Ming blinked in confusion and asked the horned figure,
"Who… are you?"
The being stared at him, voice heavy like thunder.
"You are the first living being to step into this place," he said.
"So I will tell you my name."
The voice alone made Ming's whole body tremble. His knees nearly buckled.
"I am Tianlong — the guardian of this realm."
Feeling Ming struggle, Tianlong lowered his overwhelming pressure a bit.
"You are quite weak," he said bluntly. "So tell me — how did you enter here?"
Ming, still panting, replied honestly,
"I-I don't know… I was just getting out of the barrier… and suddenly I ended up here."
Tianlong stepped closer.
His long black hair shifted as he studied Ming carefully.
"You possess something unusual."
Ming froze.
Unusual? What do I even have?
Just his master's diary, the Shadow Sword, and that strange black stone…
Thinking of it, he quickly took the stone out.
"Are you talking about this?"
Tianlong's eyes narrowed in focus.
"Yes. That is the one."
Ming asked, "What is it?"
Tianlong's expression twitched with mild irritation.
"You claim you carry something so unusual… yet you do not even know what it is?"
Ming scratched his cheek awkwardly. "…I guess?"
Tianlong sighed and said,
"I said it is unusual. I never said I know what it is."
Ming slipped the stone back into his robe.
"Then… where are we? What is this place?"
Tianlong folded his arms.
"This place is the Gate — the passage to another realm.
And I am the guardian who decides whether someone is worthy of entering the Central Realm."
Ming frowned.
"What is the Central Realm?"
"It is not time for you to know that," Tianlong replied.
"From what I see… you are not the chosen one.
Just a man with unbelievable luck who slipped in here accidentally."
He lifted his hand.
"It is time for you to leave."
Before Ming could say another word—
The space distorted
The guardian faded
And Ming was thrown backward—
And suddenly teleported back to the normal world, right outside the barrier.
In the stillness of the Gate, Tianlong watched him disappear and muttered:
"I have observed him for a long time…
But no.
Even he is not the one." Ming lay flat on the ground, eyes slowly opening.
The first thing he saw was all five of his subordinates crowded over him.
Wrath let out a relieved breath and smiled.
"My lord… you finally opened your eyes."
Ming blinked, confused.
"…How long was I out?"
Envy replied, "My lord, the moment you stepped out of the barrier you collapsed."
Ming sighed internally.
Why do I keep meeting strange people…? What is happening to me…?
His gaze drifted to the black stone in his hand.
He clenched it, stood up, and said,
"Alright… let's go."
Everyone's excitement practically dripped from their faces.
They were finally out.
Pride stepped forward and asked,
"My lord… now that we've escaped, what is our goal? What do we do next?"
Ming looked at him with steady eyes.
"First… we settle our debts.
Then," his voice hardened,
"I will fulfill my master's last wish."
Everyone fell silent.
Ming… had a master?
And a final wish?
Curiosity filled their eyes, but Pride was the first to speak.
"My lord… what was your master's last wish?"
Ming's expression sharpened.
"When the time comes, I will tell you."
Then he asked casually,
"By the way… have any of you ever heard the name Tianlong?"
They all exchanged confused looks, trying to recall the name.
Pride rubbed his chin, thinking hard.
"My lord… are you talking about the story of the Dragon?"
Ming frowned. "The story?"
Pride nodded.
"It's a well-known legend. A dragon who protected our land, brought rain, and blessed certain tribes. Many worshipped him like a god.
I think his name was Tianlong."
Gluttony stepped forward excitedly.
"Yes! The tale is called The Dragon's Legacy. I read it too—it's a very old story. But no one knows who wrote it."
Ming fell silent.
Tianlong… a dragon? A guardian? A myth?
But the one I met… he didn't look human. Those horns… that aura…
Ming tightened his grip on the black stone.
"Looks like the story… was not a story at all."
The group walked for hours until the forest finally ended…
and a massive shadow rose before them.
A wall.
A colossal, stone wall stretching so far in both directions that it disappeared into the horizon.
Ming stopped in his tracks.
"…Who built something like this?"
Gluttony stepped up respectfully.
"My lord, this wall was constructed under the First Emperor's orders.
It was meant to stop monsters from invading the mainland."
"Ah… so that's how it is."
They approached the wall and began climbing.
The wall was tall—towering, ancient, and imposing—but for martial artists, it was nothing more than a warm-up.
Greed climbed silently.
Wrath followed like a shadow.
Pride moved with calm precision.
Envy and Gluttony raced each other as usual.
But halfway up, Gluttony froze.
His face changed.
As a former general, he knew military behavior well—and something felt wrong.
He scanned the top of the wall carefully.
"…There are no soldiers," he muttered.
Pride frowned. "None? Not even patrols?"
Gluttony shook his head.
"No torches. No footprints. No discarded supplies. This place… hasn't been manned for months."
Ming climbed up the last few stones and pulled himself over the edge.
The wind hit his face—fresh, clean, wide.
Below him stretched the vast land of Hebei, glowing under the morning sun like a painting.
Distant mountains brushing the clouds.
The world he had left behind… looked completely different now.
Ming whispered to himself,
"…So this is Hebei."
Behind him, the others arrived, one by one, looking equally mesmerize.