Proud Sword Soaring Clouds-Chapter 41 - 40: Life and Death on the Line

A chill suddenly ran down Ling Xiao’s spine. A single Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon was more than enough to doom him, and now there was a Giant Python Magical Beast whose power was no less than the falcon’s... ’Gods, could they really be this clever?’ In his heart of hearts, Ling Xiao had always possessed the pride of a Cultivator. While he acknowledged the power of the Canglan Magical Beasts, he still looked down on them to some degree.

In the Cultivation Realm, Beast Cultivators possessed power on par with any human Cultivator. More importantly, most of the Beast Cultivators Ling Xiao had encountered in the past had already been able to assume human form!

No matter how formidable their power, as long as they hadn’t taken human form, to Ling Xiao, they were merely beasts.

But to his surprise, the two Tier Five Magical Beasts had actually called a temporary truce. And from the looks of it, they clearly intended to kill him first before resuming their own battle!

’How cunning!’

Ling Xiao watched the two Magical Beasts, each wary of the other, and couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. ’Of course. Neither of these two thinks I’m a threat; they haven’t paid me any real mind at all. But they’re both incredibly guarded against each other!’

Each was terrified the other would launch a sneak attack, creating a delicate stalemate.

In the end, it was the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon that acted, displaying a sliver of its pride as a mighty beast. It spread its wings, snatched a massive boulder in its talons, and flew toward Ling Xiao, intending to smash him to death on the spot.

"You beast!" Ling Xiao roared, running for his life in the direction of the Purple Blue Fruit. The White Jade Red-eyed Python let out a long hiss, its body shooting forward to intercept Ling Xiao, leaving a white afterimage in the air!

The Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon was incredibly fast and immensely powerful. Even while carrying a boulder large enough to crush Ling Xiao into a pulp, its speed was not the least bit affected. Soaring over Ling Xiao’s head, it released its talons, and the massive rock screamed through the air, crashing down just ahead of him.

Ling Xiao scrambled to the side in a desperate roll as the boulder crashed down right beside him. It missed him by inches. The impact sent gravel and sand flying, slicing several cuts across his face. Bright red blood mixed with dirt and dust streamed down his handsome features.

The Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon seemed entirely unconcerned with whether its attack would hit Ling Xiao. Because... the White Jade Red-eyed Python had already formed an ice ball in its cavernous mouth. It opened wide and SPAT. Instantly, a storm of fine ice shards, shimmering with a mesmerizing, eerie blue light under the sun, shot toward Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao used every last ounce of strength to duck behind the very boulder the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon had just dropped. All he heard was a deafening CRACKLE and SHATTER as shrapnel flew everywhere. The massive boulder was almost blasted to dust in an instant!

The giant White Jade Red-eyed Python let out an enraged hiss at the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon in the sky, as if chiding it for its meddling. If the falcon hadn’t brought over that boulder, Ling Xiao would have had no chance of survival.

The two were mortal enemies to begin with, and the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon had its own pride as a Magical Beast. It was instantly infuriated. Spreading its massive wings, it dove toward the White Jade Red-eyed Python. Since both beasts happened to be blocking Ling Xiao’s path, the falcon figured it might as well seize the opportunity to snatch up the White Jade Red-eyed Python and hurl it off the cliff, eliminating a sworn enemy in the process!

The White Jade Red-eyed Python, however, was extremely cunning. Sensing the unfavorable situation, it slithered away at high speed and drilled into a nearby forest of jagged rocks. The Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon’s razor-sharp talons shattered two protruding boulders but failed to strike their target.

Seizing the opening created in that split second, Ling Xiao threw his body forward with all his might. It was only a distance of a few dozen steps, but to Ling Xiao, it seemed agonizingly long. The moment his foot touched the patch of Ten Thousand Year Ice, a piercing coldness shot through his thick leather boots, climbing up from the sole of his foot as if trying to freeze the very blood in his veins.

Ling Xiao felt his very senses turning to ice, as if everything between heaven and earth had slowed to a crawl!

But in the eyes of the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon and the White Jade Red-eyed Python, the human’s speed was astonishingly fast. The moment his body touched the Ten Thousand Year Ice, he immediately fell and then slid like a bolt of lightning toward the Purple Blue Fruit plant.

The Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon let out a sharp, frenzied shriek. Its wings suddenly whipped up a massive tempest. The immense energy and unparalleled speed created a piercing sound of friction in the air as the storm swept toward Ling Xiao on the Ten Thousand Year Ice. The falcon no longer cared about the Purple Blue Fruit; it had to kill that detestable human!

In truth, the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon knew its storm could do nothing to that miraculous plant!

At the same time, the White Jade Red-eyed Python’s crimson eyes flashed with a vicious light. Never one to miss an opportunity to strike an enemy, its massive body carved a white arc through the air as it lunged, coiling brutally around the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon.

Having just unleashed the storm, the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon had no time to defend itself and was immediately ensnared by the White Jade Red-eyed Python’s thick body. The falcon’s razor-sharp talons thrashed wildly, sending large swaths of the python’s tough scales raining down like leaves. A series of bone-deep wounds appeared on the White Jade Red-eyed Python’s body, but despite its continuous, pained hisses, its body unhesitatingly coiled tighter and tighter!

If they couldn’t kill their opponent after seizing such an opportunity, they would be unworthy of their status as mighty Magical Beasts who dominated the region.

But the frenzied death throes of the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon were not something the White Jade Red-eyed Python could easily withstand. Somehow, they ended up tumbling onto the patch of Ten Thousand Year Ice.

At that moment, the nearly frozen Ling Xiao stared with fierce determination at the Purple Blue Fruit plant. He reached out one hand, while his other clutched the knotted end of a coiled rope, the other end of which was tied around his waist.

With a firm GRAB, Ling Xiao’s hand closed tightly around the Purple Blue Fruit plant, but he hadn’t expected it to be so incredibly sturdy. ’Damn it, I forgot! In my past life, I had peak-level Qi Cultivation! Besides, I’ve never tried to pull a Purple Blue Fruit plant out by the roots before!’

His sliding body was jerked to a halt by a tremendous force; it was his own hand, locked in a death grip on the Purple Blue Fruit’s stem. Ling Xiao gritted his teeth, trying to get up. ’I just have to pick it clean, then I’ll worry about everything else!’

Just then, the Ten Thousand Year Ice underfoot trembled violently. The entire peak of the Holy Mountain shuddered as if in a massive earthquake. Countless giant stone spires snapped in half, and boulders rolled everywhere. First, a horrifying storm swept Ling Xiao into the air; only his hand, still locked in a death grip on the stem of the Purple Blue Fruit, held fast. The immense friction had already torn his palm into a bloody mess!

Then, Ling Xiao felt an unstoppable force slam into his back, sending him flying helplessly into the sky!

In his hand, he still clutched the Purple Blue Fruit plant, on which a dozen or so of its fruits—so blue they were almost crystalline—shone brilliantly! 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"AHHH—" A roar of bitter rage burst from Ling Xiao’s mouth. ’Why?! I finally got the Purple Blue Fruit, only to be knocked into the air by those two beasts! There’s no way I can survive a fall from this height!’

Ling Xiao glanced down, and his heart suddenly leaped with joy. He saw the giant white python, like a long jade belt, plummeting downward, its jaws still clamped tightly around the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon.

And they were less than two meters away from Ling Xiao! Because of their massive size, they were actually falling faster than he was!

Ling Xiao struggled to throw the rope downward, but it was whipped aside by the powerful airflow. Seeing the ground rushing closer, Ling Xiao stopped caring. ’I’m dead either way, aren’t I?’ He let out the entire length of the rope. As it swung about in the air, it happened to catch on one of the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon’s talons. The long rope suddenly snapped taut!

Ling Xiao was overjoyed. Borne by the immense swinging force of the rope in mid-air, he was pulled far behind, trailing like a kite.

Immediately after, he heard two earth-shattering thuds, BANG! BANG! The two Magical Beasts had slammed hard onto a gentle slope a full kilometer from the summit. The very instant they landed, Ling Xiao reached down and undid the slipknot at his waist. Then, aiming for the big, fluffy body of the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon, he let himself fall onto it.

The Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon, which was already all but dead, was crushed again by the force of Ling Xiao’s inertia. It let out one final, resentful wail and breathed its last.

The sickening sound of bones cracking echoed through Ling Xiao’s entire body. Then, without a shred of suspense, he passed out.