The moment the gryphon folded its wings and dove, the air itself seemed to compress under its weight.
Leaves tore free from towering branches, spiraling violently as a gale crashed down upon the group.
"Scatter!" Lu Chen barked.
They moved on instinct.
Qin Shuyue pulled Lin close, retreating toward the rear, her gaze sharp but her hands steady. Jin Huang shifted with them, not fully withdrawing. His body angled toward the threat, every muscle coiled.
At the front, Lu Chen did not step back. He stepped forward.
Cho Yanshi moved beside him, robes snapping in the wind, her expression already tightening with focus.
Hei Shisan lingered just behind, silent as a shadow drawn taut.
The gryphon struck the ground with a thunderous impact, and the earth split.
Claws gouged deep trenches into the soil as it landed, its leonine body rippling with power, wings flaring wide enough to cast a sweeping shadow over them all. Its eagle's head snapped forward, golden eyes locking onto the group with predatory clarity.
It screamed, the sound piercing the air like a blade.
Lu Chen exhaled slowly, and reached inward.
Nothing.
His brow furrowed.
Again, he drew upon his dantian, calling for the familiar surge of cultivated energy, the coiling strength that had answered him a thousand times before.
Silence.
Or rather- not silence.
A wall.
Cold. Absolute. Sealed.
"What—" Cho Yanshi's voice cut in sharply. "No… this can't be right."
Lu Chen's eyes narrowed. "You feel it too?"
"My energy... it won't circulate," she said, frustration threading through her tone as her hands formed a seal. "Something's blocking it. Like a restriction—"
A pulse of faint light flickered around her fingers, then shattered.
The forming barrier collapsed before it could even take shape. Cho Yanshi staggered half a step, eyes wide.
"It's failing," she said, quieter now.
Behind them, Hei Shisan flexed his fingers once, testing, then stilled. "Not just you."
The gryphon moved. Fast. Far too fast for its size.
"Down!" Lu Chen snapped.
The beast lunged, claws tearing through the space where they had stood a heartbeat before. Dirt exploded upward. A tree behind them splintered under the force of its sweeping wing.
Lu Chen slid to a stop, boots carving through soil.
"No qi. No techniques," he muttered, eyes sharpening as he watched the creature reposition. "Then we fight like this."
Hei Shisan's lips curved faintly. "About time."
The gryphon spread its wings again, preparing to strike.
Lu Chen stepped forward, and the air around him shifted.
"Then let's see," he said, voice low and steady, "if 'gryphons' bleed red."
His hand opened... and the world answered.
From nothingness, it emerged. A spear, long and imposing, its shaft engraved in black and gold, intricate patterns winding like coiled serpents along its length.
A faint, sinister aura seeped from it, like venom made manifest, the air around its blade warping with toxic intent.
Lu Chen caught it without hesitation.
At his side, Hei Shisan exhaled once.
Warping space took solid form as a massive sword was called out of his spatial ring, thick and heavy, its surface dull yet oppressive.
Wisps of shadowy mist curled from its edge, as though the blade itself devoured the light around it.
He lifted it to his shoulder with ease.
"The Pagoda didn't disappoint," he murmured.
The gryphon lunged.
They met it head-on, steel and claw colliding.
Lu Chen moved first, his spear lashing forward like a striking viper, aiming for the gryphon's exposed flank. The beast twisted mid-motion, feathers flaring as it deflected the strike with its wing- but not cleanly.
The blade grazed and a thin line opened, blackened at the edges.
The gryphon shrieked in fury.
Hei Shisan followed through, his massive sword crashing down with brutal force. The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, forcing the beast back half a step.
But only half.
Its claws came next, fast and relentless.
Lu Chen barely shifted in time, one claw raking across his shoulder, tearing fabric and drawing blood. He didn't falter, pivoting and driving the butt of his spear into the creature's side to create space.
Hei Shisan took the brunt of the next strike.
The gryphon's wing slammed into him like a battering ram, sending him skidding across the ground, shoes carving deep grooves before he dug his sword into the earth to halt himself.
He spat to the side. "Hits harder than I thought it would."
"It's got the aura of an immortal beast," Lu Chen replied, already moving again. "What did you expect?"
They pressed in together, one precise, one overwhelming.
Spear and sword. Venom and shadow.
Still, the gryphon endured.
