Whispers of a Lonely City Beyond the Heavens – Chapter 34

Ch 34: The God of Slaughter by the Skeleton

“Wei Wei, go up.” Long Yang shouted loudly, and the two of them flipped onto the platform at the same time.

“Big Brother…” Wei Wei could no longer hold back, throwing herself into Long Yang’s arms and bursting into tears.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry, it’s okay now…” Long Yang comforted Wei Wei while keeping an ear out for any sounds from the inner side of the platform.

Behind the vines and weeds, there was a flat, wide stone crevice, but no further sounds came from within. That crevice was only the height of a fist, yet the Mountain Jiaolong had managed to crawl out of it, indicating their bodies could shrink and deform.

Long Yang checked Wei Wei’s arm; there were no injuries.

“Wei Wei, hurry and pick the Rain Spirit Grass.”

“Mm.” Wei Wei didn’t bother wiping her tears and carefully uprooted the Rain Spirit Grass. Its roots were long and dense, white and slightly translucent, with some red threads inside.

“Grandfather can be saved now, Grandfather’s injuries will heal.” Overwhelmed with excitement, Wei Wei’s tears continued to fall in a steady stream.

Long Yang pulled out his pocket watch again and checked the time—it was already 1:20. Good, not too late.

“Wei Wei, let’s head back quickly.”

Wei Wei took a silk knapsack from her bosom, carefully placed the two stalks of Rain Spirit Grass inside, slung it over her back, and jumped down. “Big Brother, be careful. I still need to find that sword.” She descended along the stone wall in a swift glide, barely pausing in the middle.

Long Yang used his Jiaoya Dagger, jumping down in three stages, and soon reached the ground as well. At that moment, Wei Wei discovered something that filled her with immense joy—Xiao Hei was running toward her with the Flying Frost Sword in its mouth.

Wei Wei dashed forward to meet it, sliding the Flying Frost Sword into its sheath. “Xiao Hei, thank you.” She patted Xiao Hei’s round little head.

Long Yang was equally overjoyed. “Everything went smoothly. Let’s go.”

They retraced their original path, crossing the river. The taut string in Long Yang’s heart finally loosened.

The difference in terrain made it clear that the mountains here were divided by the river behind them into an outer region and the “Deep Mountain.” Only the Deep Mountain produced spiritual medicine. Now, they had left the world of spiritual herbs and Mountain Jiaolongs behind, so they should be safe.

At that moment, he heard a bird calling loudly from the sky.

He and Wei Wei looked up together and saw a large bird flying in from the distance. It approached with incredible speed, but when it reached the spot above them, it slowed down and began to circle.

In the moonlit night, the sky was a deep, almost black blue. The large bird circling slowly above looked like a divine eagle painted across the heavens with an immortal’s brush, exuding a mysterious beauty. Even Xiao Hei was looking up at it. Its cry was clear and resonant, likely audible from far away.

They watched it for a short while before continuing on their way.

Following their original route, they soon climbed the northern side of the mountain ahead, reaching the northwest slope at its midsection—the northern end of the Sky Plank Road.

Xiao Hei tilted its head and barked a few times at the sky. Long Yang looked up as well and realized the bird was still hovering above them.

Could it have been following them this whole time? A trace of unease crept into Long Yang’s mind.

Suddenly, the bird began to call again. This time, its cries grew rapid and louder, as if issuing a warning.

“Wei Wei, we need to move faster through here.” Long Yang tensed up, quickening his pace and leaping over rocks without daring to pause for even a moment.

“Big Brother, what’s wrong?” Wei Wei followed closely behind with Xiao Hei.

“It’s nothing…” Long Yang didn’t have time to explain much, nor did he want to worry Wei Wei.

Perhaps it was all just his imagination. His unease didn’t have solid reasoning behind it.

The raptor overhead might just be after Xiao Hei. If that were the case, there was nothing to fear.

Sure enough, the bird started calling as it dove downward. Long Yang stopped, crouching slightly, gripping the Jiaoya Dagger tightly in his hand, and assuming a defensive stance.

The bird’s form rapidly grew larger, its black-and-white feathers and sharp talons becoming clear.

It resembled a falcon but was much larger than one. Xiao Hei barked up at it, and the bird suddenly cried out and flew upward again—it seemed it really was targeting Xiao Hei.

“Hurry.” Long Yang breathed a sigh of relief and leaped onto the next rock. Just two more jumps, and he’d reach the spot with the skeleton.

The next rock was far away, with a significant drop and a height difference of about two meters. He leapt with all his strength, landing on it, then looked ahead. Instantly, he sucked in a sharp breath, his blood seeming to freeze in his veins.

Ahead, about thirty meters away on another rock, a figure appeared—a person with a longsword at their waist. The figure stood straight and still, like a stone statue, utterly motionless.

“What’s wrong, Big Brother?” A gentle breeze passed by, and Wei Wei lightly landed behind Long Yang. Then Xiao Hei jumped over too.

“Wei Wei, stay calm. Let’s jump to that rock ahead.” He took the lead and leapt forward. Wei Wei followed with Xiao Hei.

The rock with the skeleton was large. If a fight broke out, he could team up with Wei Wei, and Xiao Hei could help too.

The figure also leapt into the air, tapping a protruding rock with their toes before landing on the platform. Hand resting on the sword hilt, they said nothing, their black robes swaying slightly in the wind.

Wei Wei let out a startled “Ah,” drawing the Flying Frost Sword. Xiao Hei barked at the figure a few times, then suddenly turned and barked backward. Long Yang glanced back and saw another person approaching—also clad in black, with a longsword at their waist. The difference was, this one held a strange animal in hand.

The second person leapt lightly and landed on the platform. Though the platform wasn’t small, it now held three people, a dog, and a peculiar creature, with a skeleton lying there too, making it feel a bit crowded all of a sudden.

Xiao Hei’s black fur stood on end as it barked incessantly at the animal the person was holding. Wei Wei let out a cry of alarm and retreated to Long Yang’s side.

The creature being held was, shockingly, a Mountain Jiaolong, over a meter long from head to tail. Its neck was bound by a black chain, and its scales bristled as it hissed at Xiao Hei. Long Yang was stunned—someone could actually tame a Mountain Jiaolong!

He quickly sized up the two newcomers. Their skin was as dark as the mountain rocks here, their postures as upright as the mountain pines. Neither spared a glance at the skeleton, and their hands remained firmly on their sword hilts.

No expression could be read on their faces, no emotion glimpsed in their eyes. They were like killing gods forged from the mountain stone itself.

How had they found him and Wei Wei?

It must have been that bird leading them here. Long Yang looked up at the sky, but it was no longer visible.

“No need to look. It’s completed its task and gone elsewhere.” The person in front finally spoke, their voice flat and devoid of emotion.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Long Yang struggled to keep his voice from trembling.

“That’s a question I should be asking you,” the same person replied, their tone still flat.

“We live outside these mountains and just came in to explore,” Wei Wei said.

The one holding the Mountain Jiaolong let out a cold snort. “You’re here to gather herbs. The Emperor has already issued an edict banning the mountain. Hand over your Rain Spirit Grass.” His voice, though flat, carried a hint of chilling menace.