Chapter 16: Peak of the Tyrannosaurus (Part II)

The database core that Jing'er spoke of was nothing more than a purple-gold box the size of a human head. The material used to craft its casing was unknown, but when Kuang Chi and the other five finally unearthed it from beneath a shattered warship deck after over ten days of searching, its surface remained completely spotless, without a single scratch or mark.

As one of the five men from Tyrannosaurus Peak carried it out from under the deck, he asked while walking, "Little brother, what is this thing? It’s so heavy."

Judging by the way he was struggling to carry it, the box was certainly not light; otherwise, given the formidable physique of the men from Tyrannosaurus Peak, they would never have shown such signs of exertion.

Once the purple-gold box was placed on the ground in front of him, Kuang Chi examined it carefully for a long time, verifying the features Jing'er had described. Because there was only one genuine database core among the six hidden on the warship—five of which were decoys—the appearance and material of all six boxes were identical. The only difference was a long serial number engraved on the surface. Kuang Chi and his group had already unearthed three other purple-gold boxes of the same material prior to this.

After a meticulous check, a smile finally broke across Kuang Chi’s face. He turned to the leader of the five men and said, "Alright, Ah San, this is the one."

The man Kuang Chi called Ah San gestured to those behind him, and one immediately stepped forward to hoist the box onto his shoulder.

Ah San then smiled and said, "Master Kuang Chi, little brother, can we return to Tyrannosaurus Peak now?"

For days, the five men had been constantly urging Kuang Chi to head toward Tyrannosaurus Peak. Kuang Chi could certainly understand their impatience, but he had been too worried about the database core Jing'er had sent him to find. Determined to wait until he had secured it before departing, the six of them had spent over ten days acting like scavengers in the ruins.

Kuang Chi followed the five men for another half-month. The terrain became increasingly steep, with the path heading almost entirely upward. Furthermore, the gale-force winds on the surface grew more violent, nearly blowing Kuang Chi into the sky several times when he failed to react in time.

Finally, they arrived before a mountain peak that rose straight up, piercing the clouds.

The mountain was like a giant brush thrusting toward the heavens, its slopes nearly ninety degrees. When Kuang Chi searched for a long time without finding a path up the mountain, he frowned and asked, "Ah San, didn't you say this was Tyrannosaurus Peak? How are we supposed to get up?"

Ah San smiled and pulled a black horn from his chest, about the size of a palm—though, given the size of their hands, it was quite substantial. It appeared to be crafted from the horn of some creature.

As Ah San prepared to blow into the horn, he seemed to have a sudden thought and warned Kuang Chi, "Little brother, the sound is quite loud. You’d better use your internal energy to protect your ears."

Seeing the solemn expressions on everyone’s faces, Kuang Chi knew the sound must be terrifying. After Kuang Chi nodded, Ah San placed the horn to his lips.

Kuang Chi had expected a thunderous, muffled sound as described in legends, but the note that erupted from the horn was piercingly sharp, as if it were stabbing directly into his eardrums and his very soul.

The moment the horn sounded, Kuang Chi felt his mental space tremble, nearly causing him to lose control of his spirit. He felt a lingering sense of terror afterward.

The five men also seemed to struggle under the sound; two of them, whose cultivation levels were lower, simply sat cross-legged to resist the pressure with their energy.

After blowing for a long while, Ah San finally stopped. He collapsed onto the ice, gasping for breath and circulating his energy to recover. It was clear that the effort had taken a significant toll on him.

Not long after, Ah San recovered and stood up. Seeing this, Kuang Chi immediately pointed to the horn in his hand and asked, "Can I take a look at that?"

Ah San did not hesitate and handed it over. Kuang Chi examined it closely but found nothing extraordinary; it looked like an ordinary tip of a monster's horn, with nothing special about its craftsmanship.

Unable to discern its secrets, Kuang Chi asked, "Ah San, what is this? The power of the sound it emits is immense; I nearly had my mental space injured by it."

Ah San laughed and replied, "I told you to be careful. This is made from the throat bone of a very special monster on Forgotten Star. These monsters are adept at mental attacks, and we use their cubs on Tyrannosaurus Peak to train our mental strength."

