Chapter 49: A cinnabar heart turns into a sword heart, slaying the second stage

White and blood-red intertwined, and several black patterns stood out starkly.

At the moment he saw the egg.

Yunhe suddenly understood many things.

The reason that second-level red-backed arrow-winged falcon hunts so wildly is likely because the egg in its belly has encountered a problem, and it is trying to ingest large amounts of food to obtain nutrients and remedy it.

The cause of the egg's problem is likely related to its injury.

So when facing Ma Shaoyuan's basic talisman treasure, even if the talisman treasure could not kill it, it fled in fright to avoid secondary damage to the egg.

But the result was obvious—Ma Shaoyuan pursued relentlessly, causing the red-backed arrow-winged falcon's egg to lose all vitality.

Therefore, when it appeared again, its cries carried a hint of sorrow and a hint of grimness.

Even if it had to expend its essence and qi to release demonic fire, it would slay every cultivator on the treasure ship to vent its anger.

"This grudge is not ordinary—it's huge."

Suddenly.

Upon grasping the key point, Yunhe shuddered.

He had thought this direction should be the safest, and if luck was good he might even pick up Ma Shaoyuan's talisman treasure, but once this egg appeared, all his previous theories, guesses, and judgments became invalid.

Even if it were a dead egg, the red-backed arrow-winged falcon could not possibly ignore it.

"Cry——!!"

As expected.

That long roar, carrying rolling anger, quickly approached from afar.

Yunhe dared not linger; he immediately prepared to perform the Earth Escape Technique again by forming hand seals.

"Huh?"

However, halfway through performing it, he saw a talisman script lying still in the grass.

Its spiritual power was dim, just like an ordinary talisman.

He hardly hesitated, striding forward swiftly, snatched up the talisman script and stuffed it into his bosom, immediately formed hand seals, and dove into the earth before the red-backed arrow-winged falcon arrived.

He pushed the Turtle Breath Body Forging Technique to its utmost.

However.

Yunhe still underestimated the red-backed arrow-winged falcon's resentment toward this group of cultivators.

Especially, a second-tier demon beast's demon sense can already leave the body!

Of course, most importantly, his Earth Escape Technique had not achieved minor success due to his spiritual root inclination and the technique's characteristics, so he could not escape through sand and melt rock, and indeed it left traces; if one really looked, they could still be found.

Boom!!

Suddenly.

The ground cracked layer by layer, violently trembling, and numerous fine fissures spread like a spiderweb.

"Ugh!"

At this moment, Yunhe, already escaped into the earth, let out a muffled groan, his throat slightly sweet.

"If I hadn't achieved minor success in body refinement, even with thick soil layers I'd probably be trampled to death."

He immediately took out a "Diamond Talisman" from his storage bag; with golden light protecting his body, even if the soil layer continued to shake, he would not be injured.

Without pausing his actions, he continued moving forward using the Earth Escape Technique.

Boom!!

Another muffled sound.

But it was not as violent as before, and the vibration it caused was minuscule.

Yet what followed was a continuous series of "boom-boom" sounds.

Hearing this commotion, Yunhe in the earth finally changed his expression.

"Surely not? You're just a bird!"

From the frequency of the commotion and the changes in the soil, it's not hard to judge that the red-backed arrow-winged falcon is digging! Yunhe is both speechless and admiring of its persistence.

"It seems that no matter which direction I run today or how I run, the outcome is the same; this scoundrel's goal is to kill everyone to vent his anger."

Yunhe felt helpless; perhaps Ma Boyuan had foresight—if Ma Shaoyuan had merely scared this beast away, we wouldn't have incurred so much trouble.

But now is clearly not the time to blame others.

Yunhe took a deep breath, his thoughts flashing like lightning; as he ran, he searched for a means of escape.

But whenever he thought of the pursuer behind him—a second-tier demon beast comparable to a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator—a sense of helplessness welled up.

Just thinking about it makes one go crazy.

The feeling of oppression quickly spread through the already dim and dark tunnel.

"This damned beast!"

The rustling sound drew ever closer; at most three breaths more, and he would be overtaken.

Yunhe knew he had to make a decision.

Otherwise, it would be no different from waiting to die.

