Monarch Of Time

Chapter 1041 1041 The Scaled Mountains

The Scaled Mountains were a large mountain range only a few thousand kilometers south of Amber Dawn.

Even if Shun Long had never visited the place before, he could spot the eye-catching mountains the moment he exited the city gates, so it was virtually impossible to get lost.

For better or worse, an assassin needed to be well prepared and familiar with not only their targets, but also their immediate surroundings, so Liu Mei and the others had bought maps of the wider area around Amber Dawn, as well as the dangers one should be wary of.

Unsurprisingly, information on the Scaled Mountains was also included in those maps.

Apparently, the huge mountains were not only a prime location for alchemists looking for rare medicinal herbs, but were also the home of numerous magic beasts.

The outskirts were supposed to be relatively safe, and bar something unexpected happening, a group of late-stage Dao Kings should be able to guarantee their own safety.

Still, Shun Long noticed that the deeper parts of the Scaled Mountains were actually marked as A-rank threats in Liu Meiʼs map, classified as danger zones that even Sovereigns had to tread carefully around.

After glancing at the dozens of small and large groups heading toward the towering peaks, Shun Long began making his way over on foot.

At this point, he had to admit that he had started to miss Little Silverʼs presence a bit.

The black panther accompanied him whenever he was out on a journey, and unlike Little Blackʼs massive frame and particularly distinct qualities, the panther didnʼt attract too much attention.

Magic beasts that barely touched the rare-rank were a dime a dozen even back in the Holy sect, let alone the entire central continent. It was those beasts that were close to reaching the Elite-tier —like the peak rank 7 wind wyrm for example— that attracted everyoneʼs attention.

Nevertheless, now that Little Silver was in the mortal world, Shun Long wouldnʼt have to worry about his parents or Fenfenʼs safety.

ʼʼI donʼt think master has anything to worry about. If anything, itʼs probably those little brats who are going to bully others.ʼʼ Little Blackʼs voice was still groggy, the sign of someone who had just woken up after a long slumber, but the hint of amusement in the black dragonʼs tone was evident, as his words echoed in Shun Longʼs mind.

Shun Longʼs footsteps halted when he heard that, and almost immediately, his spiritual sense entered the foggy space inside the ʼStone of Timeʼ, only for Little Blackʼs massive figure to greet his eyes.

The enormous body of the black dragon had clearly grown even larger since the last time heʼd seen it, but Little Blackʼs physical traits werenʼt what attracted Shun Longʼs attention this time around.

No, it was the aura the black dragon emitted that had grown noticeably stronger, denser... and more forceful, that made his eyes widen in surprise

ʼʼPeak of rank 7? You broke through?ʼʼ

Little Black had a satisfied grin as he took in Shun Longʼs expression, his azure eyes flashing with mirth.

ʼʼAhhh, how refreshing. Masterʼs trip to those trial grounds benefited me quite a bit. I wasnʼt sure if Iʼd be able to complete my breakthrough, but the immortal qi in that place wasnʼt as bad as I originally thought.ʼʼ

Shun Long didnʼt speak right away and just let Little Black relish his reaction.

Little Black had only slept for what seemed to be a day and had already broken through to the peak of rank 7? How could he not be surprised?

Even before his breakthrough, Little Black was already a monster among Dao Emperors. Shun Long was confident that aside from Xuan Bo, Jiang Tianfang, and a few other abnormal peak-stage Dao Emperors, no one else in the entire continent could fight the black dragon on even footing... below the Sovereign realm, at least.

But now? With Little Blackʼs breakthrough, everything changed.

At this point, Shun Long could confidently say that even most early-stage Sovereigns would struggle to keep up with him, let alone any Dao Emperors.

As for the crown prince of the Tianxuan dynasty? Unless Xuan Bo had broken through again in those last few months theyʼd returned from the ʼCity of Immortalsʼ, Shun Long was certain that the young prince would be turned into mincemeat if he fought Little Black right now.

With the edge of his lips curving into a faint smile, Shun Long patted the black dragonʼs head using his soul sense, before he continued to make his way towards the distant mountain range.

The journey to the Scaled Mountains may prove to be a bit more interesting now.

Although Shun Long wasnʼt planning on venturing to the depths of the mountains right away, very few things could stop him if he decided to have a look at this ʼdeath trapʼ that neighbored Amber Dawn.

...

As he got closer to the towering mountain range, Shun Long could see numerous groups converging around the foot of the mountain. The open area around the mountain was huge, but there were already more than a dozen of those groups in plain sight, and probably many more of them deeper in.

The majority of those groups were also helmed by late-stage Dao Kings, and even from a distance, Shun Long could sense the auras of a few early-stage Dao Emperors, too. Most likely, those were the ones who were planning on exploring more than just the outskirts.

Still, the Scaled Mountains were colossal. It was only after reaching the place that Shun Long realized how big it truly was. The entire mountain range was surrounded by greenery, almost as if it were an inclining forest stretching into the sky, but the most surprising thing was that it had no end in sight. At the very least, compared to Amber Dawn, this mountain range was easily several times larger.

Spreading out his soul sense, Shun Long stepped forward as he disappeared into the inviting embrace of the endless forest.