The Dragon of the Fallen Demon Master Sister in a Book - Chapter 26

“Is this the place?” Wen Qian lowered her head to look at the golden compass in Chris’s paw. The black needle pointed straight ahead without hesitation.

“Meow?” The kitten curiously poked its head out and nudged the compass with its paw, but the needle remained steadfastly fixed on due north.

The kitten’s eyes sparkled with fascination. It found this utterly magical. Pressing its body slightly lower, it pushed the compass a few more times with its fluffy paw. Yet, no matter how many times it moved the compass, the needle stubbornly pointed north.

Wide-eyed, the kitten exclaimed, “Meow! (Amazing!)”

Just as it was about to push the compass again, the previously silent cave suddenly rumbled violently. The ground shook so fiercely that Wen Qian and the kitten lost their balance, stumbling forward and knocking their heads together.

Wen Qian clutched her head: “Ouch!”

The kitten covered its head with its paws: “Meow!”

Chris quickly stowed the compass away again, scanning their surroundings, but everything looked the same as before. There was no telling what had just happened.

Then, the ground abruptly cracked, spiderweb-like fissures spreading from the outside inward, creeping deeper into the cave.

A head emerged from the cave entrance—more accurately, a snake’s head. Triangular in shape, covered in tightly packed bluish-gray scales, two crimson eyes glowed in the pitch-black cavern like a pair of enormous red lanterns, blocking out the already scarce moonlight filtering in from outside. The snake’s oval pupils stared coldly at the creatures inside the cave.

A snake head of that size appearing in such a place was undeniably horrifying. The massive serpent flicked its forked tongue, the “hiss-hiss” sound echoing endlessly in the confined space. Its vision seemed poor, and its reflexes sluggish, but the hissing never stopped.

Suddenly, the bluish-gray serpent’s jaws stretched wide, releasing a putrid stench that made them want to cover their noses. A few more whiffs, and they’d be gasping for air, suffocating to death.

The serpent flicked its tongue again, then lunged forward, crashing into the cave wall like it was on some kind of stimulant. With a thunderous boom, the already crumbling cave became even more unstable. The ground trembled again, the cracks deepening.

The enormous snake forced its way deeper into the cave, but the further it went, the narrower the space became. Unable to move freely, it thrashed violently, smashing every stalactite in its path. The ground beneath them fractured further under the serpent’s writhing, forming a web-like pattern of destruction.

“Wh-where did it come from?!” Chris shrieked. “Holy crap, isn’t this place behind a waterfall?! How the hell did you even get here? Can you fly?!”

“It’s the guardian of the underground palace,” Dragon Soul spoke up, sniffing the air before analyzing, “But it seems to be more than that. Doesn’t it resemble that little snake you encountered at the outskirts of the Endless Forest before?”

“Damn it, not this ‘small fry leads to big boss’ trope again!!!” Chris cursed, already realizing reconciliation was impossible—the cat had already killed its offspring!!! What’s done is done, so fight it is!

Still, Chris couldn’t help but wonder—how the hell did this thing track them down? It didn’t even have a nose! How could it possibly identify them!!!

The cat was the first to react. The moment it landed, it began frantically clawing at the ground before bolting forward like mad. Just like when it first appeared, a black shadow flashed by like a gust of wind, vanishing in an instant. The only difference was that its first appearance had been to save them, while this time it was running for its life—showing remarkable self-awareness.

“Fight? Let’s fight!” Chris felt a surge of excitement. She’d been simmering with frustration ever since being chased by the Moonfang Bear. Not long ago, she’d seen the beauty’s half-bare shoulders and affectionate gaze, making the dragon whelp feel like the fire inside her was burning even fiercer.

Chris patted her belly with a paw, realizing she was genuinely hungry after all that exercise (digging). The giant snake before her suddenly looked like a delicious meal, making her eyes gleam with the thought of turning it into snake soup. She was truly starving.

Having barely suppressed the carnal flames within her, Chris knew keeping them bottled up wasn’t sustainable. Seeing the giant serpent, the combat instincts of her black dragon bloodline stirred eagerly. The dragon whelp couldn’t help but ready herself for battle.

“Late Foundation Establishment stage—manageable. Just oversized.” Before Chris could finish questioning, Feng Qingzhuo had already drawn her sword. The giant snake, having climbed in through the waterfall, dripped water everywhere, leaving the cave floor slick.

As the serpent writhed, water droplets sprayed upward. With a wave of her hand, Feng Qingzhuo froze the droplets, elongating them into razor-sharp ice blades that shot toward the snake’s eyes. The confined space worked against the predator—what it thought was hunting ground had become its trap.

The ice blades exploded just before hitting the snake’s body, the icy mist carrying a powerful gust that blinded it instantly!!! The real attack came hidden among these feints—a significantly longer ice blade that struck its forked tongue, destroying the creature’s sensory system.

