Chapter Sixty-Three: Forced to Withdraw Due to Injury

Chapter Sixty-Three: Injured in Retreat
Chapter Ten: Sword Dance in the Empty Mountains, Purple Lightning Startles Evil, Fire Clouds Obscure the Ancient Crossing of Taihang, Struggling Over Strange Relics (Part Three)

Far away, the Twin Flood Dragons of Cloud Mountain cried out, “This is bad! Why has the Cold Essence Dragon of the Jade Pool used the Burning Vitality technique? Those two little thieves deserve to die!” Their fleeing speed increased yet again.

Ye Hua’s heart was pounding with anxiety as he shouted, “Xiaoyao!” Although the golden eagle had taken a blow and was cold as ice, it still wheeled around to flee, though its speed had greatly diminished. The white dragon, having unleashed its last attack, was utterly drained of vital energy, its breath weak, its retreat also slowing.

Turning back, Ye Hua saw the white dragon vanish into the void once more. The Black Sun Dagger in his hand flared with dark light as he slashed to his left rear. A blade of shadow, like a furious wave, surged forward. The white dragon had scarcely reappeared when it found itself engulfed in the blade’s radiance. Unable to dodge, a flash of white light shimmered around its body as it absorbed the blow.

This time, Ye Hua had poured every ounce of inner strength into the strike, making it even more formidable than before. Though the white dragon managed to withstand it, the pain was intolerable. That human whelp was truly infuriating—his cultivation and power were clearly inferior, yet whenever the dragon attempted to escape at full speed, it somehow found itself unable to evade the youth’s bizarre blade. The force was slight, yet an inexplicable suction seemed to draw away its vital energy.

The white dragon, still seething from before and now attacked again, flew into a frenzy. Its entire body began to glow, both claws slowly rising in unison. Sensing the dragon was about to unleash another attack, Ye Hua cried urgently, “Xiaoyao, dodge quickly!”

The golden eagle also realized the danger and suddenly accelerated, streaking away like a flash of gold. In an instant, it was miles distant. Yet the white dragon seemed not to notice, sending forth another beam of white light from its claws. The pillar of light, seemingly slow but in reality swift, spanned miles as if distance did not exist, shooting straight towards Ye Hua and the golden eagle.

Ye Hua felt his hair stand on end. Watching the pillar of light bear down on them, he feared that even at such speed, the golden eagle could not escape. The power contained within the beam was truly terrifying!

Seeing it could not evade, the golden eagle abruptly twisted in midair. Its feathers crackled with lightning as its talons gleamed golden. Behind it loomed the illusory shadow of a great roc, its aura suddenly surging. Facing the oncoming beam, it swung its claws to meet it. When the two forces collided, there was a shock that seemed to shake the heavens and the earth. The white light and the golden shadow gradually dissolved each other. The golden eagle shuddered all over, as if struck by thunder, and blood trickled from the corners of its mouth and eyes. Far in the distance, the white dragon’s glow flickered erratically, the beam waxing and waning, as if it too was drained of energy.

Seeing the golden eagle wounded, Ye Hua was shocked and enraged. He was about to use his Ghost Shadow Evasion to approach the white dragon and retaliate with the Black Sun Dagger when the eagle’s wings shook, shedding feathers that transformed into blood-red arrows shooting towards the dragon. The white dragon, sensing danger, spewed a gray mist to shield itself, but as soon as the blood-red arrows entered the mist, they exploded, unleashing a tempest that tore through the void. Countless crimson wind blades ripped into the white dragon.

Already grievously wounded and having just forced its own energy in the Burning Vitality technique, the white dragon was at its limit. Now, struck by this assault, its form dissipated like foam, leaving only a lustrous pearl floating in midair, within which a stream of white vapor, fishlike or dragonlike, drifted gently.

Seeing the white dragon’s form fade, the golden eagle’s breath instantly weakened. With a weak grasp, it summoned the pearl, then turned and, carrying Ye Hua, sped north at full flight.

The Twin Flood Dragons of Cloud Mountain suddenly felt dizzy, a sharp pain in their minds. Their connection to the Cold Essence Dragon of the Jade Pool vanished without a trace. Horrified, they cried out, “How... how... how can this be!?” Only one explanation remained: their comrade had been destroyed by its foes!

Devastated and frantic, they rushed to the last place the Cold Essence Dragon had left its mark, only to find the world’s energy in turmoil. The ground, rocks, and trees were swept clear, a scene of utter devastation, but the golden eagle and the youth were long gone...

Ye Hua and the golden eagle flew north for thousands of miles, then west for several hundred more, convinced the Twin Flood Dragons would never find them again. They landed atop a precipitous peak.

The golden eagle’s breath was now greatly diminished. Ye Hua, whose own blood was linked to the eagle’s after saving it through a soul-exchange ritual, understood its condition well. The white dragon’s blow had left it gravely injured, and later, forcing its blood had ravaged its meridians and demon energy.

Ye Hua hurriedly took out several rare medicinal herbs. The herbs he'd acquired from Lord Huoshu were long gone, but he still had some Eight Yang Divine Pills and Clear Water Pills from Bishan Monastery, excellent for healing and restoring energy. During his stay at Dafulingjiu Monastery, he’d acquired a few Heaven’s Origin Divine Pills, the finest medicine for injuries, which he now gave the golden eagle all at once.

