Step by Step Ascend to Immortality

Chapter 29: Chapter 30 Yellow Bird

Although Wang Zihan had heeded Du Yunlong's warning and covered her ears in advance, she was still overwhelmed by the earth-shaking eagle's screech. Her only response was to clutch her head tightly, remaining dazed for what felt like an eternity. If she was this affected, it was worse for Xuanshui Jun, who bore the brunt of the attack.

The piercing eagle cry was directed straight at Xuanshui Jun. Despite Xuanshui Jun's formidable strength as a powerful beast, it paled in comparison to the legendary eagle of Falling Star Mountain. That eagle was its natural predator. Upon hearing the cry, Xuanshui Jun instinctively coiled its serpentine body into a tight ball, its venomous fangs retracting into its mouth.

Terrified, it nearly lacked the will to flee, instead rolling itself into a defensive coil. It retreated several steps, the once fierce glow of its lantern-sized eyes dimming in an instant.

As a mighty serpent within Falling Star Mountain, Xuanshui Jun quickly regained its composure after retreating some ten meters. Glancing back towards the brush where Du Yunlong was hiding, it caught sight of him wearing a mocking grin. Du Yunlong's satisfaction only deepened when Xuanshui Jun peeked out.

In his hand, Du Yunlong already had a jagged stone ready. With a fierce shout, he hurled the stone at Xuanshui Jun's crimson snake crown. The stone whistled through the air, covering dozens of meters in the blink of an eye, aiming straight for the serpent's eyes. Xuanshui Jun narrowly dodged the attack by jerking its head aside, but the stone—imbued with all of Du Yunlong's strength—still struck its crown.

For such a mighty creature, the physical damage from the strike was negligible, but the psychological blow was far more severe. Memories of past failures flooded Xuanshui Jun's mind, especially the humiliating defeat it suffered just days ago at Du Yunlong's hands. The pain, the humiliation, and the fury surged up all at once.

Enraged, Xuanshui Jun prepared to spew its deadly fire at Du Yunlong, ready to incinerate him. But when it looked again, something was off—he had vanished.

Where had Du Yunlong gone?

In the blink of an eye, Du Yunlong's presence had vanished without a trace. The grass lay undisturbed as if he had never been there. Xuanshui Jun's body coiled tighter, its dark red scales bristling in anger as it searched the area with burning eyes. Its fury was so intense that the plants around it withered and died as it slithered forward, now even faster. Soon, it picked up the scent of Du Yunlong and Wang Zihan.

Determined to exact revenge, Xuanshui Jun raced towards them, intending to reduce them both to ash with its demonic flames. It lunged forward, leaping over a mountain pass, convinced that Du Yunlong, carrying Wang Zihan, couldn't have gotten far.

But to its shock, the ground in front of it was empty. Where had they gone?

Furious, Xuanshui Jun's mind burned with rage. The memory of fleeing at the sound of the eagle's screech filled it with shame, and its eyes blazed as it desperately scanned the surroundings, searching for its old adversary.

However, instead of Du Yunlong and Wang Zihan, Xuanshui Jun spotted a group of human warriors dressed in green. Standing with them were two massive hunting dogs, each nearly as tall as a man. As soon as they saw the serpent, the dogs barked fiercely, "Woof! Woof! Woof!"

These were the elite hounds of the Pang family, trained to tear through mortals like a whirlwind. As soon as the beasts sensed the presence of the strange serpent, they immediately became alert. The soldiers were quick to act too, with two archers already nocking arrows on their powerful bows.

They had been tracking Du Yunlong for days, braving the wilderness, determined to catch him. Morale was high, and they were ready to strike when they heard the deafening eagle's cry. Rushing over, they hoped for a breakthrough, but instead, they found themselves face-to-face with Xuanshui Jun.

The soldiers were from the elite ranks of the Pang family, and while they were prepared to fight, they didn't want to provoke this powerful beast unnecessarily. Their true target was Wang Zihan.

Xuanshui Jun, too, had no interest in these intruders and hissed a warning, flicking its blood-red tongue at them. It signaled for the soldiers to back off while its eyes continued searching for Du Yunlong and Wang Zihan.

Neither side wanted to retreat, unwilling to give up their prey. But just then, a sharp eagle screech echoed once more, this time from directly overhead. Xuanshui Jun glanced upward to see a sleek black hawk circling above the soldiers.

"Hisssssss..." Xuanshui Jun's fury exploded. Memories of past defeats at the claws of eagles flashed through its mind. Rage and humiliation surged up from its depths, and with a burst of speed, it lunged at the soldiers, jaws wide open.

"Fire!"

The archers loosed their arrows, two deadly projectiles slicing through the air, aimed directly at the serpent's weak spot. But Xuanshui Jun's body shimmered with a dark mist, deflecting the arrows before they could reach its scales.

"Use the Immortal-Slaying Arrows!" one of the scouts shouted in desperation. The soldiers hesitated. The Pang family had spared no expense, even issuing these rare, powerful arrows, but they had only three, and they were not to be used lightly. Still, with Xuanshui Jun bearing down on them, they had no choice.

The archers drew the Immortal-Slaying Arrows, and the remaining soldiers formed a defensive line. Meanwhile, the lead spellcaster summoned a protective talisman, releasing a burst of golden light that shot toward the sky with a resounding boom—calling for reinforcements.

At this moment, Xuanshui Jun, locked in combat with the Pang soldiers, failed to notice the quiet escape of Du Yunlong and Wang Zihan.

The two archers had their bows drawn tight, but they hesitated, their foreheads beaded with sweat. They remained silent as they watched Xuanshui Jun charge toward them, knowing they were running out of time. Behind them, the spellcaster gritted his teeth, pained at the thought of using his precious talisman, but he knew he had no choice. With a flick of his left index finger, the golden talisman flew from his hand.

The talisman was no more than two inches wide, but as soon as it left his grasp, a large earth-colored tiger materialized from it. The tiger grew larger with every second, quickly expanding to over two feet in length and width, before hurtling toward Xuanshui Jun.

Xuanshui Jun, a veteran of countless battles, remained unfazed. Though it had been helpless before the giant eagle, it feared no ordinary talisman. Without breaking stride, it opened its jaws, sending a misty green light crashing into the tiger talisman.

The golden tiger, however, was no ordinary creation. As it collided with the green light, it emitted a brilliant flash of gold, instantly dissolving Xuanshui Jun's attack into nothing. The tiger's glowing form passed through the dark fog surrounding Xuanshui Jun's body and slammed directly into its scales, producing a sharp "sizzle" as it struck.

Xuanshui Jun paused for just a moment, stunned by the impact, and in that brief instant, the two archers released their bowstrings. Two white arrows shot out with blinding speed. The moment the arrows left the bows, the archers collapsed to the ground, completely drained. Their limbs were limp, and the hands that had drawn the heavy bows had withered, turning dry and yellow like parched leaves. One of the archers even looked as if his very life force had been sucked away, his face gaunt and sallow.

Though such celestial weapons had fallen into mortal hands, they were never meant to be used so lightly.

As the two white arrows flew through the air, they underwent a transformation. Originally simple white shafts, they suddenly became entwined with ethereal white dragons. The dragons coiled tightly around the arrows, not only intensifying the deadly aura but also doubling the arrows' speed.

Xuanshui Jun hadn't anticipated this sudden change. The two green energy blasts it spat out hit nothing but air. In the next moment, the Immortal-Slaying Arrows, now wrapped in white dragons, shattered the black fog protecting Xuanshui Jun and plunged straight into its scaled body!