Chapter 198: A Beast Long Forgotten
The Abyss Serpent Clan bore little resemblance to the Azure Dragon Clan.
Where the latter rose toward the heavens in towering terraces and suspended palaces, this domain lay spread across the earth, vast and low, woven into forests and winding waterways.
Lakes glimmered at every turn, reflecting dim lantern light that hovered like drifting souls in the night sky. Pagodas stood in quiet clusters, their silhouettes half-swallowed by mist.
Yet beneath that natural beauty, there was something oppressive.
A lingering heaviness in the air.
Ningyan’s gaze swept across the grounds, his steps unhurried, his presence concealed beneath his disguise.
How melancholic... he thought.
It was as though the land itself had long since grown weary.
He did not need to guess the cause.
Lan Yunlai.
Regardless, the clan was far from empty.
Beasts moved through the streets and courtyards, many of them not serpent-kind. Their auras varied, but one thing remained constant. The demonic aura.
It saturated everything... thick and unrestrained, a festering tide that had long since overflowed its bounds.
The abyss serpent Clan was terribly corrupted.
Ningyan’s eyes dimmed beneath his mask.
If Lan Yunlai falls... will this truly end? Or had the rot already spread too far?
"What do you mean there was a disturbance in the eastern forest?" a voice cut cleanly through his thoughts. "Are you all so weak and foolish? Why tell me? Why not go and stop the disturbance?"
Ningyan froze.
He stood beside a modest stall, his posture relaxed, but his attention shifted sharply as he turned his head just enough to observe.
A group of palace guards stood gathered not far off, over a dozen of them. Their armor bore the insignia of the clan, and in their hands rested demon tools that pulsed faintly with unstable energy.
They stood rigid and attentive, faces set toward their superior.
"Three were dispatched to investigate," one guard reported, his tone tight. "None have returned."
Ningyan lowered his gaze.
That was enough.
Without drawing attention, he stepped away from the stall and blended back into the slow movement of the crowd. His path curved naturally, away from the main thoroughfare, toward the outer edges of the settlement where the forest thickened.
Carriages moved along the narrow road ahead.
He slipped into the shadows of the trees just as two of them came to a halt, facing one another.
The spirit horses snorted softly, their hooves shifting against the damp earth.
One of the drivers dismounted, retrieving a large crate, its lid slightly ajar, revealing fresh vegetables within.
"Are these being delivered to the palace?" he asked, adjusting his sleeves.
The other beastman nodded, collecting the crate with a grunt. "There is a banquet tonight. The kitchen attendants are short on supplies."
His expression darkened. "I would rather not go... but orders are orders."
Ningyan watched as the beastmen finished loading the crates into the carriage. The moment the last one turned away and climbed aboard, he moved.
Silent as a shadow, he slipped inside.
The carriage swayed faintly as he tucked himself into the deepest corner, curling low against the stacked crates. His breath came fast, controlled only by force of will.
He could not afford discovery here, not with Lan Yunlai so close.
Lan Huiwen came first. Everything else came after.
But if this went wrong... he would not hesitate to tear everything apart.
Time stretched thin and uneasy until the carriage finally rolled into the Abyss Serpent Clan palace.
The moment it slowed near the gates, Ningyan moved.
Before the threshold could be fully crossed, he dropped from the carriage smoothly, vanishing into the blind side of the guards’ line of sight. A heartbeat later, he was already scaling the high outer wall.
He landed beyond it with a muted impact, breath sharp against his throat.
The Abyss Serpent Clan palace sprawled endlessly before him, vast and ornate, yet suffused with that underlying calmness that felt wrong.
Herbal gardens bloomed in careful arrangement, trees and flowers curated into unnatural perfection. Beauty layered over demonic aura that pressed through everything.
And the strength within this place.... he could feel it. Many presences, each one close enough to brush the edge of Lan Yunlai’s realm.
Ningyan’s eyes flickered.
A brief, vivid flash of violet bled through his gaze before it was forcibly suppressed.
"Control yourself." He exhaled through his teeth, one hand pressing against his chest as he moved.
A sudden appearance of a guard made him stop.
He slipped into the nearest cover as footsteps passed, then reappeared behind the man in an instant. One hand clamped over the guard’s mouth before a sound could form.
