"No, the Wind-Rending Falcon is pursuing us," Teng Qingshan exclaimed in shock. "This Wind-Rending Falcon, facing that legendary 'Zi Xi' Demonic Dragon, is paying it absolutely no mind." He had initially thought the famed Demonic Dragon Zi Xi could hold off the Wind-Rending Falcon for a moment, allowing him and the Six-Legged Blade Chi to escape and shake off their pursuer.
After all, all they needed was to gain a distance of thirty-four li to escape detection. Alas... This time, the Yu Clan had a kill order out for Teng Qingshan.
"Yoo~~" An angry shriek erupted. The rapidly pursuing Wind-Rending Falcon's eyes blazed with fury, and its sharp beak spat out another series of invisible energy blades. These powerful blades enveloped the area around the Six-Legged Blade Chi in a set pattern, leaving it no room to evade.
"That move again," Teng Qingshan's expression shifted.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A rapid succession of impact sounds followed. The Six-Legged Blade Chi's agility and speed were hampered, and the distance between them instantly shrank to about thirty zhang.
"Jing Yi, stop dreaming of escape. Today, you will die."
Shen Gongtu's cold, sharp voice reached Teng Qingshan's ears.
Standing tall on the Wind-Rending Falcon's back, Shen Gongtu had his divine bow fully drawn, the fifth Void-Piercing Arrow nocked on the string. A seven-colored flowing light constantly circulated around the bow body, and the Void-Piercing Arrow itself faintly emitted a cold, golden radiance. Shen Gongtu’s face suddenly turned grim.
"Rumble~~~"
A blast of icy-blue cold light, powerful enough to make heaven and earth tremble, erupted violently from the mouth of the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi, which was wreathed in misty vapor. The instant this cold light shot out, space itself seemed to freeze. Shen Gongtu, Liu Xia, and Yu Tonghai on the Wind-Rending Falcon’s back felt the temperature plummet instantly to a terrifying level that made even them involuntarily shudder.
This instantaneous, extreme cold caused the Wind-Rending Falcon to sharply pivot, which in turn affected Shen Gongtu just as he was about to loose the 'Void-Piercing Arrow.' After the Falcon pivoted, it immediately unleashed an invisible 'Air Spike.'
With a soft "Puff," the Air Spike collided with the icy-blue cold light, shattering it into pieces.
"Splash~~~"
The fragmented icy-blue light scattered everywhere. For a moment, the moisture present in the air due to the downpour was completely frozen, spreading out in all directions. Even the canopies of the large trees below instantly coated in frost, which then spread downward. A tree was instantly covered in silver-white rime, and even many flowers and grasses swaying in the wind froze instantly in place.
Crack~~
All the frozen trees and vegetation instantly turned to fine dust.
"What is wrong with this Demonic Dragon?" Shen Gongtu, perched on the Wind-Rending Falcon's back, felt annoyed. However, sensing the incomparably powerful soul aura, Shen Gongtu dared not launch an attack against the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi. He knew this was a terrifying demonic beast capable of battling Emperor Yu in the past, a monster existing since the Tribal Age.
Although Emperor Yu had not yet reached the peak of strength then, the Demonic Dragon 'Zi Xi' was terrifying enough; its great name had long been recorded in the texts of many ancient sects.
"Yoo~~" The Wind-Rending Falcon merely turned its head to glare angrily at the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi before continuing its pursuit of the Six-Legged Blade Chi at maximum speed.
"Roar! Roar~~"
The crystal-white dragon whiskers of the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi trembled, its massive golden pupils filled with rage. Surrounded by misty vapor, it rapidly chased after the Wind-Rending Falcon. At first glance, its speed did not seem lower than the Falcon's.
...
"This Wind-Rending Falcon is set on killing us."
Teng Qingshan clearly sensed that the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi was pursuing the Wind-Rending Falcon, and the Wind-Rending Falcon was pursuing him.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Teng Qingshan suddenly had an epiphany: "Hmm? The Demonic Dragon chases the Wind-Rending Falcon, and the Wind-Rending Falcon chases us. This Wind-Rending Falcon avoids battle with the Demonic Dragon... But, yes, yes, I can force it into a fight. Good idea, it might just work." He made a gesture.
