"Extreme Wind, Meteor Shower!"
High above, Yun Yun's voice rang out as she thrust her longsword forward. A thin, razor-sharp beam of cyan light blazed through the air, streaking straight toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
"Amethyst Seal."
The beast answered in kind. A dense column of purple light erupted from its body, surging forward to meet the attack head-on.
"A seal!" Yao Lao's voice sharpened with alarm the moment he sensed the strange energy coiling inside that purple beam.
"A seal? What does that mean?" Xiao Yan asked, his brow furrowing.
"Certain high-level magical beasts are born with the innate ability to cast sealing techniques," Yao Lao explained quickly. "They can temporarily lock down the battle qi of any opponent at the same power level. This woman clearly didn't see it coming — she's walking straight into a disaster."
The words had barely left his mouth when the clash unfolded.
Yun Yun's cyan beam found its mark, slicing clean through the Amethyst Winged Lion King's horn and sheering it off entirely. But victory came at a steep price. The beast's purple-gold seal struck her squarely, and the battle qi that had been surging freely through her body moments before suddenly sputtered — then went silent.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King didn't waste a heartbeat. Its massive amethyst wings beat powerfully as it lunged forward, one enormous claw swiping straight for Yun Yun's chest.
Xiao Yan's breath caught in his throat. It was over. She was going to take a direct hit—
Then a black shadow moved.
It crossed the distance so fast that even Yao Lao, a man not easily rattled, felt a cold chill run down his spine. Compared to that shadow, both Yun Yun and the Amethyst Winged Lion King seemed to be moving through water.
The black shadow arrived at Yun Yun's side in an instant, catching her by the waist as her legs gave out beneath her. Then, a surge of deep purple light bloomed in its hand. A strange purple longsword materialized from the glow — and without any dramatic flourish, without even shifting its feet, the shadow swung.
The motion looked almost lazy. Almost slow.
It was neither.
Crack.
The sound that followed was sharp and wet and final. The Amethyst Winged Lion King's enormous forepaw was severed clean from the joint, sent tumbling to the earth below. It hit the ground with a bone-shaking crash, dark blood spraying outward in a wide arc, staining the soil a deep, glistening crimson.
The beast's scream tore open the sky.
It was a sound of pure agony — long, ragged, and raw — and it echoed through the valley for what felt like an eternity before finally fading. When it did, the Amethyst Winged Lion King was trembling, its deep purple eyes locked onto the shadow with something it had never felt before.
Fear.
Just moments ago, death had grazed it. One casual swing. One forepaw, gone. If that sword had aimed for its neck instead—
"Get out of my sight. You have three breaths. Leave, or die."
The black shadow's back was still turned to Xiao Yan and Yao Lao. Its voice was quiet, utterly without emotion — and infinitely more terrifying because of it. Yun Yun, her battle qi fully sealed, rested limply in the crook of its arm.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King opened its mouth.
Then closed it.
The killing intent radiating off that shadow was not a bluff. It knew — with every instinct it possessed — that if it dared say a single word, it would be dead before the sound left its throat. Wordlessly, it spread its deep purple wings and turned away, hauling its ruined, bleeding body back into the depths of its cave without a backward glance.
A soft breeze drifted through the valley. It swept the white clouds aside, and warm sunlight fell across the black shadow's face — revealing fair skin, calm eyes, and the composed, handsome features of a young man.
It was Xiao Se.
He had been slightly delayed on the way over. Yun Ling had tried to ambush him along the route, and dealing with that — killing Yun Ling's group and disposing of the bodies — had eaten into his time more than he'd anticipated. He had nearly arrived too late.
"Teacher…" Xiao Yan stared up at the figure hovering in the sky, his voice barely above a murmur. His heart was hammering. "Who is that? He severed the Amethyst Winged Lion King's paw in a single move."
"He doesn't seem to want you knowing his identity just yet. You'll find out in time." Yao Lao's tone was as unhurried as ever. "And it appears he's already noticed us."
Nestled against Xiao Se's arm, Yun Yun lifted her head. Her face was pale, her expression still carrying the ghost of shock — but her eyes, when they found his face, were soft with quiet gratitude.
"Thank you," she said, her voice faint. "For saving me."
Without her battle qi, she was no different from an ordinary person right now. She knew it. She also knew that without this young man's timely arrival, that claw would have carved straight through her.
Xiao Se gave a small smile and dipped his head in acknowledgment. Then he turned slightly, glancing back toward the trees where Xiao Yan and Yao Lao were hidden.
