At the centre of the world stands a mountain that pierces the heavens, its jagged peak lost within a sea of drifting clouds.
Around it, six colossal mountains rise like guardians, their slopes wrapped in a veil of glowing fog.
The air shimmers with dense spiritual energy, and from within the mist, colourful birds emerge—some with scales, some with feathers of light—singing melodies that echo through the boundless sky.
Through that endless fog, a faint, flickering spiritual energy—a fragile outline of a woman, her body transparent and fading.
It is Xiaolu.
Her spiritual form wavers with every breath of wind, yet she pushes forward, heading toward one of the six surrounding mountains.
She breaches the mist, descending toward a hidden valley cradled by the mountain's arms.
There, a cluster of wooden houses nestles among ancient trees, their leaves glowing faintly with spiritual light.
Outside one of the houses, a group of cultivators stands in silence, sensing the faint disturbance in the air.
The wind ripples.
Xiaolu's spirit form appears before them, kneeling weakly on the earth.
With trembling hands, she holds out a black fruit wrapped in faint demonic energy. The cultivators gasp in shock as the aura of death and power spills from it.
One of them—a young man in a green robe—steps forward, catching the fruit as her arms fall limp.
Xiaolu's translucent face softens into a faint smile.
Her lips move, but no sound emerges.
Then her spirit scatters into the air, dissolving into motes of light that drift away with the mountain breeze.
Only silence remains, broken by the rustle of trees and the faint hum of the black fruit's power.
-------
Kaelan stands at the edge of the cliff, his gaze fixed on the human territory across the river. "They're coming," he murmurs, a cold smile touching his lips. Five days earlier than planned—but it doesn't matter. He is more than ready.
Since consuming the black fruit, his cultivation has surged from the fourth realm straight to the peak of the sixth, a hundred wisps of death mana swirling within his core.
Had the seventh realm not required the condensation of mana, he would have already stepped into it.
Even so, only forty per cent of the fruit's energy was spent on his breakthrough.
The rest he poured into his body, tempering it until it reached the second stage.
Within him, his void monster cells fused even deeper with his crow bloodline.
His physical strength grew monstrous, though he knows a day will come when his body may no longer separate from the crow form.
That danger, however, is for the future.
For now, his sharp eyes catch four human figures flying low above the river—three martial artists and one cultivator.
Kaelan rises into the air, black feathers gleaming under the sunlight.
Mana surges through him as hundreds of fireballs spiral into existence, swirling around him like a storm.
With a flick of his wings, he sends them blazing toward the intruders.
The humans halt midair.
The three martial artists roar and strike, their fists shattering the incoming fireballs, while the lone cultivator forms a glowing energy barrier to block the rest.
The air crackles. The river below ripples from the shockwave.
And just like that—the battle above the river begins.
The battle above the river erupts into chaos.
Waves crash against the banks as Kaelan dives through the sky, his wings scattering sparks of crimson fire.
Below him, the water churns from the force of the four human auras pressing upward like mountains.
Liu Kong's massive hammer glows with earthen light, each swing bending the air and shaking the river below.
He leaps forward, and the air explodes as the hammer collides with Kaelan's flaming wing.
Kaelan reels back midair, flames scattering like molten rain, the impact numbing his left side.
Sima Li thrusts his spear, its tip wreathed in metal and fire qi.
It cuts through Kaelan's defence, grazing his chest, leaving a molten streak of blood that sizzles before the wound closes.
From the side, Wang Yilian flashes past like a silver phantom, her sword flickering with razor-thin strands of light.
Her blade carves through the flames surrounding Kaelan's body, cutting off a trail of feathers that burn to ash before they fall.
Kaelan lets out a screech that splits the air, fire bursting from his talons as he performs Fire Claw—now at great mastery.
The flames surge up his limbs, engulfing his whole body until he becomes a burning bird of death.
He slashes downward, hurling arcs of fire that collide with Liu Kong's hammer and Sima Li's spear, scattering sparks across the battlefield.
From behind the three, Feng Ming chants softly, his hands weaving.
Wisps of white clouds gather, condensing into the Cloud Hand spell.
