh, truly a little ferocious beast. That old man invites you back and you refuse? Any intelligent creature would be crying and pleading to go.' Long Teng laughed, teasing Keke. Keke's black eyes rolled, and in an instant it rapidly waved its little paws, sending a barrage of twenty-nine light screens at Long Teng.

'Still a bit short. You can't trap me yet.' Long Teng flickered like a shadow, instantly shifting sideways over ten meters.

'Keke, stop.' Xiao Chen blocked the furious little beast.

'Little ferocious beast, I'm completely doing this for your own good. Do you realize that if you don't leave, your life might be in danger?' Long Teng put away his lazy smile, speaking gravely. 'You dared to kill that white tiger cub with endless potential—you've already invited great disaster!'

'Ya-ya…' Keke cried out angrily, pointing at the Little Defiant Dragon, then at itself, meaning it had no fault; it acted to protect the Little Defiant Dragon. The Little Defiant Dragon cooperatively nodded.

Long Teng shook his head. 'Regardless, you killed that white tiger cub. The fact cannot be changed. That fierce woman—the tiger's keeper—is no match for you, but there's a formidable figure who might arrive in Heavenly Emperor City in the next few days. If you don't leave by then, he will definitely try to kill you.'

Xiao Chen hated this kind of thing—people who lost in a fair duel retaliating with overwhelming force afterward—but he had no way to stop it. Hearing this news, he felt the matter was serious. Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon were both indignant, their fighting spirit blazing.

'You two are extraordinary, but still too young. This is not yet your world. For now, your task is to work hard to raise your cultivation.' Long Teng said sternly, 'Leave with me right now.'

Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon shook their heads at the same time. Both little ones were equally stubborn.

'Go with him to the Southern Wastes, lay low for a while.' Xiao Chen did not want the two little beasts to come to harm.

'If you won't think of yourselves, at least think of this fellow.' Long Teng pointed at Xiao Chen, speaking to the two beasts. 'If you don't go, you'll bring trouble on him. If you go, the winds will calm. Otherwise, someone will surely come knocking. Heh!'

'Ya-ya…' Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon both pointed at Xiao Chen, then south toward the Southern Wastes, clearly indicating they wanted to bring Xiao Chen with them. Though young, the two beasts were not as ignorant as ordinary cubs; they sensed that leaving Xiao Chen behind alone would certainly bring danger.

Long Teng shook his head. 'No. The old master has given clear orders—no human is to set foot in the depths of the Southern Wastes.'

Xiao Chen gently patted the two beasts. 'Don't worry about me.' Then he turned to Long Teng. 'I don't need your protection. But I have a request: can you take the Azure Dragon King into the depths of the Southern Wastes as well?'

Long Teng glanced at the sickly Azure Dragon King, pondered briefly, then nodded. 'Alright.'

But Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon were extremely uncooperative. If Xiao Chen did not go, they refused to enter the Southern Wastes.

'I'll give you three days to think it over. Remember, during this time, don't step a single step outside Heavenly Emperor City. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect you either.' With those words, Long Teng turned and left.

A crossroads of fate lay ahead. Which direction would they choose?