Panlong's Worton

Chapter 4 The sky collapses

Before Wushan Town had recovered from the shock of the previous day, the children's topics of conversation on the training field had already changed.

"With a sweep of its tail, the houses crumbled like paper!" Hadley gestured wildly, spitting as he spoke. "I saw it with my own eyes, right in the middle of town—"

"You didn't go at all," thirteen-year-old Fula interrupted him. "We were all in the open area to the east. How can you say you saw it with your own eyes?"

Hadley's face flushed red, and he turned to the witness: "Linley went! Linley, don't you think so?"

Linley stood in the line, silent. There were faint dark circles under his eyes; he hadn't slept well the night before. Hillman scanned the entire group, his voice booming, "Stand still! Yesterday's magical beast was powerful, but even the most powerful beasts are the result of training. Do you want to tame beasts like that in the future? Then start now, and work even harder than yesterday!"

The children straightened their backs. Yesterday's fear and shock were transforming into a vague longing.

Walton stood on the sidelines, held in Ciri's arms. He looked up at the sky; thick, greyish-white clouds hung in the air, and a strong wind swirled withered leaves on the ground. He remembered there was an even bigger battle today—the Battle of the Sanctuary.

He didn't know the exact time, but it was during his morning exercise.

"Qi Gathering Formation, Begin!" Hillman commanded.

The children struck poses. Linley stood in the ten-year-old group, his knees slightly bent, his breathing even. Wharton stared at him, then suddenly noticed a thin rope around Linley's neck with a dark, obscure object tied to it against his chest.

The Ring of the Coiled Dragon.

The plot was about to reach a turning point. Wharton's heart skipped a beat. In the original story, Linley was injured today while protecting him, his blood staining the ring and awakening the soul of the Saint-level mage within. That was the starting point of Linley's path to becoming a mage.

"Grandpa Ciri," Walton whispered, "I need to pee."

"Now?" Ciri frowned. "Bear with it for a bit, morning exercise is almost over."

"I couldn't help it." Walton shifted his body.

Helpless, Ciri carried him toward the bushes at the edge of the training field. After taking only a few steps, Walton suddenly heard a sound.

It didn't come from the ground, it came from the sky.

Like muffled thunder, but deeper, farther, with a rhythmic tremor. Ciri stopped and looked up. The children on the training field heard it too, and many tilted their heads to find the source of the sound.

"What's that sound?" Hillman frowned.

Then the clouds to the east broke apart.

It started as a black dot, quickly growing larger and stretching into a winding outline. Its scales reflected a dim light, and the shadow cast by its outstretched wings could cover half the training ground. The black dragon, nearly a hundred meters long, hovered in the air, each flap of its wings stirring up a gale.

A gray-robed man stood on the dragon's back, his hands behind his back, his robe fluttering in the wind.

The training ground was deathly silent. They'd just seen a velociraptor yesterday, and now an even bigger one had appeared. Hadley's mouth hung open, unable to utter a single word.

Hillman was the first to react, shouting sharply, "Everyone, home! Now!"

The children woke up with a start and turned to run. But they hadn't run far when the sky changed again.

A hundred meters in front of the black dragon, the air distorted, and a middle-aged man in green robes appeared out of thin air. He had no wings, no mount, just stood there in the sky, carrying a long sword on his back. The wind ruffled his robes, and he stared at the gray-robed man on the black dragon's back, saying nothing.

Standing in mid-air.

"Sanctuary..." Hillman's throat moved, and his face turned pale.

Walton was held tightly by Ciri, and he could feel the old man's arms trembling. He looked up at the two figures—the grey-robed mage Rudy and the green-clad warrior Tyrone. In the original story, these two fought fiercely over a treasure, affecting the entire town of Wushan.

"Ciri, take the kids home and hide them!" Hillman yelled, picking up the two nearest children, around six or seven years old. "Lorry, Roger, help!"

The training ground was in complete chaos. The older children ran on their own, while the younger ones were carried under the instructors' arms towards the town. Lin Lei didn't run; he stood still, looking up at the black dragon in the sky, his eyes filled with shock, but also with something burning within them.

