The journey down the mountain was quieter than expected. The dense canopy above let in only fractured beams of sunlight, giving the entire forest an almost ethereal glow. The air was thick—not with humidity, but with Qi, more concentrated than before. The leaves were vibrant, pulsing faintly, the roots of the towering trees weaving together as if forming a natural barrier.
Juwon’s eyes narrowed. "Was it always like this before?”
Yun Ji, walking beside him, nodded. "Something changed a few days ago... The land was in decline before, its Qi scattered and weak. But now, it's as if it's been reborn."
Juwon remained silent. He had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed only made the weight on his shoulders heavier.
Yan Huai whistled, kicking aside a root that had broken through the old dirt path. "Great. More Qi means more Qi beasts. That’s just what we needed."
As they moved deeper, the well-worn path became more evident. The way was clear, unnaturally so.
Luo Qing frowned. "This path... it’s been used frequently. Hei Long must have had this for transport between outposts."
Zhen Yu, scanning the treetops, added, "But it should’ve been overrun by now. With this much Qi, the beasts should have reclaimed it. Something’s keeping them at bay."
Juwon exhaled, adjusting his stance. "We don’t have time to find out. We keep moving."
Shennong’s Legacy and the Prophecy
After a long silence, Juwon spoke, his voice measured. "There was something I couldn’t ask before."
The group turned to him, sensing the shift in tone.
He looked at Yun Ji. "If Shennong was the first shaman, and the Miao people are his descendants, why are you all living in these remote mountains, hidden from the rest of the mainland?"
Yun Ji let out a slow breath. "Because those who first revered us also coveted our power. And those who envied us… sought to destroy us." He paused, before continuing, "In time, greed turned to resentment. Rival factions within our own bloodline were manipulated into fighting each other. What began as a struggle for leadership became a war for survival. Ultimately, the Miao retreated here—to Shennong’s birthplace, the only place we could still be free."
Juwon’s expression darkened. "The government was involved, weren’t they?"
Yun Ji nodded. "They took our techniques, slaughtered our elders, and left only the young behind—those who knew nothing, those who couldn’t pass on our knowledge. The only thing that survived was the Drum Dance because it was never just a technique. It was a ritual, passed down through generations. It stuck with us… and it was foretold."
Juwon frowned. "Foretold?"
Yun Ji let out a short chuckle before turning serious. "Yes. One of our greatest shamanic chiefs left a prophecy long ago."
His voice dropped into a solemn rhythm as he recited:
The chosen, marked by the dragon’s breath,
With Qi that eclipses the stars at dawn,
Shall rise when the world trembles in its twilight,
From the sacred ground where the first spirit spoke.
Juwon’s mind pieced it together almost instantly. "And I'm guessing that’s why the Miao, a migrating tribe, have remained in Xiangxi after centuries of wandering."
Yun Ji gave him a knowing look. "And this is where we must be."
The Second Outpost – A Gate to Horror
The dense forest soon gave way to another mountain range, towering cliffs enclosing what looked like an unnatural formation—a tunnel carved straight into the rock. In the distance, you could see the outpost, sitting right in the middle of two towering cliffs. The entrance loomed before them, its steel-plated walls blending into the darkened stone. Dim industrial lights flickered along the tunnel's ceiling, casting eerie, shifting shadows against the damp walls. The faint hum of inactive machinery lingered in the background, an unsettling reminder of the facility’s former activity.
They drove forward cautiously, the tunnel stretching deeper than expected.
Yan Huai tapped his fingers on the dashboard. "How much money did Hei Long pour into all of this?"
Zhen Yu, arms crossed, frowned. "Something doesn't add up. You don’t just leave behind infrastructure this advanced unless something went terribly wrong."
Xu Weishan nodded. "Or unless you no longer need it. What if they moved to a bigger operation? One we haven't found yet."
Juwon finally spoke, his voice low. "Or something forced them to leave. Something they couldn't control."
The thought settled uneasily among them, leaving an eerie silence as the tunnel stretched deeper ahead, its darkened walls seeming to swallow their words.
Then, they reached the door.
