Chapter Twenty-Two: The Serpent-Dragon and the Carved Roc

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Wyvern and the Roc
Chapter Four: Under the Cold Moon, Vast Marsh Meets the Demon Bird (Part Six)

Exposed earth was pierced by several formation flags, their silver surfaces shimmering, runes flickering atop them, occasionally releasing bolts of lightning. These opposed the golden light released by Ye Hua, the two forces evenly matched. As the mist and wild wind tore apart, the runes on the flags flared brightly; in an instant, the surrounding mist surged upward, restoring itself in the blink of an eye. Seeing this, Ye Hua understood that someone had deliberately set this up. With a gesture, the golden light flew back into his hand—it was the amethyst-gold bell.

Looking around, he saw the mist snaking along the lake’s edge, winding all the way around it for dozens of miles, clearly intended to keep people away from the lake. Ye Hua wondered who could possess such power to lay down such a formidable array. Leaving aside the array’s strength, its sheer scale alone was awe-inspiring.

Ye Hua pondered for a long moment, uncertain whether he should force his way inside. Gazing at the lake, his eyes shifted. “No wonder my senior brothers never mentioned this lake to me. They must know there’s a restriction here. Since this is in the Wutai Mountains, could it be a forbidden ground of the sect?”

As Ye Hua hesitated, a sudden thunderous sound erupted from the distant lake surface. A creature, half-fish, half-dragon, leapt from the water, more than ten yards long—seemingly the wyvern of legend. With another resounding splash, the wyvern plunged back into the lake. Ye Hua watched, marveling in silence; he had not expected such a monster to dwell in the lake. With a body like that, unless one’s cultivation was at the Tri-Truth Realm—or even the peak of the Seventh Treasure Realm—one could not hope to contend with it. Clearly, the restriction around the lake was to keep people away.

The wyvern swam freely in the lake, occasionally leaping from the water, its gaze ignoring Ye Hua as if he were of no consequence. Ye Hua thought that such a creature was not something he could withstand; it would be wiser to retreat. He was just about to summon the Scarlet Crow Dagger with an incantation when a sharp cry pierced the sky. Looking up, he saw a black speck rapidly enlarging overhead; as it drew closer, it became clear it was a massive roc, its wings spanning over a dozen yards—fierce and imposing. Ye Hua felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

The wyvern in the lake, hearing the sharp cry, became furious and bellowed with a sound like a raging bull. As the roc drew ever closer to the water, the wyvern shot from the lake with a “whoosh,” lunging at the roc. The roc was not to be outdone; its talons, sharp as steel, struck at the wyvern.

Just as the two were about to collide, the roc suddenly twisted in midair, deftly gliding past. The wyvern’s attack missed. Watching from afar, Ye Hua saw their struggle—when the roc glided past, a memory flashed in his mind: years ago, he had seen this very roc gliding through the forest in the same way.

Seizing the moment as the wyvern descended, the roc wheeled around and struck with its talons. The wyvern, unable to dodge, was seized by the tail. It howled in pain, twisted its head back, and spewed a stream of yellow-green fluid from its mouth. The roc, seemingly prepared for this, beat its wings fiercely, summoning a powerful gust that scattered the poisonous stream.

Clutching the wyvern, the roc soared upward. The wyvern, seeing its attack fail, let out a thunderous roar; in an instant, its body blazed with golden light and swelled in size. The roc’s talons were shaken loose by the surge of energy, and the wyvern transformed into a dragon-like beast, crowned with twin horns and sprouting four limbs from its body. Twisting in midair, it hovered, glaring at the roc with hatred and vigilance.

The roc, enraged at being escaped, screeched sharply, its wings radiating azure light. With a slanting sweep, two columns of wind howled forth, twisting toward the wyvern. The wyvern dared not be careless; its four claws blazed with golden light, unleashing over a dozen bolts of lightning that instantly formed an electric net to confront the wind columns.

The wind columns were blocked for a moment, but then, strangely, pierced through the net. Before the wyvern could muster another defense, the columns twisted around its body. With a heartrending scream, the wyvern was battered, grievously wounded by the deadly wind.

The roc swooped in, talons raking into the wind column, conjuring dozens of blades of wind that slashed forward. The wyvern, trapped, could only roar in fury as the maelstrom raged and lightning crackled within—a battle of immense power. Yet the wyvern seemed unable to escape or defend itself, and its howls grew weaker, the turmoil within the wind columns gradually subsiding.

When all was quiet, the roc, triumphant, let out a cry, ceased its wind blades, and the wind columns dissipated, revealing the battered wyvern. It had reverted to its original form, its body covered in wounds, blood streaming from countless gashes. A massive hole gaped in its chest, the work of the roc’s talons, exposing its inner organs.

Gloating, the roc dove to seize the wyvern and fly away. Its talons had just closed around the creature when, unexpectedly, the wyvern, feigning death, revived with a roar and spat a dazzling orb of light from its jaws. The roc, caught off guard by this ruse and unable to dodge at such close range, was struck by the orb. In the distance, Ye Hua saw the roc, so formidable just moments before, suddenly undone by the wyvern’s desperate ploy. There was a blinding flash as the orb exploded on the roc, which cried out in anguish, feathers scattering, its body tumbling toward Ye Hua.

Startled by the sudden reversal, Ye Hua watched as the roc plummeted, unsure if it was already dead. As the wounded bird fell nearby, Ye Hua swiftly formed a seal in the air, catching the roc with a gesture. Blood covered its body, feathers broken and ragged; it lay near death, breathing faintly.

The roc’s golden eyes fluttered open, gazing at Ye Hua with a flicker of longing, as if reluctant to let go of life. Ye Hua felt a pang of sorrow, unsure why. Before he could think further, lightning flashed overhead— the wyvern, not yet dead, had seen that the roc still lived and was unleashing another deadly bolt to finish it off. In the past, Ye Hua would have fled before such a foe, knowing he was no match.

But now, the wyvern was at the end of its strength. Ye Hua, no longer afraid, reached out with his right hand, conjuring the silvery Moonlight Sword, while his left hand formed a seal and his lips murmured a secret incantation: “Nine Heavens Thunder Sword—strike!” With a thunderous command, the Moonlight Sword shot skyward. Time seemed to freeze as dark clouds gathered from all directions, swirling into a vortex around the sword.

Bolts of lightning, no less fierce than the wyvern’s own, began to form. The wyvern, sensing the overwhelming force, was alarmed but powerless—its strength spent, its vital essence already expended wounding the roc.

Lightning entwined the Moonlight Sword, its blade turning transparent, then into a great golden bolt of fire. In the blink of an eye, it vanished, only to reappear right before the wyvern—tearing through space itself. Despair flashed in the wyvern’s eyes; before it could muster any defense, the fiery bolt wound around it. With a final, agonized scream, the wyvern was reduced to dust in the lightning’s blaze. Thus was justice served: a life spent wielding thunder to kill, ended at last by another’s thunder.

Ye Hua exhaled deeply, relief flooding his heart. He had feared that the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword would not be enough, but its power had far exceeded his expectations—even with his shallow mastery. With a gesture, the lightning condensed back into the silvery sword. Ye Hua gazed at the wounded roc before him, sighed softly, and, supporting the great bird, slowly guided it with magic toward the forest beside the mists.

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