Chapter 2.

Taeyang felt the tremors the battle made, though he could see nothing. The dust and the aftermath of the battle blocked his sight, normally he should have been affected by the aftermath but deacon Liu managed to protect him.

Taeyang - Is this the strength of a Core formation realm master?

In awe of what he felt, Taeyang could only gulp and hoped deacon Liu came out victorious. He knew what ending he would have if it happened otherwise, after all he was just at Qi refinement stage. Only a bit better than a mortal man, he was nothing to cultivator masters.

Deacon Liu - Do you intend to remain there forever?

Taeyang heard deacon Liu voice from amidst the dust. The voice had anger mixed in it, Taeyang didn’t need a second to get up. He struggled to his feet and faced the direction with the least amount of dust. The vibrations made him stumble but he managed to remain on his feet.

Deacon Liu - Ragna take the boy and leave. Protect him no matter what.

A ferocious roar deafened Taeyang’s ears, the world spun and he found himself on the back of the beast. Much faster than before the beast ran away with Taeyang. Like a bullet it tore its way into the thick forest nearby.

Deacon Liu - Now I can go all out.

Unknown to Taeyang deacon Liu smiled after he was out of sight. The sword in his hand glowed white and with a loud voice he said. “Come!”

*****

Taeyang - Ouch.

Ragna halted abruptly and Taeyang fell off its back. It looked behind, its eyes narrowed and its breathing heavy yet rapid. When Taeyang saw this he realized Ragna was vigilantly watching while he rested. He didn’t know exactly how long, but he guessed they had been on the run for more than an hour if not two.

Ragna had wounds all over its body, most were superficial but one could not joke about the numbers. In the battle it had protected deacon Liu who protected Taeyang. It had accumulated a large amount of wounds.

Taeyang - I should take this time to heal.

He took out a small a pouch bag, dipped his hand into it and brought out two pills. Deacon Liu had given him the bag as a gift. Though it looked small the inside had a large space and could two large drum worth of goods. He swallowed the pills, sat down crossed legged with his eyes closed.

Taeyang - It tastes good… hmm?

Ragna’s low growl and strange movement caused him to frown. He saw Ragna retreat backwards step by step away from him. Its jaws opened and displayed the terrors in its mouth.

Taeyang realized what was wrong. Ragna’s trembling body, low growl and steady retreat gave him all the information he needed. There was a dangerous creature behind him.

‘What is it?’ Taeyang thought. He tried his best to be still but his trembling shoulders failed to comply. ‘How far is it from me?’

His breathing increased even though he tried to control it. There was a creature behind him and it made Ragna afraid, definitely he stood no chance against it. His fingers dug into the ground, Taeyang hoped for the earth to swallow him. That would be a less painful death compared to being ripped apart.

??? - Hiss!

Taeyang’s heart skipped a beat and his breathing ceased. The creature stood right behind and any wrong move meant death. Was this the end? Taeyang couldn’t think, all functions of his body and his organs ceased.

His entire life flashed before his eyes in seconds. The early years of his life followed by when he was abandoned by his mother. Rejected by the villagers of the village he was abandoned in because they didn’t want trouble. Accepted by Su Yan’s father who provided for the family of three until he passed away and left the two of them behind. And finally Su Yan’s death and the promised he made. Here he was about to break that promise.

Ragna released a deafening roar. It so badly wanted to take off but its love for its master knew no limit. And because of that love, it had to obey its master even if it meant dying. It was going to protect Taeyang with its life if it had to.

The shock from Ragna’s roar caused Taeyang’s heart to kickstart. His entire body came back to life and when he saw Ragna dashing over he knew he had to do move. Taeyang clenched his dug fingers, gathered dirt and with a spin he tossed it at the creature.

A serpent as large as Ragna possessing forelimbs. He remembered what Su Yan’s father had told him during their many hunting lessons. ‘When you come across a serpent with two legs, run faster than your legs can take you. Do not let it catch you.’

His body reacted before his mind did. Taeyang found himself running away from the serpent. Ragna took the chance, it charged at the serpent with its back claws out. While the two clashed, Taeyang ran away with all of his energy. If Ragna ended up loosing, he knew he would die.

The serpent loud cry and Ragna’s roar filled his ear but he dared not to look behind him. Right now, the greater the distance he covered the better the chance of survival. Therefore, he ran and ran and ran.

Taeyang - Ah, ah, ah.

After he ran for an unknown amount of time, Taeyang gasped and came to a stop. Exhausted and wounded, he knew he hadn’t gone far enough, but he needed to rest. Luckily the effects of the pills had kicked in, so he would be healed soon. He took out more pills and swallowed them. After which he checked his surroundings.

Taeyang - I won’t come across another serpent, right?

Taeyang rested for about ten minutes then continued his race. He ran through the forest, the bushes and only stopped to rest when he was tired. When he did, he would take some pills and then set out again. He had no idea where he was headed but kept going. For now, his race had no finish line.

After an unknown amount of running time, Taeyang halted. Before him, the trees had given way to a clearing and a thick fog roamed freely above it.

Taeyang - The foggy land of the south, how did I get this far?

He’d heard stories of this place before. The foggy land of the south had been known for generations as the place of no return. Anyone who went in had never returned.

Taeyang - I should…

??? - Come closer

Taeyang - Who said that?

Startled by the disembodied voice, Taeyang involuntarily stepped back. He searched his surroundings but found no one.

??? - Come closer

Like a whisper of the wind, the voice came again. Taeyang turned to the direction it came from; the direction of the fog. Probably it was his imagination but the fog made a face and smiled at him. His head felt light and his mind went blank. The only thing he could hear and see right now were the whisper of the wind and the foggy face. The voice sounded more melodious each time and the foggy looked more beautiful the more he stared at it. He could the face of a gorgeous lady who smiled at him and spoke to him in whispers.

??? - Won’t you come closer?

Taeyang pinched his arm, shook his head and turned to leave. It was dangerous for him to remain any longer, therefore he tried to leave. However, when he turned the forest had disappeared and had been replaced by thick white fog. He didn’t know when, but he had entered the fog and didn’t know.

??? - Hehe, come closer!

The voice laughed and instructed with a masculine voice. What followed next confused Taeyang. A pair hands made of fog rushed out from within, grabbed him and pulled him deeper. It happened so fast that Taeyang had no chance to react.

Taeyang - Ah!

The hands pulled him very fast, and he vomited in response. He had never gone this fast before. Ragna’s speed was incomparable to the speed at which the hands pulled him. Taeyang saw his life flash before his eyes, vomited again and passed out.