Legend has it that at the dawn of the world, everything was still shrouded in chaos.

In that ancient era, devoid of any life, there once existed eight immortal demonic dragons.

They represented eight absolute elements: fire, water, earth, wind, thunder, ice, light, and darkness.

At some point, for reasons no one could explain, conflict erupted among the demonic dragons whose elements repelled one another.

The Demonic Water Dragon, defeated by the Demonic Fire Dragon, became the "oceans." The Demonic Earth Dragon, defeated by the Demonic Wind Dragon, became the "land." The Demonic Thunder Dragon, defeated by the Demonic Ice Dragon, became "lightning." And the Demonic Light Dragon, defeated by the Demonic Darkness Dragon, became "sunlight."

Legend says it was precisely their struggle that gave birth to the world as it exists today.

"Were there humans in the ancient era?" Banxia asked suddenly.

The village chief had been right in the middle of his story, clearly enjoying himself, and the out-of-the-blue question made him stumble. He paused before answering.

"There probably... weren't."

Humanity's earliest records only traced back to the mythological era. Whether humans existed any further back than that, no one could say for certain.

"Then who passed this legend down?"

"Well..."

Faced with the question, the village chief fell silent for a long moment, then waved a hand in resignation.

"Like I said, it's just a story that's been handed down. How would I know who started it? Forget it — let's move on."

He looked the youth over again, a touch more scrutiny in his gaze. "Adventurer, you're here for Xiaoyan too, aren't you? I've seen far too many people trying to make a name for themselves off it."

"I heard Xiaoyan was an extremely dangerous monster. Why would anyone come here looking to die?"

"It truly is dangerous. In certain respects, Xiaoyan is even more terrifying than a Great Demon."

The village chief puffed out his chest, his tone carrying a pride that seemed to come from nowhere in particular.

"However, our village possesses a divine artifact specifically made to counter it — the Frozen Divine Sword. As long as one wields that sword, even someone of lesser strength can slay Xiaoyan."

That was also why their village had never left this place, generation after generation.

Four hundred years ago, Xiaoyan had awakened once before. An adventurer wielding the Frozen Divine Sword had still managed to destroy it. This time, presumably, would be no different.

"The Frozen Divine Sword?" Banxia frowned slightly.

Why did that name sound so familiar?

Actually, it wasn't just the name. Ever since he first heard "Xiaoyan," an indescribable sense of déjà vu had been hovering at the back of his mind.

Forget it.

He had Magic to Show Fond Memories now anyway. He could flip back through his own memory later and find out where that feeling was coming from.

He stopped dwelling on it and nodded to the village chief, gesturing for him to continue.

"The Frozen Divine Sword is powerful, but its seal has to be broken first... Actually, never mind — come with me. You'll understand once you see it." The village chief stood and led the youth toward a corner of the village.

"Sounds like a hassle. Maybe I'll pass," Banxia said, hesitating.

He had originally planned to set out for the Mushroom Forest today. Stopping here for Xiaoyan was just a detour. If this took too long, his whole itinerary would fall apart.

"Pass?" The village chief glanced at him in mild surprise. "You're giving up? Well, that's fair. Breaking the seal on the Frozen Divine Sword from the Ice Clan was never a simple thing to begin with."

"No, that's not what I meant." Banxia shook his head. "Just tell me where Xiaoyan is."

"Adventurer, you're underestimating Xiaoyan. Let me take you to meet the descendant of the Ice Clan first, then you'll understand."

Even as he spoke, the village chief had already steered him toward a centuries-old tree at the center of the village and pulled open the door set into its trunk.

A wave of cold air rushed out to meet them.

Inside the tree was an entirely different world, something like an ice cave. The walls were covered in pale blue frost crystals, casting a faint, eerie light, as if they had stepped into another world altogether, one built entirely of ice and snow.

At the center of the cavern, a weapon encased in deep blue ice crystals stood quietly. The legendary Frozen Divine Sword.

And the Ice Clan descendant the village chief had mentioned was seated upright on a bed of ice.

The girl's eyes were the same ice-blue as her hair. They turned toward the doorway, cold and still.

"This girl is named Mabel," the old village chief said quietly. "If one cannot melt the ice in her heart, the seal on the Frozen Divine Sword cannot be undone." He said nothing more after that.

From deep within the ice cave, Mabel's gaze slid past the village chief and settled on Banxia. Her voice was just as cold as her eyes.