Suddenly.

He stopped moving forward and turned around.

Gazing at the continually swelling soil and the ever-approaching demon beast's aura.

"Hoo—hoo—hoo—"

His breath matched his heartbeat.

He made a fierce resolve deep inside; a ruthless determination burst forth, completely overriding all negative emotions in his heart.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on—then let's fight for our lives!"

He held a black small banner in one hand, formed hand seals with the other, and kept murmuring lowly to himself.

It seemed like he was gathering his breath, yet also seemed resolute.

Underground, he at least had somewhat more advantage than on the surface or in the sky.

Yunhe rarely goes all-out; normally he only acts when he has at least eighty or ninety percent confidence, but this time he truly had no choice but to fight desperately.

Boom!!

As the soil before him exploded, fragments sprayed onto his protective golden light, the trembling, flickering golden radiance illuminating the underground passage.

At this moment, all reverence, fear, apprehension, the second-tier beast, and the strength gap were cast behind his mind.

He heard only the incessant pounding of his heartbeat near his ears, and felt the abnormal surging of spiritual power within his body.

At the instant he saw the red-backed arrow-winged falcon's head,

Spiritual power erupted suddenly.

Rushing—

A large amount of black water, like a surging river, rushed through the narrow underground space and swept away.

At the same time, he formed a hand seal with one hand and condensed the spell formula.

The red-backed arrow-winged falcon had just opened its mouth to roar when it saw a large mass of black water rushing toward its face, some of it inevitably flowing into its mouth.

Already burning with anger, then having a bucket of cold water thrown at it, the red-backed arrow-winged falcon's fury became almost tangible.

In an instant, terrifying demonic power surged forth, and the black water that had been faintly stinging the wounds was completely blocked by that power.

Seeing this, Yunhe's expression darkened.

Immediately, he took out a black small shield from his storage bag.

As spiritual power was poured into it, the small shield expanded at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.

It quickly became a heavy shield, spanning between him and the red-backed arrow-winged falcon. A top-grade magical artifact, the Black Scorpion Shield!

The Black Scorpion Shield was the final work the Ran-surnamed old man was most proud of before his death, forged from many precious materials.

In terms of pure defensive ability, this shield could even match a top-tier magical artifact! However, Yunhe's actions after unleashing the Black Scorpion Shield did not stop there.

He formed hand seals.

"Metal Scale Armor Technique!"

Hum—

Threads of golden silk wove together into shape, a scorpion-shaped phantom expanding with each breath.

It merged with the Black Scorpion Shield.

Faint golden threads flowed across the shield.

Boom!!

But the demonic power the red-backed arrow-winged falcon exerted was no joke; an incomparable force surged, nearly lifting Yunhe off the ground and slamming him heavily against the soil behind him, causing the protective golden light surrounding his body to shatter instantly.

Yunhe only felt a sweetness in his throat, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Fortunately, the defenses he had set up at this moment were sufficient, and the protective golden light from the Diamond Talisman also helped him block most of the damage.

Ma Shaoyuan's talisman treasure!

Perhaps because his own strike had no effect, or perhaps because the talisman treasure Yunhe produced reminded it of some extremely unpleasant memories, the red-backed arrow-winged falcon plunged again into a frenzy of violent rage.

Ordinary soil layers could somewhat hinder its movement, but that did not mean they could restrain it.

Ordinary soil layers can somewhat hinder its movement, but that does not mean they can restrict it.

Thud!!

As if an iron hammer struck a bell.

It smashed hard onto the Black Scorpion Shield.

Yunhe only felt his ears ringing and exploding, the entire soil layer violently shaking, with many places collapsing and sinking.

Of course, the most terrifying part was the tremendous force transmitted from the Black Scorpion Shield.

Of course, the most terrifying thing is the terrifying immense force transmitted from the Black Scorpion Shield.

Yunhe almost uncontrollably spat out a large mouthful of blood.

His whole body was forcibly squeezed into the mud.

The Black Scorpion Shield held in front of him was fine, but the scorpion-shaped shield armor condensed by the Metal Scale Armor Technique instantly dimmed, nearly falling apart.

Even this was only because the red-backed arrow-winged falcon was restricted by the soil layer and unable to exert its full strength.

