“Ah…” Pingyun Ji leaned back, almost retreating into the adjacent mountain range, when another swarm of bats appeared, catching her from behind and gently steadying her. The Birdman was faring worse; his twin daggers had been holding off the pursuing bats, but when he withdrew them just now, the bats surged forward, tearing numerous wounds across his back. They didn't stop there, even savoring the droplets of blood that splattered from him.

Although his tough, winged shield could both attack and defend, facing such small yet overwhelmingly numerous specters left the Birdman with few options. Heavily wounded, he had expected Pingyun Ji’s repulsive claw to remain embedded in the wounds it inflicted during the chase. When he looked down to pull it out, he froze—the claw had already vanished on its own, leaving behind only gaping, ragged holes.

“Hahaha, brother Eagle, you really hurt me,” Pingyun Ji raised her severed arm, drawing the swarm of bats closer. After a moment of squelching, fleshy sounds, her broken limb was completely restored under the bats’ enveloping embrace.

The Birdman was startled but had no time to rest. Countless bats still swarmed him, desperately trying to close in for an attack. He could only continuously rotate his back wings to barely hold them off; truly, surrounded on all sides, he found it impossible to fend them off.

Pingyun Ji’s arm reattached, and she smoothly spread both hands, drawing a circle in the sky. At that moment, a sudden clamor erupted from within the mountain mass, and a huge, dense flock of bats simultaneously materialized behind her. She smiled faintly, “Did you know, brother Eagle? This isn't some mountain peak at all. This whole place is actually one massive Phantom Cave, hahaha!”

The depths of the rugged mountains were already dim. Regardless of whether this realm was cave or sky, the tide of bats surging through heaven and earth overwhelmed the Birdman. His vision went black, and he was instantly crushed downward by a sudden gravitational pull. Reacting in time, he unleashed his Feather Blade attack, trying to carve out space for himself. Unexpectedly, the vampire bats were incredibly fast and frenzied. The Birdman couldn't find a gap to launch more feathers; in a flash, he was drenched in his own blood.

“Tsk…” The Birdman shielded his head, glaring hatefully at the swooping bats. This was only the first wave, and he already felt utterly helpless. He watched as the swarm streamlined itself, flashing toward a broken section of the mountain wall. Just as they seemed about to brush past a fractured tree trunk, they abruptly executed a sharp U-turn, redirecting their gaping maws toward the Birdman once more.

“Careful, brother Eagle,” Pingyun Ji’s voice was sharp and malevolent as she floated high into the heavens, borne aloft by the bats.

The Birdman couldn't spare any attention to the taunt. At this critical juncture, he unleashed his magic, causing himself and his spirit beast, Suiblade, to separate. Simultaneously, the Celestial Eye on his forehead emitted an eerie purple light. Suiblade, originally a celestial eagle, flashed with dazzling blue light as it accompanied the Birdman, its gaze sharp and showing no fear toward the massed bats.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The swarm of bats swept past again, and the Birdman instantly spun his body. Surprisingly, even after separating from the Eagle, his body still harbored latent feathers—different from natural ones, these seemed anchored deep within his flesh by something resembling light iron chains. A gentle release of these caused the sky to run crimson; no matter how many bats approached the Birdman, they were invariably sliced in half by the astonishing feathers and the metallic chain-blades tethered to them. A flicker of joy ignited in the Birdman’s heart: though these bats could anticipate his movements, they were ultimately natural creatures, incapable of matching the sheer speed of his inherent Feather Blades. Just as he turned to summon Suiblade for a combined Heavenly Blade Scattered Blossoms attack, carving a purple 'X' across the air, the bat swarm shrieked in renewed agony.

“Rumble.” Suddenly, lightning flashed from the heavens above. How could it thunder and rain within a cavern!

“Lightning Blade!” Seeing her bat swarm in peril, Pingyun Ji quickly rotated her hands, unleashing two streaks of blade light laced with lightning, aimed directly at the Birdman.

The Birdman, exhilarated by the slaughter, suddenly heard a thunderous sound behind him. By the time he reacted and turned, a blade light was already shooting toward his feet. In desperation, he grabbed Suiblade’s leg with one hand and swiftly flew sideways. This movement dodged the attack but sent him stumbling, tumbling out of the bat swarm and plunging into the abyss along with Suiblade.

“Clang…” However, Pingyun Ji’s attack wasn't aimed at the Birdman. It struck the feathers anchored by the metallic chains that were rising high and ensnaring the bats. She truly cherished her little darlings, unwilling to let the Birdman continue slaughtering them.

Seeing his chance, the Birdman ascended, focusing his gaze. The metallic chain-feathers connected to his body had been forcefully separated by the strike, flying in two directions. Aided by Pingyun Ji, the beasts immediately charged toward the Birdman with renewed ferocity. Pingyun Ji didn't pause, raising her hands once more to launch the Lightning Blade at him. Sensing danger, the Birdman grabbed Suiblade again. The two, perfectly synchronized, moved as one. Suiblade, though a beast, understood its master’s intent; with a sharp cry, it shot away, climbing rapidly to the highest cloud layer until it vanished from Pingyun Ji’s sight.

“Oh, vanished?” Pingyun Ji halted her hands, already crackling with electricity. She hadn't anticipated that the Birdman’s flight speed had reached the level of vanishing in the blink of an eye. But soon, she calmed and smiled faintly, “Though he’s moving too fast for my eyes to track, my little darlings can still pinpoint where you are.”

The Birdman had already retracted the metallic feather shards he had shot out an instant before. Just as he intended to merge with Suiblade to unleash his ultimate finishing move, he heard Pingyun Ji’s soft chuckle, and two more streaks of lightning blade descended upon him. Discovered already? Cold sweat broke out. He tried to dive down, but his escape route was blocked by the pursuing ranks of bats.

“Pfft…” He felt a scorching heat across his chest, launching him backward. Suiblade, caught in the same volley of lightning, shrieked and plummeted.

“Brother Eagle, I love your methods of attack, but they are far too monotonous?” Pingyun Ji laughed proudly, rotating her body as she recalled all the bats in the sky and earth back to her side.

The Birdman clutched his chest tightly. The Lightning Blade was indeed potent; a mere graze had left him in agonizing pain. A direct hit would surely incinerate his body. Yet, the Birdman wasn't intimidated; instead, a steady confidence washed over him. “Hmph, you think I reached this far relying solely on these feathers?”

Pingyun Ji nodded. As one of the Five Marquises of the Underworld, she could certainly discern the depth of the Birdman’s magical cultivation.

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