Ashan sat on a fallen log, the Heavenly Whip resting across his knees. His breathing had finally slowed, but his thoughts were still a storm.
He wasn't used to blood on his hands — even if none of it was his.
The Nightfang Wolf paced nearby, its crimson eyes scanning the treeline. Every so often, its ears would twitch toward the shadows, as if expecting the pale-skinned attackers to return.
The Stonehorn calf, meanwhile, had settled beside Ashan. Its golden eyes watched him intently, head tilted as though measuring him in some way.
Ashan shifted uncomfortably under its gaze. "Alright, out with it," he said to the wolf. "Why were those… whatever-they-were after a calf? No offense, but it's not exactly the fiercest beast I've seen."
The wolf stopped pacing. "Because that 'calf' is not truly a Stonehorn Beast. Not anymore."
Ashan raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it? Some kind of rare breed?"
The wolf stepped closer, lowering its voice. "A Divine Beast in disguise."
Ashan blinked. "A… what now?"
"The child of the Skybreaker Ox — a beast who once carried the armies of the gods across the heavens. Its kind can walk between realms, break mountains with their hooves, and command storms. That calf's bloodline could awaken into the same power… if it lives long enough."
Ashan looked at the calf again. It was chewing on a patch of moss, looking nothing like the mythical creature the wolf was describing.
"…You're telling me this drool factory is some kind of holy beast?"
The wolf's gaze didn't waver. "The ones who attacked us know its value. A single drop of its blood could strengthen their cultivation by decades. If they take it, the mortal realm will lose its only Skybreaker heir."
Ashan rubbed his face. "Great. So now I'm babysitting a god-ox while assassins want me dead. Wonderful. Absolutely perfect."
The wolf ignored his sarcasm. "More importantly… your whip." Its eyes locked on the Heavenly Whip in Ashan's lap. "You used it without training. That should have been impossible. The Heavenly Whip is a divine artifact — only cultivators recognized by the heavens can command it."
Ashan shrugged helplessly. "I don't know why it works for me. My grandfather gave it to me when I was a kid. Said it would 'keep the herd in line.' That's all I know."
The wolf tilted its head. "Your grandfather… what was his name?"
Ashan hesitated. "…Old Ren."
The wolf stared at him for a long moment, then huffed. "That name means nothing to me. But the whip chose you, Ashan. That means you are tied to the heavens whether you want it or not."
Ashan groaned. "I definitely don't want it."
The wolf's ears twitched again, this time toward the mountains. "Want it or not, the path has already opened. And the first step is leaving this valley. Staying here will get you — and the calf — killed."
Ashan's gaze drifted to the familiar slopes of the Forbidden Valley. He'd never left its borders. The thought of walking away from the only home he'd known felt… wrong.
But so did dying in a ditch because some pale-skinned sword freak wanted a calf's blood.
He looked at the wolf. "Alright. If I'm doing this, you're coming with me."
"Of course," the wolf said without hesitation. "The contract binds us. Your life is mine, and mine is yours."
Ashan turned to the calf. "And you, little storm cow, you'd better not be more trouble than you're worth."
The calf snorted — and for a split second, the air around it shimmered with faint, crackling light.
Ashan blinked. "Was that… lightning?"
The wolf's voice was quiet, almost reverent. "Its bloodline stirs. We don't have much time."
Before Ashan could ask what that meant, the ground trembled. Not the soft shake of distant footsteps — this was deeper, heavier, like the earth itself was groaning.
From beyond the ridge, a shadow rose against the horizon. Massive. Winged. Its screech split the clouds like tearing silk.
The calf pressed against Ashan's side, trembling.
The wolf's fur bristled. "They've sent a Sky Vulture. We must move. Now."
Ashan gripped the whip tighter.
He had no idea where they were going, but one thing was certain — his life as a simple shepherd was gone forever.