Chapter 3: Frequent Omens
At the same time in the Small Thousand World, the Chaos Forest was buzzing with thunder and lightning.
A massive buildup of churning storm clouds loomed overhead, as if centuries of lightning were exploding in a single moment, illuminating the forest like high noon.
Following this spectacle was the earth-shattering roar of thunder, as if the sky had been placed on a massive drum, quaking with each crash.
All the birds and beasts hid trembling in the forest, terrified of being zapped the moment they revealed themselves.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
The various caves of the monster race in the area all shut their doors tight, daring not to move.
It seemed that for hundreds of years, the Chaos Forest had never faced such terrible thunderstorms — what on earth had gotten into the heavens tonight?
Over Thousand Bird City and the Floating City, the winds whipped ominously.
Unprecedented gales swept through the Floating City, blowing lightweight bricks and tiles rolling across the ground with a cacophonous “clattering.”
Residents cursed the wretched weather while hastily securing their doors and windows.
But if one stood on the edge of Thousand Bird City and gazed toward the Chaos Forest, they’d see dark clouds occupying half the sky, slowly encroaching on the human realm.
Lightning danced within the clouds like silver snakes, and alongside the booming thunder, the black clouds spread ever more rapidly, as if determined to swallow the entire Chaos Forest whole.
It might even provoke a fear that the apocalypse was nigh.
In the Hall of Heavenly Secrets in Thousand Bird City, Tan Ziyan, dressed and ready for bed, suddenly woke up, startled by the doomsday scene outside her window, where storm clouds were pressing in from the direction of the Chaos Forest.
She bolted upright and ran, disheveled and in a frenzy, toward the main hall.
Her purple robe fluttered wildly in the wind, her long hair whipped around chaotically, and she didn’t even notice that part of her shoulder was exposed.
The maids waiting nearby gaped in shock.
The usually dignified and elegant Tan Ziyan, who always presented herself with refined grace, was in an absolute tizzy tonight!
Meanwhile, the Great King of the Split Land in White Feather City also noticed the unusual phenomenon.
He hurried to the city wall and gazed at the heavy storm clouds swirling above.
The jagged scars of flashing lightning were especially pronounced against the night sky.
One bolt after another, another one pierced the air, causing the Goat-Headed Man standing nearby to scream in fright, turning the Bull-Headed official’s face as pale as a sheet.
At that very moment, a clear purple light suddenly soared from the direction of the Evil Merman Cave, violently colliding with a rapidly falling bolt of lightning.
In an instant, the world changed color.
Night transformed into day.
The blinding light lasted a full second before gradually dimming.
But what was even more astonishing was that as the light faded, the thick black storm clouds above dissipated like smoke.
The night sky quickly returned to a bright moon and sparse stars, as if the previous scene had just been a mirage.
The Great King of the Split Land stood there, stunned, feeling deeply shaken.
In all his years, he had never seen such an eerie spectacle. What had appeared where the purple light burst forth to dare compete with heavenly powers?
A creeping unease settled in his heart.
Back in the Hall of Heavenly Secrets in Thousand Bird City, Tan Ziyan, with wild hair and bare feet, fixed her gaze on a spinning divination tool—a white jade ring—hovering in mid-air.
“Crack… crack…”
That ring, which contained almost all of Tan Ziyan’s spiritual energy, suddenly shattered in mid-air, breaking into three pieces that fell to the ground.
She spat out a mouthful of bl**d, collapsing into a weary state.
“The heavenly path is in chaos… the heavenly path is in chaos…”
Her panicked eyes darted back to the direction of the Chaos Forest, where the night sky had returned to its original state, vast stars twinkling and the moon shining brightly, as if nothing had ever happened.
But Tan Ziyan knew all too well that from this year, this day, this moment on, the trajectory of history had changed, stepping toward a new turning point.
Inside Cold Wind City, Liang Yue, Little Drill Wind, and a host of demon-ranks including the Tiger Demon, Wolf Demon, and Hedgehog Monster knelt fervently at the entrance of their cave.
Everyone suppressed their trembling bodies, their hearts racing with excitement.
Just moments ago, during the thunder and lightning, most residents of the city had been jolted awake.
However, as they looked up at the night sky, they were greeted with a shocking sight.
Although the storm clouds loomed over the Chaos Forest, crackling with electricity and booming thunder, above Cold Wind City, the sky was utterly clear, as if a circular hole had been made in the clouds just for it—sharp-eyed folks could even see the vast stars through the gap.
The residents of Cold Wind City cautiously emerged from their homes, gazing up at the astonishing scene. Even the great demons had never witnessed such wonders in their lives.
What was going on here?
The Second Great King, Liang Yue, gazed up at the sky.
The clouds would never arbitrarily bypass Cold Wind City.
Could it be that this was a divine omen for the monster race?
As the storm brewed ominously, the Chaos Forest remained dark and silent while above Cold Wind City, stars shone and the moon glowed amidst a windless void—that had to mean that only Cold Wind City could truly save the monster race, leading them toward a future unlike any before.
Liang Yue clenched her fists in excitement.
At that moment, the lightning around Cold Wind City became increasingly frequent, silver snakes flailing and thunder roaring, the clouds surrounding the opening started to swirl slowly, as if Cold Wind City had become the epicenter of a giant tornado. The thrumming storm clouds and terrifying thunder made some of the little demons scream in fright.
Liang Yue narrowed her eyes, about to unleash her annoyance, when Little Drill Wind bellowed from the side, “Anyone stirring up trouble will face the consequences!”
The timid little demons froze, while the larger demons gathered behind Liang Yue.
As the opening above grew narrower and the rotation became more frantic, the Wolf Demon trembled, “Is the Great King about to emerge?”
Liang Yue was taken aback, realizing that she hadn’t thought of that.
The Great King must have perfected his skills and was about to break free from his seclusion, which was causing these unusual phenomena.
Otherwise, how could everything be explained?
“Exactly! The Great King has been in seclusion for so long, and now’s the time for his emergence! The heavens changing color and storm clouds swirling indicate that our Great King has caught a glimpse of the heavenly path—prosperity for the monster race is just around the corner!”
Just as Liang Yue’s words fell, a massive bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from the spinning opening above, illuminating the faces of everyone in Cold Wind City in ghostly white.
The force unleashed by heaven and earth was beyond imagination.
As the lightning seemed ready to engulf the entire Cold Wind City, a wave of dread washed over them.
Yet, they could only watch helplessly as the flash prepared to consume them.
But in that moment, a miracle happened.
A brilliant purple light soared up from Cold Wind Cave, colliding head-on with the lightning.
In an instant, everyone was enveloped in a dazzling white glow.
After a brief moment of blindness, the lightning vanished.
Even the dark clouds that had lingered above for so long dissipated, and tranquility returned to everything.
“Great King! It was the Great King who saved us!”
The little demons cried out in excitement.
Liang Yue and the others rushed to the entrance of Cold Wind Cave, kneeling in unison as if that was the only way to express their fervent anticipation.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
The door opened.
A slim, delicate figure stepped out slowly.
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