Sword in her right hand, Feng Qingzhuo used the cover of the ice fog to dart forward with agile footwork. In three moves, she stood before the serpent, her blade’s tip already piercing its eye—her true target, and the giant snake’s most vulnerable spot.

Close behind was Wen Qian’s arrow, its tip tinged purple—clearly poisoned. When strength falls short, poison makes up the difference. This sudden barrage of attacks caught the giant serpent off guard. As it opened its maw to spew venom, the feline—now realizing it wasn’t outmatched but could actually fight—charged back in.

The slender figure moved with its characteristic speed. Though both the cat and Feng Qingzhuo wielded ice attributes, one brimmed with spiritual energy while the other, limited by cultivation, could only conjure meager frost—mere theatrics for support.

For a fierce beast like the cat, conserving energy wasn’t a concern. A massive block of ice materialized and—thud—plugged the serpent’s mouth, forcing it to swallow its own venom.

“Nice, nice!” Chris’s eyes lit up. She shook her dragon claws and lunged without hesitation. Though slower than the others, her punch carried a gust of wind, landing squarely on the serpent’s skull.

Even as a hatchling, a dragon’s physique surpassed mortal limits. The blow twisted the serpent’s head sideways, and Chris followed up with a burst of dragonfire, charring its hide and flesh. The battle ended almost before it began.

The coordination between the duo, the dragon, and the cat was flawless—astonishing for an impromptu team.

The cat struck a pose, head held high, awaiting admiration from the two-legged creatures. Instead, they crowded around the serpent’s corpse, scrutinizing it.

“What’s this?” Chris extended a claw. She’d planned to stew the snake, but while skinning it, she noticed a patch of pure gold scales on its bluish-gray back, starkly different from the rest.

She scraped the golden hide with her talons—not a scratch. The dragonet blinked in shock. Her claws could cleave boulders effortlessly, leaving smooth cuts. Testing the surrounding bluish-gray scales, they split easily under her touch, bl00d gushing over her.

“So weird.” Chris peeled off the golden hide—a massive piece, too large for one of her claws to grip. Using both, she laid the scales on the ground, barely keeping them steady.

“Doesn’t look like skin. More like… some creature’s scales,” Feng Qingzhuo mused, glancing at Chris.

Wen Qian nodded nearby. The cat, though clueless, mimicked the gesture after seeing the others agree.

Chris, clutching the golden scales, looked utterly baffled: ?

“What? Why are you all staring at me?!” She retreated two steps, scales in tow, equally bewildered.

Dragon Soul frowned. “No doubt—these are dragon scales. And… look closer. There are patterns etched into them.”

“This is a map drawn on dragon scales, with annotations in ancient draconic script.”

“Dragon scales…” Chris stared blankly at the enormous scale, nearly larger than her entire dragon form, her eyes widening in shock. “Good heavens, my whole body isn’t even as big as one of these scales?”

The dragon spirit gestured with its claws, “North, south, east, west—the patterns divide the four directions. The rest are place names.”

“A-Zhuo, this…” Chris looked up, only to see Feng Qingzhuo had already finished dissecting the giant serpent, even stripping the bones clean. She was now holding a core in her hand. Feng Qingzhuo responded with a casual, “Hmm?”

Chris: …Holy crap, what do I do? Her A-Zhuo seems a bit terrifying—I’m suddenly too scared to speak! Why do I feel a phantom pain in my own scales?!

Chris quickly shook her head. “N-nothing, nothing. Let’s keep going.” With that, she lifted the dragon-scale map with both claws, spread her wings, and flew ahead.

“Finished?” Feng Qingzhuo nodded at her with a gentle smile. Yet, for some reason, that smile made the little dragon feel like her scales and bones were aching again.

The cat froze. It looked down at the ground, at the marks left by the serpent’s writhing in pain, then back at the human and dragon who had already ventured deep into the cave. Standing there, the cat shuddered inexplicably.

Wen Qian scooped it up, rubbing its fluffy little head as she murmured, “What are you spacing out for? Let’s go.”

“Meow.” The cat responded, then looked up at Wen Qian—the least threatening-looking of the group, the one who spoiled it rotten—and affectionately meowed again before settling comfortably into her arms.

Cat: I totally picked the right two-legged servant!!! I’m amazing!!! Believe in Cat Supreme and gain eternal life!!!

–

“This is a demonkin’s underground palace,” the dragon spirit mused, propping its chin on a claw as it brushed the dust off the boundary stele at the entrance. After carefully studying the inscriptions, it turned to see Chris looking utterly lost. Realizing its mistake, it corrected itself,

“Oh, right. In dragon history, places like this—ones you explore, overcome trials in, and ultimately obtain treasures from—are uniformly called ‘underground palaces.’ Mostly because they’re found underground, and their ecosystems are self-contained. Anyway, you’ll see what it’s like once you’re inside.”