"Estimated that after two more strikes, it won't be able to hold."

But he still had no intention of turning and fleeing.

If he could have escaped, he would have done so already.

Now is the time to truly fight for his life! Enduring the surging of his five viscera and six bowels, Yunhe gritted his teeth and poured spiritual power into the talisman treasure.

Now is the time to truly fight for one's life! Suppressing the surging viscera, Yunhe gritted his teeth and poured Spiritual Power into the talisman treasure.

He showed a look of surprise.

His already pallid complexion instantly turned even paler.

He felt as if his hand were grasping a terrifying spiritual power drain, which in an instant sucked away about one-tenth of his spiritual power.

And it continued to draw, incessantly and without end.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Meanwhile, the red-backed arrow-winged falcon launched frenzied attacks one after another.

The first strike shattered the protection formed by the Metal Scale Armor Technique.

The second strike, the Black Scorpion Shield, which had originally been some distance from Yunhe, was forcibly pressed onto his face, nearly pressing tight.

The immense force belonging to a second-tier beast once again made Yunhe feel as if an ordinary person had been blown away by a car crash, and blood spurted from his mouth as if it were free.

The immense strength of the Second-tier Beast once again made Yunhe feel the sensation of all ordinary people being hit and flung by a car, blood spurting from his mouth as if it were free.

Originally, this third strike could not be blocked.

But before the Red-backed Arrow-wing Falcon's wings came swinging in, a large swarm of Red Pattern Spirit Bees surged into the underground passage.

Those seemingly weak Red Pattern Spirit Bees linked together, forming a formation, in a near-suicidal state, barely blocking this third strike.

But this also caused the Red Pattern Spirit Bees to suffer heavy losses.

The Red Pattern Spirit Bee Queen, along with several aides, saw their aura plummet to the bottom.

After blocking the third strike, the remaining Red Pattern Spirit Bees did not end their mission; instead, like moths to a flame, they surged toward the Red-backed Arrow-wing Falcon, annoying it greatly.

Losses increased again.

Yet it also successfully delayed somewhat.

"Success!"

With nearly half of his Spiritual Power drained, Yunhe's Talisman Script finally glowed with the same bright daylight-like light it had when in Ma Shaoyuan's hand.

Gazing at the ferociously abnormal Red-backed Arrow-wing Falcon, Yunhe's heart suddenly calmed.

The whole world seemed to have its sound sealed by magic, only his bellows-like panting, the "thump-thump" of his heartbeat, and the aura of the opposing Second-tier Beast.

He took a deep breath.

He exhaled heavily.

His gaze was icy sharp like a blade's edge, a loyal heart turned into a sword heart!

"Go!"

Condensing his finger into a sword.

Sword Chill Nine Feet!

"Screech!!!"

The Red-backed Arrow-wing Falcon showed alarm, wanting to dodge, but found the narrow underground passage made turning difficult, let alone dodging.

But it was not its first time facing this Talisman Treasure; it hastily raised its wings, trying to block.

But just as it raised its wings, its eyes widened sharply, showing shock, blood trickling from the corner of its mouth.

It was precisely this momentary pause.

Hiss!!! The giant sword evolved from the Talisman Treasure pierced straight and mercilessly.

Pfft!

In an instant, sword qi shot forth; the sword light overflowing from the Red-backed Arrow-wing Falcon's body churned the entire underground passage upside down.

After several breaths.

Seeing the Red-backed Arrow-wing Falcon finally calm after struggling, Yunhe could no longer hold up and sat down on the ground.

Again, a "Wah!" as he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"Winning means digging soil, losing means burying soil, right?" Looking at the mess in the underground passage, he self-mockingly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

His swollen arm lifted with difficulty.

Trickles of tiny water flowed from the Red-backed Arrow-wing Falcon's body, gathering into a fist-sized mass, falling into his hand.

If it weren't for the Three Yang Heavy Water finally erupting inside the Red-backed Arrow-wing Falcon's body, hindering its movement, this Talisman Treasure might not have been able to kill it.

But now.

Yunhe's face was as pale as paper, yet his eyes burst with sharp light.

He actually cut down a second-tier beast?!

(End of Chapter)