Chapter Six: A Celestial Beast?

This battle lasted less than five minutes from start to finish—a swift and decisive encounter—yet the outcome was less than ideal.

He Tianshu and Gong Degang were struck by the serpent’s phosphorescent scales, and the Crimson Phosphor Twin-Tailed Serpent itself was somewhat venomous. The young men had underestimated their foe, never imagining that a high-tier Xuan-rank serpent could unleash such immense power in its final moments.

He Tianshu and Gong Degang immediately sat down, channeling their internal energy and circulating the Jade Void Heart Technique to heal themselves. The wounds where the scales struck were not deep and had already been cleansed of the scales; fortunately, none struck vital points. However, the poison began to spread slowly, and both men’s faces turned faintly purple. They remained silent, focusing all their attention on internal healing, resisting the toxin’s further invasion.

He Xueqing led Li Sibai over, retrieved two pills from her satchel, and helped the two men take them. These were Silverhorn Pills, a detoxifying elixir refined by the Xuantian Sword Sect. Though she was unsure of the severity of their poisoning, the pill could suppress most toxins, and even if it could not fully neutralize the venom, it would at least slow its spread.

After taking the Silverhorn Pills, both men’s complexions improved slightly. He Tianshu spoke up.

“We underestimated our foe today. Thankfully, the snake’s venom isn’t deadly. I’m afraid we can’t complete the mission today. Xiaobai, go take care of the Crimson Phosphor Twin-Tailed Serpent; consider it your harvest for this trip.”

Li Sibai shook his head repeatedly. “Senior Brother He, I only came along as a bystander. I didn’t help at all and even caused you trouble—how can I accept the mission reward?”

He Tianshu gave a wry smile. “We were supposed to hunt four Earth-rank beasts to complete the mission. Now, after only slaying one Xuan-rank beast, we have to return. There are four of us, and it’s hard to divide the spoils—so you may as well have them.”

Seeing the others in good spirits, the group relaxed, and the others chimed in as well. “Xiaobai, just accept it.” Seeing everyone insist, Li Sibai complied, went over, and with his short sword, sliced open the serpent’s skin and collected it, then cut open the body to remove the gallbladder—each a precious medicinal ingredient. The entire serpent was a treasure: even the meat had great effects. But it was simply too large, so Li Sibai took only the most important parts for alchemy; that was his entire haul for this trip.

Once he had finished, He Tianshu spoke.

“We should leave quickly. With Senior Brother Gong and me injured, every extra moment here brings more risk. What do you all think?”

Everyone nodded in agreement. But just then…

The Soul-Devouring Whip’s “Gourd,” which had been glowing yellow, suddenly began to flash red. The group was alarmed—this area wasn’t even the heart of the Dark Forest, so how could a Heaven-rank beast appear?

Before they could make sense of it, the Soul-Devouring Whip’s gourd flashed ever faster, and at that moment, a small, multicolored bird flew toward them, pursued by a large azure bird. One glance at the big bird made He Tianshu and Gong Degang’s hearts leap.

The creature shimmered with blue light, its shape like a peacock, with a tail split into three, its feathers exceptionally long, and both wings adorned with red and white eye-like spots—majestic and resplendent.

“Could this be the divine bird, the Azure Luan?” He Tianshu wondered, hardly daring to believe it.

But the Azure Luan, wings spread wide, shrieked as it flew toward them. None dared be careless; they all leapt aside. If this truly was a divine beast, they were no match for it. Fortunately, being a divine beast and not a demon beast, it should not harm them.

Harboring a sliver of hope, they quickly dodged aside. Yet the colorful little bird, desperate to flee, crashed straight into Li Sibai, who stood frozen with fear.

In the confusion, Ye Chunqiao swiftly lashed her Soul-Devouring Whip, snaring Li Sibai and pulling him toward her with all her strength, yet even so, she was a beat too slow.

Seeing there was no hope of rescuing Li Sibai, He Tianshu and the others hurled their immortal swords, controlling them to fly at the great bird.

Three swords—Carefree, Eight Tigers, and Heavenly Fang—shot toward the Azure Luan. The bird did not evade; its eyes fixed only on the multicolored bird in Li Sibai’s arms.

With a sweep of its wings, the Azure Luan’s blue glow intensified. At the same time, it stretched out its talons, seizing Li Sibai. The three immortal swords, slowed somewhat by the blue radiance, nevertheless managed to strike the bird.

The Azure Luan let out a long, pained cry. Though a divine beast, being struck by three immortal swords was no trivial matter. Blood streamed from three wounds—not fatal, but bleeding profusely.

It had no time to care; clutching Li Sibai, it soared away, leaving the four companions standing there, stunned.

The four were beside themselves with worry. The junior disciple they had brought for experience had been snatched away by this great bird—how could they explain themselves upon returning? Worse, He Tianshu and Gong Degang were injured, and even if not, their current cultivation was insufficient for sword flight; they could never catch the Azure Luan. They looked at one another, utterly at a loss.

At last, He Tianshu spoke first. “We must hurry back and report to the sect master. Let him devise a plan!”

All agreed—there was nothing else to do. Yao Xueqing supported He Tianshu, Ye Chunqiao helped Gong Degang, and the four set out toward the Xuantian Sword Sect.

Meanwhile, held in the great bird’s talons, Li Sibai was terrified, wondering what fate awaited him. Yet seeing that the Azure Luan did not immediately harm him, he forced himself to calm down and think of a way out.

The Azure Luan, wary of pursuit, flew with Li Sibai for a long time. Perhaps from blood loss, perhaps from exhaustion, it suddenly plummeted from the sky.

Li Sibai cried out inwardly—if he fell from such a height, the bird might survive, but he would be smashed to pieces.

Just then, the multicolored bird in his arms awoke. It had been wounded by the Azure Luan, then knocked unconscious when it collided with Li Sibai. Now, seeing the Azure Luan lose control and fall, it could have flown away to save itself. But glancing at Li Sibai—who had been entangled in this mess by its own misfortune—the little bird, as if moved by some strange impulse, did not immediately flee.