Chapter 5: The First Opponent in This Life!
The Demon Beast Mountain Range was shrouded in mist and haze. The mountain forests lay hazy and indistinct. The sun hung high in the sky, scattering warm and radiant light that dyed the morning mist a pale gold, giving it flowing, rosy hues.
And at this very moment, a riot had been stirred within this mountain range, all because of one small figure.
The commotion here had not only attracted demonic beasts, but also drawn the attention of an old man not far away.
This was an elder with completely white hair and beard, dressed in a gray robe. As a gentle breeze blew, his long robe billowed, giving him an otherworldly and ethereal air quite out of the ordinary. His face bore none of the wrinkles expected of an old man, but instead resembled a piece of warm jade giving off a soft luster. His eyes were deep and profound, like two deep pools.
"The demonic beasts deep within the mountain range are rioting for no reason. Is it because of some extraterrestrial meteorite? Or has some heavenly treasure emerged?" The old man frowned. His deep, profound eyes seemed to be able to see the several Demonic Beast Sovereigns in the mountain range's depths.
"Whatever it is, I must go take a look. Otherwise, if the demonic beasts riot, I fear it may impact the academy."
The old man murmured softly, then stepped forth into the void. With every place his foot landed, ripples would spread out in circles across the void. In the blink of an eye, his figure slowly dimmed and then simply vanished, as if he had never been there at all.
In the distant forest, a little loli dressed in purple clothes, her hair tied into two small ponytails, appeared out of thin air.
Truly—appeared out of thin air!
At the moment, her white clothes were smudged and dirty, and her ponytails were somewhat disheveled. She took a big bite out of the cyan fruit in her hand and cursed under her breath. "Stingy 'big dumb dog'! It was just a few Azure Spirit Fruits, wasn't it? This great aunt clearly said I was just borrowing them and would pay them back later, but you kept chasing me and wouldn't let up! Just wait until this great aunt levels up—see if I don't pull out all your teeth!"
Grumbling and cursing, the little loli crunched down two more bites, finishing off the fruit that gave off a cyan fluorescence.
After eating, she patted her small belly and frowned. "Still feels like I'm a little short. What should I do?" After pondering for a moment, she spoke to herself with an expression of 'reluctance.' "Go 'borrow' a few more from 'Big Dumb Dog's' place?"
"Hm?" Just as she had made up her mind, acting on the principle of not troubling a second party when one was already involved, and was about to set off, she suddenly twitched her petite, cute little nose. Her eyes sparkled as she looked into the distance. "This is...?"
"Great! If I eat this, I'll definitely be able to grow up!"
Having said this, her face flushed slightly with excitement. Normally, she had a kind of intuition that had helped her find many good things. The feeling she was getting from this new thing, however, was unprecedentedly strong.
It even made her feel a bit panicked. Sensing several terrifying auras in that direction, in the end, it was the temptation to 'grow up' that drove her to take this dangerous risk.
Still, she was quite confident. Relying on her innate spatial talent, she had already 'snatched food from the tiger's mouth' several times and escaped with her life.
On the premise of ensuring safety, she felt she could go take a look!
"Stop chasing me! My meat doesn't taste good!" Jiang Yun lifted his little feet, moving his short little legs, leaping and dodging frantically through the forest.
Behind him, a giant, thick-skinned, tough-fleshed 'Pigsy' was chasing him with bloodshot eyes, huffing and puffing.
Even if you beat him to death, he never would have imagined that the first opponent he'd face in this life would be 'Pigsy.' And what's more, he was being beaten so badly he couldn't even fight back.
Back when he was in the Xie Ling Clan, to prevent any clues about the future plan from being discovered, the Saint Demon Emperor had ordered that he not be allowed to cultivate. Other kids his age were already being guided to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Some had likely even stepped into the Sensing Realm or the Spirit Movement Realm.
Unlike them, he was still a 'little weakling' without the slightest bit of cultivation to back him up. Had it not been for the fact that he'd eaten quite a few spirit fruits over the years, and that his physical body was fairly decent, he probably would have already ended up buried in a boar's stomach.
During his escape, Jiang Yun several times placed his small hand on the small tower at his chest. With his intelligence, it wasn't hard to guess that the artifact spirit wasn't unaware of his current situation. An artifact spirit capable of rivaling a Heavenly Sovereign and who had campaigned alongside Jiang Hong for a lifetime would be top-tier in both power and knowledge.
The fact that it hadn't acted yet was clearly a conscious decision to temper him. The strong were forged through blood and fire. And if he wanted to completely change the fate of the Xie Ling Clan, then the strength of his enemies would be beyond imagination.
Therefore, starting from this very moment, he would train with all his might, accumulating his foundation bit by bit, awaiting the day he could shock the world.
Had the artifact spirit known Jiang Yun was thinking of him this way, it probably would have been completely baffled. Did it not want to act?
It was merely a tiny 'Immortal-grade peerless Sacred Object.' Without anyone to activate it, and after suppressing the Saint Demon Flame, it had already expended a great deal of energy.
Finally, having protected Jiang Yun on the journey to this special plane, it could now only maintain a half-asleep, half-awake state, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth to recover its losses. Unless Jiang Yun faced a true life-or-death crisis, it would not awaken.
After coming to this realization, Jiang Yun, being a decisive person, made his move. He hit a foot-brake, and with his sharp spiritual senses, the moment 'Pigsy' opened its mouth to bite, he immediately reacted—sidestepping, then swinging his fist.
"Bastard... get lost!"
Jiang Yun roared. All the humiliation accumulated from being 'chased and hunted' the entire way now erupted completely as raging fury.
Unnoticed by anyone, as Jiang Yun struck with his full strength, nine special meridians within his body were trembling at this moment, radiating light. A faint, barely perceptible suction force burst forth from inside Jiang Yun's body.
At this instant, his body seemed to transform into a bottomless pit, absorbing the free-floating energy between heaven and earth. His own aura began to skyrocket.
"Saint Heaven Fist!" Jiang Yun bellowed. His right arm erupted with dazzling radiance at this moment. Even 'Pigsy' seemed to feel a sense of danger right then.
"Roar—" 'Pigsy' let out an angry roar. This annoying little thing actually dared to fight back? What little intelligence it possessed drove it to charge straight at Jiang Yun.
At this moment, as if a breeze coiled beneath its feet, it arrived right before Jiang Yun's eyes in the blink of an eye. Its blood-red eyes glared fiercely at him, its bloodthirsty tusks descending with a terrifying, foul wind.
"Boom—"
A heavy sound rang out. Jiang Yun's face was now covered in sweat. He hadn't expected 'Pigsy' to fight so dishonorably, secretly unleashing a skill.
His 'Saint Heaven Fist' had only been shouted out in name. Though he had seen many divine abilities in the Xie Ling Clan, right now he had no cultivation to back him up. Where would he get the energy to unleash a divine ability? He never imagined the opponent's 'Boarish Rush' would actually be the real deal.
Jiang Yun gritted his teeth, staring at the enormous 'Pigsy' before him, feeling the immense force transmitted through his arm. At this moment, his heart was pounding: 'Thump! Thump! Thump!'
The violent drumming of his heartbeat was like a great war drum!
"Fall!" Suddenly, some unknown strength surged from somewhere within Jiang Yun. He grabbed the beast's giant tusks with both hands and viciously flung it away.
"Bang—"
'Pigsy' crashed to the ground. In this clash, victory ultimately tipped slightly in Jiang Yun's favor.
(End of Chapter)