The man stood tall before Yizhou, a smug curve tugging at his lips as if he were gazing down at nothing more than an ant. "What a truly beautiful sight, don't you agree?" he drawled, eyes glinting with pride.
"The Phoenix fire… it's really pretty." His tone was the same as an artist admiring his own masterpiece.
He chuckled softly, tilting his head in satisfaction. "It's a good thing I took the Soul Stone from that phoenix I killed last time. Now, I can enjoy this kind of scene whenever I please."
Yizhou's gaze locked onto him, his face remained an emotionless mask, like the hollow expression of someone whose very soul had been stolen. Yet the faint red in his eyes betrays the storm raging inside. His breaths came shallow and uneven: Anger, deep and bitter, clawing at his chest.
"What, a blank face? You people from the Dragon Clan are really boring," the man said with a careless shrug. His smile lingered, thin and mocking, as if savoring the sight of Yizhou's stillness. But by now, Yizhou could no longer hear the man's voice, not because it was gone, but because Yizhou's world had erupted into something else entirely.
Yizhou's rationality teetered on the edge, slipping away like sand through open fingers, yet every nerve in his body screamed awake: The world around him was suddenly sharper, brighter, louder so overwhelming it was almost intoxicating.
All his senses sharpened to an impossible degree. Suddenly, he could hear, see, and feel everything: from the mundane things like the whistle of the wind through the trees, the birds' gentle chirping, the footsteps and laughter of distant people… To the grand, unfathomable movements of the cosmos itself. For a moment he could sense the clash of colliding stars, the slow spin of the sun, the birth of life and the quiet moment it was taken away. It was as if he were gazing at the universe through the eyes of a higher being.
Heat surged through him, not from the Phoenix fire outside, but from somewhere deep within. Every cell, every drop of blood, burned—not with agony, but with a fierce, unstoppable exhilaration. It felt as though the marrow in his bones had caught fire, reshaping him from the inside out.
BOOM!!
Purple thunder churned in the sky, its roar crashing across the valley like the relentless beat of a war drum.
Searing heat surged through Yizhou's veins, crawling like fire beneath his skin. He staggered, clutching at his chest as if to hold himself together, breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps. His vision blurred and twisted, the world around him tilting.
A piercing ring filled his ears, so loud it drowned out even the thunder, and within that suffocating noise, memories came flooding in. They flickered and snapped like a broken film reel, flashing fragments over and over, impossible to stop:
—Sui Sui, reaching out to him in that pitch-black mountain, dragging him out of the cold.
—Sui Sui, slipping him food stolen from the kitchen, grinning like it was their shared secret.
—Sui Sui, nervously asking him to live together, worried about him living on the mountain alone at night.
—Sui Sui, standing in front of him, shielding the mean words of the thief.
—Sui Sui, buying him a wooden sword, the one he would cherish for a long time.
—Sui Sui, swearing he would never hate him, no matter what.
—Sui Sui, smiling softly, ruffling his hair as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
And then—
Sui Sui burning—
Dying
All of his memories with Sui Sui danced around in his mind like broken fragments. It felt like he had lived through a lifetime in that swirl of moments, yet in reality, only a few seconds had passed.
The skies above groaned, thunder roaring, and lightning splitting the clouds
Noticing the change, the black-robed man felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine. His eyes narrowed as realization struck: This thing looked bad. The demonic cultivator suspected the boy was about to undergo his first dragon transformation.
When a member of the Dragon Clan underwent their first transformation, it marked the moment their power reached its absolute peak. This was a time where it didn't matter whether they were a low-level or high-level cultivator
The instant they transformed, the full extent of their talent and spiritual roots would erupt to their very limits. For a short, terrifying span of time, they would be at their most powerful… and most invincible state.
A dragon's first transformation usually came later in life. Most of the Dragon Clan experienced it only after reaching the Foundation Building or Golden Core stage, retreating to some secluded place far from others to release the overwhelming power in safety.
But now…this boy, barely seven years old and only at Qi Refining, was already undergoing his first transformation. Such terrifying talent…
In the shadows, the demon cultivator's eyes glimmered coldly. This child had to be eliminated now. If he were allowed to grow, he would one day become a threat great enough to shatter their plans.
The demonic cultivator gathered a surge of dark qi in his palm, pouring every ounce of strength into the strike. If he could hit Yizhou now, he could stop the transformation before it began
But just as the dark qi surged toward Yizhou, a deafening thunderclap split the heavens apart. A blinding bolt crashed down, striking the spot where Yizhou stood. The impact was so fierce it hurled the demon cultivator several meters back. The thunder's sheer pressure twisted the air itself, and the shockwave shattered the ground into splintered fragments beneath him.
When the demonic cultivator regained his footing, he snapped his gaze toward where Yizhou had been—only to find the boy gone.
Another strike of thunder shook the heavens. The sky itself is blazing gold.
A thunderclap cracked the heavens open as a colossal golden dragon burst forth from the burning ruins of the estate, its roar rolling across the valley like a war drum.
This is bad. The demonic cultivator's face darkened, a chill sinking into his bones.
He had clearly underestimated that boy, and now he was paying the price for it.
The demonic cultivator's face twisted in frustration, lips curling as if he'd just swallowed something bitter. With a sharp movement, he pulled a talisman from his Qiankun Pouch.
Channeling his spiritual energy into it, a faint glow spread across the talisman before a voice came through—it was General Yan, his tone deep and impatient.
"Is the job done?"
The demonic cultivator clenched his jaw, the words tasting sour on his tongue. "Not good, General… that boy—he's about to have his first transformation."
"What?!" General Yan's voice boomed from the other side, sharp enough to make the talisman tremble slightly in the demonic cultivator's hand.
"Yes," the cultivator gritted out, his tone laced with disbelief and frustration. "He suddenly transformed before I could kill him. I need your orders, General—what should I do?"
A short, irritated click of the tongue came through the connection. "Tsk. For now, retreat. If you stay there, you'll be throwing your life away."
The cultivator's eyes narrowed, but he didn't dare argue. He gave a stiff nod even though the other couldn't see him. "Yes, sir." With that, he cut the connection and shoved the talisman back into his pouch, his expression dark and heavy.
The call cut off, leaving only the faint hum of spiritual energy in the air.
Clicking his tongue, the demonic cultivator pulled out a life-saving weapon from his Qiankun Pouch. It was something he'd stumbled upon in a secret realm—a rare treasure capable of boosting a person's speed to nearly the speed of light… but only for five seconds, and only once a day.
He stared at it for a moment, his expression twisting in reluctance. To use something this precious… against a single kid? The thought alone left a bitter taste in his mouth. But General Yan's order still rang in his ears—flee fast.
With a sharp inhale, he strapped the weapon on. The moment it activated, his body blurred into a streak of light, the world around him warping as distance turned meaningless. In just a heartbeat, he had already crossed millions of kilometers.
When the weapon's power finally ran out, he had already traveled a total of 1.5 million kilometers from where Yizhou was.
He exhaled slowly, thinking he had escaped. But then—
Rumble…
The sky above him still roared, heavy and oppressive. Golden thunder flickered like restless serpents behind the thick clouds. The demonic cultivator's steps halted, his eyes widening.
"…It can't be."
Before he could even reach for another weapon, purple and golden lightning twisted together in a violent dance, striking down at the spot where he stood.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Nine strikes came in succession, each one fiercer than the last, shaking the heavens and splitting the ground beneath him.
Then—silence.
The world stilled, and the air thick with the scent of burnt earth.
In the spot where the man had been standing, not even the faintest wisp of a soul remained.