It was the signal for the demonic beast Chi to reverse course.
The Six-Legged Blade Chi was extremely intelligent; it instantly understood Teng Qingshan's intention.
"Whoosh!"
After three rapid turns, while maintaining distance from the Wind-Rending Falcon, the Six-Legged Blade Chi flew past the flank of the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi, about several dozen zhang away.
"Trouble."
"This is bad!"
The three people—Yu Tonghai—on the Wind-Rending Falcon's back simultaneously changed expression drastically.
"This Jing Yi is truly cunning, actually turning back to hide behind the Demonic Dragon. The Wind-Rending Falcon will have to circle around the Dragon to pursue. Given the Dragon's speed, interception will be easy," Liu Xia frowned. Yu Tonghai beside him grew more anxious: "Senior Brother Liu, what do we do now?"
...
Currently in mid-air, the Demonic Dragon 'Zi Xi' was sandwiched between the two Void Realm demonic beasts, the Six-Legged Blade Chi and the Wind-Rending Falcon.
"Awoo! Roar~~" Zi Xi’s low roar echoed through the forest, and it instantly lunged towards the Wind-Rending Falcon. The Wind-Rending Falcon let out a cry of angry dissatisfaction, actually attempting to use its aerial maneuvering advantage to try and evade the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi.
Swish!
The Wind-Rending Falcon carved a strange arc, narrowly dodging the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi's claws.
"Good." Teng Qingshan, observing closely from not far away, showed a hint of joy. "That tail strike, incredible!"
Whoosh!
Just as the Wind-Rending Falcon was about to bypass the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi, the Dragon's tail whipped out like a giant iron whip. This single swing seemed to make heaven and earth tremble; only a blurred afterimage remained in the air as the tail viciously struck the Falcon, which couldn't fully dodge.
"Hiss~~" A few plumes of downy feathers flew off the Wind-Rending Falcon’s body, and several scales on its surface cracked open. The Falcon was knocked into a downward plunge before immediately rocketing upward again towards Teng Qingshan.
"Now it's not your turn to kill me," Teng Qingshan sneered. The Six-Legged Blade Chi, demonstrating great intelligence, repeated its trick. As the Wind-Rending Falcon closed in, the Blade Chi carved a circular path, hiding itself nearly a hundred zhang away on the other side of the Demonic Dragon 'Zi Xi.'
The Six-Legged Blade Chi circled around, and the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi did not obstruct it.
However, when the Wind-Rending Falcon attempted to bypass the Dragon, the enraged Demonic Dragon Zi Xi ruthlessly blocked its path.
Consequently, the Six-Legged Blade Chi could easily evade, ensuring that their side and the Wind-Rending Falcon’s side remained constantly separated by this troublesome Demonic Dragon Zi Xi.
"Jing Yi!!!"
Yu Tonghai, driven mad with anger, transmitted his voice: "Always hiding behind the Demonic Dragon—what kind of conduct is that? Are you even a Void Realm expert?"
"Yu Tonghai, did you get kicked in the head? Are you expecting me to stand still and let you kill me?" Teng Qingshan, on the back of the Blade Chi on the other side of Demonic Dragon Zi Xi, transmitted back with a cold laugh. He sensed that anyone capable of saying such a thing was clearly on the verge of madness from anger.
Teng Qingshan was always hiding behind the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi—how could they kill him?
If this continued, they would only be subjected to continuous attacks from the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi.
"Eagle catches chick?" A scene flashed through Teng Qingshan's mind, a memory from when he was small, playing the 'Eagle and Chicks' game at the orphanage in his previous life. "Now, it’s also an eagle catching a chick. The people of the Yu Clan are the eagles, and the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi is the mother hen protecting the chicks. But this mother hen is stronger than the eagles."
