Xiao Mei was lying on the ground, unable to understand why the foreign boy had suddenly attacked her. She felt his arms tightening around her, preventing her from moving.

She gritted her teeth in anger, ready to make him pay for it. She looked at his face and saw that he wasn’t looking at her but at something else in that dark alley.

Mei turned her head to where he was looking, and what she saw made her hair stand on end and her heart race. A tall figure covered in shadows with glowing yellow eyes was staring at her. She thought the pointed things on its head were horns.

“A demon?” she said.

Her mouth went dry, and her hands started to sweat with cold sweat.

She didn’t notice when the foreign boy released her, but at some point, he had, because now she saw him running toward the demon.

Mei’s eyes widened as she realized he had managed to wound the demon. Her mind was confused, but his actions lessened some of her fear. She looked at the tall, shadowy figure again.

Black fur all over its body, a bear-like build, legs and head like a cat, and front paws two or three times larger than normal.

“A magical beast!”

She swallowed hard; she had never seen a beast this large before.

When the apprentice of the Third Flying Dao, whom she knew as Ai Wen, charged toward the creature, a sense of hope blossomed in her heart.

She watched the advanced techniques of the sect she dreamed of learning one day shine before her eyes.

Ai Wen and the monster clashed at a speed Mei found difficult to follow. In just a few seconds, they had exchanged several blows.

At first, she couldn’t tell who had the advantage, but when shadows enveloped the monster, making it look like its body had grown more than twice its size, her senior apprentice could no longer land any hits.

“It can’t be; Ai Wen … is really losing.”

Mei felt she should help Ai Wen; after all, that’s why the sect master had sent her to this place. But she didn’t know how to help, nor did she have the courage to face a beast with that level of power. Her legs began to tremble at just the thought of standing before that creature.

She knew that monster could tear her apart with a single blow from its enormous paws.

Then the monster did something strange. She watched the creature twist its upper body around itself with impressive ease, as if twisting its spine was as simple as wringing out a towel.

“What is it doing?”

The moment the monster stopped twisting, she saw Ai Wen breathing more heavily than before, the strain of using so many powerful techniques taking its toll.

Then, the entire body of the beast spun like a cyclone of darkness. With its arms extended and its long, sharp claws covered in darkness, the creature charged at Ai Wen.

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The older apprentice tried to dodge, but the cyclone of darkness managed to hit her, sending her flying through the air. Her body hit the ground with a heavy thud, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

From her legs to her head, deep cuts could be seen, gushing blood that stained her yellow uniform red.

“Ahhhh,” Ai Wen let out a scream of pain.

With clenched fists, she glared at the monster with only her left eye, as her right eye was covered in blood.

She struggled to her feet, using her own saber as support to stand.

The beast charged again, running on all fours.

“No!” Xiao Mei shouted.

The hybrid monster opened its mouth, ready to tear the human in front of it apart, but then its ears twitched, detecting a slight shift in the air around it. It turned its head upwards, but it was too late to react.

A small body, covered in a dark mist, dropped from the sky and latched onto the monster's back.

He used his legs to stay firmly on the creature’s back and placed his small hands over its large head, covering its eyes with his fingers.

A brilliant white light burst from the child’s fingers. It was just the release of Light essence in its purest form, not a skill or something capable of causing damage, but such an intense light in the sensitive eyes of a being of Darkness would cause unbearable agony.

A loud, wailing cry of pain filled the air, waking up the nearby residents from their sleep.

The monster thrashed, trying to throw the child off with all its strength, but Tristan refused to let go. He used his life force to strengthen his body and hold on tight, releasing more and more Light essence.

Normally, it would be impossible for a creature with that body structure to reach something on its back. However, due to the natural flexibility that all Darkness magic users possessed, the beast managed to bend its arms at impossible angles. Its huge claws were almost reaching the boy.

Tristan gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the monster. He released all the Light essence he could gather throughout his body, the light he emitted illuminating the entire alley.

The shadows surrounding the beast began to waver, trying to fight back against the light, but Tristan was clearly in better condition than the beast. Light and Darkness clashed, and Darkness lost.

The shadows that enveloped the monster’s body dissipated, and the creature returned to its normal size.

“Finally!” Tristan said, a smile crossing his face, revealing his perfectly white teeth.

[Dark Blade]

A black blade formed in his hand, and he swung his arm toward the creature’s neck.