A monstrous steel gate, large enough to house an entire fortress. The left half had been violently severed, the upper portion missing entirely, as if something had cut through it effortlessly. The right half remained intact, towering over them like an unmoving sentinel.
Bai Xueling stepped forward, pressing a hand against the jagged remains. "This... Something cut through it."
Luo Qing whistled low, shaking his head. "Well, that’s new. Any bets on whether we regret coming in here?"
Yan Huai let out a nervous chuckle, but his grip on his weapon was white-knuckled. "I swear, if another mutated abomination jumps out at me, I’m quitting life."
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Inside the Facility – The Breeding Grounds
The moment they stepped inside, the stench of blood hit them.
The first chamber was eerily empty—except for a massive machine standing in the center. It was sleek, almost pristine compared to the rest of the facility, its surface lined with intricate tubes and embedded control panels, some still faintly flickering with residual energy. Along the far walls, rusted metal platforms and broken consoles were scattered, some overturned as if in a desperate evacuation. The air was stale, carrying a faint metallic tang mixed with something more unsettling—rotten blood.
And then they saw it.
The scene told a story—one of panic, of desperation. As they advanced, they found bodies, dressed in tattered lab coats, some slumped against consoles, others sprawled lifeless on the floor. A few were missing limbs, some reduced to only their lower torsos, as if something had ripped them apart mid-stride.
Xu Weishan kept his calm, his gaze sweeping over the carnage. "This wasn't just a massacre… this was a hunt. They were prey."
Yan Huai exhaled sharply, his bravado giving way to unease. " They tried to run, but something… something didn’t let them."
Bai Xueling’s fingers tightened against her sleeve as she whispered, "What could do this? "
Juwon knelt beside a lifeless researcher, brushing over a cracked ID badge, smeared with dried blood. His voice was cold, but beneath it, a storm brewed. "They clearly stepped out of their boundaries"
Yun Ji’s hands trembled at his sides. "This doesn't seem like a human's job."
Zhen Yu studied the bullet-riddled walls and the scattered casings at his feet. "It seems like... They did try to fight back... but it wasn’t enough."
"Let's move" Juwon, clenching his fist stepped ahead.
Dim overhead lights flickered inconsistently, casting erratic shadows across the floor. To their left and right, two doorways led deeper within, their edges scorched, as though something had forcibly breached them. Near the machine, thick cables snaked along the floor, some severed, their inner wiring frayed and exposed, sparking occasionally.
They went inside the right door. It was a dim tunnel with massive glass panes on one side. The other side was dark.
As they moved forward, Yan Huai peered through a glass wall on their left—then stepped back abruptly.
"What the—"
The others followed his gaze.
Beyond the glass, the floor was littered with shattered eggshells—some cracked open cleanly, others splattered with blood.
Zhen Yu’s grip on his sword tightened. "Beasts… they were breeding something here."
Yun Huai sighed, "Were they trying to create spirit beasts?"
They pressed forward. At the end of the tunnel, the corridor opened into a larger containment area—and the moment they stepped inside,
horror gripped them.
Xu Weishan turned away sharply, his fists clenched.
Yan Huai bent over and vomited.
Bai Xueling stifled a scream, her hand covering her mouth.
The Miao warriors behind them began weeping, some dropping to their knees.
Juwon’s gaze locked onto the capsules at the center of the room.
Inside, floating in thick, murky liquid, were severed body parts—small, delicate, unmistakably human.
Yun Ji sank to the floor, his hands trembling. "Ch-Children… they used children."
Juwon’s grip tightened around a nearby metal pipe—until it snapped in half. His voice was dangerously low. "Do they think of human lives as cannon fodder?"
Xu Weishan grumbled, "How dare they... and to little children"
Zhen Yu’s eyes darkened. "I-I am sure of it. This.... This is no mere organization. Their methods, their relentless hunger for power—this is the very essence of the Heavenly Demon Cult."
While everyone was still processing the scene that unfolded, Juwon’s expression darkened, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. His voice, laced with quiet fury, cut through the silence like a blade. "Listen well, all of you."
Juwon turned to his team, his voice cold. "If any of you fail to kill even a single Hei Long employee you come across—I will kill you myself."
