Sword Light Beneath the Burning Sky

"This is..."

"The Smoke drake Lion..."

Uncle Jadis’s pupils shrank violently.

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire world seemed to fall silent for a heartbeat.

Then—

Boom!

The heavens split apart with another deafening roar.

Black clouds churned like an angry ocean above the mystery woodland. Purple lightning twisted through the sky like furious dragons, illuminating the gigantic silhouette emerging from the distant Mountain Tresure.

Its body was enormous.

Ancient.

Terrifying.

Dark smoke rolled endlessly around its golden-black fur while crackling lightning crawled across its claws. Every breath it exhaled carried scorching heat mixed with the smell of ash and thunder. Crimson eyes, ancient and tyrannical, slowly opened beneath the fog.

The pressure alone was enough to suffocate weaker cultivators.

Uncle Jadis was shocked. Another ancient ferocious beast appeared after the Inferno Swift Bird. Moreover, it was at least an extremely ferocious pinnacle Realm beast judging from its aura.

His voice trembled slightly despite his experience.

"Oh my god! Is the world going to change?"

The disciples behind him instantly turned pale.

One young student nearly collapsed onto the ground, his legs shaking uncontrollably. Another covered her mouth in horror as tears welled in her eyes. Even breathing became difficult beneath that monstrous pressure.

Fairy Fiona’s beautiful face had long since lost its color.

Her azure hair fluttered wildly beneath the violent storm winds while her dark blue robes danced around her slender body. The silver embroidery near her waist shimmered faintly beneath the lightning flashes, emphasizing the graceful curve of her hips and thighs beneath the fabric.

Yet none of that elegance mattered now.

Fear gripped her heart tightly.

Everyone present turned pale with fright. Uncle Jadis was extremely anxious and hurriedly said to Fiona and the students behind him, "Quick, leave this place."

His voice exploded like thunder.

No hesitation.

No dignity.

Only urgency.

With that, he crushed the communication talisman and brought everyone away.

Crack!

The talisman shattered into streams of blue light.

An invisible wave spread outward instantly.

He was the only mid-stage sage Realm expert in this team. He might be able to protect himself. However, Fiona was also in the group. Nothing could happen to her. To be safe, he decided to retreat first and make plans when the First Elder and the others arrived.

The ground trembled violently beneath their feet.

Trees collapsed.

Mountains cracked.

The sky itself looked ready to collapse.

Boom...

Suddenly, a shocking bolt of lightning struck down. A canyon appeared in the middle of a huge mountain with astonishing power.

The terrifying force split the earth apart like paper.

Rocks exploded into the sky.

Dust clouds rose thousands of meters high.

The students screamed in terror as debris rained around them.

At this moment, the entire mystery woodland was in chaos. Not only were there people from the Soft water Divine sect, but there were also experts and students from other famous Powerful Sects staying here for the night.

Everyone was awakened by this shocking lightning.

"What happened?"

"What in the heavens is that?"

"Run!"

The peaceful night had shattered completely.

Camps collapsed.

Spirit beasts fled madly through the forest.

The sound of panicked footsteps echoed endlessly beneath the storm.

Everyone was stunned when they climbed out of the tent and saw the scene above them.

The gigantic Smoke darke Lion stood proudly atop the distant mountains like an ancient ruler descending into the mortal world.

Its roar shook the heavens.

"Oh my god, it’s actually an Ancient great ferocious beast, The Smoke darke Lion."

"Everyone, run."

This sudden clap of thunder finally broke the silence in the mystery woodland. Everyone began to panic and flee frantically.

Some activated flying treasures.

Some abandoned their companions entirely.

Others screamed while desperately running through the dense forest.

No one wanted to stay behind against such monsters.

Fiona and the others also quickly left their original place, far away from the Smoke darke Lion. They only dared to look back after running a hundred miles.

Cold sweat soaked her back.

Her breathing remained uneven.

Even now, her heart still pounded violently against her chest.

"Unbelievable. I thought that the most terrifying thing in this riot was the Inferno Swift Bird. I didn’t expect a Smoke darke Lion to appear."

Fiona’s voice trembled slightly.

Her beautiful teal eyes still carried lingering fear.

