Proud Sword Soaring Clouds-Chapter 40 - 39: So Close
Two hurricanes materialized from the wings of the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon, sweeping violently toward the White Jade Red-eyed Python below. The falcon thrust its sharp talons forward, aiming for its opponent’s crimson eyes!
The White Jade Red-eyed Python’s massive body abruptly coiled back as if taking a deep breath. It then spat out a huge, transparent sphere. The instant the sphere hit the air, it exploded with a BANG, transforming into countless sharp, vicious ice blades that shot upward to meet the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon, glinting dazzlingly in the sunlight.
The two hurricanes slammed into the mountain peak, sweeping up countless massive boulders and sending them crashing down upon the White Jade Red-eyed Python like an avalanche!
Their very first exchange was devastating for both. The White Jade Red-eyed Python was pelted by innumerable boulders, and it let out continuous, pained, and furious hisses. Its smooth, jade-like body was quickly covered in grime, many of its scales were smashed off, and mangled, bloody wounds were revealed in many places.
Meanwhile, the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon failed to completely evade the overwhelming barrage of ice blades. Feathers exploded from its body, drifting down through the air, and it now sported countless small cuts.
In reality, however, neither the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon nor the White Jade Red-eyed Python had sustained any critical injuries.
The Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon’s talons raked across the python’s head, sending a spray of blood into the air. Not to be outdone, the White Jade Red-eyed Python whipped its agile tail and viciously struck the falcon’s body.
The Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon let out a pained, angry cry, tumbling over and over through the air as it was sent flying for over a hundred meters!
Neither had gained an advantage; neither had escaped unscathed.
Ling Xiao looked up at the constantly falling debris, both large and small, and pressed his body tightly into a recess in the cliff face. A couple of rocks even grazed past his body as they plummeted, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
Feathers drifted down endlessly. Ling Xiao was amazed. ’The sheer scale of a battle between High-Tier Magical Beasts is this astonishing! Even the clashes between the Beast Cultivators I witnessed back in Shushan in my past life were only on this level, right?’
He could see the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon circling in the air from a distance. Even from this far, Ling Xiao’s keen eyesight told him it was in a rather sorry state. He took a deep breath and resumed his climb.
He was certain the Purple Blue Fruit was at the very top of this peak. His heart was filled with apprehension, but he also had to marvel at his own luck. It must be the ripening season for Vermilion Fruits; otherwise, he never would have stumbled upon such a spectacular duel between Magical Beasts. Ling Xiao muttered to himself, ’Here’s hoping you both take each other out!’
As Ling Xiao continued to climb, drawing ever closer to the summit, he could begin to clearly hear the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon’s anxious, sharp cries and the low hissing of some other Magical Beast.
’A python?’ Ling Xiao knew a thing or two about python-type Magical Beasts, but the thought discouraged him. ’For a python, the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon is definitely a natural predator! Even if their strengths are comparable, the python’s chances of victory are slim!’
’But that has nothing to do with me.’ Ling Xiao gritted his teeth, enduring the pain from the wound on his leg as beads of sweat dripped from his head.
’I have to get the Purple Blue Fruit! I must get it!’ Ling Xiao constantly bolstered his own spirits, thinking, ’Something that even Mad Sword Masters and Demon Swordsmen can’t do... I can do it. I can definitely do it!’
The Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon and the White Jade Red-eyed Python had already clashed for several rounds. Both looked extremely battered, but the fighting had only ignited their savage natures!
This was especially true for Magical Beasts. The sight of blood often drove them into an uncontrollable frenzy that wouldn’t end until one of them was dead!
But this pair were old rivals who had been fighting for many years. At first, the White Jade Red-eyed Python had held a slight advantage, but after the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon ate two Vantia Holy Fruits in succession, its power had soared, and the python was no longer its match.
Killing the cunning python, however, was no easy task. The terrain at the summit was complex and filled with jagged rocks, which made it perfect for escaping. Had this battle taken place on an open plain, the White Jade Red-eyed Python would have been killed by the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon countless times over by now!
