The valley remained silent.
Sunlight filtered gently through the towering trees overhead.
A cool breeze drifted across the grasslands, carrying with it the scent of earth, leaves, and distant streams.
And beneath a cluster of twisted roots—
Lizarius remained completely motionless.
At least outwardly.
His body appeared no different from a corpse.
White scales stained with dried blood.
A shattered horn.
Deep cracks spread across his body like fractured porcelain.
No movement.
No visible signs of life.
Nothing.
Yet suddenly—
one white ear twitched.
Barely.
The faint rustling of leaves reached him.
Footsteps.
Breathing.
Heartbeats.
His golden eyes remained closed.
Yet the world around him unfolded with startling clarity inside his mind.
Every vibration.
Every sound.
Every subtle movement.
Sound spread outward like invisible ripples through the forest.
His consciousness immediately focused.
Not dangerous.
Weak.
Very weak.
Yet alive.
Useful.
The entire valley gradually mapped itself within his awareness.
The trees.
The boulders.
The shifting winds.
The distant wildlife.
And now—
humans.
*Hmm.*
*Humans.*
For a moment, Lizarius attempted to move.
Nothing happened.
Not a claw.
Not his tail.
Not even a single muscle.
Silence.
His thoughts paused.
*...I can't move.*
A moment later—
he called inwardly.
*"Why?"*
The cold mechanical voice answered immediately.
**[Host injuries remain critical.]**
**[Current condition assessment:]**
**[Severe physical trauma.]**
**[Core damage detected.]**
**[Soul damage detected.]**
**[Extreme blood loss detected.]**
**[Mobility temporarily unavailable.]**
Lizarius listened quietly.
The system continued.
**[Host forcibly extracted energy undergoing refinement during previous battle.]**
**[Result: Internal spiritual pathways damaged.]**
**[Golden Core stability reduced.]**
**[Additional damage caused by excessive energy overload during final attack.]**
His thoughts shifted immediately.
Toward the old Nascent Soul cultivator.
Toward that final strike.
Toward the soul attack.
A cold memory surfaced.
The black needle.
Lizarius silently reviewed the battle once more.
The soul attack.
The moment the black needle pierced his consciousness.
The moment everything had gone blank.
He remembered it clearly now.
Originally, he had expected the AI to block the attack entirely.
Instead—
it had merely weakened it.
Not stopped it.
His golden eyes remained closed.
Yet his thoughts stayed calm.
*So there are limits.*
The system responded immediately.
**[Affirmative.]**
**[Soul Defense Protocols significantly reduced incoming damage.]**
**[However, attack strength exceeded defensive threshold.]**
**[Complete negation was impossible.]**
Lizarius silently processed the information.
It aligned perfectly with what he had experienced.
The moment the attack struck—
his thoughts vanished.
His consciousness nearly collapsed.
Had the AI not intervened to stabilize his soul—
he would already be dead.
Not injured.
Not unconscious.
Dead.
The realization settled quietly within his mind.
The AI could protect him.
But not infinitely.
If an attack exceeded a certain threshold—
some damage would inevitably pass through.
And that soul attack had been far more powerful than anything he had encountered before.
Lizarius remained motionless beneath the twisted roots.
His golden eyes stayed closed.
Yet his thoughts drifted back toward the battle.
Toward the moment everything had nearly gone wrong.
Originally—
he had already formed a plan.
After observing the Nascent Soul cultivators throughout the battle and gathering information about their abilities, he had concluded that the greatest threat was not their techniques.
It was the talisman.
As long as Elder Mo remained alive and carried it, Lizarius could always be tracked.
So when the soul manifestation attack came—
he had intended to use it.
The moment the Nascent Soul cultivators realized their soul attack had failed...
The moment shock appeared on their faces...
He would immediately kill Elder Mo.
Destroy the talisman.
And escape.
That had been the plan from the very beginning.
Even Dragon Fury had been reserved for that purpose.
Even the damage inflicted upon himself by his own attack had been acceptable.
As long as Elder Mo died—
the plan would succeed.
Then—
the soul attack struck.
And everything disappeared.
No thoughts.
No sound.
No battlefield.
No pain.
Nothing.
His consciousness simply ceased to exist.
The next thing he remembered was the AI's voice.
**[Soul Defense Protocol Activated.]**
**[Critical Soul Damage Detected.]**
Only then did he truly understand how close he had come to death.
