Chapter 6: First Encounter!
Looking at 'Pigsy' sprawled on the ground after being flipped over by him, a smile appeared on Jiang Yun's delicate little face. This could be considered the first opponent he had ever knocked down in this world, right?
"Ugh—"
But before he could be happy for long, a wave of weakness washed over his body. The aftereffects of that explosive burst of strength had finally arrived.
"Huff, huff, huff." Jiang Yun collapsed powerlessly to his knees. He opened his mouth wide, panting heavily for breath. Fine beads of sweat dripped down one by one.
The very same hands that had just moments ago been able to topple a five-meter-tall demonic beast were now barely able to support his small, young body.
"Damn it..." Feeling the complete lack of strength within him, Jiang Yun cursed angrily under his breath.
"Roar—"
It never rains but it pours. Just when he was completely at the mercy of others, an angry beast's roar came from afar. Jiang Yun's expression instantly changed.
The 'Pigsy' he had knocked over was now shaking its massive head, advancing toward Jiang Yun step by step.
"Thud." Heavy footsteps echoed. From them, Jiang Yun could even feel the rage fuming in its heart. In the end, he was simply too young. Even though Jiang Yun's strength had reached the required level, the beast's formidable defense had allowed it to recover very quickly.
"Hold on... let me catch my breath first..."
"Roar—"
Upon hearing this, the ferocity in 'Pigsy's' eyes grew even more intense. In the next moment, it suddenly charged forward. The wind element around it seethed, and it shot forward like a streak of light, its speed a full thirty percent faster than before.
"Big pig-head, stop right there! He's mine..." Just then, a childish voice rang out. The next instant, Jiang Yun saw a streak of light rapidly speeding straight toward 'Pigsy.'
As if a bolt of lightning had flashed before Jiang Yun's eyes, 'Pigsy's' charging body inexplicably stiffened. Its entire massive body came to a halt just a few meters in front of Jiang Yun, completely motionless, as if frozen.
A wooden spear, as thick as Jiang Yun's arm and of unknown origin, had precisely pierced into its eye, sinking deeply into it, delivering a fatal blow.
"Whew, at least it wasn't wasted!" Jiang Yun murmured softly. On his left hand, which he had kept hidden behind his back, a deep, opening-and-closing eye silently closed, then vanished.
That was the characteristic feature of the Xie Ling Clan, and also their most powerful innate divine ability, with endless wondrous uses. Jiang Yun was hailed as the most perfect evolved being, not only because his physical body had evolved to be completely identical to a human's and the Xie Ling Clan's prominent sinister eye in the palm had been concealed, but concealment did not mean disappearance. His two sinister eyes had merged into one, usually hidden within his spiritual sea of consciousness. When needed, it could manifest and be used on parts of his body like his forehead or palm.
His talent had also received unprecedented enhancement. The Xie Ling Clan's unique divine ability had a limited number of uses in a lifetime, varying based on talent and cultivation. He could use it nine times—the highest number within the clan. The previous record holder was Jiang Ya, who could use it seven times.
It was precisely because of this talent that Jiang Ya had seen hope and risked helping him.
"Hey, I saved you, you know!" Just then, a crisp, clear voice rang out. Following that, Jiang Yun saw two fair, tender little feet appear before his eyes.
Jiang Yun looked up and saw a little loli in purple clothes, around eight or nine years old, not much older than him.
As far as looks went, this little loli was truly beyond reproach. Her small face could be described as exquisitely sculpted from powder and jade. Her large, jet-black eyes blinked gently, brimming with an innocent adorableness and lively spirit. Her whole appearance was soft and cute, exceptionally endearing.
However, the faintly fierce and aggressive aura emanating from her body made Jiang Yun, whose spiritual senses were exceptionally sharp, pause involuntarily. Since this was a new plane, he hadn't yet figured out the division of power here.
Categorizing things according to the power system he had previously understood would inevitably lead to some discrepancies. But one thing he could be certain of was that 'Pigsy' was absolutely a whole level below her.
He glanced at the gruesomely dead 'Pigsy.' By his estimate, if she threw a punch at him, he probably wouldn't be able to block it.
As Jiang Yun was lost in thought, the little girl was clearly an impatient sort. Dissatisfied, she stretched out a small hand and waved it in front of his eyes, speaking again, "Hey, I said I saved you, you know!"
As she spoke, she gestured with her hands, her eyes looking at Jiang Yun expectantly. Her small mouth opened slightly, and faintly, what seemed like a transparent string of drool could be seen seeping out.
