Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

"I'm telling you, in order to save you, I had to risk being hunted down. It was very dangerous. Back then, the big tiger chasing us was this long."

Looking at the little girl who kept babbling with her small mouth and occasionally gesturing with her hands, Jiang Yun opened his mouth but did not speak. He could tell that she had no ill intentions, but he didn't understand what she was trying to convey.

However, when he heard about the third-tier magical beast, Jiang Yun felt a sense of familiarity. Looking at the purple-haired loli in front of him and the extraordinarily active spatial energy around her, he seemed to realize who she was.

"Zi Yan!" Jiang Yun cautiously called out, testing the waters. If it really was Zi Yan, he probably couldn't withstand even one punch from her.

"Hmm?" Zi Yan, who was still engrossed in recounting her 'difficult' rescue of Jiang Yun, blinked her big curious eyes and asked, "Zi Yan? Are you calling me?"

Isn't it?

Just as Jiang Yun was feeling a bit disappointed, he saw the other party happily say, "Zi Yan, that's a nice name. From now on, I'll be called Zi Yan. By the way, what's your name?"

"Jiang Yun!"

Although he felt a little speechless, as he hadn't expected that Zi Yan's name would be given by him, he still slowly said his name.

"Jiang Yun, Xiao Yunzi." Zi Yan crossed her arms, put on a stern face, and nodded slowly.

Soon, she got serious again, brought her little head closer, her eyes filled with earnestness: "Even though you gave Zi Yan a nice name, I can't go without the reward for saving you!"

"What reward?" Jiang Yun looked puzzled at the suddenly serious Zi Yan.

"You want to renege on your debt!" Seeing Jiang Yun's confusion, Zi Yan suddenly screamed, pointing at Jiang Yun with a look of frustration, her right hand slowly forming a fist.

"The grace of saving a life is greater than the sky; I have no intention of reneging!" Glancing at Zi Yan's small fist out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Yun instantly had chills all over his body. He quickly put on a serious face and spoke sincerely.

"Hmph—I thought so!" Seeing Jiang Yun's 'sincere' face, Zi Yan snorted, flicked her ponytail, and arrogantly raised her head.

"Phew—"

Seeing the contented Zi Yan, Jiang Yun immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Zi Yan was good, but he needed to have the strength to keep up, otherwise, if she ever decided to throw a punch, it wouldn't be good news for him!

"But I don't have anything on me right now. Can I owe you for now?" Jiang Yun said awkwardly, rummaging all over himself yet finding nothing.

"You..." Zi Yan was a bit annoyed at this, but seeing Jiang Yun's even cleaner pockets than hers, she sighed and said, "Alright!"

However, she quickly regained her cheerfulness, wrinkling her little nose and approaching Jiang Yun, sniffing lightly from time to time, her bright eyes filled with curiosity.

"Are you human? You smell really good!"

Looking at the adorably naive Zi Yan, it really made one fond of her.

"I am indeed human. As for the smell? I don't know either!" Jiang Yun smiled gently.

Regarding the scent Zi Yan mentioned, Jiang Yun had some guesses. It was likely because he came from the Great Thousand World. Although he hadn't cultivated, he had indeed been exposed to spiritual energy, which was a higher form of energy than battle energy.

To Zi Yan, who possessed the terrifying bloodline of the Heavenly Dragon Ancient Clan, spiritual energy was indeed a very attractive 'supplement.'

"Who's there?"

Suddenly, Jiang Yun's pupils shrank, and goosebumps rose all over his body. It was a chill that came from deep within, and his spiritual sense was crazily warning him.

The next moment, he instinctively shielded Zi Yan behind him. Although his strength was not as great as Zi Yan's, he still couldn't bring himself to use her as a shield.

From the moment she was born, she had been contending with other magical beasts.

A young Taixu Ancient Dragon lost in the wild was not only an object of bloodline fear to other magical beasts but also a delicious treat. She had to avoid the pursuit of powerful magical beasts while seeking enough resources to grow.

The bloodline of the Heavenly Dragon Ancient Clan didn't become her aid but rather a 'burden.'

She had never felt what it was like to be protected by someone else. At this moment, looking at the weak human Jiang Yun, she felt a slight sourness in her usually carefree heart.

"What terrifying perception..."

A voice with a hint of laughter emerged. Wearing a grey robe, Su Qian, who had been tracking them, looked at Zi Yan and Jiang Yun with a smile.

He focused more on Jiang Yun.

Su Qian could see some background behind Zi Yan. A magical beast with extraordinary bloodline appearance in its young phase, having peak fourth-tier strength, obviously had enormous potential.

But for the time being, he couldn't determine what kind of magical beast she was.

Still, he was more interested in Jiang Yun, a six or seven-year-old human child with terrifying innate spiritual power.

Though he wasn't an alchemist, he knew that those with strong spiritual power had exceptional talents.

Moreover, the faintly surrounding spatial energy indicated the extraordinary talent of this person.

As a Great Elder of the academy who loved to mentor, he suddenly had a strong urge to take both of them back to the academy.

"Senior, with your strength, peeping at two little kids like us is not very appropriate, is it?"

Jiang Yun's whole body was tense, one hand tightly holding Zi Yan while the other palm started to manifest a demonic eye, exuding a faintly destructive aura, ready to unleash a devastating blow at any moment.

This elder was unknown but terrifyingly powerful, Jiang Yun's intuition told him that he was much stronger than Zi Yan.

"Little one, if I had malicious intent, with my strength, you wouldn't be standing there safely now." Su Qian looked at the mature-minded Jiang Yun with a keen interest.

"Senior, you're joking!" Su Qian's words made Jiang Yun force a laugh, but he didn't let his guard down, subtly keeping his chest facing the elder.

"Haha, vigilant kid!" Su Qian laughed, not angered by Jiang Yun's wariness.

At this moment, Zi Yan, who had been under Jiang Yun's protection, grew impatient. She pushed Jiang Yun away with terrifying force that left him defenseless.

"Hey, old man, who are you? Scaring Xiao Yunzi, be careful, or I'll beat you up!" Zi Yan placed her hands on her hips, attempting to threaten Su Qian with a fierce look.

However, combined with her adorable appearance, it only made her seem cuter.

Being pushed aside by Zi Yan, Jiang Yun felt helpless yet touched. Though he had only just met Zi Yan, she dared to face an unknown enemy for his sake. This warmth deeply moved Jiang Yun, who had never had companions and lived among the extraterrestrial evil tribe.

(End of this chapter)