If not for the AI—
he would have died the instant that attack landed.
Not wounded.
Not unconscious.
Dead.
The realization lingered quietly within his mind.
The AI could protect him.
But it was not invincible.
And Nascent Soul soul attacks were far more dangerous than he had originally believed.
Though he had ultimately succeeded—
barely.
The price had simply been far greater than anticipated.
His thoughts returned to the present.
*How long until recovery?*
The system answered immediately.
**[Current recovery estimate: Unknown.]**
**[Host lacks sufficient biological resources.]**
**[Recommendation: Consume living organisms.]**
**[Additional recommendation: Replenish blood volume.]**
**[Additional recommendation: Acquire spiritual energy source.]**
Silence followed.
Then—
footsteps.
Closer now.
Lizarius focused once more.
Two humans.
Young.
Weak.
Spirit Refining cultivators.
One at the Early Stage.
One at the Middle Stage.
Their heartbeats echoed clearly through the forest.
He could even hear the nervous rhythm of their breathing.
Lizarius listened quietly as they moved through the woodland.
Leaves crunched beneath their feet.
Branches shifted softly.
His golden eyes remained closed.
Yet calculations had already begun.
*If I consume them...*
The thought surfaced naturally.
No hesitation.
No guilt.
No emotion.
Only practicality.
Spirit Refining cultivators possessed spiritual energy.
Blood.
Life force.
Resources.
Not much.
But enough to help stabilize his condition.
Perhaps enough to slow the bleeding.
Perhaps enough to accelerate recovery.
Certainly more useful than doing nothing.
The valley remained deathly silent.
The wind itself seemed to stop.
Even the leaves overhead had grown still.
At the edge of the clearing—
the two siblings stood frozen.
Neither dared move.
Neither dared breathe too loudly.
Their eyes remained locked upon the enormous white-scaled beast lying beneath the twisted roots.
The green-haired youth swallowed.
His throat felt painfully dry.
"...It's alive."
The words barely escaped his lips.
His younger sister's face had already turned pale.
Every instinct screamed at them to leave.
To run.
To activate their signal talismans immediately.
This was not something they should be near.
Not something they could handle.
The girl slowly took a step backward.
Carefully.
Quietly.
"Big brother..."
Her voice trembled.
"We should inform Elder Qin and Elder Zhao."
The green-haired youth nodded immediately.
"Agreed."
His hand slowly moved toward the signal talisman hanging from his waist.
"We leave now."
"This thing is far too dangerous—"
Then—
a sound interrupted him.
A slow movement.
A faint scraping noise.
Both siblings froze.
Their eyes widened.
Because beneath the twisted roots—
the white-scaled lizard had opened its maw slightly.
Not enough to reveal its fangs.
Just enough for a voice to emerge.
Calm.
Hoarse.
Weak.
Yet carrying a chilling certainty that froze their blood.
"...Do that..."
The voice echoed softly through the valley.
"...and you die."
Silence.
The world seemed to stop.
The siblings stared.
Their minds completely blank.
For several heartbeats—
they genuinely believed they had imagined it.
Then—
those golden eyes opened.
Slowly.
Golden pupils locked onto them from across the valley.
Neither hostile.
Nor enraged.
Simply watching.
Observing.
Like a predator studying prey.
The girl nearly screamed.
Her legs weakened instantly.
The green-haired youth felt every hair on his body stand on end.
Fear exploded through him.
Pure.
Primal.
Uncontrollable.
At the same time—
an invisible pressure descended.
Not spiritual pressure.
Not cultivation pressure.
Something older.
Something far more instinctive.
A predator's killing intent.
Both siblings felt their hearts seize.
Their bodies trembled violently.
Cold sweat drenched their backs.
The surrounding air became heavy.
Oppressive.
Suffocating.
The girl's knees gave out.
"Big... brother..."
Her voice cracked.
The green-haired youth couldn't answer.
Because he was experiencing the exact same thing.
Every survival instinct inside him screamed a single message.
**Danger.**
**Run.**
**Run now.**
Yet neither dared move.
Because those golden eyes remained fixed upon them.
Watching.
Waiting.
The white-scaled lizard slowly exhaled.
Blood-stained breath drifted from its mouth.
Its body remained broken.
Its scales remained cracked.
