Utmost silence reigned as the sovereign in the dark halls and corridors of the underground mansion. In the main hall, two figures sat cross-legged, their eyes closed, their breathing regular. More accurately, the first of the two, a black haired, middle-aged man was sitting.

A few meters away from him was a majestic dragon. The beast measured more than thirty feet in length, its whole body covered in beautiful, golden scales, a red mane running down its spine, a goatee of the same crimson color grew beneath the dragon’s fierce looking jaws.

Five clawed limbs protruded from below the monster’s body, the tip of the long nails razor-sharp, almost like five edged blades, each capable of easily slashing a person in half. The closed eyelids twitched constantly. The dragon’s whole body was squirming, jerking, as if he was having nightmares or enduring some kind of pain.

The middle-aged man opened his eyes when the dragon’s jerking reached a certain level. With an impassible expression depicted on his evil looking face, he waved the long sleeves of the black robes: with that, dark fumes entered the beast’s opened mouth.

When that happened, the golden dragon suddenly stopped moving altogether and its breathing grew regular once again.

The black robed man looked at this and sighed. He stood up and brushed off his clothes, despite not being any speck of dust or imperfection on the cloth. With an exaggerated motion, he stretched and sighed.

As he did so, his mouth twitched as his pupils momentarily turned into two vertical slits. As that happened, space cracked, the surroundings bent as the fabrics of reality twisted and began to slowly rip apart…

He shook his head and his eyes went back to normal. This time, his expression couldn’t help but grow sour: neither him nor Blindlight could go on, suppressing their power like this. The burden he was facing at the moment was that of binding his cultivation down to a level where it would not collapse this whole plane of existence.

He was keeping his might power trapped inside his sea of consciousness, not allowing a single wisp of it to leak out. If he let that happen, it would be like dropping a mountain on top of an ant.

Soon, he would be unable to do that any longer. It was becoming so painful to keep the overflowing energy inside that lately he would slip more often than he had anticipated, the pain of his body interfering with his concentration.

If his power was the mountain, the world an ant, he would be the entity holding the ropes and chains keeping that same mountain from falling down. Ropes would unravel, chains would crack, but he would still have to tighten his grip, even if his hands bled!

He turned to look at the golden dragon, Blindlight, and his eyes filled with pity. After all, the pain the thirty-foot long golden snake was withstanding was far higher than his own.

As he had already achieved the required amount of spiritual energy and enlightenment required, he could not let that slip out. However, he also could not let any more come in, otherwise it would overflow and everything would be lost!

Thus, he had to create two barriers. One to block what was inside from coming out and one that did the exact opposite, preventing any more energy from entering his already fully charged body. These barriers… were figments of his imagination! They were supported by his determination, by his willpower.

And, up until that moment, for three whole months, Blindlight had endured, egregiously not slipping out even once!

And for what? We could even get out of this plane of existence now, and yet you choose not to! This, because you believe he will come! You are withstanding such punishment, enduring so much pain, for a single person!

I respect you greatly Blindlight. This Is also the reason I am aiding you by at least letting your short breaks, when your cultivation stabilizes and you are able to rest, to be free from nightmares.

Blacky smiled bitterly as he looked at the tired golden dragon:

However, is it worthy? And, more importantly, for how long will you be able to keep this up?

…

Six months!

Blacky was gaping as he looked at the now twenty foot long dragon. Blindlight had actually resisted for three more months! The black robed man could not believe his eyes! Despite the great decrease in size due to the enormous exhaustion, the golden dragon still gritted his teeth, not letting a single sound escape his lips.

For three whole months, he had endured pain that would have made most grown men scream for days and nights. Blacky was gaping in utter disbelief as he looked at his companion with newfound respect.

He stared at the golden scales covered in beads of sweat and felt shivers run down his back. Without making any other sound, he sat down cross-legged. He also felt a great amount of pain, but how could he show that in front of Blindlight?

He sat and waited, gazing silently as he remembered the words he had thought so many days prior: ‘for how long will you be able to keep this up?’.

For a split second, he felt his blood boiling as another feeling swelled up in his chest: Blindlight would keep it up. He would resist even though his body wouldn’t let him! Through his sheer willpower, he will go through these last six months without giving up!

