Chapter 31: The Dragon’s Three Trials

The black-and-red Demon Kings, black-and-red flames of the wasteland, black-and-red aura of condemnation—black and red had nearly become the sole rulers of the enormous cavern.

Amid the black-red glow, only an occasional glimmer of the Dragon God's golden scales was visible.

"Yinfeng, do you have any spells left?" A cold voice pierced through the oppressive black-red hue.

"Hah... hah... hah..." Yinfeng panted heavily, struggling to catch his breath. For someone as strong as him, casting three forbidden spells back-to-back took a tremendous toll on his body, leaving him almost incapable of speech.

A golden lightning bolt flashed across the cavern ceiling, like a stream of countless golden meteors streaking across the heavens.

Suddenly, the black-red flames surged and spread outward, and then, the two rampaging Demon Kings came under simultaneous attack. One of them was ripped to shreds before it even knew what was happening. The other flapped its enormous wings in a desperate bid to escape, but the golden lightning overtook it. The lightning transformed into a delicate dragon claw, which lightly struck the demon on its head. The Demon King was flung into the air as if struck by a meteor. It crashed into the cavern ceiling, its massive body turning to pulp as black blood rained down from above.

The golden glow faded as the Dragon God hovered before Yinfeng.

"Do you have anything more to say?"

"Pilot, you…" Yinfeng panted, his breath ragged. "The Creator God is dead. The Wheel of Fate will start spinning again, and neither you nor I can stop this change. We were both born to face this calamity, born to fight."

"Hmph! As a lesser dragon, you have violated the Four Sacred Dragon Laws: breaching oaths, harming life, defying the higher order, and declaring yourself a god. What do you know of fate? Indeed, some are born to face calamity, but you are not one of them." The Dragon God's voice was as cold as ever.

"Rubbish! I knew two thousand years ago that I would be the next Dragon God!" Yinfeng's massive head roared, his claws darting toward the Dragon God like lightning. The black-scaled head, with its sharp teeth, lunged forward, desperate to tear through the Dragon God's skin.

The Dragon God's wings gave a slight flutter, landing a casual blow on Yinfeng's head. With a thunderous crash, Yinfeng slammed into the ground.

"Hah… hah…" Yinfeng struggled to rise.

"Though you are of the dragon race, and therefore a part of my bloodline, I cannot bear…" In the Dragon God's cold tone, there was an unexpected hint of another feeling. "Red Night."

"Present." Another enormous red dragon appeared in the cavern.

Red Night? Is it the legendary Red Night? Amy, Daqingshan, and Luer stared, wide-eyed, at the new dragon before them. According to legend, Red Night was the Dragon God's most trusted ally. His true name was Cosmoimir, meaning "Hero of the Dragons." He earned his title because his appearance in the sky would turn the blue heavens blood-red, leading to his nickname, "Red Night," the Divine Flame Dragon.

"Let me speak with them, and then… I'd rather not witness the scene that follows."

"Taimu Ge'er Sai, I have watched over you. You were the first holy dragon among my creations to make an oath with mere mortals… Perhaps this is indeed the Wheel of Fate turning." The Dragon God's voice was no longer as cold.

"Daqingshan, you must treat Taimu Ge'er Sai well. As for you… a human called Chi Hanfeng should tread carefully. Do not make me come looking for him…"

Whoa… I never would have imagined. Chi Hanfeng's reputation is so strong that even the Dragon God knows his name! And he's forced to resort to threats? Amy's jaw nearly dropped in astonishment.

"Wait, Your Majesty the Dragon God!" Amy, showing some qualities she may have inherited from Chi Hanfeng, couldn't resist speaking up. Though gravely injured, and seeing the Dragon God for the first time, she was undeterred. "Look at us—we're all badly hurt. If you leave, Luer and I will be left here to die."

The golden light flashed once more, and Amy and Daqingshan immediately felt their wounds start to heal.