As the situation above the Great Yan Mountain began to stalemate, suddenly—
"Roar! Roar! Roar~~" Liu Xia, on the Wind-Rending Falcon’s back, directed a series of low roars towards the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi not far away.
The rage in the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi’s eyes gradually subsided.
"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar~~" Liu Xia continued to persuade the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi.
"Not good."
Teng Qingshan’s face darkened in alarm.
"Escape."
The Six-Legged Blade Chi shot away instantly, and the Wind-Rending Falcon pursued simultaneously.
"Jing Yi, let's see who can save you besides the Demonic Dragon!" Yu Tonghai transmitted.
Suddenly—
"Fire burns the Heavenly Cloud Mountain!"
That booming sound spread continuously. Teng Qingshan, fleeing rapidly, clearly heard it, and an unprecedented sharp light instantly flashed in his eyes: "They're finally here!"
...
Within the territory of Yi City.
An old man with silver hair and a cyan robe was rushing towards the northern city wall of Yi City at an astonishing speed. Covering a distance of barely two or three li, this expert at the Houtian limit scaled the city wall in just ten breaths of time. Standing on the wall were several masters whose faces were etched with anxiety.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
The torrential rain poured down, turning the few people standing on the battlement into drenched figures.
"Sect Master." The silver-haired old man in cyan rushed over eagerly.
"Hm?" Zhuge Yuanhong, who had been monitoring the situation in the northern Great Yan Mountain, immediately turned his head to look over.
At that moment, from the direction of the Great Yan Mountain, sounds of either high-pitched cries or furious roars occasionally rang out, and simultaneously, the heavy rain around Yi City intensified.
"Reporting to the Sect Master, news from Qingzhou! They are setting fire to the Heavenly Cloud Mountain!" the silver-haired old man in cyan shouted urgently. After finishing his sentence, he wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a sigh of relief. Zhuge Yuanhong had given strict orders: upon discovering the Heavenly Cloud Mountain being set ablaze, he must be informed immediately, at the fastest speed possible, regardless of the cost, along with Senior Jing Yi.
After delivering his report, the old man in cyan finally realized how thoroughly drenched he was.
"Fire burning the Heavenly Cloud Mountain?" Zhuge Yuanhong was momentarily stunned.
"Fire burning the Heavenly Cloud Mountain?"
Li Jun and Teng Shou beside him were both greatly astonished, followed immediately by wild elation.
Zhuge Yuanhong spun around abruptly, looking towards the northern Great Yan Mountain, took a deep breath, and boomed out—
"Fire burning the Heavenly Cloud Mountain!"
"Fire burning the Heavenly Cloud Mountain!"
"Fire burning the Heavenly Cloud Mountain!" Zhuge Yuanhong shouted the phrase three times in a row. Already at the peak of Xiantian Golden Core, his voice rolled out like continuous thunder towards the north, echoing repeatedly within the forests of the Great Yan Mountain.
...
High above the Great Yan Mountain, Liu Xia sincerely offered words of persuasion to the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi. He was from the Yu Clan, and the Demonic Dragon Zi Xi held a degree of admiration for Emperor Yu—both for his magnanimity and his unparalleled might. Furthermore, Liu Xia’s speech was indeed very persuasive.
He spoke of connections, past favors, and analyzed the current situation...
In short: "Senior Dragon, you must not let these two villains manipulate you."
"Roar~~" The Demonic Dragon Zi Xi let out a majestic roar, glancing at the Wind-Rending Falcon, before diving toward the earth below.
"No good." Teng Qingshan’s expression shifted drastically.
"Escape."
The Six-Legged Blade Chi bolted away instantly, and the Wind-Rending Falcon gave chase simultaneously.
"Jing Yi, let's see who can save you now that the Demonic Dragon is gone!" Yu Tonghai transmitted.
Suddenly—
"Fire burning the Heavenly Cloud Mountain!"
The booming sound carried continuously. Teng Qingshan, in his escape, heard it clearly, and an unprecedented sharp light instantly burst forth in his eyes: "Finally, they have arrived!"