"I..." Jiang Yun was about to speak, but the weakness inside him surged, and he could no longer hold on. His entire body slumped powerlessly toward the little girl.
"Hey!"
"Wake up! Don't you faint on me!"
"You haven't given me my reward yet! I'm not picky, just give me a few of those tasty things I sensed!"
The little girl caught Jiang Yun somewhat at a loss. She anxiously slapped Jiang Yun's face, the force so considerable that his cheeks began to swell red. She wore a crying face—was it because of the unknown tasty treasure, or because of Jiang Yun?
Holding Jiang Yun steady, the little girl suddenly felt a sense of closeness. The void spatial energy emanating from him was exactly the same as the power she wielded.
Looking at Jiang Yun's tightly shut eyes and realizing he was likely unconscious from exhaustion, she was driven by some strange impulse to lower her head and sniff him. Her face instantly revealed a somewhat 'enraptured' expression.
Jiang Yun had been fed all sorts of things by Jiang Hong since childhood. As the grandson of a Heavenly Sovereign, nothing Jiang Yun ate, drank, or played with was ordinary. If these things were brought outside, even a Supreme would fight him for his food.
To the people or demonic beasts of this world, Jiang Yun was essentially a premium 'heavenly treasure.'
The little girl seemed to recall something. She quickly put away her smile, stiffened her face, and swept her gaze around. After confirming that no outsider had seen anything, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
She lowered her head to look at Jiang Yun and inquired, "I've already saved you twice now, you know! When you wake up, the reward you owe me is doubled! Otherwise, I'll eat you!"
As she said this, she shot Jiang Yun a fierce yet adorable glare!
"Roar—"
Just as Jiang Yun was meeting the capitalist's demands with silence, several terrifying beast roars came from the distance.
The little girl's expression immediately changed. She bent down, scooping Jiang Yun up in a princess carry. "Run!" she yelled. A ripple of spatial fluctuation spread out, and in an instant, she had already brought Jiang Yun dozens of li away.
At the very moment Jiang Yun and the girl were meeting.
In the distant forest, the pursuing Demonic Beast Sovereigns had encountered an uninvited guest.
"Su Qian, this is no place for you!"
A massive tiger-type demonic beast roared. It was a full seven to eight meters long, with golden fur. Under the sunlight, its fur shone with a dazzling, piercing radiance.
A pair of flaming wings sprouted from its back, bearing clusters of golden-yellow flames. As its purple wings flapped, the flames swept out, blotting out the sky.
"This Demon Beast Forest is also part of my Jia Nan Academy's territory. Moreover, Scarlet Gold Tiger King, your collective mobilization has already violated the agreement we made back then." Su Qian stood suspended in the air, calmly clasping his hands behind his back, utterly unfazed by the dozen-plus rank 5 and rank 6 demonic beasts opposing him.
"Su Qian, leave at once! Don't think we're afraid of your Jia Nan Academy!" A massive Stormwind Hawk, with a wingspan exceeding thirty meters, screeched out loudly in a sharp voice.
The remaining demonic beasts all stared fixedly at Su Qian with wary, covetous eyes. This human Dou Ancestor exerted immense pressure on them. Despite their fierce words, none of them actually wanted to offend Jia Nan Academy.
Back in the day, Mang Tian Chi, then at the Dou Ancestor realm himself, had traveled to the Black-Corner Region. As a member of the Lei Clan, Mang Tian Chi was essentially a dimensionality-reducing strike against these desperate outlaws.
After beating the Black-Corner Region into submission, Mang Tian Chi had discovered the Fallen Heart Flame. Unfortunately, by that time, he had already broken through to Dou Venerate and was preparing to leave. For a lightning-attribute Dou Venerate like himself, the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth, seemed rather dispensable.
To avoid wasting the Heavenly Flame, and also on a whim characteristic of a lofty expert, Mang Tian Chi used the unique properties of the Fallen Heart Flame to establish the now-renowned Jia Nan Academy.
Although he had never again concerned himself with the academy after leaving behind a considerable foundation for it, when it was first founded, Mang Tian Chi had swept through the Demon Beast Forest for the sake of Jia Nan Academy.
This had left a very deep psychological scar on the current crop of demonic beasts. Compared to humans, demonic beasts had considerably longer lifespans. The Scarlet Gold Tiger Kings and the others—or their parents—had all lived through the era of Mang Tian Chi.
They deeply understood the terrifying power backing Jia Nan Academy. Putting aside Mang Tian Chi, just the Dou Ancestor Su Qian standing before them was enough to give them a major headache.
(End of Chapter)