"Hmph, this guy is rather smart. It’s just... why does his back look so familiar?" Ning Zheseng thought, nodding. From beginning to end, he never believed that this person would dare snatch his prize.
He figured the guy was mostly taking this opportunity to curry favor with him. At least he had some tact.
But Ye Xuan’s next actions made his eyes widen.
After plucking the Fire Spirit Ginseng, Ye Xuan didn’t turn back; instead, he kept running forward. At this, Ning Zheseng finally lost his composure and let out a furious roar.
"Halt!"
Ye Xuan’s footsteps didn’t falter for a second. He was now going for the Hidden Green Grass. At this moment, Ning Zheseng finally realized what was happening—this ant wanted the Fire Spirit Ginseng, too! But wasn’t he being a bit too audacious, actually daring to snatch prey right from the tiger’s jaws!
"You’re courting death! How could a lowly ant like you ever lay a finger on something I have my eyes on?"
"If you have the guts, take off that veil and let me see what a rat like you looks like!"
Ning Zheseng flew into a rage on the spot. But it was already too late for him to give chase.
Right then, braving the risk of being impaled by the Giant Crossbow bolts, Ye Xuan plucked the Hidden Green Grass as well. Now that he had the Hidden Green Grass, he could make his escape. However, he chose not to flee.
Golden Spiritual Qi suddenly surged forth as Ye Xuan struck at the Flame Bird beside him.
SCREECH!
Crying out in pain, the Flame Bird turned to shoot Ye Xuan a glare as cold as a glacial peak.
Yet, bizarrely, the Flame Bird didn’t retaliate. Instead, it spread its wings and shielded Ye Xuan beneath them, protecting him from being shot dead by the Giant Crossbows.
"You really possess sentience!" Ye Xuan smiled. His golden Spiritual Qi grew even more dazzling as he struck the Flame Bird with ten palm strikes in the blink of an eye. With every palm that landed, one Giant Crossbow bolt was dislodged from the Flame Bird’s wings.
Ye Xuan’s actions caused Ning Zheseng’s expression to change drastically. If the Giant Crossbow bolts were removed from the Flame Bird’s wings, it would definitely be able to take flight despite its heavy injuries. If that happened, all his efforts would be for naught.
"Damn it, kill him first! Kill him first!" Ning Zheseng roared as he rushed to the nearest Giant Crossbow. He lowered the muzzle, aiming directly at Ye Xuan’s head.
WHOOSH!
The sound of something tearing through the air rang out. Yet, Ye Xuan was still alive.
The Flame Eagle’s wings had fully unfurled, acting like a round shield that protected him hermetically.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!
All the Giant Crossbow bolts embedded in the Flame Bird’s wings were sent flying by Ye Xuan.
SCREECH!
Freed from the Giant Crossbow bolts, the Flame Eagle’s wings could finally move with speed. A terrifying gale whipped up sand and stones, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. Amidst the dust storm, the Flame Eagle soared into the sky. Sitting atop its head was Ye Xuan. In Ye Xuan’s arms were the two fledglings.
Meanwhile, in the dense forest.
Tang Long said in astonishment, "No wonder he told me to slip away during the chaos. He already had an escape route planned out. But how did he know it would definitely succeed?
"If it failed, he would have been surrounded by the Niu Family. Even if he wasn’t shot to death by a barrage of arrows, Niu Tong and the others would have killed him.
"Ye Xuan, just what kind of person are you?"
Naturally, Tang Long had no way of knowing that even if this Flame Eagle lacked sentience and didn’t fly him away, Ye Xuan was fully confident in carving a bloody path out of the Niu Family’s encirclement. Of everyone present, aside from Old Ma, no one could make him stay.
But Old Ma was already dead.
"No! Dammit, dammit!" On the grassy field, Young Master Ning fired the Crossbow Wagon incessantly, but it was useless. He could only watch helplessly as the Flame Eagle vanished over the horizon.
Rage! Frustration! A myriad of emotions swirled in his heart.
He had made so many preparations to kill the Flame Eagle; even Old Ma had died here. He had thought that everything was his for the taking. Yet in the end, he obtained nothing, instead doing all the hard work only to hand the prize to someone else.
