A roar rolled out from the depths of the forest.
Low.Ancient.Heavy with a pressure that crushed the air itself.
The surrounding trees shook violently. Branches snapped and leaves rained down as spiritual energy was torn apart by brute force. Even breathing became difficult, as if the forest were rejecting all life within it.
Xiao Xuanyin came to a halt.
"This is no ordinary demon beast," he said quietly.
Beside him, Su Wan's phone flashed red.
[Target Locked][Name: Black-Spined Mountain Lord][Rank: High-Tier Demon Beast][Threat Level: Extreme][Recommendation: Extreme Caution]
The next instant—
The underbrush exploded.
A massive black shadow burst forth, shattering the ground beneath it.
It was a beast shaped like a giant tiger, its back arched like a mountain ridge. Jagged black bone spines pierced through its flesh, its crimson eyes filled with madness. Violent spiritual energy coiled around its body like a storm.
Each step it took made the earth quake.
"ROAR—!"
The sound carried overwhelming pressure.
Su Wan's breath hitched, her feet sliding back half a step against her will.
Xiao Xuanyin, however, stepped forward.
One step.
"You fall back."
It was not a suggestion.
It was an order.
Su Wan didn't argue.
She lowered her head, and her phone shifted into an interface she had never seen before.
[Hidden Mode: Activated]
The Black-Spined Mountain Lord moved.
No probing.No hesitation.
Its speed tore through the air, ripping vision apart.
Xiao Xuanyin raised his hand, forming seals in rapid succession. Spiritual energy condensed in his palm as he struck forward.
"BOOM!"
The collision detonated.
A shockwave exploded outward, flattening everything nearby.
Xiao Xuanyin was hurled backward three steps. Cracks spread beneath his feet.
A metallic taste surged into his throat.
He swallowed it down.
He did not retreat.
"…Not enough."
For the first time, he understood clearly—
High-tier demon beasts were no longer enemies that could be crushed by technique alone.
The Mountain Lord lunged again, claws like blades tearing through space.
Xiao Xuanyin dodged—but not fast enough.
"SHRK—"
Its claw swept across his shoulder.
Fabric ripped apart.
Blood spilled instantly.
This was the first time since his cultivation began—
That he had truly been injured.
Su Wan's fingers tightened slightly.
She did not shout.She did not rush forward.
She only spoke softly.
"…Permission confirmed."
On her screen, faint lines of text appeared.
[Immortal Realm Interference Shield: Active][Imperial Fortune Stability: +15%]
At the same moment—
High above.
The clouds churned violently.
A pair of eyes slowly opened.
—
The Immortal Realm.
On jade steps, a cultivator dressed in white stood with hands behind his back. His gaze pierced through countless layers of space, landing squarely on the mortal world below.
"How interesting."
"A mortal emperor… able to touch this level of fortune."
Behind him, several figures turned their attention as well.
"That woman—she carries an anomaly."
"I can't see through her."
A trace of coldness flickered in the white-robed cultivator's eyes.
"Let them come up."
"Only then will they understand—"
"That not every throneis one you can sit upon."
The clouds closed.
The vision vanished.
—
Back in the mortal realm.
The Black-Spined Mountain Lord roared again and leapt skyward.
This strike carried everything it had.
Xiao Xuanyin looked up.
He did not retreat.
Instead—
He closed his eyes.
In that instant—
The alchemical fire within him ignited.
Countless insights from his time refining pills surged through his mind, reorganizing violently.
Control the flame.Stabilize the furnace.Suppress excess force.Seal at the peak.
Alchemy had never been about brute strength.
It was about balance on the edge of destruction.
His eyes opened.
"So that's it."
He raised his hand.
Not to strike—
But to suppress.
The moment his palm descended, spiritual energy transformed into an invisible furnace, slamming down around the Mountain Lord.
The demon's raging power was forcibly compressed.
"ROOOAR—!!!"
The beast struggled violently, but the harder it fought, the weaker it became.
"BOOM!"
The massive body crashed to the ground.
Silence followed.
Dust settled.
Only then did Su Wan rush forward.
"Are you hurt?"
Xiao Xuanyin glanced at the blood on his shoulder.
"Surface wound."
He lifted his gaze toward the depths of the forest, his expression calmer than ever before.
"But just now—"
"Someone was watching."
Su Wan's heart skipped.
She nodded lightly.
"I know."
She reached out and placed a pill into his palm.
Not one from the Imperial Alchemy Hall.
One she had just unlocked moments ago.
Xiao Xuanyin did not ask.
He swallowed it.
The wound closed rapidly, flesh knitting together in seconds.
A small white spirit beast poked its head out beside her feet, letting out a soft chirp.
At that moment—
They both understood something clearly.
They were no longer merely cultivators of the mortal world.
Someone had begun to fear them.
Xiao Xuanyin looked at Su Wan.
"The Immortal Realm will not remain peaceful."
Su Wan put her phone away and smiled.
"Good."
"I'm very good at making things inconvenient for people."
The forest wind rose once more.
And a new chapter—
Quietly began.