Who is the Black Shadow Ahead? Could it be a Chaos Fierce Beast!

Lin Yue returned holding the Space Leaf, and Pangu still sat quietly on that massive golden-glowing rock, the Chaos Airflow around him blocked as if by an invisible barrier—even the most violent currents automatically diverted when they drew near. He walked softly to a spot not far from Pangu's side, careful not to disturb the Creation God's meditation, and tucked the Space Leaf safely into his inner pocket—this leaf contained the Law of Space, a gift from Great Immortal Yang Mei, and would be a crucial aid in his future cultivation.

After resting a while, Lin Yue decided to continue exploring the surroundings. He remembered Great Immortal Yang Mei mentioning a "Space Secret Realm" to the southeast, and though his current strength was insufficient to venture there recklessly, familiarizing himself with more of the chaotic terrain could prepare him for the future. Using the method he'd figured out earlier—moving along the airflow's trajectory—he crouched low and crept forward along the rock crevices. The vortex in his Dantian spun gently, steadily absorbing the thin Chaos Energy around him to maintain the faint golden barrier on his skin.

Time felt especially vague within the chaos. Lin Yue estimated he'd walked about half an hour when the gray mist ahead suddenly thinned, revealing a black rock larger than the one where Pangu sat—like a small hill, standing alone in the chaos. What made his heart tighten even more was a massive black shadow standing still beside the rock, at least three zhang tall, with shoulders two zhang wide. A heavy, condensed aura different from the Chaos Airflow surrounded it, and when the gray mist neared the shadow, it silently dissipated as if meeting a natural enemy.

"What is this?" Lin Yue's heartbeat instantly quickened. He stopped in his tracks, slowly shrinking back behind a rock, leaving only one eye to observe. The black shadow stood motionless like a silent statue; he could only see its broad back and arms hanging at its sides—arms as thick as black trees in the chaos, with distinct knuckles covered in fine, dark-gold scales that gleamed coldly in the faint light.

"A Chaos Fierce Beast?" The thought had barely surfaced when Lin Yue's hair stood on end. He remembered the Earth-Splitting Lizard he'd encountered earlier—though far smaller than this shadow, it could still spit venom and tear rocks apart. The aura of the shadow before him was more than ten times more terrifying than that lizard's; if it attacked, he probably wouldn't even have time to react.

He held his breath, trying to merge his presence with the surrounding Chaos Airflow, while quietly mobilizing the Dantian vortex to concentrate the golden barrier in front of him—this was the strongest defense he could manage. Though he knew it might be useless against an absolute gap in power, it was better than nothing.

Just then, the black shadow seemed to sense something and turned its head slightly. Lin Yue's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He yanked his head back, clamped his mouth shut, and didn't even dare breathe loudly. He could feel an invisible pressure spreading with the wind, like a pair of icy eyes sweeping the area. Every pass made his whole body tense, cold sweat soaking the clothes on his back.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the suffocating pressure slowly faded. Lin Yue peeked out and saw the shadow had turned back, still standing silently by the rock, as if the earlier movement had been an illusion. He breathed a sigh of relief, but his back was drenched—this shadow's strength was far too terrifying, something he absolutely couldn't provoke at his current level. He had to leave this place quickly.

He backed away slowly, his steps as light as a cat's, terrified of making a sound. On his tenth step, a faint "crack" sounded underfoot—he'd accidentally crushed a loose piece of gravel, the noise starkly clear in the silent chaos.

"Damn it!" Lin Yue's heart lurched. He was about to bolt when he heard heavy footsteps behind him, each step landing like a beat on his heart. He didn't dare look back, just ran forward with all his might. The Dantian vortex spun wildly, the golden barrier at maximum output, and even the Space Leaf in his pocket grew faintly hot, as if warning of danger.

The footsteps drew closer. Lin Yue could even feel the scorching breath behind him, like a giant beast closing in. He gritted his teeth, straining to channel Chaos Energy to run faster, but his legs felt as heavy as lead, each step agonizingly difficult.

Just then, a familiar golden light shot in from an angle behind him, instantly blocking between Lin Yue and the shadow. The moment the light landed, it formed a translucent barrier, completely sealing off the shadow's aura. Lin Yue froze and turned back to see Pangu standing behind him, still wearing that silent expression, his right hand raised, the golden light in his palm the source of the barrier.

"Senior Pangu!" Lin Yue was both startled and overjoyed, most of his fear vanishing in an instant. He ran to Pangu's side, looking at the shadow blocked by the golden light, and asked quietly, "Senior, what... what kind of creature is this? Its aura is so strong."

Pangu didn't answer immediately. He just looked at the shadow, his gaze calm and unruffled. After a moment, the shadow seemed to sense Pangu's strength and let out a low, hoarse roar, but dared not approach the golden light. Eventually, it retreated slowly and disappeared into the gray mist.

Only when the shadow was completely gone did Pangu withdraw the golden light. He turned to Lin Yue and said flatly, "Ancient Chaos Beast, 'Zhenyue.'"

"Zhenyue?" Lin Yue silently memorized the name, gaining a deeper understanding of the dangers in the chaos. He looked at Pangu gratefully and said, "Thank you, Senior, for saving me. If you hadn't been here just now, I'm afraid I would have..."

"It's nothing." Pangu cut him off and turned to walk back toward the massive rock. "Stay by my side. Don't wander far."

Lin Yue quickly followed, filled with relief—thank goodness Senior Pangu was here, or he probably wouldn't survive three days in the chaos. He silently resolved to stick close to the senior from now on, never again run off to dangerous places on his own, and also to raise his strength as fast as possible, gaining the ability to protect himself so he wouldn't keep making the senior worry.

Back at the massive rock, Lin Yue found a spot near Pangu and sat down, beginning to calm the Chaos Energy that had been stirred up by fear. He touched the Space Leaf in his pocket; it was still warm, as if reminding him—to survive in the chaos, he had no choice but to keep growing stronger.