Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

At this moment, a small figure wandering in the mountains caused quite a disturbance.

The commotion not only attracted magical beasts but also an elderly man who was not far away.

This was an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a gray robe. A gentle breeze made his robe flutter, giving him an ethereal and otherworldly aura. His face lacked the wrinkles typical of old age; instead, it resembled a piece of warm jade emitting a soft glow. His deep eyes were like two profound pools.

"Why are the magical beasts in the depths of the mountain suddenly rioting? Is it because of some celestial meteorite or a rare heavenly treasure emerging?" The old man frowned, his deep gaze seemingly penetrating the mountain's core, where a few beast sovereigns resided.

"No matter the reason, I must investigate. If the beasts' riot isn't controlled, it could impact the academy."

With a low murmur, the old man stepped into the void. Ripples spread with each step and, in the blink of an eye, his figure gradually faded and disappeared as if he had never been there.

In a distant forest, a little girl dressed in purple with twin ponytails appeared out of thin air.

Genuinely out of thin air!

Her white clothes were dirty, and her ponytails were messy. Taking a large bite of a green fruit in her hand, she muttered, "Stingy 'Big Dumb Dog'! It's just a few Green Spirit Fruits. I said I'd borrow them and return them later. He keeps chasing me. Just wait till I advance, I'll pull all your teeth out!"

Muttering and cursing, the little girl took a couple more bites, swallowing the glowing green fruit.

After eating, she patted her small belly and frowned, "Still feels like it's not enough. What should I do?" After pondering for a moment, she hesitantly mumbled to herself, "Should I 'borrow' a few more from the Big Dumb Dog?"

"Hmm?" Just as she made her decision, prepared to make another 'borrowing' trip, she suddenly wrinkled her delicate nose and her eyes shone as she looked far into the distance, "What is this...?"

"Great! If I eat this, I might grow up!"

Her face flushed with excitement. She had always had a special intuition that had led her to find many treasures. This current feeling was unprecedentedly strong.

Even though she sensed several terrifying auras in that direction, the lure of growing up pushed her to take the risk.

However, she felt confident since her innate spatial talent had allowed her to escape death multiple times.

Prioritizing safety, she decided to take a look anyway!

"Stop chasing me! I'm not good to eat!" Jiang Yun, with small feet and short legs, frantically jumped and dodged through the forest.

Behind him, a massive thick-skinned 'Second Brother Pig' chased him with red eyes, huffing and puffing.

Never did he imagine his first opponent in life would be a 'Second Brother Pig', and even worse, he had no means to fight back.

In the Evil Spirit Clan, the Holy Sky Demon Emperor commanded that, to keep their plans hidden, Jiang Yun was forbidden from cultivating. Meanwhile, his peers had already been guided to sense the energy of heaven and earth; some might have even reached the Sensing or Spiritual Movement realms.

Unlike them, he was still a weak child with no cultivation. If not for the many spirit fruits he had consumed over the years, bolstering his physical form, he might have already been devoured by this pig.

During his escape, Jiang Yun repeatedly placed his hand on the small tower on his chest. Considering his intelligence, it was clear the tower spirit knew his situation. The tower spirit, once capable of matching heavenly supremes and fighting alongside Jiang Hong his entire life, was supreme in both power and wisdom.

Determined, he decided to start cultivating diligently from now on, accumulating resources bit by bit, waiting for the day he could astonish the world.

If the tower spirit knew Jiang Yun was relying on it, it might be puzzled. Did it refuse to help? It just wasn't active; as a supreme celestial holy artifact, after suppressing the Holy Sky Demon Flame, it had expended much energy. Bringing Jiang Yun to this unique plane had drained it further, leaving it in a dormant state, absorbing ambient energy to recover. Unless Jiang Yun faced a life-or-death crisis, it wouldn't awaken.

Jiang Yun, resolute, sidestepped and punched as 'Second Brother Pig' lunged to bite him.

"Damn it... Get lost!"

Jiang Yun roared, his shame morphing into rage that suddenly erupted.

No one noticed nine special meridians in his body vibrating and glowing, emitting an ethereal absorption force.

His body turned into a bottomless pit, absorbing the surrounding ambient energy, causing his aura to surge.

"Holy Sky Fist!" Jiang Yun shouted, his right arm bursting into dazzling light, even making the 'Second Brother Pig' sense danger.

"Roar!" 'Second Brother Pig' bellowed in fury. This pesky little thing dared to resist. Driven by its limited intelligence, it charged at Jiang Yun.

In an instant, it closed in on Jiang Yun, its blood-red eyes glaring and its terrifying fangs descending with a foul wind.

"Boom——"

A deep sound echoed. Jiang Yun, sweating profusely, hadn't expected 'Second Brother Pig' to play dirty and secretly unleash a skill.

His 'Holy Sky Fist' was just for show. Despite having seen many divine abilities in the Evil Spirit Clan, he had no cultivation to release them. Meanwhile, 'Second Brother Pig's' charge was genuine.

Gritting his teeth, feeling the overwhelming force from 'Second Brother Pig', his heart pounded rapidly.

The intense beating echoed like a giant drum!

"Fall for me!" Suddenly, an unknown force surged within Jiang Yun, and he fiercely threw 'Second Brother Pig' away by its massive tusks.

"Boom——"

'Second Brother Pig' fell, and in this clash, Jiang Yun emerged slightly victorious.

(End of Chapter)