"When I was little, the scatter flowers I saw with Mama on top of Mount Malkid."

"So beautiful..."

...

They left the ice cave and returned to the village.

"What a pain!" Banxia scratched his head.

What was this, a quest chain before the boss fight?

"Young man, have some patience. Every adventurer who came before went through the same thing. Your quest is already on the easier end of the spectrum," the village chief said, consoling him with a smile.

"Is that so?" Banxia didn't bite. His attention had already drifted to a dog-like creature sitting by the side of the road. He crouched down and scooped the little thing up, idly scratching under its chin.

"Forget it. Just tell me where Xiaoyan is. I'll go take a look myself."

"..."

The village chief watched him and shook his head.

If defeating Xiaoyan were that easy, would their village have spent generations waiting on the Ice Clan's descendant hand and foot, feeding her like royalty?

"It's normal to be young and reckless. When I was your age, I was even wilder." He sighed, raising a hand to point in a certain direction. "Go take a look at Xiaoyan while it's still reviving and you'll understand. Without the Frozen Divine Sword, it is impossible for a human to kill it."

"Oh," Banxia replied, barely listening, and started to set the pup back down on the ground.

"Take that with you," the village chief said suddenly.

"This?" Banxia looked down at the docile little creature in his arms.

"That's an Infernal Hell Wolf, a retainer of Xiaoyan, from back in the day. When Xiaoyan disappeared, they lost their power along with it. Once Xiaoyan starts to revive, it will transform back into a monster."

"Consider it a warning. When Manu turns into a monster, make sure you stay well clear of wherever Xiaoyan is reviving."

"You're being awfully generous." Banxia gave the village chief a suspicious look.

"Of course. Our village is a place of simple, honest folk." The village chief met his gaze with a cheerful smile and held up one finger. "So for just one gold coin, you can take this Xiaoyan detector right off my hands."

"..."

Banxia weighed the little creature in his arms.

Manu rolled over, pressing a wet nose against his wrist, every bit the clingy little pet, with absolutely nothing about it suggesting it would ever become a monster.

"You can actually turn into a monster?"

Manu tilted its head at the question, looking just as puzzled as any ordinary puppy would.

"..."

...

➤ Next: Xiaoyan with a Morning Temper

Chapter 68 - Xiaoyan with a Morning Temper

"This is where Xiaoyan is."

Following the direction the village chief had pointed, Banxia arrived at the site of the impending revival.

Before him stood a dilapidated shrine, heavily collapsed, its walls crawling with withered vines, a picture of total ruin.

He walked forward a few steps and looked up to make out the faded characters on the lintel.

[Shrine of Flame]

The moment he stepped inside, the docile Manu nestled in his arms turned hostile. A low snarl rumbled in its throat as it bared its teeth.

"Behave."

Banxia reached out and pinched its pointed snout shut. The little creature settled instantly, reduced to kicking all four paws uselessly in the air.

The walls were mottled and crumbling, a few damaged murals still faintly visible across them.

He studied them carefully. The story they told was rough but legible: years ago, Xiaoyan had revived, only to be defeated and sealed away again by someone wielding the Frozen Divine Sword.

The figure's face had long since worn away, and the shrine itself had decayed into this state, a lot of years had passed.

He pulled his gaze away and kept walking deeper in.

The further he went, the harder Manu trembled.

Then the tiny body began to leak crimson flames, swelling outward ring by ring.

"Don't burn my clothes." Banxia frowned and dropped Manu onto the ground.

This outfit had been custom-made at serious expense, then reworked by Ai Hayasaka to modern standards. The comfort and practicality were on a completely different level from ordinary clothes, a priceless piece that money alone couldn't replace.

He'd brought only a small bag of clothes for the journey north. Lose one piece, and there was nowhere to restock.

While he was looking down to check whether any sparks had caught the hem, Manu had already finished transforming.

Its size had exploded more than a dozen times over. Limbs thick as young tree trunks. Crimson flames roiling across every inch of its body.

If anyone else had been standing in front of it, a single swipe would have turned them to paste.

Yet this Explosive Flame Hellhound, a beast notorious for its ferocity even among monsters, was digging all four paws into the earth, body angled back, a low rumble grinding in its throat.

It was retreating.

Not because it didn't want to attack. Its body was refusing on instinct.

Because the man in front of it was watching with the calmest eyes imaginable.