"From now onwards it's their heads or ours"
No one argued.
He turned to Yun Ji and the Miao warriors. "I am sorry you had to see this. Rest assured, I... will avenge them."
Yun Ji’s voice trembled. His knuckles turning white as his breath shuddered. "We allowed this to happen… we let them do this to our people." His eyes burned with a quiet rage. "No more." "No need to feel sorry. It was our weakness that led to this."
Juwon’s fists clenched, his entire body trembling as a slow, burning rage crawled up his spine. His voice, colder than the steel around them, cut through the tense silence. "No more second chances. No more mercy. We end this—every last one of them."
The Unsettling Presence
Juwon exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Let’s head outside. If we stay any longer, this will only traumatize the young Miao people."
Yun Ji, still visibly shaken, looked up. "No. We need to continue. We need to understand what happened here. We need closure."
The other Miao warriors nodded in agreement, their faces filled with both sorrow and determination.
Juwon studied them for a moment before sighing. "Fine.”
They proceeded deeper into the facility, stepping into an even larger hall. In the center stood a massive containment pod—The pod was broken in half..
Xu Weishan scanned the area, his expression hard. "Whatever was inside… It must have been enormous."
Luo Qing examining the pod, "Well, it must be long gone now"
Juwon frowned, examining the surroundings. He walked toward a large casket near the side of the machine, its surface coated in dust.
He wiped it clean, his eyes widening as he read the inscription.
"A fossil?" He muttered under his breath. He looked around, searching for any documents. Finding a scattered pile of papers, he rifled through them until one caught his eye.
He read aloud, "Pterodactyl fossil... transported from Scotland?" He paused, his mind racing. "I remember hearing about a fossil disappearing from the National Museum of Scotland. The authorities and the museum refused to give any explanations."
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
Bai Xueling whispered, "What were they trying to do here?"
Juwon clenched his jaw, a thought forming. No…
He straightened. "We have to move."
"We haven’t even rested yet!" Luo Qing complained.
Yun Huai kept his hand on Juwon’s shoulder, while leaning in “Let's take it easy for now. Think about the Miao people. They’ve had a rough day”
For the first time Huai noticed urgency on Juwon's face, “Listen to me this is not the tim—”
A deep, guttural vibration rumbled through the walls—a sound so vast and primal that it sent shivers through their bones.
Then, it came.
ROAR!
The air shook, and a deafening blast tore through the facility. Juwon’s vision blurred for a split second. The Miao warriors collapsed, clutching their heads in agony. Even Zhen Yu—one of the most disciplined—staggered backward, his sword trembling in his grasp.
Juwon gritted his teeth, forcing his Qi to stabilize as the shockwave passed.
That was no ordinary beast. Something massive had just woken up.
He scanned the cracks spreading above them—if they didn’t leave now, they’d be dead.
“MOVE!” Juwon’s voice rang out, cutting through the chaos like a blade. “RUN TO THE ENTRANCE! NOW!”
"Otherwise, we all will be buried here!"
The Eminent Shadow
In a dimly lit room, a looming presence sat in the dark. The only light came from the faint glow of a tablet resting on the table before him. Steam curled from a delicate porcelain teacup in his hand, its fragrance rich but untouched.
A soldier’s voice crackled through the speaker.
"Sir, they were recently spotted near the Yanzhai outpost. One of the cameras that are still operational there captured these faces."
The figure leaned forward, tapping the screen with a slow, deliberate motion. The footage zoomed in, revealing Juwon and his team navigating the ruined facility.
A slow chuckle echoed through the room. Then, soft at first, it grew into a full-bodied laugh, rich with amusement and something far darker.
"So… that's the new guardian? A stray dragon indeed"
The voice was smooth, confident—the voice of a ruler who had seen a thousand battles and emerged victorious from each one.
He lifted the cup, swirling the tea within. "Good… very good." He took a sip, savouring the moment. "Let’s see how long you last before you break, little Guardian."
The screen dimmed.
Inside the chamber, a row of shadowed figures came into light as they knelt in silence, waiting for their master’s next move.
The Demon Lord himself had taken notice.
And the hunt had begun.