Chapter 12: The Wings of the storm

The next day.

Tian Jue awoke to a sudden, low rumble beneath the earth.

His eyes shot open, muscles tensing as he instinctively reached for his chain-bound needle. But there were no beasts in sight, no warning cries—just a deep, rolling tremor in the ground.

Something massive was happening.

He quickly doused his fire, packed up his cooking gear, and followed the vibrations. Each step brought him closer to a strange, unnatural aura hanging in the air—like thunder before a lightning strike.

When he finally reached the epicenter, he crouched behind thick brush and his breath caught.

Two spirit beasts were locked in fierce confrontation.

The first—a hulking Stone Bear, its body covered in plates of granite and glowing with a deep, earthen luster—punched the ground, sending seismic waves in every direction.

The second was a serpentine creature with glistening black scales and crimson eyes, its body coiled and its mouth flaring with searing flame. Flames danced across the underbrush wherever it hissed.

Black Snake, but… something more.

Tian Jue's eyes narrowed as he scanned its aura. A familiar system chime followed:

[Spirit Beast: Dragon Snake – Imperial Rank]

• Elements: Fire & Wind

• Status: Severely Injured

• Traits: Dual-Element Core, Dorsal Scale Wind Burst, Imperial Lineage (Rare)

"Dual-element beast…?"

He froze.

"I've never… even in my past life's scrolls or texts… no mention of beasts like this."

As he watched, he noticed the snake's defensive response—its dorsal scales stiffening—and then with a sudden twist, a blade of wind whipped outward from its back, cutting through an incoming stone spike.

"A scything wind barrier? Incredible. And this—this power… it's not just spiritual strength. It's bloodline superiority."

But before the dragon snake could recover, a second Stone Bear crashed into the clearing.

A mate—slightly smaller, but no less dangerous. The couple of bears moved in coordinated destruction: one created earth spikes, the other shattered them and hurled them like spears.

The snake evaded—barely.

Tian Jue watched in awe, then concern, as the tide began to turn. The dragon snake, wounded before the battle began, started to falter.

Scorching its enemies with bursts of fire, parrying with scything wind, dodging and slithering, it fought alone against two—yet it never once retreated.

Hours passed. The sun rose high.

The bears were burning, scorched and bloodied. One had lost an arm to a wind blade; the other had its fur charred to black patches. But still, they pressed forward.

The dragon snake, however, was close to collapse—blood seeping from deep gashes, its scales cracked.

And yet… its eyes shone brighter than ever.

It doesn't fear death… it's challenging its fate.

The snake reared back.

The winds surged.

A sound like a howling storm echoed across the clearing. From the beast's back, two half-formed wings of wind began to spiral outward—shaped not by flesh, but by elemental force.

Tian Jue's eyes widened.

"It's… evolving."

The Stone Bears staggered—fear etched into their instincts. Their bloodlines screamed at them to flee.

Too late.

The air collapsed inward.

Fire and wind converged into the dragon snake's mouth—crackling, spiraling, and glowing white-hot. Then—

Fwooooom!!

A cyclone of fire roared into the sky, dancing in a 100-meter arc. Trees vaporized. Stones melted. Wind howled like a divine storm.

When the inferno faded…

The couple of Stone Bears were gone. Not even ash remained.

The clearing was silent.

Even the birds did not sing.

The dragon snake collapsed to the ground, wheezing. Its aura had dropped sharply—on the verge of unconsciousness.

But then…

Tian Jue froze.

A voice echoed directly into his mind. Not words, but intent. A spiritual whisper—clear and resonant.

"You… child… come."

He stumbled back.

"It's speaking to me—spiritual communication? But that means…"

The beast possessed a spiritual sense beyond the Foundation Realm. Perhaps even higher.

"It… it wants something. But it doesn't feel hostile."

Tian Jue hesitated. Normally, he would never approach a wounded beast—much less one that had incinerated two opponents without mercy.

But he stared into the dragon snake's eyes.

There was no killing intent.

Only… resolve.

And sorrow.

"It's not trying to trick me. I've been betrayed more times than I can count… I'd know. This is different."

The snake's tail barely shifted, dragging itself toward the entrance of the cave.

Tian Jue took a breath, gripped his chain, and stepped forward.

To be continued…