Invisible force wraps around Kaelan's right wing and drags him down.
Rain Sword! Feng Ming cries next, and countless droplets of condensed energy harden into blades that descend like a storm.
Kaelan folds his wings, spinning through the deluge.
Fire bursts from his feathers as he breaks through the storm, his Ironstone Body shimmering like molten metal beneath the flames.
Each droplet that hits him hisses and turns to steam.
Still, the combined assault presses him hard. He crashes through the air, his fire dimming under the relentless onslaught.
Every strike shakes his body, the humans moving in seamless rhythm—hammer, spear, sword, and spell, all weaving into a single deadly dance.
Even so, Kaelan's golden eyes stay calm.
The air ripples with his mana.
If he wishes, one beat of his wings could send him vanishing into the horizon.
But he doesn't flee.
Not yet.
The river roars beneath the blazing sky, and just as Kaelan readies to strike again, the surface of the water erupts.
A massive, colourful fish demon bursts out, scales gleaming with rainbow light.
It slams into Sima Li mid-flight, wrapping him in its fins and dragging him into the river's depths with a thunderous splash.
Kaelan's eyes flicker. The aura—familiar, vibrant. Yu Lian.
"Yu Lian?" he sends through spirit sense.
Her voice flows back into his mind, calm yet strained. "Brother, I came to help you."
A small smile forms in Kaelan's mind. "Thank you."
He folds his wings and dives again, flames swirling around his body.
With one less opponent in the air, his strikes grow sharper, his pressure heavier, but the humans fight with unyielding rhythm.
Liu Kong's hammer roars with earthen qi, shaking the clouds. Wang Yilian's sword gleams with pale deathlight, her movements still deadly despite her withered form.
Kaelan parries, dodges, and clashes, the impact of each blow cracking the air.
His flames spread across the sky, reflecting on the river below like scattered stars.
But between the flashes, he notices Yu Lian struggling beneath the water, her strength waning against Sima Li's spear thrusts that burst from the surface in pillars of red and gold.
He frowns. If he doesn't end this soon, Yu Lian will die because of him.
For the first time, he thinks of fleeing—of grabbing her and retreating to the deep mountains. But then, as he blocks Liu Kong's hammer head-on, something within his body shifts.
His blood burns. His muscles tighten. His flesh hardens like tempered steel.
The flow of his mana surges through his veins, fusing perfectly with the rhythm of impact. Iron Body Magic Power—a step higher, the threshold shatters. Great mastery.
The next moment, Liu Kong's hammer collides again, and Kaelan doesn't budge.
Instead, he flares his wings like blades, slicing through the air.
One wing slashes across Wang Yilian's chest.
She gasps, blood spraying as her sword slips from her hand.
Before Liu Kong can react, Kaelan spins, his feathers sharpening into streaks of killing light. Feather Sword.
The flaming blades tear through the sky and strike Sima Li as he bursts from the river, blood scattering like crimson rain.
"Yu Lian!" Kaelan calls.
"I'm fine," her voice comes, trembling but alive.
The battle turns. Now it is the humans' turn to falter.
Kaelan's flames burn darker, tinged with shadow.
He channels death mana into his spell—the first successful fusion.
In his claw forms a black fireball, swirling with both heat and decay.
He hurls it toward Feng Ming.
The explosion devours the sky in silence.
When the smoke clears, Feng Ming plummets into the river, his robes torn and charred.
The demons lurking below rush like piranhas, hungry for a fallen cultivator.
Liu Kong and the wounded Sima Li glance at each other, panic flashing across their faces. They try to flee, but their injuries slow them.
On the riverbank, Zhu Mingjin and several human cultivators surge forward, throwing spells to aid them.
Feng Ming, bleeding heavily, manages to break free of the attacking demons and reach Zhu Mingjin's side. Zhu grabs him, ready to retreat—
—but the air shifts.
A golden light flashes from every direction, forming a dome that seals the sky and river alike. The energy hums, pure and crushing.
Kaelan halts midair, flames dimming as his eyes narrow.
The humans stop too.
A third power has entered the battle.