The thought of that alone was purely irrational given the circumstances; after all, how could Blindlight resist any longer than his limits would allow him? Nonetheless, it made him smile. And it was with a large grin on his grim face that the black robed man nodded resolutely, gritting his teeth himself and enduring the pain as well.

Let’s go, Blindlight! I choose to follow you in your bet, whether we win or lose will be up to Cheng Hao and Cheng Hao alone!

…

Seven Months. Gritting his teeth, Blacky endured as he felt his whole body burning like fire. The surroundings darkened as an enormous amount of energy seemed to be on the verge of breaking out. With a loud roar on the black robed man’s part, the rising aura fell back down. Without doing as much as open his eyes, the Hellish Nightmare Dragon returned to his meditative state

Eight Months. Hissing sharply, Goldy squirmed for a good ten breaths before finally calming down. The large beads of golden sweat covering his whole body had increased in both volume and quantity as Blindlight felt himself reaching the limits of his body.

Nine Months. ROAR! Blacky’s figure turned for a single instant into that of a mighty dragon, tens of meters long, before immediately going back into his human form. After the process, the Hellish Nightmare Dragon was panting loudly. Despite that, his face had regained some of its lost color and his whole body seemed to have relaxed. Staring at the large spatial crack a few inches from his nose, Blacky felt cold sweat dripping down his back. Never, ever, ever doing that again, he thought.

Ten Months. Despite Blacky looking a lot better due to releasing some of the pent up pressure a month ago, he still looked quite weathered an tired. Not to mention Blindlight, whose body had shrunk to a pitiful five feet in length, emanating none of the previously present pride as a golden king of the skies. More than a heavenly Beast, he resembled a Heavenly Doormat.

Eleven Months! The situation had reached a point where they could no longer go on. Goldy had no more strength in his body to continue enduring the strain to his mind. He had already turned into a single foot long snake, he had no strength to continue! However, he gritted his teeth. He would not give up! Never! He would wait, he would not lose a friend he had already lost in the past! He would wait, even if that would turn out being the very last thing he did!

A single week left! With a large howl, Goldy screamed to the skies, this loud yell echoing for a whole hour before stopping. With red eyes, Blindlight looked up in defiance: fate would prevent him from achieving his goal: What was fate? Was it food? If not, then don’t hinder my path!

Six days left! If Goldy was determined, Blacky was even more willing to keep going! After all, how would he face his face around if a puny Mortal, although a relived Primordial Beast, could endure twice the amount of pain as him while he gave up? Go to hell, I have endured greater pain in the past, I shall not be stopped here and now!

Five days left! Uh? He should just breakthrough and end it there? Surely, he could, but would he? No! He had endured for months, how could he possibly let go of that massive spark of hope now, now that it was about time for that seed to bloom into the long awaited flower?

Four days left! Crazy? Maybe. Idiotic? Probably. Willing to give up? Not even in his dreams! Red eyes so filled with veins they had turned a bright crimson, so many veins squirming beneath the skin they looked like countless snakes, the two beasts gritted their teeth and howled! They would not be defeated by neither time nor reason! They would strive!

Three days left! Ahahah, what was sanity? Was this sanity? If so, I have already lost it. Might as well forget about it and just strive! Pain? What pain? I don’t feel anything anymore, so what was pain like?

Two days left! For a whole day, twenty-four hours, Blindlight and the Hellish Nightmare Dragon howled with rage and burning passion! With imposing yells, they announced their intention to the skies: they would not fall!

The final day.

With a shout so loud that it woke up everyone from their deep state of cultivation… Goldy and Blacky opened their eyes and gazed upon the dawn of the final day. Despite being underground, they could still see it. Had they perhaps grown mad? Maybe.

However, there might have been another explanation.

And that was that the dawn… was none other than the world rewarding their effort with the most beautiful sight it could give the two completely spent beasts.

Finally, it had come. The last day. That day was the day when the two of them would find out whether their effort had, indeed, amounted to something.

With burning eyes, their bodies still trembling from the pain, the two of them looked up, awaiting for that one figure to appear before them: his confident, bright smile would wash away the fatigue as the pair of golden eyes would scan their tired bodies with pride and acknowledgement.

With an exhausted spirit and yet an ever awake mind, the Heaven Devouring Dragon Blindlight and the Hellish Nightmare Dragon Blacky awaited for Cheng Hao, without even taking into consideration that the reborn child would not come...