Its horn remained shattered.
Yet somehow—
it felt even more terrifying now than when they had believed it was dead.
The golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Good."
Its voice remained hoarse.
Weak.
But unmistakably intelligent.
"...Now you'll continue forward."
The siblings' pupils contracted.
The girl stared in disbelief.
A talking beast.
Not merely intelligent.
Not merely aware.
Talking.
Like a human.
Like a cultivator.
The green-haired youth felt his mind tremble.
Everything he had ever been taught about demon beasts suddenly seemed uncertain.
Lizarius continued staring at them.
Motionless.
Calculating.
Evaluating.
Two Spirit Refining cultivators.
Weak.
Terrified.
Yet alive.
Resources.
Useful resources.
His golden gaze lingered on the signal talismans hanging from their waists.
The valley remained silent.
Oppressive.
Heavy.
The killing intent hanging in the air refused to fade.
It wrapped around the siblings like invisible chains.
Every instinct screamed at them to flee.
Yet neither dared.
Because both understood one simple truth.
If they ran—
they would die.
The green-haired youth stared into those golden eyes.
Ancient.
Cold.
Unreadable.
Then slowly—
his trembling legs began moving.
One step.
Then another.
His breathing grew ragged.
Sweat dripped from his jaw.
The pressure only intensified the closer he approached.
Eventually—
he reached a point only a few meters from the massive white-scaled lizard.
And broke.
THUD.
His knees slammed into the earth.
A second later his hands followed.
He lowered himself completely.
Forehead pressed against the ground.
Body trembling uncontrollably.
"P-Please..."
His voice cracked.
"I-I don't want to die..."
The words spilled out desperately.
"We didn't know..."
"We didn't know you were here..."
"Please spare us..."
His fingers dug into the dirt.
"I'll do anything."
"I swear I'll do anything."
His shoulders shook violently.
The pride of a cultivator.
The dignity of his clan.
None of it mattered anymore.
Not before something that could kill him with a single thought.
Several meters away—
his younger sister stared.
Tears streamed down her face.
Her lips trembled.
"Big brother..."
Seeing him like this shattered the last of her composure.
Fear overwhelmed everything.
The pressure.
The killing intent.
The enormous beast staring at them.
The realization that death was only a single wrong answer away.
Then—
she moved.
Almost scrambling.
Nearly stumbling.
She rushed forward through the grass.
Tears continuing to pour from her eyes.
Before collapsing beside her brother.
THUD.
She dropped onto all fours as well.
Forehead pressed against the ground.
"P-Please don't kill us!"
Her voice broke completely.
"We'll listen!"
"We'll obey!"
"We won't tell anyone!"
More tears soaked the earth beneath her.
"We don't want to die..."
The two siblings knelt side by side.
Trembling.
Begging.
Terrified beyond reason.
And throughout it all—
Lizarius simply watched.
Motionless.
Silent.
Golden eyes studied them carefully.
Neither spoke.
Neither resisted.
Neither reached for their talismans.
Fear had completely shattered their courage.
Useful.
Very useful.
His gaze lingered on them for several moments.
Then shifted briefly toward the signal talismans hanging from their waists.
His mind calculated rapidly.
Two Spirit Refining cultivators.
Weak.
But alive.
More importantly—
connected.
If they were here—
others were nearby.
Elders.
A sect.
A clan.
Resources.
Information.
Food.
The possibilities unfolded rapidly.
The white-scaled lizard slowly exhaled.
A faint trace of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.
Yet despite his condition—
the pressure surrounding him remained overwhelming.
The siblings immediately flinched.
Then—
Lizarius finally spoke.
His hoarse voice echoed softly through the valley.
"...Look at me."
The command wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
The two siblings froze.
Neither wanted to comply.
Neither dared refuse.
Slowly—
trembling violently—
they lifted their heads.
And found those golden eyes staring directly into theirs.
Cold.
Intelligent.
Predatory.
The white-scaled lizard remained silent for several moments.
Studying them.
Evaluating them.
Then his voice came again.
Low.
Calm.
Terrifying.
"...Good."
A brief pause followed.
Then—
"...Now tell me everything."
The siblings felt their hearts sink.
Because they suddenly realized something.
The creature wasn't interested in killing them immediately.
That should have been comforting.
Instead—
for some reason—
it felt even more terrifying.