It was obvious that she had yet to recover from her fear. Since midnight, she had a premonition that something big would happen tonight. She did not expect her premonition to be so accurate.

The atmosphere around the mystery woodland had completely changed.

It no longer felt like a silent forest.

It felt like the battlefield of ancient gods.

As soon as the Smoke darke Lion appeared, it instantly drew lightning to attack the old earth spiky turtle in the coffin. The entire mystery woodland was awakened.

Roar! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The Smoke darke Lion leapt across the sky.

Lightning wrapped around its body while black flames erupted beneath its claws. The sheer pressure from its movement shattered nearby mountains instantly.

Yet—

The old earth spiky turtle remained calm.

Its colossal body continued moving slowly through the chaos, carrying the mysterious coffin on its back.

The coffin emitted endless vitality.

Even from hundreds of miles away, everyone could feel that terrifying life aura washing across the land like an invisible tide.

The old earth spiky turtle’s strength seemed to be above it. It ignored the Smoke darke Lion’s attacks and only cared about crawling forward slowly. Every step it took seemed slow, but it was actually extremely fast. The Smoke darke Lion chased after it with all its might, but it could not catch up.

The scene felt unreal.

Like legends walking out from ancient history.

Lightning.

Flames.

Ancient beasts.

A living coffin carrying unknown secrets.

Everyone watching felt their souls trembling.

Just as everyone thought that the giant turtle was about to disappear again, suddenly a pillar of fire slowly erupted from a mountain ridge.

"That’s..."

"Inferno Swift Bird ..."

Everyone was shocked.

No one had expected that the Inferno Swift Bird they had been searching for had been hiding in that cave. The fire Bird emitted raging flames. A sea of flames instantly covered the entire mountain range with a flap of its wings.

The temperature rose instantly.

The forest ignited.

The sky turned crimson.

Its gigantic wings blotted out half the heavens as burning feathers drifted through the air like meteors.

The Inferno Swift Bird cried sharply.

The sound pierced directly into everyone’s minds.

Some weaker students instantly coughed blood from the shockwave alone.

"Fiona, be careful..." A fireball suddenly smashed over and almost hit Fiona. Uncle Jadis tried his best to block it under her pale and terrified gaze. That was the strike of a pinnacle ferocious beast, the Inferno Swift Bird. Even a casual strike could easily kill Fiona.

The fireball descended like a miniature sun.

The surrounding air melted instantly.

Trees turned to ash before contact.

Fiona froze.

Her mind went blank.

The fire reflected within her wide teal eyes as death rapidly approached.

"Am I... going to die?" Fiona’s face was pale and weak as she looked hopelessly at the fireball that was flying towards her. She instantly thought of many things. She wanted to dodge, but the range covered by the fireball was too large. Even if she teleported, she could not leave this range.

Memories flashed through her mind.

Her Teacher.

Her academy.

Ashford City.

That mysterious man she met before...

For some reason, his calm purple eyes suddenly appeared in her thoughts.

Uncle Jadis roared furiously.

Mana erupted from his body like a tidal wave.

He raised both hands desperately to block the incoming flames.

Jadis tried his best to block it. Who would have thought that another bolt of lightning would come from the left and go straight for his life? It was difficult to achieve both at the same time. If he had cared about the fireball over there, this bolt of lightning would have taken his life. If he didn’t do anything, Fiona would definitely die. Even the students behind her would lose their lives.

Despair filled his heart instantly.

His face twisted.

Veins bulged across his forehead.

For the first time in years, he truly felt powerless.

In his despair, Uncle Jadis was extremely anxious.

At this moment, a purple light cut through the dark silence and slashed over from the sky. Like ripples suddenly appearing on a calm lake, the two mountains were split apart.

Shing!

The sword cry echoed across heaven and earth.

Elegant.

Cold.

Absolute.

The incoming fireball shattered instantly beneath the sword light.

Even the lightning bolt exploded apart midair.

The storm itself seemed to pause for a moment.

"Who?"

Fiona woke up from her despair and looked in the direction of the sword.

Her breathing stopped.

In the mist, a charming figure could be vaguely seen standing with a long sword in his hand. He was like a sword immortal who had been left behind in the mortal world, full of valor.