The Divine Isolation Forest trembled as though anticipating the storm. Mist coiled around ancient trunks, leaves quivering like living silk, and roots pulsed faintly, sensing the extraordinary presence of both the intruder and the child.
At the edge of the clearing stood Jian Feng, Sect Leader of the Azure Star Sect. His jade-green robes fluttered in the wind, golden insignias glinting like daggers. His mid-tier Heavenly Core cultivation radiated confidence, his Azure Star Cleaving Array faintly shimmering around him. A jade longstaff embedded with spirit gems hummed with stored energy, designed to amplify every strike he made.
He looked first at the child. Then, at Yuan Liuyue. Her golden hair sparkled in the morning light, her amber-green eyes like twin stars of lethal calm. Lust and a spark of greed flashed across his gaze, but arrogance quickly returned.
"This child? Surely only the mother can threaten me," Jian Feng sneered, raising his staff.
Xuan Mo's dark aura stirred. Roots erupted violently from the ground, serpentine, jagged, and alive, infused with demonic dragon power and world-tree essence. They lashed with precise coordination: some restrained, some struck, and some formed protective shields around the child.
Jian Feng unleashed his Azure Star Cleaving Array, a series of spinning golden slashes designed to cleave even mountains, while chanting Spirit Binding Chain, attempting to trap the roots in spiritual restraints. But the hybrid aura bending through Xuan Mo's veins twisted the very ki around him. Roots shattered the chains like twigs, their tips glowing dark red as they sliced through his defense.
The forest itself became a weapon. Mist surged like liquid silver, sunlight fractured into violent beams, and every leaf seemed to scream in resonance with the child's aura. The ground quaked under the thrashing roots, tearing soil and splintering stones. Birds froze mid-flight, and even distant streams rippled unnaturally.
Jian Feng's confidence faltered. Sweat beaded his brow. "A child… this is impossible!"
He attempted to flee, raising a teleportation talisman, his jade longstaff stabbing the ground to form a Heavenly Escape Array. Light flared, wind howled, and the ground beneath him fractured. But the forest formation, sensing the threat, sent a thousand roots lashing toward him. They coiled like living serpents, tearing through his escape array.
The roots struck him simultaneously from multiple directions, each imbued with hybrid essence and formation resonance, piercing his armor and shredding his protective arrays. His jade longstaff exploded in splinters.
And then—the final strike.
A root pierced through Jian Feng's chest, cracking his Life Jade. A sharp, resonating explosion erupted, light fracturing into shards that tore across the forest and far into the Azure Star Sect. Panic swept through his disciples. Formations collapsed, cultivators screamed, and even distant sects felt the tremor of power.
Xuan Mo stepped back. The roots retracted as if returning to rest. His tiny chest rose and fell, expression calm, untouched by emotion—cold, ruthless, and instinctively lethal. Yuan Liuyue's eyes shimmered with pride. Her child had claimed his first kill, and the forest hummed in acknowledgement, pulsing gently around him.
Jian Feng's shattered Life Jade left echoes across the mortal realm. Panic and fear spread through the Azure Star Sect like wildfire, leaving nothing but uncertainty in the hearts of cultivators.
The forest exhaled, settling into a calm that was almost serene. Mist curled softly, roots relaxed, and sunlight danced across leaves. Yuan Liuyue approached, brushing a golden strand of hair from her son's face.
"You acted with precision, Xuan Mo. Remember this feeling. Power is not to be wasted—it is to be wielded with clarity," she whispered.
Xuan Mo's dark aura flickered briefly, a storm contained within a child's small frame. The mortal world was vast, dangerous, and full of hidden threats. And this was only the beginning.