"Your Majesty, over there are a few more friends who need healing too." Amy pointed toward the unconscious A Feng and old Locke.

Unfortunately, the Dragon God did not acknowledge Amy again. "The Wheel of Fate has started once more. None can escape it. Take good care…"

"Taimu Ge'er Sai, you were born for this moment. I grant you even greater power—"

With a mere gesture, golden light descended from the sky. It surged and withdrew, reflecting the green light now radiating from Luer. As the golden glow connected with the green, a resounding boom shook the cavern. Luer's body expanded, growing to over three meters tall. Her tiny green wings unfolded gracefully, and with a slight flutter, she took flight.

Then, the Dragon God raised his hand again, and the golden glow condensed into a long lance, "Daqingshan, an ordinary dragon spear would not suffice for a Sacred Dragon's strength. Take this lance, once wielded by the gods."

With a gentle flap of his wings, the Dragon God rose toward the ceiling.

"Hey, wait!" Amy called out, desperate. "We rarely get to meet you, and you're not leaving us anything? At least give me a dragon egg!"

Forget about saving face! Chi Hanfeng always taught us to go after what we want with thick skin. Getting a divine weapon from the Dragon God himself would be even better than completing some S-rank quest—it's practically robbing him blind!

As one might expect, the Dragon God—immortal, wise, and experienced in dealing with all manner of fiends—remained unaffected. After all, dragons had long been notorious for extorting humanity, never the other way around, except perhaps in rare cases of young hatchlings like Luer. Leaving behind only the words, "No one can hasten the Wheel of Fate," the Dragon God swiftly vanished.

"Yinfeng, it would be best if you ended yourself," Red Night said, lowering his mighty head. It was surprising to hear such gentle words from the fabled Red Night.

"Heh, Pilot made only one mistake: overestimating you." Yinfeng struggled to rise. With a quick flap of his wings, he hovered, his agility as a Wind Dragon quickly apparent.

"Is that so?" Red Night opened his mouth, and a tidal wave of red flame surged forth. Yinfeng darted about the air in a desperate attempt to dodge, but the flame breath nearly blanketed the entire cavern ceiling. At last, several flames struck Yinfeng, forcing him to the ground in agony.

"You are a lowly inferior dragon," Red Night scoffed, looking down at Yinfeng. "When will your feeble mind grasp the true might of a superior dragon? Try again in your next life." Red Night dropped his enormous body before Yinfeng, one massive claw pressing down on Yinfeng's blue-scaled head.

"If I must die, you will pay for it as well." Yinfeng, wild as ever, made a final assault. His black-scaled head darted toward Red Night's wing, jaws snapping shut with a fierce crunch.

Caught off guard, Red Night's right wing took the full brunt of the attack.

As a superior dragon and the foremost warrior of the dragon race, Red Night had never suffered such an injury. For him, a strike from a lower dragon was an unforgivable disgrace. Without a cry of pain, without even glancing at his wound, Red Night lunged. His enormous jaws closed around Yinfeng's blue-scaled neck, and his forelimbs tore viciously.

With a sickening crack, Yinfeng let out a primal scream. Under Red Night's immense strength, Yinfeng's blue head was ripped from his body. Dragon blood spurted from his neck cavity like a fountain, splattering across the cavern's ceiling, only to rain down in torrents.

Yet, amidst the gruesome scene, a profound transformation took place. Black mist rose around Yinfeng's body, obscuring him entirely. When the mist faded, Yinfeng was gone. His voice echoed through the cavern one final time: "Thank you, Red Night, for severing the tumor that tormented me for millennia. Remember, next time, you won't be so lucky. Now the Dragon God will never find me." 

Could it be that for centuries, Yinfeng had been in hiding because his blue-scaled head emitted something the Dragon God could sense? Whatever the case, this was no longer relevant.

"Coward! Come back here!" Red Night roared, his wings flapping as he shot towards the cavern ceiling, vanishing from sight.

In the wake of the battle, silence settled over the cavern.