"Linley, let's go!" Hillman grabbed him as he passed by.

Lin Lei staggered a couple of steps, glanced back again, and then followed the crowd toward the town.

Walton was being carried by Ciri as they ran. The wind whistled past his ears, and he could hear voices behind him, too far away to make out the words, but the tone was cold and confrontational. Then came a dragon's roar, so powerful it made his chest feel tight.

"Hide in the cellar!" Ciri rushed into the backyard of Baruch's mansion, lifted the cellar planks, and was about to put Wharton down.

"Wait!" Walton grabbed his clothes. "Where's my brother?"

"Young Master Linley is behind us—" Before Ciri could finish speaking, an explosion came from afar.

It wasn't a single explosion, but a series of deafening roars, like hundreds of thunderclaps exploding overhead simultaneously. The cellar planks were rattling, and dust was falling in droves. Ciri gritted her teeth and shoved Wharton inside: "Wait here, I'm going to find Master Linley!"

"Together!" Walton tried to climb out.

"No!" Ciri pressed him down and covered him with the wooden board.

Darkness descended once more. Walton sat in the cellar, listening to the increasingly terrifying noises outside. This time was different from yesterday—yesterday's fighting was concentrated in the town center, today it was indiscriminate bombing.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. His two-and-a-half-year-old body was powerless; he couldn't do anything, not even get out of the cellar. This feeling of helplessness was even stronger than yesterday.

Hogg's voice came from outside, very close: "Linley! Where's Wharton?"

"The cellar!" Linley shouted, panting. "Grandpa Ciri is looking for me. Wharton is in the cellar!"

"You go hide in the cellar, I'll go find Ciri—"

"Father, I'll go!"

Then came the sound of footsteps, quickly fading into the distance. Walton pounded the wooden plank: "Brother! I'm here!"

There was no response. Only the increasingly frequent explosions and the rumble of collapsing buildings could be heard outside.

A dull thud came from the top of the cellar, shaking the entire cellar. A clod of earth hit Walton on the head. He covered his head and huddled in a corner. The impacts continued, as if something was hitting the roof.

We can't stay here.

Walton groped his way to the cellar entrance and tried to push the plank upwards. He couldn't budge it; something was holding it down. He tried a different angle, using his shoulder to push, but it still wouldn't budge.

Linley's voice came from outside, very close: "Walton!"

"Brother!" Walton pounded on the wooden board desperately.

"Wait here, I'll move the stones!" Linley's voice was urgent, followed by the sound of scraping and heavy breathing. The stones weighing down the wooden planks were moved away little by little, and light streamed in.

Wharton saw Linley's flushed face, his forehead covered in sweat, and his hands dusty. He was using his shoulder to push a piece of gravel, about half a person's height, away little by little.

"Come out quickly!" Lin Lei shouted.

Walton climbed out of the cellar and froze.

The backyard was no longer the backyard. Most of the wall had collapsed, the warehouse roof was ruined, and tiles and beams were scattered all over the ground. The sky was shrouded in an earthy yellow light, and a stone giant nearly ten meters tall was locked in combat with a green-clad warrior, each punch sending shockwaves through the air. Further away, a black dragon was breathing fire, flames cascading down like a waterfall.

Linley grabbed Walton and said, "To the basement!"

I had only taken two steps when a piercing whistling sound came from the sky.

Walton looked up and saw countless black dots falling from the sky, rapidly growing larger—they were boulders, house-sized boulders, raining down in dense, overwhelming force. These were fragments of rock that Tyrone had sent flying when he shattered the Earth Guardian, now deadly stray bullets.

"Get out of the way!" Linley tackled Walton and rolled behind a section of broken wall.

The first stone struck ten meters away, causing the ground to tremble violently, and the flying fragments struck the broken wall with a crackling sound. The second stone, even closer, collapsed half of a side room, sending dust billowing into the sky.

"We can't get there!" Lin Lei looked up in the direction of the main house. The rain of gravel was too dense, and the path from the backyard to the basement of the main house was a complete death zone.

