The flashback continued over the border sea between Logun Continent and Yin Continent. Demigod Haiyun’s flying beast had crossed several days of open water when he sensed a weak but familiar aura ahead. A figure clung to the back of a giant Black Eagle, barely conscious and covered in dried blood. Haiyun narrowed his eyes. “Nirajh.” The Black Eagle wavered in the air. Its rider had escaped through the Dark Veil portal, but his injuries had worsened during the journey. Haiyun guided his mount closer. Nirajh tried to sit upright, failed, and nearly slipped from the eagle’s back. “Demigod Haiyun,” he said hoarsely. Haiyun’s gaze moved first to the glove artifact on Nirajh’s hand. Ancient Asura pressure remained within it, faint but unmistakable. For one moment, Haiyun considered taking it immed

By the third day, the Pine Forest no longer resembled the quiet land where Guo Jiang had first fallen from the portal. Burned trunks stood like black pillars among broken ground. Smoke drifted through the empty territory, and every magical beast had fled long before. Wide pits marked the places where Haiyun’s palm force had struck, while sword scars crossed the surviving rocks and trees. Guo Jiang stood among the ruins with ash covering his damaged clothing. His breathing had become heavier, and much of his energy was gone. Haiyun remained far more stable. An ordinary Kaishi cultivator would likely have died during the first or second day. Guo Jiang had survived because his high Evasion, wind Chakra, Spirit Sage magic, Demon Dancer Sword, and tactical retreats allowed him to avoid taking every strike directly. Survival was not victory. Haiyun finally cr

The Phoenix continued gaining on Ryu. For two days and two nights, the Water Dragon had crossed the southern region without proper rest. His wingbeats remained powerful, but the rhythm had begun to slow. Guo Jiang could feel the strain moving through the long muscles beneath his scales. Guo Jiang was in no better condition. The three-day battle inside Pine Forest had consumed much of his qi and magical energy. The time-slowing amulet and the illusion used during his escape had drained him further, leaving only a portion of his strength available for another confrontation. Behind them, the Phoenix flew through the clouds like a moving flame. Its speed remained steady, and the distance between the two spiritual beasts continued shrinking. “Little creature,” Ryu said through their mental connection, “that burning bird will catch us.” “I know.”

Guo Jiang’s lips finished the final line of the childhood song, and the last trace of strength left his body. He no longer felt the wind, the burning pain in his chest, or the empty distance beneath him.His unconscious form continued falling toward the ancient wilderness.Far below, the song entered the forest before he did. The words carried no visible force, yet dormant symbols beneath roots, stones, and old moss began awakening one after another. Pale lines spread across the ground like veins of moonlight, joining into a formation that had remained silent for nearly one thousand years.The response did not come from Guo Jiang’s cultivation. His Kaishi qi was unstable, and his Spirit Sage magic had nearly collapsed. The formation answered the family password hidden inside the song taught by Lin Hui Ying.A ring of mist formed beneath him. Old runes appeared briefly among the trees, then a dark spatial door opened in the air above the forest floor.At the same moment, Guo Jiang’s fi

Guo Jiang awakened after several days of fever and broken dreams. His body felt heavy, and the inside of his chest burned whenever he breathed. A thick herbal scent filled the wooden hut. A white-haired woman sat beside the bed. She held a wooden bowl containing a dark medicine whose surface released pale steam. “Drink slowly,” she said. Guo Jiang accepted the bowl with unsteady hands. The medicine was bitter, but warmth spread through his throat and settled inside his abdomen. “Where am I?” “The Forbidden Forest,” the woman replied. “A hidden realm sealed from the outer world.” Memory returned in fragments. Haiyun’s golden arrow, the collapse of his defense, Ryu’s roar, and the ancient forest below him. Guo Jiang tried to circulate qi. T