Flaxseed chuckled. “All right, lad, Fourth Heaven awaits us!”
Jared cast one last glance at the two women, squared his shoulders, and sprinted into the corridor beside Flaxseed.
“I will come back for you!” His promise echoed across the shattered plaza. The portal swallowed them. Jhaelyn’s composure broke; tears spilled unchecked. Jemima laid a gentle hand on shoulder, hope glimmering in own eyes.
Inside the passage, raging spatial currents lashed at Jared and Flaxseed. They pushed forward, channeling energy into shields of light as the far end of the corridor drew rapidly closer.
After an unmarked stretch of darkness, a ribbon of light finally pierced the gloom ahead.
Jared’s eyes lit up. He lunged forward, Flaxseed on his heels, and together they burst out of the winding corridor. They landed on unfamiliar soil and drew a deep, grateful breath.
The celestial energy here was tens of times richer than in the Third Heaven. A cobalt sky spread overhead, and knife-edged peaks speared the clouds while huge beasts flashed through the distant treeline.
Jared felt the fully woven laws of this Fourth Heaven humming in the air, an invisible weight that pressed gently against his chest.
“This place feels strangely familiar,” Flaxseed murmured.
“Of course it does,” Jared said. “You were in the Sixth Heaven and clawed your way up from the Fourth. Of course you’ll think it’s familiar.”
Jared suddenly remembered that Infinides was an immortal in the Fourth Heaven.
Perhaps our paths will cross again…
Flaxseed let out a soft sigh. “It has been centuries. I don‘t know what became of my people.”
“You are here now,” Jared replied. “Why not look for them? Do you remember where they once lived?”
“The memory is dim, but I have a rough idea,” Flaxseed said with a nod.
“Then let us go,” Jared said. He also hoped the visit would teach more about the Fourth Heaven.
The wind here cut sharper than anything in the Third Heaven. As Jared and Flaxseed flew overhead, their robes snapped and crackled like flags in a storm. Below them, the forest roiled. Massive beasts occasionally lifted their heads, sensed the travelers‘ power, and shrank back into the trees.
Cultivators who could fly here in the Fourth Heaven were not to be trifled with.
“According to my memory, we should be close,” Flaxseed said, rubbing the short whiskers on his chin. “My clan once lived around nine interlocking peaks shaped like a sleeping dragon. We called the place Nine Serpent Mountain, yet all I see are scattered mountains…”
“You have reincarnated too many times. It’s normal for your memory to fail you,” Jared answered. “Land can shift, and a powerful master might have hidden the range with a spell.”
While they spoke, a foul wind burst from the canopy below. Seven or eight blood-red jackals with wings erupted into the sky, venom dripping from their fangs as they marked the two men for prey.
“What a nuisance,” Jared muttered, eyes turning cold.
The Dragonslayer Sword thrummed at his side, and a golden arc of sword light tore across the air. The beasts split apart before they could even scream.