Another whooshing sound approached. Walton saw a boulder nearly two meters in diameter hurtling down on them, its trajectory clearly aimed at the broken wall.

Time seems to be slowing down.

Linley saw it too. Almost without hesitation, he pulled Walton down and shielded him with his entire back.

"elder brother--"

"Lower your head!"

A boulder crashed into the warehouse ruins, sending rubble and beams flying like cannonballs. A broken beam swept across, and Linley grunted, tightening his grip on Walton's arm. Shards of stone rained down on his back and head like hail.

Wharton was pinned beneath him, his face pressed against the ground, and he could smell the earthy odor and a faint scent of blood. Linley's body was trembling, but the arms protecting him didn't loosen their grip.

The loud noise lasted for about ten seconds, then gradually subsided, leaving only sporadic sounds of falling objects and the distant roar of battle.

Lin Lei didn't move.

"Brother?" Walton called softly.

Linley still didn't react. Walton crawled out from under his arm, turned his head, and his heart skipped a beat.

Lin Lei lay on the ground, blood streaming from the back of his head, dark red blood soaking his hair and flowing down his neck into his collar. His eyes were closed, his face pale, but his chest was still rising and falling.

"Brother!" Walton pushed him.

Lin Lei's eyelids twitched, and he opened his eyes a crack, his voice weak: "...Are you alright?"

"You're bleeding!" Walton wanted to cover the wound with his hand, but he didn't dare to touch it.

Lin Lei tried to lift his head, but a wave of dizziness made him slump back down: "I'm a little dizzy... Don't move, wait for Father to come..."

The thin rope around his neck slipped off, and the black dragon ring dangled in the bloodstains, stained with blood.

Walton stared at the ring. In the original story, right now, blood seeped into the ring, awakening Delin Corvault. But the ring before him simply lay there quietly, without glowing or any unusual phenomena; it was just an ordinary blood-stained ring.

Did my time travel change something?

"Walton!" Hogg's voice came from the smoke and dust, tinged with panic.

"Father! Here!" Walton shouted.

Hogg rushed over and, upon seeing Linley's condition, his face turned deathly pale. He knelt down to examine the wound, his hands trembling: "His head is broken... Ciri! Ciri!"

Ciri ran over from the direction of the main house, also covered in dust: "Master!"

"Get a clean cloth and water!" Hogg's voice was strained. "Quickly!"

Ciri glanced at Linley, then turned and ran. Hogg carefully turned Linley over and laid him on his lap. Blood was still flowing, so Hogg tore off the hem of his shirt, folded it into a piece, and pressed it onto the wound.

Lin Lei was half-conscious, his brows furrowed and his lips pale.

Walton knelt beside him, his eyes fixed on the ring. Blood was still dripping onto the ring, the black band absorbing the blood and darkening in color, but it remained motionless.

The sounds of battle ceased in the distance. A gust of wind swept by, dispersing some of the dust, revealing the black dragon flying southeast. Only the elemental turbulence left behind by the disintegrated earthen giant remained in the sky.

Wushan Town has undergone another baptism.

Ciri brought a cloth and water, and Hogg carefully cleaned Linley's wound. The wound was on the back of his right head, not too deep, but the cut was quite large, with the skin and flesh turned outwards. Linley convulsed in pain while being cleaned, but did not wake up.

"It needs stitches," Hogg said. "Ciri, go get the needle and thread, the boiled kind."

"Yes." Ciri ran off again.

Wharton reached out and gently touched Linley's hand. His hand was cold.

"Father, will my brother die?" he asked.

Hogg paused for a moment, then continued bandaging: "No. A head injury and bleeding look scary, but no bones are broken. It'll heal with rest."

He spoke calmly, but Walton saw his Adam's apple bob.

Ciri brought a needle and thread, and Hogg heated the needle over the fire before beginning to sew. Linley was still trembling with pain despite being unconscious, but Hogg worked quickly and the stitches were tight. After sewing, he applied medicine and re-bandaged the area.

Throughout the entire process, the ring remained hanging on Linley's chest, the blood slowly congealing on its surface.