"Sure enough," Banxia said quietly. "A monster is a monster. A monster once, a monster for life."

As if those words had pushed it past its limit, the flames across the Explosive Flame Hellhound surged. A scorching mass of fire condensed inside its maw, ready to incinerate everything ahead the next instant.

"Still — I like this look better than the puppy version." Banxia smiled.

The moment those words left his mouth, a downpour of invisible slashes tore loose.

CRACK —

Hands in his pockets, the young man stood exactly where he was. The beast, and the entire shrine around it, had already been reduced to powder by that curtain of weightless blades, sifting away on the breeze.

[Ding-dong. Monster 'Explosive Flame Hellhound' slain. Total lifespan: two hundred years. Current Remaining Time: one hundred and eighty years. Absorbed.]

[Current monster time held: eight hundred and eighty years.]

"A hundred and eighty years. Not bad." Banxia nodded.

Far short of a speaking demon, sure. But among ordinary monsters, that was already a remarkably long-lived species.

He brushed the ash from his hem and walked deeper into the ruins of the Shrine of Flame.

The legendary Xiaoyan was just ahead.

With the shrine reduced to rubble, the open ground had given up what it was hiding, a massive crimson fireball, sitting exposed in the open.

Banxia looked up. The thing was staggering in scale. Standing in front of it, he was the size of an ant.

"Surrounding temperature is stable," he noted, walking a full circle around it. "All the heat must be locked inside."

He reached out and knocked politely on the smooth surface.

"Mr. Xiaoyan. Time to get up. No more sleeping in."

Who knew how long it would take for this thing to revive on its own.

He had important business to get to. Standing around waiting wasn't an option.

With that settled in his mind, Banxia moved his backpack to a safe distance, then walked back to the fireball.

"Sleeping in is not a good habit."

He casually threw out a few invisible slashes. They landed on the surface, left a handful of faint shallow marks, and healed over in the blink of an eye.

"Interesting." Banxia studied the colossal embryo.

His lv.3 Sword Qi Slash had punched through Geist's defense. Since then it had been reinforced further, and an ordinary monster hit by even a casual strike should have been shredded to pieces.

This thing didn't have a scratch.

Which meant, in raw defense alone, this unborn Xiaoyan was well above Geist.

He could also feel it clearly, the immense energy inside the fireball, agitated now, condensing and surging at a startling pace.

Banxia watched for a moment and reached his conclusion.

"I see. Taking damage speeds up the birth."

That explained why no one had simply eliminated it before the revival. A direct attack wouldn't kill it. It would only accelerate the hatching.

"Fine. Let me help you into the world a little early then."

The words were barely out before the slashes came, an overwhelming barrage hammering the fireball like a rainstorm, filling the air with dense, ringing impacts.

Time passed. Hard to say how much.

Then a deep dragon roar detonated from inside, shaking the entire ruin to its foundations.

A massive crimson shape rose slowly from the cracked fireball, demonic flames churning off every surface.

Nothing like the Red Mirror Dragon. Xiaoyan was wrapped in fire so dense it had nearly become solid, lethal to any mortal on contact. In life tier, in the fundamental nature of its power, there was no comparison between the two.

The newborn Xiaoyan lowered its head. Enormous vertical pupils locked onto the human below.

Unlike birds that imprint on the first creature they see, a Xiaoyan's intelligence ran higher. What it felt toward this human wasn't attachment.

It wanted the nuisance dead.

It knew exactly who had forced it out ahead of schedule. And the suffocating weight of danger radiating off this man had its instincts screaming.

No hesitation. No standoff. Xiaoyan opened its maw wide and led with everything it had, a torrent of fire aimed at burning him to ash.

"ROAAARRR —!"

The earth caught fire. Even the sand and stone began to simmer in the heat.

"These flames..." Banxia stepped aside, eyes never leaving the sea of fire pouring toward him.

"I've heard that a lot of human magic imitates monsters and demons, but I didn't expect a coincidence this close..."

The moment Xiaoyan breathed that fire, something had tugged at his memory.

He looked closer. The resemblance to his Wrath of Finality was striking.

No, that framing was backwards.

Wrath of Finality had been created by human mages modeling it on Xiaoyan's technique.

Now the original was right in front of him. Those raging flames blanketed the sky and scorched the earth, more primal, more violent than anything his imitation could manage.

➤ Next: Clashing Firepower