Chapter 322: Subduing, Vermilion Bird Spirit Fire

If the Vermilion Bird had been in a normal state, it would have been nearly impossible for Great Black to swallow its Inner Core.

The moment his great jaws snapped shut, the Vermilion Bird could have controlled its Inner Core, unleashing endless flames to scorch his head.

But under the influence of the Anger Rune Technique, the Vermilion Bird was too distracted to protect its Inner Core, giving Great Black the chance it needed.

With a gulp, Great Black swallowed the Vermilion Bird’s Inner Core.

The Vermilion Bird finally reacted, desperately trying to control its Inner Core and burst out of Great Black’s stomach.

But Great Black let out a sly chuckle as its body vanished, recalled into the Spirit Garden by Jiang Zuo.

In an instant, the Vermilion Bird had completely lost its Inner Core.

Without its Inner Core, the Vermilion Bird weakened considerably.

The Vermilion Bird felt as if it was going mad.

How could the Inner Core of a fifth-tier Demon Beast be lost so easily?

The Inner Core was a Demon Beast’s most powerful offensive tool. Using it risked damaging one’s Primordial Energy, which would then require a long period of Cultivation to recover.

But the Vermilion Bird had never imagined it could be forcefully snatched away.

The miniature suns it had condensed using the Inner Core now rained down around Jiang Zuo, exploding violently.

However, under the influence of the Anger Rune Technique, the dozen or so miniature suns weren’t aimed precisely at Jiang Zuo.

Knowing the Vermilion Bird could no longer pull off such an attack without its Inner Core, Jiang Zuo chose to dodge rather than face the explosions head-on.

Amidst the thunderous explosions, the crater in the ground widened without Jiang Zuo having to lift a finger, exposing more of the Vermilion Bird Divine Tree’s roots and saving him a great deal of trouble.

Jiang Zuo went back into the crater and resumed digging up the tree.

Having lost its Inner Core, the Vermilion Bird was utterly enraged. It unleashed every attack in its arsenal with reckless abandon.

But without the power of the Inner Core to back them, Jiang Zuo simply withstood them all head-on.

And with Xiaoqing and the Fire Phoenix launching a coordinated assault, the Vermilion Bird couldn’t afford to ignore them completely.

Sometimes, when provoked, the Vermilion Bird would turn to attack the other Spirit Beasts.

But with Xiaoqing present, the power of the Vermilion Bird’s attacks was always significantly diminished.

When an attack landed, even if a Spirit Beast was unlucky enough to be seriously injured, Jiang Zuo could use his Life Rune Technique to heal them in an instant.

“Hah!”

After an hour of the Vermilion Bird’s relentless bombardment, Jiang Zuo, braving its fury, finally uprooted the Vermilion Bird Divine Tree.

With a great heave, Jiang Zuo pulled the entire Vermilion Bird Divine Tree into his Spirit Garden.

This Divine Tree was incredibly important to the Vermilion Bird—far more important, even, than its Inner Core.

With the Divine Tree gone, the Vermilion Bird’s aura instantly weakened considerably.

“Heh heh. Alright, little one. You’ve been hitting me for long enough. Now, it’s my turn!”

“Flesh Burst!”

Jiang Zuo gave the Vermilion Bird a cold, malicious smile. He activated Flesh Burst, preparing to end this fight quickly.

‘It’ll be hard to make it submit unless I beat it down first.’

In his Flesh Burst state, Jiang Zuo’s body swelled, instantly transforming him into a small giant rippling with muscle.

BOOM!

He leaped before the Vermilion Bird, ignored its attack, and brought a fist crashing down upon its head.

The Vermilion Bird’s enormous, ten-meter-plus body was slammed into the ground by Jiang Zuo’s punch, carving out a huge crater.

But the Vermilion Bird’s body was far tougher than that of an ordinary Demon Beast; a punch like that from Jiang Zuo only resulted in a minor injury.

The Vermilion Bird beat its wings and rose from the ground, attempting to counterattack.

But without its Inner Core, it couldn’t use Dao Fruit Divine Techniques like a Cultivator.

Its ordinary attacks couldn’t inflict fatal damage on Jiang Zuo while he was in his Flesh Burst state.

Jiang Zuo completely ignored all its attacks, simply chasing it down and pummeling it relentlessly.

Before long, the Vermilion Bird was covered in blood, its injuries steadily worsening.

Jiang Zuo, meanwhile, was almost completely unharmed.

At this point in the fight, however defiant the Vermilion Bird felt, it knew it was no match for this man.

If it didn’t flee now, its injuries would become so severe it wouldn’t be able to escape even if it tried.

With a flap of its wings, the Vermilion Bird shot into the sky, intending to escape, heal its wounds, and plan its next move.

In the past, it had been at a disadvantage when facing the Helian Family as well.

The Helian Family, intent on subjugating it, had used every trick in the book.

Once, they had ambushed it while it was drinking water far from the Divine Tree, severely wounding it in a single strike.

It had been forced to flee for its life that time as well.

“If you dare to leave, I will destroy that Divine Tree of yours this instant!”

But it had just turned to leave when a cold voice reached it.

The Vermilion Bird froze mid-air.

‘I can cultivate a new Inner Core, but my mother tree… if that’s gone, it’s gone for good.’

‘Despicable human!’

The Vermilion Bird turned, its gaze filled with grief and indignation.

“Don’t act so wronged. You couldn’t have escaped even if you’d tried.”

“To be honest with you, I can also set up Arrays. It would be simple to trap you.”

“However, I don’t mean you any harm, and I won’t force you to sign any kind of contract with me.”

“Look at them. Do they have a contract with me?”

“The truth is, I carry a Little World with me. They live inside it.”

“You could live there too. You would only need to come out and help me from time to time.”

“Most of the time, you’ll be freer than you are now.”

“And what’s more, my Little World contains wonders beyond your imagination.”

Jiang Zuo continued his rapid-fire pitch, a mix of threats and promises.

As a fifth-tier Demon Beast, the Vermilion Bird naturally understood the meaning behind Jiang Zuo’s words.

If it were just Great Black and the giant golden wolf, the Vermilion Bird wouldn’t have so easily believed Jiang Zuo’s words.

But as it looked at Xiaoqing and the Fire Phoenix, it began to hesitate.

It could sense that the bloodlines of Xiaoqing and the Fire Phoenix were no less noble than its own.