Most importantly, he didn’t even know what the culprit looked like! Friends, who could possibly understand this kind of bitter agony? It was agonizing. He wanted to cry, but he couldn’t. Young Master Ning merely tipped his head back and let out a long howl, his face ashen.
A terrifying pressure erupted from his body. The only one who could remain standing under this oppressive aura was Niu Tong. Some of the weaker Cultivators were killed outright by the pressure, bleeding from their seven orifices before dropping dead.
"Um, Young Master Ning, the Flame Eagle didn’t retaliate against us and just flew away. That means its injuries are even more severe than we thought! It definitely won’t be able to fly far. Should we pursue it?" Niu Tong’s voice rang out. He was far wiser than he appeared on the surface.
Ning Zheseng gnashed his teeth. "Do you think I don’t know that? But this is the Asura Forest. How are we supposed to chase it?"
The Asura Forest was fraught with danger. Once inside the dense woods, the sky would be completely obscured. Even if they knew the Flame Bird couldn’t fly far, they still wouldn’t be able to track it down.
"Then what should we do, Young Master Ning?"
"What else can we do? We’re going back."
Ning Zheseng desperately wanted to tear Ye Xuan into ten thousand pieces, but he was powerless to do so.
"Right, right." Niu Tong rejoiced inwardly, eager to leave this godforsaken place as soon as possible.
"Young Master, could you, perhaps, retract your pressure then?"
Ning Zheseng snorted, but he withdrew his pressure nonetheless. Only then did everyone present breathe a sigh of relief. They quickly cleaned up the aftermath, then shouldered the Crossbow Wagons and returned exactly the way they had come.
Meanwhile, by a certain lake.
The Flame Eagle landed by the edge of the lake. It collapsed onto the ground, completely drained of strength. The blood from its body flowed into the lake, dyeing the water red.
SCREECH...
The Flame Eagle let out a hoarse cry and nudged the fledglings on the ground with its head, pushing them toward Ye Xuan. For the first time, its cold gaze rippled with emotion.
Ye Xuan didn’t understand the language of Wild Beasts, but he understood the meaning behind the Flame Eagle’s eyes. It was asking him to take care of its children in its stead. The Flame Eagle was already at the end of its rope. Without Ye Xuan’s care, these two fledglings would undoubtedly die in the lawless, dog-eat-dog Asura Forest.
"I understand what you mean, but I don’t know if I can take good care of them. After all, when they opened their eyes, the first person they saw was you, not me. They might reject me."
SCREECH...
It was unclear if the Flame Eagle understood Ye Xuan’s words, but it continued to cry out at him incessantly.
Then, two magnificent feathers fell at Ye Xuan’s feet. These were the most gorgeously colored feathers from the crown of the Flame Eagle’s head. They carried its scent and aura.
The moment the feathers dropped, the little eagle fledglings scurried over and buried their heads in them, looking incredibly endearing.
The Flame Eagle looked at its children and let out a few soft chirps. With each chirp, its voice grew fainter. Before long, the Flame Eagle closed its eyes.
A mother who had stood guard without ever stepping away, all so her children could have a better future, was ultimately killed by humans.
Ye Xuan looked at the Flame Eagle’s corpse and sighed softly. Normally, given his personality, he would definitely crack open the Flame Eagle’s skull to see if there was a Beast Pill inside.
The Beast Pill was the source of a Wild Beast’s power. Not all Wild Beasts would form a Beast Pill. Even for a Level Four Wild Beast, the probability of condensing a Beast Pill was only twenty percent.
A Beast Pill contained extreme Frenzy energy. When paired with a Soul Crystal, it could enhance a Cultivator’s cultivation base. However, the power within a Beast Pill couldn’t be completely absorbed by humans; people couldn’t even take in a tenth of it. During the absorption process, the vast majority of the energy would dissipate from various parts of the human body and return to the heavens and the earth.
Yet, this was more than enough to drive people mad. Looking across the entire world, the number of Cultivators who had died at the hands of Beasts for the sake of a Beast Pill was countless. A Beast Pill was just as precious as Spirit Medicine used to elevate one’s cultivation!
"Forget it. I’ll just bury you."