After the bandaging was finished, Hogg noticed the ring. He picked it up and examined it, frowning slightly. "Where did this come from?"

"My brother found it," Walton said. "In the old house in the backyard."

Hogg didn't ask any questions. He took off the ring and tried to wipe away the blood, but it had seeped into the fine lines and couldn't be wiped clean. He looked at it and then put it back on Linley's finger.

"Ciri, help carry him back to the house," Hogg said.

The two carefully lifted Linley and carried him toward the main house. Wharton followed behind, glancing back every few steps.

The sky had returned to its greyish-white hue, the clouds still thick, but the terrifying oppressive atmosphere had vanished. Cries and screams echoed through the streets, even more devastating than yesterday—this time, the rain of gravel was indiscriminate, and the entire town had been ravaged.

Linley was settled into his own bed. Hogg sat by the bedside watching over him, while Ciri went out to help with town affairs. Wharton leaned over the edge of the bed, looking at his brother's pale face.

The afternoon passed, and Linley still hadn't woken up, but his breathing had become more stable. In the evening, Hogg was called out to handle some matters, leaving only the two brothers in the room.

Walton moved a small stool to the edge of the bed and sat down, staring at the ring.

Still nothing.

Could it be that my appearance delayed the ring's awakening? Or are other conditions required?

He reached out and gently touched the ring. It felt cold to the touch, and the bloodstains on its surface had dried and turned black.

"Derlinkovt," Walton murmured the name.

The ring did not react at all.

As darkness fell, Ciri brought in dinner, which Wharton ate a few bites of before putting it down. Hogg returned to check on Linley once, touched his forehead, found he didn't have a fever, and then went out again.

Night fell, and the whole house quieted down. Wharton was asleep by the bed, his hand still resting on Linley's.

He was awakened by a faint sound.

"Buzz—"

It was very low, like a mosquito buzzing in his ear, but heavier and more rhythmic. Wharton opened his eyes; the room was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight from outside the window.

The sound came from Lin Lei's chest.

Walton sat up and saw the dragon ring glowing faintly—not a blinding light, but a hazy, soft glow, like a firefly on a summer night. The light was faint, but it was definitely there.

Then the light detached from the ring, floated up, and coalesced into a blurry human figure by the bedside.

The human figure gradually became clearer; it was an old man with a white beard, wearing a moon-white robe, with a kind face and a wise light in his eyes. He floated there, looking down at Linley on the bed, then at Wharton.

Walton didn't move or make a sound. He knew who it was.

The old man noticed Walton looking at him and was somewhat surprised: "Little one, you can see me?"

The sound comes directly into the brain, not through the ears.

Walton nodded.

The old man was even more surprised. He floated closer and carefully examined Walton: "You are the owner of the Dragon Ring?"

"No," Walton pointed to Linley, "he is."

The old man turned to look at Linley, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "It's him... The blood pact is complete. I am Derinkowort, a Saint-level Archmage of the Puang Empire. What's your name?"

"Walton Baruch".

"How did you get inside the ring?" Walton asked.

Delinkovt sighed and briefly recounted his story—he was ambushed by two Sanctuaries, sealed his soul in a ring, and remained asleep until Linley's blood awakened him.

"So you'll stay with your brother from now on?" Walton asked.

"Yes, I am the spirit of the ring, and he is its master." Delinkovt looked at Linley with gentle eyes. "This child has good talent, and his mental strength is stronger than that of his peers... When he wakes up, I will teach him magic."

Walton nodded. The plot was back on track.

"You don't seem afraid," Delinkowert said, looking at him. "Most children would scream if they saw a spirit."

"I've seen scarier ones," Walton said. "Yesterday it was a velociraptor, today it's a black dragon."

Delinkovt laughed. "Indeed. This era doesn't seem to be very peaceful."

Walton didn't say anything.

Delinkov looked at Linley again, his figure fading away: "I have to go back. I just woke up, and my soul power is still unstable. I will formally meet him when he wakes up."

"Aren't you going to wake him up now?"

"Let him rest," Delinkowert's voice trailed off. "He's badly injured and needs sleep to recover."