This place looked like the area in which Han Sen had first found the little red bird. Even the mountains and stones were charcoal. The little red bird was born in a place just like this, if you removed the additional suns from the equation.
“This is an impressive use of the fire element. It turned this whole place into charcoal. That isn’t something ordinary heat can do,” Dragon One said in awe.
Han Sen raised his head and looked into the sun high above. He thought the suns were the most suspicious aspect of this realm. Perhaps they weren’t even suns, at all. They might have been some scary, fire-element xenogeneics for all he knew.
“According to the Red Rat survivor, one of the suns exploded and turned them all to dust. So, it is certainly possible that they’re living beings.” Han Sen considered the possibility, but he didn’t dare to try teleporting closer to the suns to check. He was there to claim easy rewards, not to needlessly risk his life. Even if the suns were some sort of powerful xenogeneic, there was no need for Han Sen to risk his own safety.
Dragon One tilted his nose into the wind and sniffed, then smiled. “It looks like many other creatures have already been here before we arrived.”
“You’re a Dragon, not a dog,” Han Sen thought. “How can you take a whiff of the air and discern how many people were here before us?”
Dragon One was oblivious to Han Sen’s skepticism, though. He went on to say, “The Destroyed have been here. The Foxes have been here, as well…”
Dragon One named a dozen different races. Han Sen was shocked. He didn’t know about most of the races Dragon One mentioned, but Barr and Elder Nader had been there, so Dragon One was correct about the presence of the Destroyed.
“Your nose sure is powerful,” Han Sen complimented.
Dragon One smiled. “That is nothing remarkable. It is just a small trick of mine. I can analyze the substances that creatures and people leave behind, and it lets me learn who they were.”
“That is so powerful,” Han Sen said, with honest admiration in his voice. His Dongxuan Aura was similar to this, but this was more straightforward.
As the pair were talking, a shadow appeared. It was heading for the old charcoal city.
Han Sen and Dragon One looked warily at the shadow. In a place like this, they needed to be cautious until they were certain of who was approaching them. It could very well have been an enemy. They couldn’t let their vigilance slip for one moment.
“It’s Bao Lian of the Extreme King,” Han Sen thought. He looked at the shadow with shock. He hadn’t expected to meet Bao Lian there.
But when he had seen Bao Lian before, he was Han Sen. Bao Lian had never met Dollar before, so Han Sen stayed silent and didn’t say anything.
“This is a deified from the Extreme King. His name is Bao Lian,” Dragon One said with a frown.
While they were talking, Bao Lian landed at a place that wasn’t too far from them. He observed the two of them, and then he looked at Dragon One and said, “Ah, it is Mr. Dragon One. I didn’t expect to see you here. Since we’ve encountered each other under such unlikely circumstances, I can only consider it as fate. Are you willing to explore this xenogeneic space with me?”
Bao Lian was surprisingly polite. He didn’t act like the average Extreme King elite. Han Sen was surprised.
The Dragons were brave people, but compared to the Extreme King, they weren’t as talented. And the Dragons sort of relied on the power and infrastructure of the Extreme King. In a way, the Extreme King were their employers or landlords. There was no need for Bao Lian to behave so politely.
Han Sen had no idea that while King Bai was in charge, the Bao family had been doing poorly. They were doing anything that they could to gain an edge. This time, they had sent Bao Lian to explore the new xenogeneic space.
Bao Lian must have known it was a dangerous endeavor. Co-operating with powerful elites like Dragon One would be safer than exploring alone.
“I would like to.” Dragon One looked at Han Sen and smiled with his answer.
Dragon One was worried that this place might be too dangerous, just as Bao Lian thought it might be. Since they shared a like mind, an alliance seemed to make sense.
“Who is this?” Bao Lian asked, indicating Han Sen.
Dragon One introduced Han Sen as Dollar. Bao Lian stared at Han Sen in amazement, and he said, “Is this the Dollar who came first place in the Geno Being Scroll battles? I heard your name a long time ago. It is a shame it has taken me so long to finally meet you. You really are a talented young man.”
Although the Extreme King hadn’t had any of their people participate in the Geno Being Scroll fights, Bao Lian had made sure to watch the battles unfold. He recognized Dollar, but he wasn’t really as starstruck as he was pretending to be. He only knew there was a guy called Dollar who was supposedly pretty good.
“Mr. Bao Lian, you are more knowledgeable than I am. Can you tell me which civilization might have once occupied a city such as this?” Dragon One asked Bao Lian after their greetings were over.
Bao Lian glanced at the buildings all around them. “These structures are fairly primitive. Races usually create buildings like this when they are in their infancy. Because this culture was obviously new and underdeveloped, it is difficult to determine which race might have actually owned these.”
After pausing briefly, Bao Lian pointed at a tower in the old city. “On this tower’s wall, you can see the traces of a carving. It looks like a carving of a phoenix. And this place seems to have been barbecued by something possessing a frightening amount of power with the fire element.”
“A deified phoenix, perhaps?” Dragon One asked in wonder. He quickly looked where Bao Lian was pointing, and he noticed there was indeed a carving there—albeit a slightly blurred one. Very faintly, he could make out the shape of a bird.
But Dragon One had never seen one of the legendary, true god phoenixes before. He didn’t know if that was what a phoenix actually looked like.
Bao Lian nodded and said, “Phoenixes are the alphas of the fire element. It is very rare that a true god phoenix arises, and if one does, even the Extreme King will not dare offend it. If this place really is connected with a phoenix, we are going to have to be careful. We cannot risk provoking it.”
Dragon One nodded his agreement, then turned the conversation to how they should proceed. Once they decided on a route to follow, they moved past the city and ventured deeper into the xenogeneic space.
Han Sen pretended to not know who Bao Lian was, and Bao Lian seemed interested enough to meet Han Sen. They talked quite a bit, and Bao Lian seemed to like him.
Bao Lian continued to behave humbly, and he didn’t act like the typically arrogant Extreme King. But Han Sen knew Bao Lian was a very powerful adversary. The last time they fought, Han Sen found himself in a very tricky situation.
And Han Sen had yet to figure out what sort of power Bao Lian had wielded when they last fought. In truth, he was a little afraid of Bao Lian. He needed to figure out how the man’s power worked.
The two of them got along very well. They chatted so much along the way, it was almost as if they were brothers.
“There are creatures over there,” Dragon One interrupted them from upfront.
Han Sen and Bao Lian looked ahead and found themselves looking at two large mountains. They were 10,000 meters high, and a long stretch of wood bridged the distance between them, running from one peak to the other. In the middle of the bridge stood a big, black-steel bell.
Many creatures were standing along the bridge, staring at the black-steel bell.