"Don’t move. Don’t speak."
The guard stiffened violently, his pupils constricting. He looked young, barely older than Ningyan, his hands already trembling.
"Wh—who..." the question broke apart in his throat. "Oh gods.."
Ningyan didn’t waste time. "Lan Huiwen. Where is she kept?"
"Lan? No.. I don’t.." The guard’s eyes widened in sheer shock, fear snapping through him so sharply it looked like it might tear him apart from the inside. "Please let me go... I swear I won’t make a sound."
Ningyan did not release him.
Instead, he twisted the man’s arm behind his back until the joint strained under pressure, just shy of breaking.
A strangled breath escaped the guard. "Mercy...! Mercy, please...!"
"Answer." Ningyan’s voice was low, edged with impatience. "Do you know where she is?"
"I..yes..yes!" the guard gasped. "Lan Huiwen... she...she’s more legend than beast here, but...there are whispers. A dungeon beneath the palace. Blood-locked."
Ningyan’s grip tightened slightly. "Bound to whose blood?"
"His Majesty."
"...Lan Yunlai." Ningyan exhaled slowly. "You will take me there."
The guard stiffened, fear flashing naked across his face.
"I would rather die by your hand than fall into his," he said hoarsely. "Do you understand what you’re asking? This is madness. No one goes near that place. And... she may already be dead."
Behind the mask, Ningyan’s expression did not change.
"Alive or dead," he said, each word measured, "I will see it with my own eyes."
His voice dropped. "You will lead."
The guard hesitated.
"...Then what do I gain?" he asked, forcing the question out despite the tremor in his voice. "I.. have to gain something... Or I..."
Ningyan yanked the man’s arm again. A sharp crack threatened.
"Ah...! I yield, I yield!" the guard choked, striking Ningyan’s arm in frantic surrender.
Only then did Ningyan release him.
"You are so hurtful." The guard staggered forward, clutching his shoulder, breath uneven.
"...Why?" he asked after a moment, turning back with pained disbelief. "Why risk this? A masked wolf trespassing into the Abyss Serpent Palace... to free a beast long forgotten?"
Ningyan stepped past him.
"Enough questions," he said quietly. "Just... Lead the way."
The guard frowned, unease flickering across his face, but he turned without another word and began walking, away from the main palace halls.
Ningyan followed. His senses remained stretched, ready to strike at the slightest shift in intent.
They slipped deeper into the palace grounds without resistance.
As they walked, Ningyan lifted a hand to his mask.
A faint pulse of violet light flickered, and in the next breath, his wolf ears vanished and his tails dissolved into nothing.
What remained beneath the mask now were narrowed serpent eyes.
They entered a long, silent corridor.
Servants passed occasionally, heads lowered, movements hurried.
There were no guards. Not a single one.
"Strange..." the guard muttered under his breath. "There should be sentries here..."
Ningyan did not respond, his gaze already settled on the path ahead. There, two massive doors towered before them, ancient and imposing. They were carved with coiling serpent sigils, layered upon one another like an endless cycle of devouring.
Ningyan stepped closer. "Is this it?"
The guard turned and froze. His eyes widened in horror as he stumbled back, pointing. "Y-you...your form...!"
Ningyan let out a quiet breath. "It is an illusion technique from the mask."
His tone was almost absent-minded. "I adjusted it. How does it open?"
The guard swallowed hard, still shaken.
"This... this only leads to the outer dungeon. The deeper dungeon... if the rumors are true... lies beneath it."
He hesitated. "I... do not know the mechanism. I was only reassigned recently. My master was elevated to serve as the Beast King’s advisor. I have not been granted access to such places."
Ningyan’s fingers brushed against the carvings. "I see..."
"We are fortunate," the guard nodded stiffly. "The banquet has drawn all attention away. If not... horrible death for us."
A faint crease formed between Ningyan’s brows. "...This cannot be broken without revealing myself."
His voice lowered. "If I remove the mask... I will be sensed. They should have arrived by now."
Suddenly, a pulse that was both sharp and overwhelming swept through the palace like a tidal wave of pressure.
The guard gasped, his head snapping upward. "What... what is that presence?!"
Thunder roared across the sky, and Ningyan smiled."They’re here."