Kaelan floats in the air, his gaze fixed on the strange tree ahead. Its bark is pitch-black, pulsing faintly as if alive, and from its twisted branches hang nine fruits as dark as obsidian.
The fruits glimmer faintly with veins of silver light, their aura thick with death essence—each one exuding enough power to shake a cultivator's soul.
The tree itself is sacred, yet no one's eyes are on it. All attention is drawn to those nine black fruits.
Before the fruits even ripen, demons begin to roar and threaten one another, their voices echoing across the barren field.
Auras explode in all directions as they claim fruits they cannot yet touch. Kaelan scans the gathered crowd.
The ground below teems with Stage 1 demons—Demon Qi Refining Realm—most in their beast forms, wings and claws flashing in the grey air.
They are of no concern to him.
The true competitors are those who hover above the crowd like him, fifteen in total.
Each one radiates dense demon power, marking them as Stage 2—Core Formation Realm.
None shows their race at first. They stand silent, waiting, watching, testing each other's patience.
Then, as the pressure builds, some break the silence, releasing their clan's aura to intimidate the rest.
Dark waves ripple through the air as names are shouted—Black Tiger Clan, Death Giant Serpent Clan, Bone Mantis Clan—each carrying centuries of killing intent.
Kaelan's eyes narrow.
Not all reveal themselves.
Like him, a few remain silent, conserving strength.
One of them, Yun Zhen, glides beside him, his black robes brushing the cold wind. His eyes stay fixed on the fruits, unblinking.
"Let's help each other next," she says softly, her tone calm but edged with intent.
Kaelan nods once. "Ok."
They fall silent again.
A sweet, intoxicating scent fills the air as the nine black fruits reach full ripeness, their silver veins pulsating like beating hearts.
The death energy around the tree turns violent, surging in waves that make the ground tremble.
The moment the first fruit releases a faint glow, the demons erupt into motion.
Roars and screeches fill the air as they tear toward the tree, bodies colliding midair, claws and spells clashing in flashes of dark light. Kaelan's eyes narrow.
He activates his talent spell, his spirit surging through every vein, and the metallic sheen of his Iron Body Magic Power spreads across his skin.
He doesn't dodge. He takes the blows head-on—shadow blades, venom blasts, wind claws—each strike ringing against his body like steel against stone.
The pain sharpens his senses.
He dives through the chaos, wings of mana flaring behind him as he forces a path toward the tree.
Beside him, Yun Zhen's attacks bloom like dark flowers. His shadow chains whip through the air, pulling demons apart.
His strikes are precise and ruthless.
Every move he makes clears Kaelan's path.
But no one gets close to the tree.
The instant a demon nears the trunk, others turn on them.
The air becomes a storm of blood and fury, each combatant desperate but careful—none daring to let their attacks strike the spiritual tree.
Kaelan hovers among the slaughter, eyes cold. He raises his hand, and fire gathers in his palm—a searing sphere of crimson flame that hums with restrained power.
He hurls it forward, the explosion throwing a serpent demon back in burning agony.
Another follows, then another, fireballs bursting across the battlefield. Yet even as he fights, his thoughts churn. The fireball spell feels… shallow. Limited.
What if he infused it with death energy—the same force he now commands with growing ease? Fire that burns and decays at once. Fire that consumes not only flesh but spirit.
He deflects a bone spear, eyes darkening. The idea coils in his mind like a spark seeking fuel.
He continues the battle, flame after flame flying from his hands, carving through the horde, his gaze never leaving the nine black fruits. He intends to claim at least two, no matter who stands in his way.
The melee turns blood-soaked.
Screams and roars echo through the death-laden air as demons fall from the sky, bodies crushed, burned, or torn apart.
Death energy coils around them like mist, thick enough to blur the world in grey.
Kaelan pushes forward, his metallic skin flashing under the flickering light of spells.
Claws rake his back, blades cut his arm, yet he endures, every wound hardening his resolve.
Even with his Iron Body Magic Power, pain seeps through the cracks—but he doesn't stop.
All around, weaker demons begin to retreat, their courage spent. Three fruits are already taken, and blood stains the roots of the tree.
Kaelan finally seizes one of the ripened black fruits, its cold pulse vibrating in his hand.
He could flee.
But Yun Zhen still fights below, his dark blade weaving through enemies like a shadow through fog.