"Senior," he called out, his voice carrying easily across the valley, "you've been watching long enough. Are you not coming out?"
A soft, amused chuckle broke the silence.
"Hehe. Sharp as ever, young friend." A figure in a black robe stepped out from the tree line, touching down lightly on the ground and tilting its head up toward Xiao Se. "In under two years, you've not only broken through to the Dou Huang level — your soul power has already reached that of a seventh-grade alchemist. I must say, I am genuinely impressed."
"Compared to you, Senior, I still have a long way to go." Xiao Se waved a hand, dismissing the flattery. "But pleasantries can wait. I believe I owe you something." He reached into his robe and casually tossed a jade bottle over his shoulder without even looking. "The Spirit Fusion Pill, as promised. Now it's your turn to hold up your end."
Guided by Yao Lao's subtle soul manipulation, Xiao Yan's hand shot up and caught the bottle cleanly. He uncorked it — and immediately, a rich, layered fragrance rolled outward in waves, thick and intoxicating, spreading through the entire valley within seconds.
Yao Lao hummed with quiet appreciation. "Indeed. This is a genuine Spirit Fusion Pill." He paused, then had Xiao Yan's body produce a vividly colored scroll from thin air, holding it out. "Here is what I promised in return. I'll warn you now though — gathering those ingredients won't be easy."
Xiao Se caught the scroll, unrolled it, and scanned the contents carefully. Once satisfied, he gave the faintest nod. He raised his right hand — a light, effortless gesture — and his Evil God Wings unfurled behind him, the dark feathers catching the sunlight for just a moment before he shot upward, dissolving into a streak of light that vanished into the open sky.
Silence settled back over the valley.
Standing beneath his black robe, Xiao Yan swallowed hard.
He had never heard of the Spirit Fusion Pill before. But the fact that Yao Lao had mentioned the soul power of a seventh-grade alchemist in the same breath, combined with a fragrance that utterly eclipsed even that of the Qi Gathering Powder — that alone was more than enough to understand just how extraordinary it was.
And yet, what gnawed at him more than any of that was something he couldn't quite name. Something about that young man — the way he moved, the way he carried himself — felt frustratingly, inexplicably familiar.
"Teacher," Xiao Yan said slowly, "what does the Spirit Fusion Pill actually do?"
"It's a sixth-grade pill," Yao Lao answered. "It allows the soul and body to fuse in harmony, rapidly restoring depleted soul power and completely mending any past damage to the soul — no matter how deep."
Xiao Yan exhaled quietly.
The more time he spent out here in the wider world, the more he came to understand just how little he truly knew. In a single afternoon he had crossed paths with two Dou Huang–level experts and a sixth-order magical beast their equal — and it had all felt almost incidental. As though the world was casually reminding him that he was still very small.
Meanwhile, Xiao Se had brought Yun Yun to the small, secluded valley — the same one where he and Little Fairy Doctor had once taken shelter together.
He set her down gently once they were inside.
"The Amethyst Winged Lion King's seal isn't something that can be pushed through by force," he said matter-of-factly. "It'll take two or three days before it lifts on its own. You're welcome to stay here until then." He crossed to the cabin door, pushed it open, and stepped inside. With a single wave of his hand, golden battle qi swept through the dusty interior. The accumulated grime pulled together in swirling ribbons, coiling into a small, tight tornado that drifted lazily out through the window and dispersed into the open air.
Yun Yun stepped in after him, glancing around with quiet curiosity. Two bedrooms, one common area — modest, but warm. The kind of place that felt lived-in rather than abandoned.
"Thank you," she said, with a slight nod.
"It's nothing. A small favor." Xiao Se moved to the low table by the wall, produced a tea set from seemingly nowhere, and poured with practiced ease. He gestured lightly toward the opposite seat. "Please."
Yun Yun settled across from him, lifted the cup, and took a small, polite sip. A faint smile touched the corners of her lips as she lowered it again.
"I still don't know your name," she said.
"No need for formalities — just Xiao Se." He smiled back, easy and unhurried. "The 'Se' from the phrase gǔ sè — ancient and colorful."
(T/N: "Gǔ sè" (古色) is a Chinese idiom fragment typically meaning "antique charm" or "classical elegance." Xiao Se is clarifying which character is used for his name.)
"Xiao Se?"
Yun Yun blinked. Then her eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across her still-pale face.
"You're that Xiao Se? From the Xiao family?"
(End of Chapter)
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