The Promise

Before the giant shadow, he was like an ant; swallowing an adult was entirely effortless for it. He Lingchuan did not run—he had nowhere to run. He felt as though he had plunged into a deep pool. The last sliver of light vanished as the giant shadow closed its maw. All around was pitch-black, so dark he could not see his hand before his face. In that pitch-black space, everything was utterly still; He Lingchuan could hear only the sound of his own breathing. He did not know how long had passed when a beam of intense light burst directly ahead. He Lingchuan thought he had been caught in the beam of a shadow-projecting lamp and reflexively raised a hand to shield his eyes. Once his eyes adjusted and he opened them, the scene before him was something he had never expected: He had returned to the Panlong Realm. The magnificent South Gate was still here, as were the demonic apes, monstrous birds, and other realm creatures. Even the colossal Black Dragon was coiled atop the city walls! The Black Dragon? Wasn't that Zhong Shengguang's incarnation? After his initial stupor, He Lingchuan suddenly realized that what he was witnessing was likely a scene that had unfolded within the Dafang Pot. Specifically, the Panlong Realm right after the He family father and son had defeated Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu! The colossal Black Dragon let out a low, mournful sigh. Its pitch-black body was rapidly coated in a layer of gray frost, and then it plummeted from the city wall with a crash, shattering into countless pieces like pottery. Yes, this scene had been so magnificent that it remained deeply etched in his memory even now! Yet this time he viewed it from a different angle: looking levelly at the city gate from an elevated tower inside the city, so his vision was not obscured by the endless dust raised when the Black Dragon crashed down. Thus, he saw a detail no one had ever noticed before: Although the Black Dragon's body had shattered into pieces, the dragon head that fell to the ground was still intact, and light still lingered in its eyes. He Lingchuan looked back at the city wall; no one remained atop it. He remembered that at this point, the Blackwater City troops had already been teleported out, returned to the desert. And this realm was an entirely sealed environment, devoid of any outsiders—or rather, any living souls. The Black Dragon actually spoke once more, its deep voice resounding through the ruins: "The successor has appeared. You must guide him to uphold our legacy. This path is fraught with hardship; lend him aid at crucial moments. Should he truly find himself at his wit's end, guide him back to Panlong Ancient City. Here, under the Dafang Pot's shelter, no power can harm him!" It let out another long sigh, filled with sorrow, relief, yet also lingering care: "Awaken, my daughter!" The light in the Black Dragon's eyes finally died away. But at the same moment, a crimson beam of light soared into the heavens from the ruins to the east! The light was so dazzling that it dyed the sky of the Panlong Realm blood-red. On this bloody night, everything in the ruins was coated in a viscous red, whether auspicious or ominous being impossible to say. Then, darkness fell all around once more, returning to pitch-black. When He Lingchuan could see light again, he found himself standing once more in the desolate city, surrounded by ruin and decay. Before him stood the temple, and the bloody water in the pool-well had completely dried up. What he had just witnessed felt like a dream. Yet he knew it was no dream, but rather the Dafang Pot's response to his demand. He Lingchuan slowly sat down on the edge of the pool-well and exhaled, feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders. As long as he entered that illusionary realm, no one could threaten him—not even Nailuotian. This was the first time the Dafang Pot had given such a definite promise. The power of a celestial god's contract could only be countered by an unparalleled divine artifact like the Dafang Pot. In that case, he now had direction, a goal, and could begin making plans! Having endured so many hardships and completed so many impossible tasks, he treasured his own life all the more. Otherwise, there would have been no need to travel thousands of li back to the Panlong Ruins. He deduced that his repeated calls to the Dafang Pot through the divine bone necklace had gone unanswered perhaps because the Dafang Pot's promise would only take effect when his physical body entered Panlong City. At night, He Lingchuan's divine soul entered Panlong City, but divine descent targeted the physical body. If the Dafang Pot was to provide him with complete protection from spirit to flesh, he had to take the trouble to make the trip in person. In other words, he had to ensure that when Nailuotian descended, he was right inside the Panlong Realm? Would Nailuotian... agree to that? Trying to hoodwink the "God of Fate" did not seem like an easy task. By the way, the Black Dragon's dying words proved that General Red was indeed Zhong Shengguang's daughter, Zhong Wuhan. He Lingchuan had deduced this long ago and wasn't surprised in the least. As he sat there with his chin in his hand, lost in deep contemplation, the thick clouds in the sky parted, and a ray of skylight broke through, shining directly onto the fallen idol. He Lingchuan stared at this ray of light in a daze for a long time, then suddenly leaped up. Huh? Wasn't this the wild sand season? Everywhere ought to be a dim, dusty yellow; why was the sun coming out now? He looked around in all directions and realized that the sandstorm outside had actually stopped. He Lingchuan hurried out past the South Gate. The raging wind and sand had vanished at some unknown moment, and the dunes gleamed golden under the bright sun. Looking up again, the sky was completely cloudless for ten thousand li. The upheaval in the Panlong Desert had begun without warning. And for He Lingchuan, he was about to face his next massive gamble: This time, he would deceive "Fate." *** Because it bordered the Panlong Desert, every late winter and early spring, the wind would frequently blow through Blackwater City at night. The people of Blackwater City fell asleep to this sound and had long grown used to it. But on this morning, Liu Baobao happened to overhear two servants talking: "Strange. Why hasn't the wind blown at all these past few days?" Thinking back, he realized it was true: starting from some night or other, the banging of gale winds rattling the doors and the rustling patter of fine sand striking the window lattices had both disappeared. On snowy nights, only silence remained—a stillness that the people of Blackwater City were unaccustomed to. That afternoon, the Liu Firm received earth-shattering, momentous news: The raging sands of the Panlong Desert had vanished! Liu Baobao thought he had misheard, but when he climbed up to the North Gate and looked out into the distance, he found the visibility was extraordinary; he could easily see several hundred zhang away. There was no windblown sand, no haze. A few shichen later, the scouts sent north by Blackwater City returned, confirming the news: The wild sand season had truly disappeared. The overwhelming dust storms were gone, and ordinary people walking into the desert no longer inexplicably lost their minds. Simply put, the Panlong Desert was now no different from any other desert. Due to this sudden upheaval, the people of Blackwater City were at a loss for a time, not knowing how to react. What on earth was going on? But to merchants, this was fantastic news: it meant the Red Cliff Trade Route could be traveled unobstructed year-round. That evening, the Liu family held a banquet to celebrate at the Hongyan Restaurant. After the meal, riding high on wine, Liu Baobao walked back. His residence was merely a hundred paces away, so there was no need to take a carriage. Yet after barely ten paces, someone suddenly turned out of the alley entrance ahead, blocking his path. Liu Baobao was startled almost completely sober, and his servant boy quickly stepped in front of him, shouting, "Who's there?!" Wrapped in a grayish-yellow cloak, the figure stood in the middle of the street, looking rather eerie. But when the figure pulled back the hood, flashing a grin with brilliant white teeth, Liu Baobao's fear vanished into thin air, replaced entirely by shock.