Its movements were wild but not unrefined. Each beat of its wings disrupted their footing, each shriek disoriented them, each strike carried monstrous strength behind it.
Another clash.
Another exchange.
Another shallow wound- on both sides.
Lu Chen's breathing deepened; Hei Shisan's grip tightened.
Behind them, Jin Huang watched. Waited. Burned.
His hands clenched at his sides as he tracked every exchange. Every near miss, every drop of blood drawn from his companions.
Lu Chen staggered half a step.
Hei Shisan's shoulder dipped just slightly.
That was enough. Something inside Jin Huang snapped.
"Tch!" A low sound escaped him.
Then... gold.
It ignited in his eyes first, growing from faint, to blinding, like twin suns breaking through restraint.
"Jin Huang?" Qin Shuyue started, tightening her hold on Lin.
But he didn't answer. His energy came next, pouring out of him in an amount that appeared endless.
Thick and heavy, like molten gold spilling into the world.
The ground beneath his feet cracked as the air grew dense.
Cho Yanshi felt it first, her shock evident.
Lu Chen sensed it next, his head snapping back, eyes widening slightly.
"…How can he," he muttered.
Hei Shisan exhaled a quiet laugh. "About time."
Jin Huang stepped forward, stretching his arms. "I'll have a go, if you two don't mind."
His voice cut through, even giving the gryphon pause.
Lu Chen clicked his tongue but didn't argue. He spun his spear once, disengaging with a sharp retreat.
Hei Shisan followed, dragging his blade free from the ground as he stepped back.
The gryphon turned and faced Jin Huang. For a brief moment, it seemed to hesitate.
Jin Huang rolled his shoulders once, then he vanished.
The ground exploding where he had stood was the first indication of him having moved.
He reappeared in front of the gryphon in an instant, fist already drawn back, golden aura surging violently around him.
The gryphon reacted too slow.
Jin Huang's fist connected directly with its face, the impact catastrophic.
A shockwave rippled outward, flattening grass, cracking earth, sending a thunderclap through the forest. The gryphon's head snapped violently to the side, its massive body lifted clear off its feet as it was hurled across the clearing.
It crashed hard into the trees, causing them to splinter under its weight.
Silence followed that lasted for a few breaths of time, then...
A ragged, furious screech tore through the air.
The gryphon staggered upright, wings beating erratically as it fought for balance. Its gaze locked onto Jin Huang- no longer predatory.
Wary.
It spread its wings and hurried to take off.
One powerful beat, then another, and it took to the sky, retreating rapidly until its form vanished beyond the towering trees.
The clearing fell still.
Jin Huang stood where he was, golden aura slowly dissipating, his chest rising and falling with controlled breaths.
Behind him, Lu Chen rested the shaft of his spear against his shoulder, a faint grin tugging at his lips despite the blood on his sleeve.
"Not bad," he admitted.
Hei Shisan scoffed, though there was a glint of approval in his eyes as he returned his sword to the spatial ring. "Show-off."
Jin Huang didn't respond.
But the faint glow lingering in his eyes had yet to fade.
Lin was utterly speechless as he gazed at Jin Huang back- at the aura of gold that encompassed him.
"The Color of Arthur..." He murmured, attracting Qin Shuyue's attention?
"What was that, Lin?" She asked, curiously.
"Oh. Just... something I heard of in stories." He replied.
When Jin Huang finally settled, and his golden aura vanished, he returned to the group.
"It seems the Supreme Immortal Body is capable of utilizing its energy here." Lu Chen shook his head in amusement.
"And of course, we can't. Fuckin' main character if I ever seen one," Hei Shisan snickered and gave Jin Huang a fist bump.
Laughing, Jin Huang said, "You guys made it seem like a big deal. That thing couldn't have been so tough if an Inner Core-level rookie sent it flying in one blow."
Cho Yanshi attested to that, "True. Even without internal energy, Lu Chen should have the strength of someone far beyond Dao Integration. How could Jin Huang's strength surpass his?"
Lin heard their discussion, and he recalled the golden aura surrounding Jin Huang's body.
Gulping, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Whatever! Let's go!" Jin Huang yelled, startling and silencing the boy.
Laughing, they all gave up trying to understand the Supreme Immortal Body and accepted it for what it was, then continued toward the forest.
Lin closed his mouth and sighed.
"Hm?" Qin Shuyue noticed.
"Nothing. Let's go," Lin smiled weakly and walked on.