“Hmm…” The little white dragon pondered. “But here, it seems those cultivators prefer calling such places ‘secret realms.’ Of course, these realms hold great treasures—otherwise, so many humans and beasts wouldn’t fight over them.”

“Except… this is a demonkin’s secret realm. The benefits for two-legged creatures are limited. Unless, of course, that two-legged creature practices beast-taming and brought a spirit beast in—then it’s a whole different story.” The dragon spirit tilted its chin up, only to turn and find the little dragon still propping its head up, staring fixedly at the stele as if in a daze.

The white dragon’s tail lashed out without warning, and the dragon spirit promptly smacked the daydreaming dragon on the forehead. “Pay attention! Don’t come crying to me when you don’t know what to do later. What’ll happen when you grow up?”

The little dragon covered its head with both claws, eyes brimming with tears as it whined pitifully, “Stop this, you’re giving me flashbacks to high school classes.”

“That’s kinda terrifying.”

But the dragon spirit, having thoroughly absorbed all the novels in Chris’s mind, wasn’t about to take such advice. It retorted, “But didn’t you do pretty well in those high school classes?”

“Topped your grade three times? Overperformed in the college entrance exams and got into a decent university?” The dragon spirit raised an eyebrow, sizing up Chris. “Honestly, I’m quite surprised. You don’t seem particularly bright.”

Chris was screaming internally: “Could you stop talking to me in such a Chinese way?! So weird, it’s really weird!!! Where’s my draconic freedom?! I want to file a complaint!!”

“Chris.” The dragon spirit swept its claw across the last line of small characters on the boundary stele, discovering a final tiny dragon pattern. Its playful mood vanished as its expression turned serious. “If I’m not with you after you enter… please be careful.”

“Survival comes first.”

“?” Chris looked utterly confused, scratching her head. “Dragon spirit, is something wrong?”

The dragon spirit pointed at the last line of characters with its claw. “This is dragon language. It seems another dragon has entered this secret realm before, so…”

“When you’re alone, don’t be afraid.”

“Pfft, as if I’d be scared.” Chris curled her lip defiantly. “Didn’t you say I’d lead the dragon race back to its peak in the future?”

“Alright, alright, our future Dragon Emperor. Then… may the Dragon God bless you.” The dragon spirit bowed respectfully to Chris.

“Now, place that dragon scale on the boundary stele.” The dragon spirit gestured with its eyes.

Chris flew forward and placed the massive dragon-scale map onto the stele.

Dragon spirit: “Smear your bl00d on every part of the scale.”

Chris repeated solemnly: “Smear your bl00d on every part of the scale.”

Her tone was so grave that Chris stepped forward first, using her newly grown milk teeth to bite her claw and smear bl00d on the westernmost section.

Feng Qingzhuo had always known the little dragon had expert guidance. Without hesitation, she bit her finger and smeared bl00d on the easternmost part of the map.

Seeing this, Wen Qian stepped forward and applied her bl00d to the northern section.

Only the southern part remained. Under the combined gaze of the two humans and the dragon, the cat couldn’t refuse, thinking there must be profound meaning to their actions! It stepped forward with a complicated expression, grudgingly leaving its bl00d on the southernmost section.

The golden dragon scale glowed crimson as previously invisible patterns emerged, forming a complete map. The bloody light enveloped the two humans, dragon, and cat. Instinctively, Chris reached out to grasp Feng Qingzhuo’s hand beside her, who squeezed back gently, whispering, “Don’t be afraid.”

The crimson light flashed.

The cave returned to silence.

–

Chris opened her eyes to find herself in a forest. Just as the dragon spirit had warned, she’d been separated from the others. But…

Chris flew to a tree and rubbed her claws against the bark. For some reason, ever since entering this place, she’d been feeling an itch in her claws.

“How strange,” Chris muttered as she sharpened her claws. She applied more pressure, trying to relieve the sensation, but accidentally ground straight through the tree…

Stunned, Chris watched as the tree—wider than ten of her dragon forms combined—toppled straight down.

She patted the fallen ancient tree’s trunk with her claws, eyes wide with disbelief. “Am I reenacting Lin Daiyu uprooting a willow tree here…” she murmured to herself.

As the dust settled, silence returned to the surroundings.

Chris focused intently, straining her ears until she detected faint, broken sobs. “Who… who’s crying?”

But the moment she spoke, the sounds vanished.

After scanning the area and finding nothing that could have made the noise, Chris returned to the fallen ancient tree. She lowered her head, extended her claws, and gently patted the trunk again. “Friend,” she whispered consolingly, “your crying is kind of loud.”

“Could you keep it down next time? It’s hurting my ears.”

The thousand-year-old fallen tree: ?

Are these words that should come from a human mouth?