This was precisely what infuriated the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon the most. Its rival was clearly weaker, yet it still couldn’t kill it. The falcon had also just noticed the human climbing up, which made it even more frantic. It began to unleash a relentless barrage of attacks on the White Jade Red-eyed Python.
Wind against Water!
Today, however, the White Jade Red-eyed Python seemed to have gone mad. Instead of using the terrain to provoke its opponent before launching sneak attacks as it usually did, it was fighting the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon head-on with elemental power!
Atop a protruding rock at the very summit of the Holy Mountain, a gaunt hand slapped down—THWACK. Veins bulged on it as Ling Xiao’s face, contorted with effort, appeared over the edge.
With a flip, Ling Xiao finally hauled himself onto the summit. He immediately ducked behind a large boulder to watch the battle between the enormous white python and the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon a short distance away.
Ling Xiao let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Even as he watched the heart-stopping battle unfold, his composure remained as solid as a rock, and his eyes began to search the area.
There was surprisingly little snow at the peak, likely blown away by the year-round gales. The winds up here were incredibly strong, and the ground was covered in huge boulders with not a single plant in sight.
Ling Xiao’s gaze fell upon a vast, snow-white area about fifty paces away.
The spot looked exceedingly strange. It emanated a biting chill and seemed to be shrouded in a swirling mist. The ground there was perfectly flat, and on it grew a plant about half a meter tall. Its leaves fanned out in overlapping layers, nearly obscuring the purplish stem. Adorning the stem were more than a dozen small, sky-blue fruits, which looked absolutely captivating against the pure azure sky.
Even with his firm Daoxin, Ling Xiao was so overjoyed by the sight that he almost threw his head back and laughed. No matter the hardships he had endured, this moment made it all worthwhile! As long as he could obtain the Purple Blue Fruit, an essential ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill, then only the Heart of the Earth Dragon and Stone Bamboo Grass would remain. Ling Xiao was confident that even if those two didn’t exist in this world, he could find substitutes with similar effects! He wasn’t worried if the resulting Foundation Establishment Pill was less potent, because the abundant Spiritual Qi on the Canglan Continent could make up for any shortcomings.
Ling Xiao did not let joy cloud his judgment. He carefully observed the area around the Purple Blue Fruit. Based on his experience from his past life, Purple Blue Fruits always grew on Ten Thousand Year Ice. The cold from the Ten Thousand Year Ice was intense enough to be a headache even for him. Despite his thick clothes, if he were to stand on it for even a moment, he would be frozen into a block of ice!
Furthermore, the surface of the Ten Thousand Year Ice was incredibly slippery, making it impossible to keep one’s footing. This might sound ridiculous for a Martial Artist, but that stalk of Purple Blue Fruit... it was growing right on the cliff’s edge... only five or six paces from the precipice. Below was a sheer drop of several hundred meters! If one were to slip and fall, anyone who couldn’t fly would surely perish.
This was the main reason the White Jade Red-eyed Python hadn’t dared to approach rashly, opting to sneak up instead. Even for a Tier Five Magical Beast like it, which could resist the cold of the Ten Thousand Year Ice, it could not survive a fall from several hundred meters.
It would be splattered into a pile of pulp.
Ling Xiao took the large coil of rope slung over his shoulder and gently placed it on the ground. This coil was over a hundred meters long, but that was nowhere near long enough to reach the base of the mountain from the summit.
’What should I do?’
Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on a sharp, protruding crag on the cliff face behind the Purple Blue Fruit. He tied a slipknot in the end of his rope.
Suddenly, he felt a strange shift in the atmosphere. He looked up to see that the two Magical Beasts, who had been locked in an earth-shattering battle, had abruptly stopped fighting. Both had turned their chilling gazes toward his hiding spot.
Ling Xiao’s heart froze. ’Damn it, I’ve been discovered!’
