Dawn broke, casting its light upon the vast expanse of land, and the war drums sounded...
The True Dragon soared across the sky, rising spirally upwards.
The Flame Bird spread its wings, and the morning glow burned like fiery clouds.
Huge mountains stood up, transforming into giants that eclipsed the sun, each step leaving deep, indented footprints.
The giant serpent coiled around the black Mysterious Turtle, its eyes open for day, closed for night. A white tiger with a snow-white coat let out ear-shattering roars as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.
Two-headed dogs, nine-headed giant serpents, lions with three tails...
When chaos erupted, the setting sun boiled unrestrainedly, clouds transformed myriadly, becoming countless tentacles obscuring the sky and plunging into darkness.
Little Taotie stood in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by roaring and bellowing that deafened, and blood splattered all around. Suddenly, a drop of blood splashed onto her face, like a spark falling into a sizzling pan of oil, igniting the bloodthirsty violence hidden in her bloodline.
A huge phantom appeared behind the small figure, overshadowing the sky. It opened its gaping maw, devouring everything.
In an instant, silence surrounded her, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The space before her eyes was empty.
It was as if everything she had just witnessed was merely a fleeting illusion.
Little Taotie turned in bewilderment, looking at the giant Fierce Beast phantom that seemed to be chewing on something, making a swallowing gesture, its face satiated.
"You... ate them?" Her voice sounded strange, reminiscent of the hoarse voice of the small girl from the dream who was undergoing transformation.
Little Taotie looked down at her clothes, dressed in a flowing, colorful dress.
With a satisfied belch, she turned back to the giant Fierce Beast phantom, which seemed to have grown bigger.
In the distance, the sound of war drums arose again, but no battlefield was in sight. Little Taotie started to run towards the direction of the drums, but the giant phantom, seemingly full after its meal, didn’t wish to move. Despite running for what seemed like an eternity, Little Taotie realized she was still in the same spot.
"I want to go where the horns are sounding!" she screamed angrily in her hoarse voice.
The giant Fierce Beast phantom also let out a roar, a roar that changed the very complexion of the sky, fracturing the vision before her into endless darkness.
Upon opening her eyes again, Little Taotie thought she had emerged from the dream, but it wasn’t so. She was still wearing the flowing, colorful dress, now stained with blood that had turned black, seemingly a long time ago.
A gentle large hand softly stroked her hair. She lifted her head to see its owner, garbed in bloodstained armor, with a heavy helmet obscuring his face. His eyes were not visible, but she could see the depths of wisdom in them, as if they could pierce through sun, moon, mountains, rivers, and the endless eons of time.
"This is no longer a war you can partake in, the Demon King has summoned the Five Great Ancient Beasts with a Formation, including a true Taotie amongst them."
"Is it my father?" Little Taotie tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion.
The War God shook his head, "Born of Chaos, devouring Chaos, perishing in cosmic catastrophe. Your father is but a part divided from its body."
"Stronger than my father?"
"Yes, much stronger."
"I... don’t want to leave."
The War God gently caressed her little face, wiping the bloodstain from her cheek, "In this battle, the collateral damage is immense. Those with low Cultivation will be reduced to dust in an instant, utterly defenceless. Staying here would be tantamount to courting death."
"And what about you? Can you fight them? Can you win against the Five Great Ancient Beasts and the Demon King?"
"If you don’t even know if you can win, aren’t you also courting death?"
"But I cannot retreat."
"Why can’t you retreat? If you can’t win, isn’t it natural to flee?"
The War God chuckled softly, his voice warm, "If I retreat, I die; if I don’t, there’s still a chance to live."