Under a great stone, the golden eagle closed its eyes to recuperate. Watching its breath gradually steady, Ye Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around—the place was perilous and steep, a solitary peak rising straight from a fathomless chasm. Anyone looking down would feel their head spin and heart tremble. Turning to gaze into the distance, he saw only a sea of mist; there was no sign of any human habitation or temples—those were all hidden in the clouds. Overhead, the red sun shone through the mist, casting iridescent rays, a sight of rare beauty.

After a day and a night, the golden eagle finally opened its eyes. Though still weak, it was noticeably improved. The bird chirped joyfully at Ye Hua, who could only force a wry smile. “Xiaoyao, you can still laugh? You nearly lost your life this time!” The eagle spread its wings, startling Ye Hua, who thought it might pounce and hurried aside, calling, “Hey! Don’t be reckless!”

Instead, the eagle’s wings glimmered blue, and a pile of items appeared on the ground. It called to Ye Hua, who, surprised, asked, “Hey, where did you get all this?” Stepping closer, he inspected the hoard.

“A good haul!” he exclaimed after a quick look. On top was a short silver dagger, a small red drum, several pearls. Ye Hua moved them aside to reveal a dozen or so bottles and jade boxes, as well as a few jade manuals. Underneath these, there was a damaged bell and a broken sword.

“Oh, so you picked these up!” Ye Hua realized. He stooped to examine the bell and sword closely—they were the Purple Gold Bell and the Moonlight Sword, both already battered beyond repair. Looking at them brought back memories of the great battle in Jade Elephant Gorge against the black-robed elder, when he’d used the Purple Gold Bell to block the Asura Pearl, then lost consciousness. The bell and sword must have been left behind in the chaos, and when the golden eagle later returned, it had retrieved them.

Ye Hua also took out an exquisite wooden box from his robe and opened it slowly. Inside was the Manzi Suolan orchid. Staring at its five deep red, translucent petals, each marked with pale scars, he fell silent. His senior, Ling Yun’er, was probably setting out for her training in the Cold City by now. Would he see her again when he returned?

He did not know how much time had passed when the golden eagle gave a low cry, pulling Ye Hua from his reverie. With a shake of his head and a bitter smile, he set aside the bell and broken sword and picked up the dagger for closer inspection. The blade was engraved with strange patterns, gleaming silver, its hilt fashioned into a lion’s head, blood-red and dripping as if made from some unknown material. As he tried to channel his energy into the blade, its surface flashed with white light and a murderous aura surged skyward.

“A formidable blade spirit!” Ye Hua exclaimed. “But why does this murderous aura feel so familiar—as if I’ve sensed it before?” He pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at the golden eagle in shock.

“Isn’t this the weapon of the black-robed elder? How did you get it? Did you... did you...?” The golden eagle called out proudly and gestured at the items on the ground with its wing. Ye Hua muttered, “So these are all spoils you took from him... Well done, well done!”

He put the dagger down, its light fading, and picked up a few of the pearls. Staring at one, he wondered if it was the white dragon’s essence. The golden eagle nodded, confirming it. Within the pearl, a ball of white vapor swirled, shifting into the forms of fish, sharks, dragons. Ye Hua nodded and set it aside, rifling through the rest—herbs, spirit pills, secret manuals, all manner of treasures, no fewer than dozens of items.

He sighed. “We’ve made quite a windfall this time, Xiaoyao, truly... Hey! What are you doing?” As he started to rise, the golden eagle spat a shimmering green light at him. With a yelp, he felt a coolness on his forehead and a refreshing clearness in his mind.

“What is this?” Ye Hua cried, recognizing the verdant light as something they’d just obtained from the cold pool. “Is this from the pool just now?” The golden eagle nodded again, then, seeing Ye Hua’s fuss, sprawled on the rocks, clearly indifferent. Ye Hua was left sputtering in indignation.

Man and bird inspected the haul together. Once everything had been examined, Ye Hua let out a long breath. “Alright, we’ve seen it all. Xiaoyao, you’d best put it all away for now—we can use it later.” The golden eagle shook its head, then with a gleam of blue light from its wings, floated all the items in front of Ye Hua before letting out a resonant cry.

Understanding the eagle’s intention, Ye Hua smiled wryly. “Very well, I’ll keep them myself.” He produced the Shuying Universe Pouch from his robe and stowed everything away.

Looking around, he saw the red sun high in the sky, nearly noon. The empty mountain was silent. In the northwestern woods, a dozen emerald birds chattered as they flew towards the peak where he stood, their red feathers vivid in the sunlight. After a while, they swept south over the peak and vanished into the forest. Aside from that, all was still and quiet.

Gazing around, Ye Hua said, “Xiaoyao, we’d best hurry back to North Terrace before our brothers worry. The trouble is, I have no idea where we are—it may take some effort to find our way home.”

The golden eagle rose, its wings missing a few feathers. Ye Hua, feeling a pang of pity, said, “Let’s go!” He summoned the Black Sun Dagger and, judging the direction, flew southwest.