Tale of the Creation of the Heavens

Xiao Mei and Xiao Ning fought a hard battle against the wolves. The creatures were fierce, but thanks to their talent and teamwork, they managed to kill them without suffering serious injuries.

The two girls celebrated their victory amidst the bloodied wolf corpses. Adrenaline still coursed through their bodies. However, the sound of rapid footsteps in the distance caught their attention.

Xiao Mei looked toward the sound, wiping the sweat from her forehead, while Xiao Ning remained on alert. Moments later, four figures appeared, wearing the same uniforms of the Flying Sword Sect, their robes lightly swaying in the wind.

At the front was Liang Wei, a 16-year-old with a refined posture and a curious gaze.

"Did you two handle this on your own?" Wei asked, admiration evident in his voice as he observed the wolves' corpses.

Xiao Mei, still catching her breath, gave a small smile before responding in a casual tone:

"As you can see, Liang Wei." She shrugged as if it were no big deal, though the proud glint in her eyes gave her away.

"Impressive!" Wei said. "As expected of the Xiao sisters."

Right behind him, Mei Lian, the 14-year-old and the last girl in the group, spoke in a frustrated tone. "I wish I had seen that fight!" Her eyes wandered over the cuts on the beasts' hides as she imagined how the battle had unfolded.

"Well, we would've arrived sooner if it weren't for this slowpoke," complained Chen Bo, the oldest of the group at 16, pointing at the bald boy trailing behind them, struggling to catch his breath.

Mei glanced at Jin, the boy who had been assigned cleaning tasks in the sect along with another outsider over the past few months.

Jin was carrying six backpacks and several bags. Although he was slim, he had a sturdier build compared to his slender companions.

Mei Lian clicked her tongue. "Even now, I can't believe our sect accepted an outsider."

Chen Bo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I don't know what the sect leader was thinking when he made that decision. Accepting one was bad enough, but letting another into our ancestors' house shortly after?"

Liang Wei joined the conversation. "The sect isn't what it used to be. Remember what that lunatic did to our seniors? How was he not expelled?" Of course, everyone knew Tristan never started any conflict and only reacted to others' hostility, but they didn't care about that.

"If our sect weren't the most powerful in the Wind element, I'd consider leaving." Abandoning one's sect for another was a huge taboo in Zaguhan. Normally, such words would be unacceptable. However, instead of condemning him, his companions, equally dissatisfied with the current situation, simply remained silent.

Hearing mentions of Tristan, Mei recalled with disdain the foreign boy she had never been able to defeat in a duel.

Thinking about him, a curious memory surfaced in her mind.

After Master Ming finished explaining the dangers they might face on this mission, everyone gathered to form groups. But Tristan didn't even try to join one and just left on his own.

At that moment, she wondered whether he thought it was too dangerous and gave up before even trying or if he was arrogant enough to believe he could handle it alone. She amused herself with the idea that someone could be so bold and insolent.

Then she remembered something else.

'When I invited Yue to join us, she refused and also left without a group. Maybe they're together. They seemed close.'

If that were the case, Mei was curious about how far they could go on their own. Of course, she imagined they probably gave up early and returned to the sect.

***

Tristan searched for a place to take shelter. He found a large rock big enough to block the cold wind. He sat in front of the rock and closed his eyes.

Activating his Divine Fragment, he began searching for information about the Vados.

He scanned title after title until one caught his attention—he found a familiar name.

|The Day Lotho Stole the Sun XXV|

Lotho, the Knight of Dawn, was ordered by the King of Gunbelia to deal with a terrible black dragon that plagued the northern lands, destroying villages and spreading chaos. The creature, known as Shadrak, the Winged Shadow, was feared by all, as no warrior had ever returned alive from confronting it. One day, the creature landed in the city of Kristahein, attempting to raid the city's vaults in search of mystical metals stored there.

The city's mages and army united their forces and bravely withstood the terror.

Lotho descended from the skies in a golden light.

He and the dragon exchanged a few words.

The dragon raised its body and spread its wings intimidatingly; the creature was ten times larger than the warrior before it.

All the citizens of Kristahein watched as Lotho raised his sword to the sky. A dense darkness fell, blinding everyone—it was as if day had turned into night. There was only one source of light: Lotho's sword. Then, in an instant, a brilliant beam of light shot through the air. The citizens regained their vision and witnessed a splendid sight.

The mighty, colossal black dragon now lay motionless on the ground, its head severed. It had been killed with a single strike.

The small human, clad in his golden armor, stood before it, as splendid as ever.

Cheers of joy and happiness quickly spread, and the citizens clapped in praise of their hero.

But then, as if the devil had grown angry at their celebration, the dragon's headless corpse began to move. Shadows burst from its body, causing an earthquake that shook all the houses. The once-dead colossal beast rose again.

Man and creature faced each other once more.

This time, the fight was far more intense. The headless dragon unleashed waves of shadow that destroyed everything they touched, but Lotho, with precise movements, severed its wings and, soon after, its tail. Even so, the creature kept fighting. Lotho delivered a direct blow to the beast's heart, destroying it in a flash of golden light, but the monster did not relent.

Several minutes of pure chaos passed until the battle finally reached its conclusion.

The dragon's body turned into a sea of shadows, and its massive figure disappeared, leaving only one of its scales behind.