In the depths of the Forest of Beasts, a young man wielding a short dagger stood before a middle-aged man, his body covered in blood.
"Me? You recognize me?" Despite the man's apparent injuries, the oppressive aura he had exuded earlier left no doubt that he was still a dangerous presence.
The middle-aged man leaned weakly against a tree and chuckled bitterly. "No, it's not him. I must be losing my mind. He's been gone for so long... how could he possibly be here?"
"Who are you, exactly? Are you a fugitive? That group earlier was after you, weren't they?" The young man tightened his grip on his curved blade, his aura flaring as he prepared for the worst. His heart had already labeled the man as a desperate criminal. Though he was outmatched, the man's immobility gave him a slim chance to escape using his Phantom Step technique if needed.
"Hah! A tiger at bay being taunted by a pup," the man said with a hoarse laugh. "Once, I ruled the Four Realms, yet here I am, threatened by a mere third-to-fifth-tier brat."
Suddenly, his aura surged dramatically. The very air trembled under the intensity of his power, causing even the trees to sway.
"Come! Let them come! Let's all perish together!" His thunderous voice reverberated through the forest, making the young man wince as his ears throbbed in pain.
The young man shielded his ears, struggling to stay grounded under the onslaught of the pressure. "Are you insane? That'll only bring those guys back here!" he shouted angrily. Who is this man? Even in this condition, he's terrifyingly powerful. Could he be a Lord Realm expert?
Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the overwhelming aura vanished. The young man looked over to see the middle-aged man collapse, coughing up blood. His energy had clearly been spent recklessly, worsening his injuries.
"Who is this guy? With power like that, how'd he end up in such a state? Was he ambushed?" the young man muttered, his curiosity growing.
After a moment of hesitation, he sighed. "Well, dead or alive, I can't just leave you here. Guess my bleeding heart's getting me into trouble again." He approached the man and retrieved a small vial and a waterskin from his Ring of Ling. Popping a pill out of the bottle, he placed it in the man's mouth and helped him swallow it down with a gulp of water.
After a while, the man's eyes flickered open. He scanned his internal energy flow, noting that the spread of the poison had temporarily halted.
"You're awake! Feeling any better?" the young man asked, shaking the vial in his hand. "Didn't think these pills would actually work!"
The man's eyes narrowed as he recognized the scent. "Hui Ling Dan... A top-tier restorative pill from the Priests' Guild."
"Ha, not bad for a half-dead lunatic. You actually know your stuff," the young man quipped, smirking.
"Carrying such a rare and precious medicine... You're no ordinary brat. Your family must have a lot of influence," the man mused. The Priests' Guild's medicines were treasures sought across all realms—"gold is easy to earn, but a single pill is priceless." Even a standard mid-tier pill was prohibitively expensive, let alone a bottle of top-tier Hui Ling Dan.
"Of course! Who do you think I am?" the young man replied, puffing out his chest in mock arrogance.
Before they could continue, flickers of light appeared in the distance. The young man's face fell. "Damn, those guys are back! Come on, we need to move!" He bent down to hoist the man onto his back.
"Leave me," the man said firmly. "Those people are no amateurs. If you bring me along, we won't get far before they catch up. Save yourself."
"Shut up, old man," the young man snapped. "I didn't waste my pill just to let you die here." With a grunt, he hefted the man—who was significantly larger than himself—onto his back. "Longzi, let's go!" A small dragon-like creature scurried onto the young man's shoulder as he activated his Phantom Step, darting forward at breakneck speed.
"Phantom Step... So, you're from the Demon Realm," the man murmured, impressed. "Not bad, for a third-to-fifth-tier brat."
"You don't know the half of it," the young man shot back, weaving through the dense forest. Yet, despite his speed, the flickering lights behind them were drawing closer.
"Kid, you should leave me behind," the man urged again. "You can't sustain this pace while carrying me. Those are Xie Clan enforcers back there—each of them stronger than you. And one of them is Xie Mo, a sixth-to-seventh-tier warrior. If he catches up, it's over for you."
"Will you shut up already? You're making it hard to focus!" the young man barked, his frustration growing. Despite his bravado, he couldn't help but think, I might not make it this time. Should've asked my brother, Sitong, for a few Demon Dragon Guards before heading out. Any one of them could've wiped the floor with these guys.
"What's your name, kid?" the man asked suddenly.
"What? Why?"
"If we survive this, I'll owe you a debt I won't forget," the man replied.
"You? Owe me? You're not exactly in any shape to repay debts," the young man snorted. "But fine, I'll humor you. Name's An. Just call me Little An."
"Little An... Let's see if the heavens favor us today," the man said with a wry smile.
"Spare me the doomsday talk," An muttered. "I'm too young to die."
Suddenly, the man's eyes sharpened. "Looks like luck's on our side after all. Turn right up ahead."
"What? That'll just get us caught faster!"
"Trust me. There's someone ahead who can help us," the man said confidently.
Behind them, a contingent of Xie Clan enforcers clad in silver armor rode on ferocious lion-tiger mounts. At their head was a burly middle-aged man with a striking resemblance to the one An carried.
"Still running, old fool? This time, I'll finish what I started. Once you're gone, the Xie Clan will finally be mine," the leader thought, his eyes burning with murderous intent.
But as they pressed forward, a dark figure emerged from the shadows, halting the leader's mount in its tracks. The beast refused to move, its instincts recognizing the sheer malice radiating from the figure.
"You dare block my path? Do you know who I am?" the leader bellowed.
"Xie Mo, captain of the Xie Clan Enforcers. Of course I know who you are," the figure replied coolly, stepping forward. It was a masked youth clad in black—a shadow guard sent by Sitong, the Demon Dragon Guard's top assassin.
"Then you know better than to meddle in my affairs. Step aside, and I might let you live," Xie Mo sneered.
The masked youth said nothing, only drawing a blade.
Minutes later, the enforcers retreated in disarray, leaving Xie Mo trembling with rage. "This isn't over, old man. I'll summon someone even you can't escape."
The masked youth watched them disappear into the forest before turning to track An's fading aura. But his heart sank. "The young master's energy... it's gone."