Yun Zhen had helped him reach the tree—Kaelan won't abandon him now.
Then the air splits with a new kind of energy.
Six streaks of human aura tear across the battlefield.
Spells rain down—flames, wooden spikes, cutting wind. Dozens of demons fall instantly, torn apart before they can react. Kaelan takes a wooden blast to his chest, the impact sending him spinning through the air, blood splattering across the fog.
When he steadies himself, his gaze sharpens.
The six humans—Core Formation Realm cultivators—move like hunters among beasts.
Three of them snatch two fruits each from the tree and retreat in three directions, vanishing into the distance.
Yun Zhen's eyes meet Kaelan's. Both understand.
Without a word, Kaelan shifts.
His body twists and feathers burst outward—his form expanding into a massive black crow.
He spreads his wings, the air trembling beneath each beat.
Yun Zhen rises beside him, sword drawn, shadow aura swirling.
Together, they cut through the fog like blades through silk, killing intent sharp enough to shake the death-laden air.
Kaelan beats his wings once—twice—and surges ahead of Yun Zhen, the wind screaming past his feathers.
The two fleeing humans come into view. Their anxious voices drift through the haze.
"Xiaolu, go ahead. I'll stop the demons," the man says, breath ragged.
"No, Senior Brother—we'll go together!" the woman pleads.
"Xiaolu," his tone hardens, "we need this fruit to trade for medicine for Minyu. If I fall, you must live for his sake."
Her sob catches in the wind as she veers away, clutching the black fruit close.
Kaelan's eyes narrow, molten light flickering in their depths. Overestimating yourself.
He lifts a talon, mana surging through his veins.
Flames spiral from his claws, spreading like wildfire across his wings until his entire form burns crimson-gold.
With a single beat, he dives.
The man below summons a glowing wooden barrier, panic flashing in his eyes as the image of a blazing crow fills his vision.
The impact shatters the air—the barrier cracks, splinters, and bursts apart under the inferno.
Flames roar.
Kaelan channels the fire behind him, compressing it into his wings before detonating it in a violent blast.
The explosion propels him forward, tearing through the smoke.
Kaelan bursts from the inferno, talons stretched wide, a streak of burning light slicing through the death-fog.
Ahead, the female cultivator flees, her aura flickering with desperation.
Behind him, the male cultivator turns, ready to block his path—but Yun Zhen arrives like a shadow, his strike tearing through the air.
Steel clashes against wood essence as the two collide, the forest energy shattering under Yun Zhen's assault.
Kaelan gains on the woman. His wings flare, each feather gleaming with molten light.
Mana floods through him as he performs Iron Feather.
Ten feathers harden like forged blades and, with a single beat, he releases them.
The air hisses.
The woman spins midair, summoning a wooden energy barrier.
The feathers strike—boom, boom, boom—hammering the barrier until cracks spread across its surface.
The force sends her tumbling, balance lost, aura flickering.
Before she can steady herself, Kaelan gathers fire into his claws, condensing it into a blazing sphere. He releases it.
The fireball crashes into her chest and sends her plummeting into the swamp below.
Steam rises as mud and water explode outward.
Coughing blood, she looks up, eyes locked on the approaching flaming crow. I can't escape... but I have to save Minyu.
Determination hardens her gaze. She lifts a trembling hand, activating a forbidden spell—Spirit Escape.
Kaelan halts midair, wings spread wide.
A translucent phantom tears free from her body, clutching one of the black fruits drawn from her satchel.
With a flash, it vanishes into the horizon, its speed far beyond pursuit.
The woman's body collapses into the mud, lifeless.
Kaelan lands beside her, his feathers dimming, and picks up the fallen satchel—one black fruit still inside along with her belongings.
He looks to the sky, where Yun Zhen battles fiercely against the male cultivator.
Kaelan rises again, flames trailing behind him, and joins the fray.
Together, their attacks intertwine—iron and shadow—until the man's final scream fades into the wind.
When silence returns, they hover above the swamp, dividing the spoils evenly.
Kaelan tosses the second black fruit to Yun Zhen.
"Pleasant cooperation," he says.
Yun Zhen nods with a faint smile as Kaelan turns, spreading his wings.
The crimson shimmer of dusk catches his feathers as he flies toward his cliff, the battlefield shrinking beneath him once more.