Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

Night cloaked the barren mountain's waist.

A figure clutched his head, low roars escaping his throat, each sound steeped in agony and struggle.

Xiao Bai's face was ashen, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat pouring like rain, soaking his clothes. His vision blurred with dark spots.

He staggered forward a few steps, then collapsed, powerless, his consciousness fading under the relentless pain, sinking into darkness.

"My Lord!" A cry of alarm rang out nearby.

The tiny golden dragon flashed to Xiao Bai's side, catching him just before he hit the ground. Its small frame cushioned his fall, sparing him further harm from tumbling down the slope.

As Xiao Bai lay still, the dragon finally saw his face clearly and froze in shock. Moments ago, it had watched him roar in helpless pain, staggering before plummeting. It hadn't even processed what was happening.

Just breaking through to Dou Ling—how did it come to this?

"What do I do now?" The dragon's expression was frantic. If it could carry someone in flight, it would rush Xiao Bai to the Little Mistress. But newly hatched, it lacked the strength to fly with him.

Seeing Xiao Bai's state, it dared not leave to seek help, fearing something worse might happen in its absence.

"Ugh, My Lord, it's just a measly Dou Ling breakthrough! How did you manage to knock yourself out?" The dragon, at a loss, glared at the unconscious Xiao Bai, his brows still furrowed, corners twitching faintly. It muttered in frustration.

Suddenly, mid-rant, a golden glint caught its eye, sending a shiver through its soul. Startled, it scrambled back a few steps.

At Xiao Bai's brow, a faint golden thunder arc danced, interwoven with wisps of black mist.

A faint rumble of thunder echoed. The dragon's gaze shot skyward, spotting a small black thundercloud forming overhead.

"What in the blazes is that?" The dragon's expression twisted in confusion. A natural thunderstorm? This cloud's pathetically tiny!

The cloud, barely a few meters wide, paled in comparison to the massive storms it had seen in the desert. Silver lightning churned within, coalescing into a bolt as thick as a bucket. Under the dragon's wary gaze, it seemed poised to strike—straight at Xiao Bai.

"Damn it!" The dragon nearly cursed aloud. What did this guy do to piss off the heavens? Even unconscious, they're sending a bolt to fry him!

Its expression wavered. It could intercept the bolt and gain some benefit, but it wouldn't come without pain. If it ended up like Xiao Bai, knocked out, the two of them would be left vulnerable in this wilderness.

Glancing at Xiao Bai, it gritted its teeth, snarling, "If you ever stop me from playing with Xiao Yi again, I'll… I'll…" It trailed off, realizing it had no real leverage, and slumped in defeat.

A flash of lightning tore across the sky.

"Roar!" A juvenile dragon's cry rang out.

A streak of gold met the descending silver bolt. The thin golden light clashed with the thicker silver, entwining fiercely. Low thunder rumbled as they grappled. Amid the interwoven gold and silver, the dragon endured searing pain, gulping down the thunder energy. The silver lightning dwindled.

After a time, the silver light vanished. A golden glow plummeted, slipping into Xiao Bai's sleeve, silent.

The black mist at Xiao Bai's brow had evaporated, the golden light fading.

The tiny thundercloud above churned briefly, then, as if losing its target, slowly dispersed.

"Hngh!" Xiao Bai let out a pained groan in his coma, a flicker of golden thunder flashing across his chest, followed by a trace of crimson light piercing through.

The surroundings fell silent. In the darkness, only a patch of weeds glowed faintly, gold and red lights pulsing weakly.

___

Dawn broke, the sky gradually brightening.

On a narrow mountain path, several figures trudged along, laden with large and small bundles.

"Uncle Jia En, there really is a path here! Though it looks like no one's used it in years!" A young, excited voice rang out.

"This route's a bit longer, but it's safer than cutting through the Magical Beast Mountain Range to return to Qing Shan Town. We've got a big haul this time—better avoid trouble and take this way," a steady, robust middle-aged voice replied with a chuckle.

"Sigh, to think it's only been a decade or so, and this path's already so desolate," a gruff voice remarked, tinged with nostalgia.

"Uncle Jia En, look! There's someone over there!" The young man, eyes restless, spotted a figure lying in the grass not far off.

"Little Huo Er, listen up: out here, mind your own business! Move it!" The gruff-voiced man glanced where he pointed, then smacked the youth's head, urging him on.

"Oh!" The young man, Huo Er, mumbled, aggrieved. "Fine, I won't meddle. But why hit my head?"

"Hm?" Jia En paused.

"What's up, Jia En?" the gruff man asked.

"That person… I think I know him. He's a friend of Xiao Yi Xian," Jia En said, peering at the figure.

The distinctive white hair and black robes with gold trim sparked a memory from months ago at Wan Yao Zhai.

"Xiao Yi Xian's friend? How do you know?" the gruff man asked.

Jia En gave a wry smile, recounting the incident at Wan Yao Zhai. Afterward, he'd warned Xiao Yi Xian to be cautious. She'd frowned, thanked him with a smile, and assured him the young man was a friend, no cause for worry.

"Should we help him?" The gruff man hesitated. This guy's clearly from a different world than us. His tattered clothes suggested severe injuries. If his enemies come looking, we mercenaries will be in deep trouble.

"Sigh, for Xiao Yi Xian's sake, let's take him to Qing Shan Town and hand him over to her. She'll know what to do," Jia En said after a moment's thought, sighing.

"You're dumping trouble on her! She's already in hot water. If she hadn't saved so many lives in Qing Shan Town over the years, Wan Yao Zhai and the Wolf Head Mercenary Group would've eaten her alive by now," the gruff man grumbled.

Not long ago, rumors spread that Xiao Yi Xian had found a treasure in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, stirring up a storm in Qing Shan Town. Since then, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had been watching Wan Yao Zhai, and the shop's ambiguous stance—neither stopping nor condemning it—suggested the rumors held truth. Only lingering scruples had kept Xiao Yi Xian safe so far.

Seeing Jia En's resolved expression, the gruff man waved a hand, resigned. "Fine, fine, bring him! If trouble comes, we'll face it together."

Jia En grinned. He knew his old friend was all bark and no bite—otherwise, they wouldn't have stuck together so long.

The group redistributed their packs. Jia En approached the figure in the grass, hoisting Xiao Bai onto his back.