Chapter 54: The Battle Between Serpents and Eagles

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: The Battle Between Serpents and Eagles

Ye Xuan and Qingyu said their goodbyes to Senior Wang.

He walked down the stairs, reached the bottom of the Golden Pagoda, and stepped into the courtyard outside.

[You’re lucky to have met a senior like him, Ye Xuan.]

Yeah... Even though I haven’t known him for long, he’s become an important person to me, just like you.

[So, what are you going to do now? You aren’t planning to recklessly force your way back into Sky Cloud Sect, are you?]

That would be foolish. Sky Cloud Sect has certainly taught me a great deal about cultivation. However, my current circumstances don’t allow me to return.

This lake is close to Scarlet Moon Forest. I’ll head there and help you defeat the members of the Northern Wind Eagle Tribe.

[All right, Ye Xuan.]

He swung his hand to the side, gathering spiritual qi around his body until it formed a protective layer. He couldn’t use the teleportation token because that wasn’t how it worked.

The teleportation token connected the outside world to the Golden Pagoda.

It couldn’t be used to travel from the Golden Pagoda to any location in the world.

That was why he had to wrap himself in condensed spiritual qi to keep the immense water pressure at the bottom of the lake from harming him.

After making sure both he and Qingyu were completely protected, Ye Xuan shot forward, breaking through the dome barrier and speeding away from the lake.

From a distance, Scarlet Moon Forest was clearly visible. However, he sensed something unusual about the place.

"Is it just me, or has the fog in the forest grown thicker?"

Ye Xuan arrived inside the forest and inhaled the scent carried by the mist. He caught the smell of something burning, not the fresh, dewy scent that usually lingered in the forest.

"This isn’t fog... It’s smoke."

[What exactly happened here?]

Curious, Ye Xuan accelerated and flew through the trees. What he saw next was a large number of dead forest monsters, their rotting corpses scattered across the ground.

Several trees had also been charred black, releasing faint wisps of smoke as if they had been completely burned.

Dead monsters, charred trees, and smoky mist. Ye Xuan realized that a devastating battle had taken place here.

But who was responsible? And which sides were fighting? He had no idea.

"You won’t be able to defeat us!"

"You’re courting death!"

Shouts rang out from ahead. Ye Xuan decided to speed up and soon spotted an area of the forest where the trees were burning.

In the middle of the burning area, he saw a group of half-human, half-snake beings fighting against a group of half-human, half-eagle beings.

That’s right! It was a battle between two clans and tribes. The Blazing Fire Serpent Clan was at war with the Northern Wind Eagle Tribe.

[Those damn birds actually dared to attack my friend’s clan!]

Ye Xuan acted swiftly. He thrust his hand forward, summoning a lightning sword.

With a sweeping motion, he unleashed an attack toward the battlefield.

"Blazing Flame Serpent!"

A slash of fire and crimson lightning shot toward the fighters.

Both sides immediately turned around in shock and hurriedly dodged the powerful attack to avoid getting hurt.

Ye Xuan’s attack struck the trees, bringing them crashing down.

He immediately landed in front of the Blazing Fire Serpent group, several of whose members were injured.

"You? Aren’t you the human who was helped by Clan Leader Yan Jin?!"

Ye Xuan glanced behind him and noticed that several members of their group were injured.

"Go and tell Yan Jin that Qingyu and Ye Xuan have returned. We’ll help you."

"You’re going to fight them? Are you crazy? Their cultivation bases are at least equivalent to the Spirit Beast stage!"

"Just leave them to me!" Ye Xuan declared firmly.

The group’s leader listened to him and noticed the determined, serious expression on his face.

Perhaps Ye Xuan and Qingyu really could hold their own against the enemy, or even defeat them.

"All right. We’ll return with reinforcements immediately!"

"Don’t run away, you cowards!" someone from the eagle tribe shouted.

Just as they were about to fly after the retreating serpents, Ye Xuan moved. With a flash of lightning, he instantly appeared in front of them.

He thrust his hand forward, and the runes of his technique appeared.

"Qi Palm!"

A massive qi palm materialized and shot toward them. The members of the eagle tribe wrapped their bodies in their wings, using a defensive technique unique to their tribe.

BLAST!

The technique exploded, forcing them backward while they continued to shield themselves with their wings.

Ye Xuan, however, remained completely unaffected by the explosion.

They looked up at him in disbelief.

"Peak Foundation Establishment?"

[It’s time for me to join you in battle, Ye Xuan.]

Ye Xuan didn’t respond. Instead, he allowed Qingyu to slip away from him and begin her transformation.

She grew into a massive white serpent, releasing a powerful qi aura that was enough to shake her opponents’ courage.

The members of the eagle tribe were even more shocked when they sensed Qingyu’s cultivation stage.

"What?! Peak Spirit Beast?!"

This will be the second time we’ve fought side by side, Qingyu.

[That’s right. I’m really excited!]

Ye Xuan formed a hand seal and activated the red rune in front of him. He immediately pointed his finger forward, unleashing a flame attack toward them.

"Mystic Flame Finger!"

Beside Ye Xuan, Qingyu opened her mouth and unleashed a blast of crimson lightning toward their enemies.

The members of the eagle tribe were shocked and panicked.

They immediately used their abilities to withstand Ye Xuan and Qingyu’s attacks.

A barrier shaped like two qi wings appeared in front of them.

The two wings then moved, wrapping around their bodies to form a defensive shield.

Ye Xuan and Qingyu’s attacks collided with their qi-wing barrier.

A powerful clash of qi erupted, accompanied by fierce gusts of wind that swept away everything nearby.

Ye Xuan realized that their qi-wing barrier was quite powerful.

He responded by channeling more spiritual qi into his attack, increasing the power of his flame finger.

The eagle tribe members began to struggle as they realized Ye Xuan’s attack was growing stronger.

Cracks appeared across their qi-wing barrier, spreading until they became increasingly alarming.

"Impossible!" one of them shouted.

The defensive barrier shattered into pieces like broken glass.

Their eyes widened in shock, and their faces turned deathly pale as crimson lightning and a blazing finger attack shot toward them.

"Explode!"

[Destroyed!]

BLAST!

A tremendous explosion erupted, shaking the surrounding ground. Trees were knocked down by the powerful qi shockwave, while the leaves caught fire from the blast.

The eagle tribe members were thrown backward, suffering severe burns. They screamed in pain and begged for mercy.

"AAARGH!"

"Please spare us!"

Ye Xuan stopped his attack and turned to Qingyu.

"You can start devouring their abilities. They might have something useful for you."

[No. Their abilities are useless. I don’t want them.]

"Then let me kill—"

"Impressive," someone suddenly remarked. "I never expected a human to willingly help a Spirit Beast Clan."

Ye Xuan and Qingyu turned their attention forward. A man had appeared, radiating an extremely powerful qi aura.

He couldn’t clearly see the qi aura surrounding him, a clear indication that his cultivation base was above his own.

"E-Elder Ying?"

An elder of the Northern Wind Eagle Tribe? His cultivation base should be at the Profound-Beast stage, or equivalent to Golden Core.

[We can definitely fight him, Ye Xuan.]