The earth changed as they approached the edge of the rift.
It wasn't just the corruption of qi—the laws of nature bent here. Trees grew sideways. Rocks floated slightly above the ground, trembling with spatial instability. The air was dense, humming with a pressure that made ordinary cultivators crumble from sheer proximity.
But Long Yan wasn't ordinary.
Neither was Luo Yanling.
Though her forehead gleamed with sweat, her steps didn't slow. Her spiritual defenses pulsed with quiet resilience, keeping the worst of the abyssal aura at bay. The Ebony Scale Plate now bore faint scratches from minor skirmishes, but its internal runes still glowed with power.
They reached the edge of a jagged cliff just as the sun dipped behind the mountains.
And there, stretched before them, was the Abyssal Rift.
A vast chasm split the world, its depths glowing with violet mist and flickering tendrils of darkness. Giant broken spires rose from within, remnants of ancient structures half-swallowed by the void. Black lightning cracked silently in the distance, striking nothing—but resonating with power.
Luo Yanling stepped closer to the cliff's edge, eyes wide.
"This... was once the Skyrazor Battlefield," she murmured. "Where the Dragon Tribes fought the Demon Clans before they vanished."
Long Yan didn't respond immediately. He could feel it—the pull, like a heartbeat within the Rift that echoed in his veins. The same energy that stirred when he awakened. When he forged. When he fought.
[System Alert: Abyssal Rift Core Energy Detected]
[Draconic Resonance Level Increased: 45%]
[Warning: Approaching threshold may draw attention.]
"Attention?" Long Yan muttered.
Before the system could clarify, the ground beneath them trembled.
Luo Yanling stepped back instinctively. "Something's coming."
And then the rift howled.
From the mist below, a shadow surged upward—twenty feet tall, chitinous wings spreading like a cloak of blades. A grotesque fusion of vulture and serpent, its body writhed with abyssal runes, and a single glowing horn jutted from its skull like a corrupted crown.
It screeched, warping the air itself, and dove straight toward them.
[Abyssal Behemoth Detected – Class: Rift Guardian | Rank: Tier 3 Elite]
[Warning: Threat Level exceeds current host capabilities. Retreat advised.]
Long Yan didn't flinch.
"Yan!" Luo Yanling called. "It's too strong—"
"It's perfect," he said calmly.
Then he moved.
The first clash was thunderous.
The Behemoth struck the cliffside like a meteor, collapsing half the ledge. Long Yan vanished into the dust, reappearing in the air above the creature's neck with a flicker of Flicker Step. His claws, partially shifted into scaled talons, raked down its side, carving glowing lines into its armor.
The beast roared and twisted, its tail lashing. Long Yan ducked low, but the blow still clipped him, sending him skidding across the crumbling earth.
[Damage Received: Moderate | Internal Stability: 89%]
Blood trickled down his lip.
Good.
He needed this pressure. It was the only way to push the system. To unlock more.
The Behemoth turned toward him, ignoring Luo Yanling entirely.
Mistake.
"Break!" she shouted, forming a seal with both hands. Her blade ignited with silver flame, and she slashed into the creature's exposed wing joint.
The beast screeched again, lurching.
[Ally Support Bonus Activated: Combat Link Established]
[Sovereign Pulse empowered by 12%]
Long Yan exhaled.
Golden light erupted from his chest.
[Skill Activated: Sovereign Pulse]
The energy blasted outward, striking the Behemoth mid-lunge. The creature's aura cracked under the pressure, its runes dimming for a moment—long enough.
[Dragon Vein Resonance: 50%]
[Milestone Triggered: Partial Dragon Transformation – Tier 1 Access Granted]
His bones shattered and realigned in an instant.
Black scales crawled up his neck and across his arms. His back tore open to reveal two jagged wings, smaller than a true dragon's but pulsing with ancient might. His eyes glowed with vertical gold slits, and when he spoke, his voice carried layered echoes.
"You wanted a challenge," he growled.
Then he vanished.
The fight became a dance of death.
Long Yan darted through the sky with flickering trails of shadow, his claws and wings working in tandem. The Behemoth struck with wild fury, but it was no longer facing prey.
It was facing a predator.
Blow after blow landed—scales cracked, bones buckled, but Long Yan endured. He targeted joints, rune clusters, and weak spots with surgical precision. His attacks weren't fueled by rage—but by calculation.
Every strike weakened the enemy. Every dodge preserved stamina. Every drop of blood spilled served a purpose.
Below, Luo Yanling supported him—using her sword to keep the beast off balance, cutting off its escape routes. She trusted him. She didn't try to lead. She didn't falter.
She followed—perfectly.
And that, more than anything, gave him strength.
[Rift Guardian Vitality: 21%]
[Host Condition: Critical Threshold Approaching – Recommend Finishing Move]
He rose high above the battlefield, wings flared.
[Activate: Dragonbite – Enhanced Version | Sovereign Rend]
He dropped like a spear, energy coalescing into his fangs.
The Behemoth tried to flee—but Sovereign Pulse surged again, freezing it in place for half a breath too long.
That was all he needed.
His fangs tore through its neck.
The Rift Guardian collapsed in a shuddering heap, ichor spilling across the earth like a black river.
Silence returned.
Long Yan landed, staggering as his wings dissolved and scales receded. His human form reappeared, bloodied, breathing hard.
[Dragon Vein Progress: 58%]
[Beast Core Acquired: Abyssal Rift Guardian Core (Tier 3)]
[New Skill Unlocked: Voidscale Regeneration (Tier 1 Passive)]
[New System Module Unlocked: Sovereign Domain Interface – Inactive]
Luo Yanling rushed to his side, supporting him by the shoulder.
"Are you—"
"I'm fine," he said, though his vision blurred slightly.
She helped him sit.
For a while, neither spoke.
The Rift pulsed faintly in the distance, unaware—or perhaps uncaring—of the death of one of its guardians.
"You're insane," she said finally. "That thing could have killed both of us."
"But it didn't."
"You didn't even hesitate. Not for a second."
"That's the difference between us," he said. "You want to survive. I want to ascend."
She looked at him for a long time.
Then, softly: "You're bleeding."
He glanced at the shallow wound on his side. "So are you."
She sat beside him anyway.
"Still… I'm glad I was there," she whispered.
He didn't respond. But he didn't move away, either.
And that, for someone like Long Yan, meant everything.
Somewhere deep within the Rift, far below where light reached, a second pair of eyes opened.
They had watched the battle.
They had felt the dragon pulse.
And they remembered that there was once a Sovereign of Ash and Void, born not from lineage, but from will.
Now, another walked the same path.
And he had just passed his first test.