Outside, the sun was setting, red afterglow painting the clouds.
A hundred meters in the air, Jiang Yan hovered, wings beating, eyes fixed on the purple-black mist seeping from the torn-open hole below.
"This one's huge—what on earth is it?" Jiang Yan's gaze flickered.
Every large creature he'd summoned so far had been formidable. Judging by its size, this one had to be at least Level Six.
Rumble! A deafening roar rolled from below, audible for dozens of kilometers.
The area had been completely sealed off; no one was around.
Black Gold, Boqi, Cloud Ray, and the other Monsters stood well back from the cave mouth, watching.
The roar continued for a full hour before finally fading.
Rumble! The ground beneath the karst cave suddenly exploded, rubble flying everywhere.
A titanic, dark-yellow beast burst out, twenty kilometers long and over eight hundred meters tall.
Its head was huge, tapering toward the tail like a fish. Its skin resembled uneven, yellowish rock; a hundred black eyes dotted the enormous head.
Its mouth gaped open, revealing an inky maw: "Wuuuu—!"
A long, thunderous howl sent the air itself into turbulent gusts.
The creature couldn't speak; it simply lifted its head toward Jiang Yan, eyes showing submission.
Jiang Yan studied the Kun-like Monster below and sank his consciousness inward to check its data.
Shentan Beast: a star-faring Monster with extreme longevity. At birth it's already a thousand meters long; adults range from ten to fifty thousand meters. (Feeds on ores in space.)
Cavity: seventy percent of the Shentan Beast's body is a single colossal hollow.
Shenqi: the beast can generate Shenqi, a gas that supplies oxygen and energy for any life-form. (It replenishes Shenqi by converting cosmic minerals.)
Shenyou: the beast can open wormholes for jumps of variable distance. (Each jump requires three days of rest before the next.)
Jiang Yan opened his eyes, looking down: "A living starship!"
He hadn't expected a support-type Monster this powerful—something capable of roaming the stars.
Edge of the Shentan Beast below.
"This thing's massive." Black Gold dusted himself off, lips pursing at the sight.
"Woof-woof-woof!" Boqi, covered in dust, barked his grievances at the Shentan Beast.
Jiang Yan descended and landed before them.
He addressed the Shentan Beast: "Open your cavity; let me see."
The beast lowered its head, mouth gaping to reveal the pitch-black throat. A hundred black eyes focused on Jiang Yan.
Inside was darkness; at the base of the throat yawned an oval aperture about ten meters across.
With a beat of his wings Jiang Yan shot into the opening.
"Let's take a look too!" Black Gold leapt onto Boqi's back and pointed ahead.
Even Ba Yao and the Blood Master followed, curious, heading for the hole.
Once inside, Jiang Yan found a vast, elongated space. The cavity's walls glowed faintly green, illuminating the interior.
Black Gold rode Boqi in, surveyed the surroundings, and nodded sagely: "As the boss's new mount, you'll do—barely."
Jiang Yan concentrated; he knew a special energy called Shenqi existed here.
With careful perception he soon noticed that each breath brought a wisp of faint energy into his body.
It was minute—absorbing all day would only cover basic energy expenditure.
"Still, it's enough for basic needs. Even without food, staying here could sustain life-signs," Jiang Yan mused.
The Shentan Beast's main roles were deep-space exploration and troop transport; pack it with Monsters and oddities, and food became unnecessary.
Turning to the Blood Master, he said: "Give soul crystals to the Shentan Beast and Boqi."
"Yes, sir." The Blood Master opened the safe, took out two soul crystals, and tossed one to Boqi, who caught it in his jaws.
Facing the Shentan Beast, the Blood Master looked around the cavity, then at Jiang Yan: "President, where do I throw it?"
"Leave the hole and toss it into its mouth," Jiang Yan replied.
Only nine soul crystals remained; Jiang Yan would reserve them for summoning Monsters. Ordinary humans had to wait unless exceptionally gifted.
After another circuit inside the cavity, Jiang Yan exited.
The moment he emerged, a huge eyeball was floating above the Shentan Beast.
It was Gus, outside planting seeds of nightmare.
After this upgrade, Gus's nightmare seeds had multiplied tenfold—from ninety-nine to nine hundred and ninety.
Wings beating, Jiang Yan gazed at the ruined cave: "Next time, no summoning inside closed bases; we'll run out of facilities fast."
…Time passed as Jiang Yan waited. Ten days later.
On an open plain in the nation of Liyang, Jiang Yan stood.
He sank his consciousness inward.
pearl of the abyss: 1.98 billion / 1.98 billion
"Negative emotions at maximum. Summon?"
"Summon!"
With a thought, Jiang Yan began.
Buzz! A mass of purple-black mist appeared before him.
Rumble! The mist expanded rapidly, stopping at about fifty meters. Thunderous sounds echoed within.
The mist lasted a full two hours before it began to disperse.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan smiled faintly. "Two hours—at least Level Six."