Kuang Chi was pleasantly surprised. "Really? This thing is powerful. If three or five of these were sounded together, even level five or six experts would likely be unable to get close. And it’s an area-of-effect attack, too."

Ah San shook his head. "The 'Howl of the Azure Dragon' is not easily made. It requires not only a high-quality throat bone but also rare materials and specific techniques. Many of the components are harder to find than the horn itself. In thousands of years, Tyrannosaurus Peak has only managed to craft seven."

Ah San looked around before adding, "This one is the weakest of the seven, used by disciples on external missions. The other six are far more powerful, but my cultivation is too low to bring out their full effect. It is said that when our Peak Master sounds the one in his possession, even the top-tier monsters of this planet will flee in terror."

Kuang Chi was deeply intrigued by this "Howl of the Azure Dragon." It was a weapon of mass destruction—a perfect tool for killing and looting, especially against those who neglected mental training.

Ah San seemed to sense Kuang Chi's thoughts. Before Kuang Chi could react, he snatched the horn back and tucked it carefully away.

Just as Kuang Chi was about to speak, a deafening howl echoed through the air. A three-headed, eight-legged beast, snow-white and nearly a hundred meters long, slowly descended from the sky.

The sensation was like a mountain pressing down from above. Seeing this, Kuang Chi was stunned for a long time; he finally understood why there was such a flat plain in front of Tyrannosaurus Peak.

The beast landed on the ground without stirring a speck of dust, as if a ball of cotton had touched the earth. Three figures, as robust as the five men, leaped from the long fur on the beast's neck.

They appeared before the group, and upon seeing Kuang Chi, one of them let out a soft exclamation. "Is this the exile you found this time?"

It seemed these three held higher status on Tyrannosaurus Peak. After the five men bowed respectfully, they replied, "Seventh Uncle, he is indeed the exile we found."

The man looked at Kuang Chi and said, "Take him to Ancestor Peak later. Little San, you didn't do as well as Little Five this time; he brought back thirteen exiles. You need to work harder."

Kuang Chi was taken aback and interjected, "Thirteen exiles? How is that possible? People in Homesick City say that hundreds of people have gone missing on Forgotten Star without any exiles appearing."

The newcomers didn't know Kuang Chi’s background and might not have answered, but Ah San replied, "In truth, exiles land on Forgotten Star quite often. But for hundreds of years, our Tyrannosaurus Peak, the Demon Valley, and the Azure Smoke Pavilion have kept patrol teams out constantly. As soon as an exile is found, they are brought here. The cities underground are naturally ignorant of this."

The man became impatient. "Little San, why are you being so long-winded? Little Five brought back thirteen this time. If you’re a man, hand him over to Ancestor Peak and get back out there immediately. Little Five says there have been many spacecraft appearing on the planet lately; there should be plenty more exiles."

Ah San hurriedly said, "Seventh Uncle, he is not an ordinary exile."

Everyone looked at Kuang Chi. After a pause, Ah San added, "His surname is Kuang, and he comes from the Kuang Battle Star of the Carlo Empire."

The three men gasped. The one called Seventh Uncle grabbed Kuang Chi and held him up to his face, examining him carefully before asking solemnly, "Boy, are you really from the Kuang Battle Star?"

Kuang Chi understood their intense reaction and didn't mind being held like a chick, but being called "boy" annoyed him. As the young master of the Kuang family, he felt this was a breach of protocol.

Kuang Chi frowned and said, "I am indeed a member of the Kuang family. Put me down; this is improper."

The man immediately realized his mistake and carefully set Kuang Chi on the ground. "I was too excited. Please forgive my rudeness."

Kuang Chi nodded and smiled. "It's fine. The fact that you still miss the family after all this time and have achieved so much here on Forgotten Star—I should be thanking you on behalf of the Kuang family."

After some polite exchanges, the man called Seventh Uncle asked, "May I ask how we can be certain you are truly one of our own?"

He was much more cautious and mature than the impulsive Ah San, refusing to take things at face value.

Kuang Chi cooperated and summoned the War Dragon once more.

The man stared, stunned, before letting out a cry of realization. He turned toward the giant beast and shouted, "Blue Venerable! He truly is a direct descendant of the Kuang family! Please inform the Peak Master—we have finally found a member of the Kuang clan!"