A cold wind blew fiercely, carrying the sharp scent of blood and lightning. Grandmaster Yuan stood straight before his six terrified disciples, his back pressed against the steep stone wall of the mountain. They were the last remnants of the small Moon Sword Sect, now cornered in a remote valley. Before them, dozens of Purple Lightning Wolves snarled, their yellow eyes glowing in the twilight. Their fur crackled with menacing static electricity, a sign of their undeniable power.
"Don't be afraid!" Yuan shouted, trying to sound encouraging, though his own voice trembled. "We'll fight to our last breath!"
Beside him, his six disciples three men and three women gripped their blunt swords tightly. Their faces were bruised and filled with fear. The most senior disciples, Li Wei and Chen Yue, tried to maintain their composure, but cold sweat still beaded on their brows. Among them, two of the female disciples, Mei Hua and Xiao Yan, hid behind the male disciples, trembling with fright.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar broke the silence. The Purple Lightning Wolf King, a gigantic wolf with fur that shimmered brighter than the others, stepped forward. Its roar sent a shockwave that made the ground tremble. With savage eyes, it commanded its pack to attack.
The wolves leaped simultaneously. Dozens of purple, furry bodies with flashes of lightning shot toward them, ready to pounce and tear them apart. Yuan raised his sword, ready to face the inevitable death, while his disciples closed their eyes, awaiting their fate.
However, before the wolves could land, something unexpected happened.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion came from the sky. Something fell at an incredible speed, hitting the ground directly in front of the seven people. The impact was so powerful it created a three-meter-wide crater and cracked the surrounding earth. The shockwave sent dust and gravel flying into the air, pushing back the pack of Purple Lightning Wolves, which had been about to attack. Some were even thrown against the mountain wall.
For a moment, everyone was stunned into silence. Grandmaster Yuan and his disciples stared with wide eyes, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. The wolves also stopped, whimpering softly, confused.
The billowing dust slowly settled. A silhouette began to appear in the center of the smoking crater. When the dust finally cleared, all eyes fell upon the figure lying there.
It was a young man. His long, silver-white hair looked as if it was woven from moonlight. A strange mark, shaped like a small, golden-yellow flame, was etched on his forehead. Most surprisingly, the man was not wearing a single piece of clothing; his perfect, chiseled body was completely exposed.
The two female disciples, Mei Hua and Xiao Yan, who had just opened their eyes, were shocked by the sight. Their faces immediately flushed red. They let out small yelps and quickly covered their eyes with their hands, turning away in embarrassment. Li Wei, Chen Yue, and the other male disciples also gulped, unsure of how to react.
However, the shock didn't last long. The Purple Lightning Wolf King, realizing there was a new threat, roared angrily again. This time, its roar was louder and full of rage. The pack of wolves moved once more, leaping in unison toward the young man lying in the crater. They saw him as easy prey.
The silver-haired young man didn't move. The wolves were almost on him, but just as their claws were about to rip his skin, the man raised his hand. With an unexpected motion, he parried the foremost wolf. Without a word, he got to his feet, his naked body completely unaffected by the barrage of attacks. He was like a statue that had suddenly come to life.
With a series of incredibly swift movements, he began to counterattack. The young man didn't use any complicated martial arts techniques, only simple punches and kicks. Yet, every blow and kick he delivered carried an indescribable power. A single punch from his fist sent a Purple Lightning Wolf flying, where it crashed into a rock, cracking it. One kick sent another wolf soaring through the air, where it fell back to the ground helpless.
The pack of dozens of wolves seemed like mere flies to him. The man danced among them, every move a lethal strike. He punched, kicked, and slammed the Purple Lightning Wolves one by one, using only his bare physical body. There was no visible cultivation energy, no spiritual light radiating from him. Just pure, devastating physical strength.
Grandmaster Yuan and his six disciples watched the scene with their mouths agape. They were cultivators; they knew how powerful the Purple Lightning Wolves were even a single one was troublesome enough. Yet, this young man before them, with no clothes, no weapons, no energy, defeated dozens of them so easily. It was as if the man was an entity on a completely different level.
Amidst the chaos, the Purple Lightning Wolf King did not stay still. With even greater lightning power, it leaped, ready to pounce on the man. But before it could do anything, the young man turned, looking at it with a blank gaze. With a lightning-fast motion, he swung his hand and struck the face of the Wolf King.
CRACK!
The sound of snapping bone was loud. The mighty Purple Lightning Wolf King was sent flying, crashing hard against the mountain wall. Its body lay limp, with blood flowing from its nose and mouth. The remaining wolves, seeing their leader defeated in a single blow, whimpered in fear and fled, disappearing into the darkness.
Silence returned to the valley. Only the heavy, breathless gasps of the seven tired and shocked sect members could be heard. They stared at the silver-haired young man, who now stood tall in the center of the crater, his body covered in scratches and bruises, but none fatal. The man looked confused, glancing around as if he didn't recognize the place.
Li Wei, the most senior of the disciples, was the first to break the silence. "Who... who is he?" he whispered, his voice filled with a mix of awe and fear.
Grandmaster Yuan shook his head. "I... I don't know. But his power... that is not a mortal's power. Look at the flame mark on his forehead..."
The young man finally turned to face them. His golden eyes radiated a strange light, as if he were seeing something invisible. His handsome face, with its fair skin, was filled with deep confusion. He walked slowly toward them, his naked body making Mei Hua and Xiao Yan shriek again and hide.
"Where... is this?" the man's voice was hoarse but carried a strange authority. "Where am I?"
Grandmaster Yuan, despite his fear, dared to answer. "This is the Far Forest Mountains. Young Master, who are you? And why did you fall from the sky?"
The young man shook his head. His face showed a difficult struggle, as if he were trying to remember something very important. "The sky..." he mumbled. "I... I am Zhong Li. I... am the Heavenly Flame God. But... why am I here? Why... can't I remember anything?"
His words left the seven people frozen in silence. A God? Fallen from the sky? Everything they had just witnessed the incredible physical strength, the flame mark on his forehead suddenly made sense. They were facing an entity from a higher realm, now somehow trapped in their world.
Mei Hua, who had been hiding, now peeked out. She saw the confused Zhong Li, and for some reason, her fear slowly was replaced by pity. She slowly stepped forward, taking off the outer robe she was wearing.
"Lord Zhong Li..." Mei Hua said in a gentle voice, "Please, take this. You... you need clothes."
Zhong Li turned to her, his eyes showing a hint of warmth as he looked at the girl. He accepted the robe, examining it with confusion. Awkwardly, he put it on, though it was clear he wasn't used to it.
That night, inside a small cave they found, the seven members of the Moon Sword Sect and a fallen god sat around a campfire. Fear and confusion still hung over them, but curiosity had also begun to grow. They knew that Zhong Li's arrival in their world was no coincidence. This was the beginning of something great, something that would change their lives, and perhaps the fate of the entire Immortal realm.