Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Heilong-yuan(Black Dragon Wall)
Heilong Bay (Black Dragon Bay)
Heilong Ridge (Black Dragon Ridge)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
Qinglong (Azure Dragron)
...
Today was the first day of the Labor Day holiday. Black Dragon Tower bustled with demon visitors, and even the revolving restaurant on the top floor was packed to capacity.
Not only that, all the shopping districts in the city were swarming with locals. From above, Black Dragon City looked like a peak-season tourist destination—just a sea of heads.
Despite this, many demons couldn't get a spot at the restaurant or even make it past the front gate of the hot spring resort.
Visiting foreign merchants were left shaken.
"These Black Dragon City demons spend money like crazy! It's a shame we can't open shops here."
"No kidding. They get paid daily for their work. Of course, they have money to burn."
Local demons with cash in hand: We finally get a long vacation, but everywhere's packed—we can't even find a place to relax!
Even the public movie showing at the Censorate's central plaza offered only a view of countless bobbing heads.
The reason for the explosion in population was clear. Aside from the workers from Black Dragon Mouth, laborers from three other cities had come to work in Black Dragon City.
They, too, were eligible for the Labor Day break. Some had just started working two or three days ago and were already on vacation. With nowhere else to go, they flocked to the plaza for free movies or soaked in the hot springs.
To ease the tourist pressure, the Censorate finally issued a new order: Black Dragon Amusement Park would officially open on Labor Day!
Locals who had heard of the place remembered that it was located at Black Dragon Mouth.
Before they could even get to the station, two tour buses had already arrived, calling out loudly:
"Tour bus direct to Black Dragon Amusement Park! Tickets just ten pearls!"
These were express tour buses, and the local demons swarmed aboard.
Foreign merchants wanted to join in on the fun too.
"Can we board this one?"
The demon ticket vendor shook his head.
"You'll need to catch the next bus."
The next bus was right behind them, but wouldn't leave for another hour.
The merchants quickly rushed to grab seats in the back.
The first bus filled with local demons, while the second had mostly locals too, with just a few curious merchants tagging along.
Those who didn't get on thought the amusement park would be no more than a glorified food festival—after all, they'd already tried a few attractions. Little did they know, that by the time they wanted to go back, the ticket prices had already gone up.
...
Meanwhile, the shadow guards could barely stand just looking at the Black Dragon Coaster—their knees had turned to jelly.
They were already pretty brave by human standards, but this roller coaster soared into the skies and plunged underground. The sheer height made it impossible for a human to survive.
Just yesterday, the coaster hadn't even included the underground portion. But when the Xuanwu Demon Lord got off the ride unfazed, it dealt a blow to the designers' pride.
They didn't know his true identity. All they saw was some foreign merchant who didn't even flinch—clearly, the ride wasn't intense enough.
What they didn't see was the Turtle Elder beside him, who was so terrified that he reverted to his turtle form and fell right off the ride.
Motivated by the "lack of fear factor," the designers invited the shadow demons who were building the school at Black Dragon Mouth to help dig underground tracks overnight. Now, the Black Dragon Coaster truly went from sky to earth.
Long Er was shaking and even his voice trembled.
"W-We'll just watch you play. Big brothers don't need to ride."
Lian Ze, with a face of pure innocence, delivered a line like a dagger:
"Are you scared? I'm only six, and I can ride."
Yan Ye gave a cold snort on the side, clearly saying, You grown-ups are more useless than two kids.
Long Er couldn't take the taunt. He shoved Long San forward.
Long San took a hit for no reason and, before he could dodge, Lian Ze took his soft little hand and led him away.
Lian Ze beamed. "I knew Brother was the best!"
Yan Ye huffed again—annoyed that Lian Ze never called him brother in front of others.
Long San swallowed hard. "Alright… Brother will ride with you."
If I survive this, I'm killing Long Er first.
Long San didn't even know how he got into the seat. The ride attendants, noticing he was human, tied him down with several extra layers of straps.
A bit much, really.
It made him feel like a hostage.
The roller coaster began to move.
The ride started by going underground. Honestly, it wasn't that bad—just a little fast, and the total darkness was unsettling for the claustrophobic.
Long San was starting to relax. Pfft, this isn't so bad. Long Er's just a wimp.
Then came a burst of light up ahead—the coaster shot out of the tunnel and launched straight into the sky.
Now it got real.
The thousand-meter track pierced into the clouds. Long San felt like his scalp was about to fly off.
Just then, a faint black glow passed over him. Suddenly, he felt okay again.
Back at his workshop, Lou Zhao paused in his experiment, closed his eyes, sensed the demonic aura he'd given away was still intact and went back to work.
The roller coaster shot upward for two whole kilometers. To Long Da and the others watching from below, the cars became mere specks—completely indistinguishable.
Long Da kicked Long Er squarely in the rear.
"Nice going. When Long San gets back, you're dead."
Long Er's face twisted in despair. Why did he have to be so popular with demon women and demon kids?
Just as Long San thought the sky ride was over, the coaster leveled off and seemed to return to ground-level speed.
He opened his eyes—only to see a downward slope ahead.
A slope… with no track.
"AH—THE TRACK'S GONE!"
Beside him, Lian Ze and Yan Ye were grinning from ear to ear, clearly thrilled. Not even a flicker of fear.
A sharp contrast to Long San, who looked like he'd seen his ancestors.
The coaster jolted—on purpose, to scare the passengers.
Long San clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tight.
He felt the moment the coaster dropped from the broken track. His heart seized. He was convinced he was going to be splattered into a bloody mess.
Back on the ground, the other shadow guards' faces had changed as well.
From their angle, they couldn't see the hidden track beneath the drop—it looked like the coaster just flew off the rails.
They ran toward the ride in panic, but the park was too massive.
Before they could even get close, the coaster shot out from underground again and blasted back into the sky.
Long San realized he was still alive, and opened his eyes again—only for the coaster to launch upward once more, and he quickly shut them.
Who the hell invented this ride?! Do demons all like this kind of death-wish thrill?!
He suddenly felt even more pity for the Princess. She must have suffered so much in the demon realm.
His thoughts ran wild. After what felt like an eternity, the coaster finally began to slow.
It came to a complete stop.
Long Er ran up first, ready to throw himself at Long San's mercy.
"Third Bro, I was wrong. Hit me, yell at me—whatever you want!"
Long San had just come back from the brink of death. He didn't even want to look at him.
Lian Ze clapped happily. "That was fun! I want to go again!"
Long Er was horrified.
Long San turned back.
"If you want my forgiveness, it's simple—go ride it yourself."
Long Er swallowed.
"Third Bro… you serious?"
Long San nodded. "If you want forgiveness, experience what I did."
Taste the life-or-death horror I went through yourself.
Long Er took one step, then looked back. Then another, then turned again—hoping Long San would call him back.
He didn't.
Long San didn't even look at him.
Resigned to his fate, Long Er boarded the coaster.
Lian Ze sat beside him again.
"Brother, are you scared?"
Long Er puffed up. "M-Me? Scared? As if!"
"Good! It's so fun! Brother, you should ride it many more times!"
Long Er silently told himself—Just this once. I ride this once, and I'll be forgiven.