Out on the open water, the horizon had dissolved entirely, sea and sky bleeding into one seamless expanse.
A dragon's roar, thunderous beyond measure, seemed to pour down from the clouds themselves.
Through gaps in those clouds, one could catch fleeting glimpses—a scale here, a claw there—of an azure dragon whose serpentine body stretched endlessly, seemingly reaching all the way to the horizon.
Even its tail, revealed only for a moment, appeared as vast as a mountain range.
Xu Ke stood rooted to the spot, neck craned back, his body swaying slightly. "How is this dragon so... big?"
"I've seen azure dragons in the sect before. But compared to this one..." He shook his head. "Those can't even be called dragons. Little loaches would be more fitting."
He was no fool; he knew the Southern Abyss was demonic beast territory, so he kept his voice low as he said this to Li Fan.
A dragon reveals its head but not its tail.
Li Fan paid him no mind. His gaze was fixed on the azure dragon overhead as he sifted through the inheritance memories of the Xuan Bird bloodline.
This azure dragon had lived for nearly as long as Sovereign Tapir Tertius. But where Sovereign Tapir Tertius had acted as a prophet for his kind, guiding the demonic beast race forward, this Azure Divine Dragon never involved itself in the affairs of the beast race. It was more of a guardian deity, usually hidden from the world, emerging only at critical moments when the demonic beasts faced existential peril to lend its aid.
The Azure Divine Dragon usually keeps itself concealed within waves and mist. What could have drawn out a roar like that today?
Something major may be unfolding here in the Southern Abyss.
To arrive and encounter this right away... truly befitting someone favored by heaven's will.
While pondering, Li Fan gave Xu Ke another swat with his claw.
Xu Ke felt rather bewildered and aggrieved, itching to retaliate. But Li Fan ruthlessly held him down.
Beneath Xu Ke, the Azure Luan Bird seemed to let out a sigh of resignation. It continued its flight southward, speed undiminished.
The Southern Abyss was boundless, vast beyond all measure. There was nothing but endless azure water beneath an open sky as far as the eye could see.
After more than ten days of continuous flight, the scenery had not changed in the slightest. Never mind the so-called demonic beast mountain, they hadn't glimpsed so much as the shadow of an ordinary demonic beast.
What they did encounter, occasionally, were schools of strange-looking fish breaking the surface to play. Some even chased the shadow cast by Xu Ke's party on the waves below, trailing them for a stretch. But these fish were no demonic beasts. They had not awakened to intelligence, moving on pure instinct.
"Little Hei, where do you think this demonic beast mountain is?" Xu Ke propped his chin in his hands, looking utterly listless.
"Senior Brother Lu Ya wasn't very specific. He just told me to head south, and I'd find it." He paused. "And I actually believed him. What a headache."
Li Fan was just about to reply when his expression shifted.
A murderous aura, thick with the coppery scent of blood, surged at them from behind. He spun around and spat a beam of black light, sending it straight to meet the killing intent head-on.
"Oh?" The attacker let out a sound of surprise.
Boom!
In the aftermath of the explosion, the Azure Luan Bird finally reacted. It let out an angry cry and spread its wings wide, placing itself between Xu Ke and the enemy.
Li Fan shot into the air, eyes fixed on the source of the ambush.
It was a strange bird with two heads and snow-white plumage. The eyes on one head were wide open, constantly shifting back and forth over Xu Ke and his companions. The other head, however, seemed to be deep in slumber, both eyes tightly shut, bobbing up and down in a rather comical fashion.
"So it's a descendant of the Heaven's Will Xuan Bird Clan. How have you ended up looking like this after all these years? Truly too ugly to look at."
The two-headed bird mocked them in a shrill voice.
Manman. Li Fan recognized it instantly.
Truth be told, it was somewhat related to the Heaven's Will Xuan Bird Clan. Though the name wasn't particularly pleasant-sounding, its background was anything but weak. Its left head was said to be able to perceive the cause and effect of all things in the world, while its right head remained in a perpetual state of slumber, awakening only when it sensed impending disaster.
Manman Birds were typically blue tinged with red; one as pure white as this was extremely rare. No wonder it found Li Fan ugly; they were polar opposites, Li Fan being pitch black all over. And judging by seniority within the demonic beast clans, this one was likely his elder.
Even so, faced with its sudden attack and verbal mockery, Li Fan had no intention of being polite in return.
"Strange. Why do I seem to hear a duck quacking somewhere? Quack, quack, so unpleasant and annoyingly loud."
He acted as though he hadn't seen the Manman Bird at all, looking around with open confusion and faint disdain as he addressed Xu Ke below.
Xu Ke was momentarily puzzled, then clapped his hands and burst into a fit of giggles. "That's right, I heard it too. They say this Southern Abyss Demonic Mountain is a sacred land of demonic beasts. How could a rude duck have snuck in? Truly strange, most strange!"
The Manman Bird flared with rage. "You two little brats, who are you calling a duck? This lord is the noble and peerless Manman Bird! Moreover, I am a pure white variant, a sight not seen in a thousand years. You..."
Yet no matter what it said, Li Fan and Xu Ke simply shook their heads and wore expressions of utter disdain.
The white Manman Bird grew frantic with fury. Seeing how utterly detestable the two were, it was just about to attack again when it seemed to catch itself. Some thought crossed its mind, and it held back.
"Descendant of the Xuan Bird, I'll remember you!"
It shot a fierce glare at Li Fan, flapped its wings, and flew off.
Li Fan and Xu Ke exchanged a glance, then quickly urged Little Qing to follow closely behind.
Before long, the Manman Bird noticed them persistently trailing it.
"Why are you following me? Do you really think I'm easy to bully?"
Li Fan's expression was openly scornful. "How strange. The sky is vast, the earth is wide, and all beasts may roam freely. Could it be that once a Manman Bird flies over a place, no other beast is allowed to pass? You're overreaching a bit, aren't you?"
Before the white Manman Bird could retort, a strange laugh rang out from the horizon and was upon them in an instant.
"Hahaha! Well said, little one! I think it's your Manman Bird clan, having lived too comfortably, that's grown increasingly unruly!"
The white Manman Bird's eyes flashed with ferocity, killing intent pouring off it. But once it clearly saw who had arrived, it instantly wilted.
The newcomer was bird-like in form, yet resembled a dog and bore a human face. Both in stillness and in flight, its every movement was accompanied by the howling of the wind. This was none other than the renowned Ventorus Bird clan.
"Hahahaha!"
Once it had settled, the Ventorus Bird let out another hearty, booming laugh. Its gaze lingered on Li Fan for a moment before finally coming to rest on Xu Ke. A flicker passed through its eyes.
"Little human child, what brings you to the territory of demonic beasts?"