The wind in the Forest of Yin and Yang grew heavier as the three figures moved deeper into its eastern region.
Yan Fu walked calmly between his two newly contracted guardians. The forest around them had grown far more ancient and dangerous than the outer areas. Towering trees twisted toward the sky like silent giants, their trunks covered with dark moss and glowing spirit vines.
The spiritual energy here was denser—almost suffocating.
Yet Yan Fu's expression remained composed.
Above his vision floated the faint blue system notification.
Time Remaining: 3 Hours 12 Minutes
The final guardian still had to be found.
Vorath moved through the forest like a silent shadow. Despite its massive size, the ancient black lion produced almost no sound as it walked. Its amber eyes scanned the surroundings carefully.
Aetherion walked with elegant calm, its glowing hooves barely touching the ground as faint motes of celestial light trailed behind it.
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
Then Yan Fu finally broke the silence.
"You both mentioned a beast that could stand beside you as the third guardian."
Vorath's tail swayed slowly.
"Yes."
Aetherion continued walking forward before speaking calmly.
"But that being is not like us."
Yan Fu raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Explain."
Vorath's deep voice rumbled.
"Unlike most divine beasts in this forest… that one does not tolerate intruders."
Aetherion nodded.
"It rules a territory even the strongest beasts avoid."
The trees around them began to thin.
Ahead, the land slowly sloped upward into a vast mountain ridge.
Dark clouds churned above the peak.
Lightning flashed silently within the storm.
Yan Fu stopped walking.
His hazel-green eyes narrowed slightly.
"I assume we are heading there."
Vorath looked toward the mountain.
"That is its domain."
Aetherion spoke calmly.
"The Storm Crown Peak."
Yan Fu studied the distant peak carefully.
Even from this distance he could feel the immense spiritual pressure radiating from it.
The air itself seemed alive with lightning.
He smiled faintly.
"A beast capable of ruling such a place…"
"That does sound worthy."
The three continued forward.
As they approached the base of the mountain, the environment began to change.
The forest floor became cracked stone.
Charred trees stood scattered around the slopes, their bark blackened by lightning strikes.
Thunder rumbled across the sky.
Then suddenly—
A deafening roar of thunder exploded above them.
A massive bolt of lightning crashed down onto the peak.
The ground trembled.
Yan Fu lifted his gaze toward the sky.
Something moved within the storm.
Something enormous.
Vorath stopped walking.
"We have entered its territory."
Aetherion lowered its head slightly.
"If it senses hostility, the battle will not be small."
Yan Fu twirled his white staff slowly.
"That depends on how the conversation goes."
He stepped forward.
Lightning flashed again.
This time, the storm clouds began swirling violently.
The sky darkened.
Then—
A colossal figure slowly descended from the storm.
Yan Fu's eyes sharpened.
The creature that appeared in the sky was magnificent.
A dragon.
Its massive serpentine body stretched across the clouds like a living river of lightning. Azure scales covered its body, each one glowing faintly as if forged from condensed thunder.
Golden horns curved backward from its head like divine crowns.
Long whiskers drifted through the storm winds as crackling electricity danced across its body.
Its eyes shone like blazing stars.
Ancient.
Dominant.
Unquestionably powerful.
The dragon hovered above the mountain peak, observing the three figures below.
Then its voice echoed across the storm.
Deep.
Ancient.
Majestic.
"Vorath."
Lightning crackled along its scales.
"And Aetherion."
Its gaze shifted toward Yan Fu.
"You bring a mortal into my domain."
The pressure descending from the sky was immense.
Even the surrounding mountains trembled faintly.
Yan Fu felt the force pressing against his body.
But like before—
He did not kneel.
He looked directly into the dragon's glowing eyes.
"You must be the one they spoke of."
The dragon's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Oh?"
Lightning surged around its body.
"You do not tremble."
Yan Fu calmly planted his staff against the ground.
"I have come with a proposal."
Vorath watched silently.
Aetherion remained calm.
The dragon's long body slowly descended lower through the storm.
"Speak."
Yan Fu lifted his head.
"I am rebuilding Ji Xia Sect."
Lightning flashed again.
The dragon remained silent.
Yan Fu continued.
"I have already formed contracts with Vorath and Aetherion as the guardians of my sect."
"However, a sect cannot stand with only two pillars."
His voice remained steady.
"So I have come to ask…"
The storm winds howled around them.
"…if you would become the third guardian of Ji Xia Sect."
For several seconds, the mountain remained silent except for distant thunder.
Then suddenly—
The dragon laughed.
The sound rolled across the sky like an earthquake.
"A mortal… invites me to serve his sect?"
Its eyes glowed brighter.
"Do you even know who I am?"
Yan Fu replied calmly.
"No."
"But I can feel that you are powerful."
The dragon lowered its head slightly.
Lightning danced along its horns.
"I am Tianlong, the Sovereign of Storms."
The clouds roared violently as it spoke its name.
"For three thousand years I have ruled this peak."
"No beast in this forest dares challenge me."
Its glowing eyes locked onto Yan Fu.
"And yet you come here… asking for my loyalty."
The pressure intensified again.
Yan Fu's robes fluttered in the storm winds.
But his expression did not change.
"Yes."
Tianlong studied him carefully.
"You do not fear death."
Yan Fu replied calmly.
"If I feared death, I would not have come to this world."
Vorath's amber eyes gleamed slightly.
Aetherion remained perfectly calm.
The dragon stared at Yan Fu for a long moment.
Then it asked one final question.
"If Ji Xia Sect rises again…"
Lightning illuminated the sky.
"…what place will it hold in this world?"
Yan Fu smiled faintly.
His voice carried absolute certainty.
"The highest one."
The storm fell silent.
For the first time, Tianlong's eyes changed.
Interest.
Real interest.
The dragon slowly descended until its enormous head was only a few meters above Yan Fu.
The lightning around its body faded slightly.
Then it spoke quietly.
"Very well, Yan Fu."
The clouds rumbled gently.
"Show me that your ambition is worthy of the heavens."
A faint golden formation circle slowly began forming beneath Yan Fu's feet.
The guardian contract ritual was beginning.
High above them, the storm spiraled like a crown around the mountain.
And the final guardian of Ji Xia Sect was about to be decided.
Meanwhile—
The system timer quietly ticked down.
Time Remaining: 2 Hours 01 Minutes