Su Chen flew through the dense forest at high speed, weaving skillfully between towering trees and twisting branches. His Plant Sense Technique had already been activated—his spiritual awareness extended over a radius of three hundred miles, allowing him to detect even the faintest movement in the surroundings.
As he soared through the treetops, his ears were tuned in, hoping to catch the sound of anyone worth looting.
"Hehe… not many people passed the last trial. The number of cultivators teleported into this jungle must be few," Su Chen muttered to himself with a grin. "If I can find someone injured or distracted… maybe I can relieve them of their burdens."
Just then, faint sounds of battle echoed in his ears.
Boom! Boom!
The clash of techniques, the collision of spiritual energy—it was distant, but audible.
"Haha! Stop resisting, Fairy Han Yue! You can't escape from me!" a voice shouted, filled with arrogance and desire.
Another voice—cold and clear—replied, "Young Master Su, please restrain yourself. I seek only the Dao. Mortal feelings mean nothing to me."
"Hmph, that doesn't matter! As long as I capture you, everything else can be dealt with."
"You dare! Do you want to incite a war between your Su Clan and my sect?"
"Hehe… that's none of your concern, Fairy. Once you become my Dao Companion, the clan will take care of everything."
Clang! Boom! Clatter!
The clash of weapons and spiritual force continued to ring out through the forest.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed as he hovered in the air, listening intently. There was something familiar in those voices—especially the woman's. His brows furrowed.
"…Han Yue?"
He recognized her. They had briefly met at the Immortal Platform. She was one of the few who had sensed his presence that day, even when he was cloaked in the outsider's aura. A rare spiritual perception. Sharp and terrifying.
Without wasting another second, Su Chen turned toward the source of the sound. Though it was nearly a hundred miles away, that distance meant little to a Core Formation cultivator—especially one like him who possessed elemental escape arts.
With a flicker, he vanished from the air.
Whoosh.
He reappeared a dozen miles ahead, his movements swift and soundless, enhanced by his Wind Escape Technique. Like a ghost in the forest, he flickered in and out of view, his presence blending into the natural rhythm of the trees and wind.
Soon, the battlefield came into range.
Boom!
A powerful surge of spiritual energy swept through the area.
Su Chen's instincts screamed. Without hesitation, he activated his Earth Escape Technique, melting into the ground like flowing liquid. He wasn't afraid of taking a hit—he simply preferred to stay hidden and observe. If an opportunity presented itself to steal a treasure or fish in troubled waters… well, who was he to waste it?
From beneath the earth, Su Chen watched through a thin spiritual window.
A brilliant light bloomed above the forest.
Like a rising moon, it ascended from the ground to the heavens, flooding the area with silvery radiance. Within the center of the moonlight stood a woman, veiled and graceful, her presence ethereal. She was wrapped in moonlight itself, as though she commanded its very essence.
Han Yue.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed.
"So she really does have a moon-related physique... this is a vision manifestation," he thought silently.
He then shifted his gaze to the opposite direction, scanning the battlefield carefully.
A young man stood amidst the chaos, clad in a flowing robe of sapphire blue threaded with silver. His features were sharp and handsome—sword-like eyebrows, narrow eyes filled with arrogance. But beneath that calm exterior, Su Chen could clearly see it.
Obsession.
The kind that burned toward the veiled woman before him. His eyes clung to Han Yue, as if she were not a person but a prize to be taken.
Su Chen narrowed his eyes from his place beneath the earth.
"He's from the Su family," Su Chen muttered under his breath.
He wasn't entirely surprised. Han Yue had mentioned the name Su Yang, and the robe bore the crest of the Su Clan. One of the ancient giants of the Upper Realm.
Su Chen's breath slowed.
He was also from the Su family—though not the kind they acknowledged. Born with the Ancient Sacred Body, yes, but one that couldn't cultivate, he was trash, a cursed child thrown away at birth.
Yet now, looking at this so-called proud young master, Su Chen felt an eerie familiarity.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A terrifying pressure erupted.
From behind Su Yang, a massive demonic shadow rose into the sky. Its form twisted and vast, like a dark god devouring the heavens. The very air trembled under its weight.
Su Chen's eyes flickered with interest.
"Now that's new…"
Above ground, Han Yue's expression changed completely. She stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. Her lips trembled behind the veil.
"A demonic physique…? No… this can't be…"
In the Upper Realm, the divide between righteous and demonic paths was absolute. The two sides were mortal enemies. If a righteous cultivator so much as saw a demonic one, they would strike without hesitation. And the Su Clan—renowned for upholding the ideals of the righteous path—was one of the main pillars of that world.
Yet their own young master had awakened a demonic physique?
If this news spread, it would shake the entire Upper Realm. The Su Clan's reputation would burn like paper in a furnace.
And judging by the way Su Yang was openly unleashing his Demonic Shadow Physique, this fight was no longer a simple skirmish—it was a declaration of dominance.
Han Yue's eyes turned cold.
She had been holding back before, unwilling to provoke a war between her Holy Land and the Su Clan. But now?
Now she didn't care.
The giant full moon behind her began to glow with a blinding brilliance, pouring divine energy into her delicate form. The sky dimmed under its light as she raised her hand and launched an all-out attack.
A vast moonlight beam shot forth, targeting Su Yang with ruthless precision.
Underground, Su Chen let out a low whistle.
"Wow… things just got fun," he muttered, amused. "A righteous young master hiding a demonic physique… this is Upper Realm drama at its finest."
Without hesitation, he summoned a faint glow in his sea of consciousness.
[Immortal Rebirth Armor – Equipped.]
Golden light pulsed through his body. A soft ripple passed through the ground as his form shimmered with faint runic lines beneath his robes. The armor formed silently around him, fitting perfectly—lightweight, indestructible, and ready for anything.
"If that moon girl and demon boy end up fighting to the death…" he grinned, eyes gleaming, "…then I might just walk away with enifits ."