A high-pitched dragon's roar echoed. The drifting fog suddenly condensed, and the Stone Slab vanished, transforming into a lifelike red dragon that soared through the sky, thrumming with excitement.
"Come..." The red-haired figure reached out. The red dragon shook itself and quickly coiled around him, but its lively eyes held a faint hint of confusion.
"I've implicated you, and you nearly perished." The red-haired figure stroked the dragon's head, then looked to the Bronze Ancient King. "Senior Brother, since you've brought people, let them have a go in the cauldron. It will count as fulfilling my original body's last wish."
The Ancient King nodded. "As it should be."
...
In a place quite far from there, on what appeared to be a barren plain, a rock lizard several meters long galloped across the ground. Its skin was a thick, yellowish-brown hide, yet its body was surprisingly agile, covering over ten meters in a single bound.
THUD!
