The thin mist at the mouth of the cave rolled slowly. Qin Zilong’s footsteps echoed calmly, one by one, breaking the silence that had previously been filled only by Tianyi’s heavy breathing.Tok. Tok. Tok.His black robes fluttered lightly, buffeted by the cold wind from the depths of the cave. His face was flat, without a trace of anger or panic. Yet, it was precisely this absolute stillness that made the air feel increasingly frozen.Luo Feng and Hu San exchanged glances for a moment. They did not recognize the young man."Who are you?" Luo Feng hissed, his eyes narrowing sharply.No answer came. Zilong’s gaze instead shifted entirely to Tianyi, who was still lying on the stone floor. The Holy Lion cub’s small body trembled violently. The glowing red symbol on its nape pulsed wildly, forcing the Qi flow inside the creature's body into disarray.Only after verifying that Tianyi’s pulse was still stable did Zilong look back at the two men in front of him."Your question is wrong," he

The mist inside the cave seemed to freeze.The tip of the rusted black sword stopped right in front of Luo Feng’s throat. The dull blade looked ordinary enough, but the chilling aura radiating from it made Luo Feng’s breath catch in his throat. A single drop of blood trickled slowly from his neck, falling to the stone floor with a soft sound.Drop.Hu San was still hunched near the cave wall. His wrist bone was broken, his chest aching heavily from Zilong’s single decisive blow. The massive man tried to get up, but the moment his gaze locked with the black-robed youth’s eyes, his entire body froze once again.For the first time in his life, he felt like he was truly standing before someone who could take his life in the blink of an eye.On the other side of the cave, Tianyi still lay weakly. His breathing was rapid. The red symbol on his nape pulsed faintly, emitting a blinding light that occasionally darkened into pitch black. His golden eyes flickered weakly, but every time his cons

The mist at the cave mouth abruptly stopped swirling.No wind whispered. No birds sang. The entire Black Mist Forest seemed to hold its breath in unison.Qin Zilong stood without altering his posture by even a fraction. The rusted black sword remained firmly gripped in his right hand, the tip of its blade pointing straight down at the ground. Behind him, Tianyi lay with ragged breathing, while Luo Feng and Hu San slumped in terror, turning as pale as the living dead.Then... Tok.A single footstep echoed from behind the veil of the outer cave mist. Slow. Calm. Yet, every tap of that heel felt like a hammer blow striking squarely against the chest cavity of everyone inside the room. Tok.The white mist slowly parted in two. Someone stepped out from within.A long black robe covered his entire body. His face was concealed behind a plain, expressionless white mask, leaving only a pair of cold, gray eyes peering sharply through a narrow slit. In his right hand, he gripped a black staff th

Red fog faded among the branches. The Black Mist Forest returned to silence.Tap.The black sword slipped from his trembling fingers, piercing into the rocky ground. Its blade grew dull once more, covered in a thick layer of rust. Zilong threw his weight onto his right knee, resisting the wave of heat that burned a path along his meridians from his palm to his shoulder.A drop of blood fell from the tip of his index finger."Too greedy," his breathing was ragged. "If that fight had continued for even a moment longer, this body would have shattered first."His eyes shifted to the ground. The Holy Winged Lion cub lay amidst a pile of dry leaves, its golden-white fur heavily stained with black blood. The red symbol on the back of its neck pulsed weakly, radiating a burning glow ready to scorch its flesh at any moment.Tianyi twitched, letting out a stifled groan swallowed by the gnashing of its own teeth. Its small body arched violently every time that red line pulsed.Zilong rose silent

Purple mist hung low over the surface of the spirit spring. A white-and-gold shadow darted between the massive stones.“Raaa!”Tianyi leapt too high, flapping his small wings with all his might.Qin Zilong stood at the edge of the spring, arms crossed behind his black robes. His gaze fixed steadily on the Sacred Winged Lion that was thrashing about wildly. Tianyi jumped from one rock to another, beating a pair of golden wings still far too young to support the weight of his body.Thud!The little creature tumbled into the grass. He shook his head several times before scrambling back up without hesitation. The corner of Zilong’s mouth lifted slightly.“Still just like a child.”Tianyi took a greater distance. He set his stance, flapped his wings harder, and leapt into the air.Whoosh!His body truly lifted off the ground, only to lose balance a fraction of a second later.SplashHe crashed straight into the middle of the spirit spring, sending water flying in every direction. Zilong le