"Whoa—" Amy gasped. "Seriously? They just up and left? The Dragon God's so stingy—he could've at least left behind some divine weapons. Ah, well, all the better. Look at all these treasures!" She hobbled over, laughing with delight at the mountain of jewels Yinfeng had left behind. Daqingshan and Luer exchanged glances. This behavior was eerily similar to someone's antics at the Green Dragon Terrace years ago. Indeed, one is influenced by their mentor.

"Amy—come on, we've got to tend to the wounded." Daqingshan grabbed a random object off the ground and threw it at Amy, who was lunging for the pile of gold.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right, saving lives comes first." She reluctantly tore her gaze from the treasure. "Not like the gold's going anywhere."

After some quick first aid, A Feng and Old Locke regained consciousness. "Amy, where's everyone else? And what about Yinfeng?" A Feng asked urgently, once he recognized his surroundings.

"Well… they're all dead," Amy replied, her head lowered.

"Qianlixue…" A Feng's eyes welled with tears as he recalled the final moment when Qianlixue had saved him from the Wind Elf's blade.

"Yinfeng, the two-headed dragon, is dead as well." Amy spoke flatly.

"What?" The three survivors turned to Amy in shock.

Ignoring Daqingshan's questioning look, Amy continued, "There's his dragon head. His entire body was blown to pieces. As for how he died… sorry, we didn't see it either. It seems Daqingshan summoned his own dragon mount, Luer, and when we came to, the scene was like this." Trained by the stern Chi Hanfeng, Amy showed no sign of deception, her face a blank slate, while the bloodstains appeared to corroborate her story.

A Feng and Old Locke stared at the inch-thick layer of blood coating the cavern floor. After a long silence, both men sighed deeply. Old Locke steadied himself. "More than twenty people set out… only the four of us remain. But there's still much to settle. A Feng, what should we do now?"

"Oh, right, A Feng, there's a heap of treasure Yinfeng left behind. Should we divide it up among the fallen brothers?" Amy suggested, not out of character for someone who was as generous as he was fond of wealth.

"Alright. I'll stay here with Old Locke to take care of the final matters. You two go report back on the mission. Aside from the two groups who were entirely wiped out, we'll count this as completed by our three groups. The remaining treasure here will be divided into five shares: one for each of us and one for the dragon mounts. Later, you can find Old Locke for your portion. He's the leader of this continent's mercenary group," A Feng explained.

"Fine," Amy sighed, still glancing longingly at the mountain of gold. "It's tough to leave all this behind, but honestly, I wouldn't know what to do with it all—or where to hide it safely."

With a quick levitation spell, Amy raised the massive dragon head, and with a gesture, summoned Luer over to help push the colossal trophy out of the cavern.

"Don't forget to look me up in the capital," Old Locke called after Amy and Daqingshan.

"Will do!" they replied, their voices ringing with resolve.

In Memory of Yinfeng:

Yinfeng, an ancient dragon over 2,000 years old, journeyed to our world at the behest of Demon Island, enduring countless hardships.

He first took part in the Empire of Panglu's counterattack, where he proved himself as a lone hero. At a critical moment, he single-handedly crushed Panglu's invasion plan with the sheer might of a dragon, personally slaying the primary culprit—Prince Edward. In doing so, he saved the duchy and preserved a glimmer of hope for the continent's liberation movement.

Later, Yinfeng embarked on a series of operations to rescue people from their obsession with wealth. With his "Grand Monetary Relocation Plans," he relentlessly confronted vicious misers and exploitative capitalists who amassed riches by bleeding the working people dry. He never showed mercy and always emerged victorious.

In his battles against the Dragon God Pilot, Yinfeng displayed exceptional bravery and mastered the tactics of guerilla warfare—retreating when the enemy advanced, striking back when the enemy retreated.

We should all learn from his selfless and unyielding spirit.

— From the banned book *Looking at Things from Another Perspective*