Chapter 374: Even the Grim Reaper Cannot Take Her Life (Part 3)

While Instructor Ning was deep in slumber, Li Zhangsheng's target, Zhao Wencan, finally appeared.

Howl—

A low sound from the Sawtooth Turtle echoed in the room, reminding Li Zhangsheng, who was resting with his eyes closed nearby, in its own way.

Li Zhangsheng opened his eyes and reached the window at top speed; his eyesight was excellent, and even at a distance of a hundred meters, he could clearly see Zhao Wencan's features, even observing his fluttering strands of hair.

At the entrance of the Royal Academy, Zhao Wencan summoned a Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, hopped onto its back, and steered it to fly toward the south.

"Tsk tsk, not afraid of burning your balls!" Li Zhangsheng clicked his tongue in wonder. The blood temperature inside a Fire Element Demon Pet was very high, and the surface temperature was likely fifty or sixty degrees; honestly, the feeling of sitting on one was unusually uncomfortable.

Zhao Wencan was also helpless, because among all his Demon Pets, the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow had the fastest speed; however, as long as he could ruin Zhao Shuyi's plan, suffering a bit now was fine.

According to the information Zhao Wencan had received, his half-sister was currently in the Ash Forest to the south, searching for a high-level Exotic Beast cub—the Thunder Roar Tiger.

Zhao Wencan had been at odds with Zhao Shuyi since childhood, and he was driven mad with jealousy after Zhao Shuyi contracted a Superior Quality Three-Tailed Snow Fox; in this Exchange Tournament, she and Li Zhangsheng had even teamed up to easily defeat the pair of him and Dou Miwan, which was practically the same as slapping his face in front of everyone.

Ever since she made a name for herself at the Exchange Tournament, Zhao Shuyi now had a trend of catching up from behind within the Zhao Clan, receiving more and more praise from the clan's higher-ups, and clan resources had clearly begun to tilt toward her, even exceeding his own.

He was the direct descendant of the clan; why should Zhao Shuyi, born to a maid, suppress him time and time again? Zhao Wencan was naturally extremely unhappy in his heart.

So, upon hearing the news about Zhao Shuyi, Zhao Wencan made a prompt decision to ruin her good fortune and prevent her strength from advancing further; if he was lucky, he would take the Thunder Roar Tiger into his own pocket as well.

"Hard work for you, Sawtooth Turtle!" Li Zhangsheng patted the Sawtooth Turtle's head, then put it into the Monster Pet Bag. Because the room's window was too small, he had to leave the restaurant before releasing the Green Li Bird.

As soon as it was released, the Green Li Bird felt its body sink; it was Li Zhangsheng who had jumped directly onto its back. It hurriedly suppressed the thought of throwing Li Zhangsheng off.

"Ash Forest!"

The Green Li Bird flapped its wings and soared high; in a flash, it flew in the direction Zhao Wencan had left.

The Green Li Bird was of a higher realm and was a Wind Element Spirit Beast skilled in speed, so it was naturally faster than the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

In less than five minutes, the figures of Zhao Wencan and the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow appeared in Li Zhangsheng's field of vision.

Perhaps hearing the movement behind him, Zhao Wencan couldn't help but turn his head to look; after seeing Li Zhangsheng's unfamiliar face, he turned his head back, subconsciously assuming the other party was just passing by.

However, Zhao Wencan still subconsciously raised his vigilance.

At this moment, the Ash Forest was visible in the distance, and Zhao Wencan directed the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow to prepare to circle and descend.

It was also at this moment that the Green Li Bird beneath Li Zhangsheng shot toward the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow like an arrow released from a bow, at top speed.

In just two or three breaths, the Green Li Bird closed the hundred-meter distance, its claws suddenly curling up as it grabbed toward Zhao Wencan.

"Not good!" Hearing the strong wind from behind, Zhao Wencan's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly jumped off the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

During the rapid descent, a pair of black wings suddenly extended from Zhao Wencan's back; he flapped them violently, immediately slowing his descent.

Caw—

Suddenly, the miserable cry of the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow rang out; the Green Li Bird's attack on Zhao Wencan had been a feint, and its true target was the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

With this claw strike, blood splattered on the back of the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, and several deep, long wounds appeared instantly as it fell from the sky.

Caught off guard, the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow had clearly suffered a not-insignificant injury.

"How bold, to dare plot against this young master!"

Zhao Wencan glanced at the rapidly falling Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, and while putting distance between himself and Li Zhangsheng, he prepared to summon his Demon Pets.

A gorgeous hexagram appeared, and two Demon Pets of different forms appeared on the ground; they were the Titan Python and the Thunder Leopard.

These were the only two Superior Quality Demon Pets Zhao Wencan had, and among them, the Titan Python was even an Elite Demon Pet.

Don't look at Zhao Wencan as being born into a Famous Clan; even for a Famous Clan, resources were limited. Moreover, Zhao Wencan had many siblings, so resources were severely diluted. Being able to obtain two Superior Quality Demon Pets was already considered quite good for Zhao Wencan.

After all, no one was Zhao Shuyi, who could contract a top-grade Three-Tailed Snow Fox just by going out for a stroll; otherwise, given Zhao Shuyi's awkward birth and being female, the treatment she received would certainly be far inferior to Zhao Wencan's.

At the same time, Li Zhangsheng shook his Monster Pet Bag, and the Sawtooth Turtle appeared in the air nearly ten meters high, only a few meters away from the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

Rapid Rotation!

While in mid-air, the Sawtooth Turtle immediately retracted its head, limbs, and tail. For some unknown reason, its shell, slightly larger than a water vat, began to rotate rapidly, and it flew toward the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow in the air with no point of leverage.

At this time, Li Zhangsheng quickly activated the Illusion Wings Secret Technique Imprint, and a pair of milky-white wings suddenly extended from his back, completely unleashing the Green Li Bird's combat power.

Chirp—

The Green Li Bird let out a loud cry, and brilliant cyan energy gathered, transforming under its control into dozens of Wind Blades, each a foot long.

Wind Blade Dance!

A harsh sound of breaking air rang out as dozens of Wind Blades spun rapidly, slashing toward the Titan Python and Thunder Leopard that were trying to support the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

"Titan Python, Rock Barrier!" Zhao Wencan's expression changed, and he immediately commanded the Titan Python to defend.

On the ground, the Titan Python's body flashed with a rich earthy-yellow brilliance, and countless Earth Element energies gathered, forming a thick rock wall that enclosed both it and the Thunder Leopard.

Crackle—

Countless harsh sounds, like metal scratching a blackboard, rang out as dozens of Wind Blades crazily cut into the Rock Barrier, sending countless stone chips flying and leaving deep marks.

When the Wind Blade Dance ended, the Rock Barrier was still standing there perfectly fine; not a single Wind Blade had broken through it.

Unfortunately, the Green Li Bird's intention was just to prevent them from rescuing the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

Before the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow could fall, the huge turtle shell smashed fiercely onto it.

Caw—

The Three-Legged Fire Sparrow let out a miserable cry and slammed heavily into the ground along with the turtle shell.

"Not good, Thunder Leopard!" Zhao Wencan's face was livid; he was still somewhat stunned by Li Zhangsheng's sneak attack.

The moment the Wind Blade Dance ended, the Thunder Leopard suddenly rushed out from the Rock Barrier. Its speed was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it appeared in front of the Sawtooth Turtle, which was continuing to attack the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

"Ignore it, continue attacking the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow!" Li Zhangsheng's deliberately hoarse voice finally sounded.

The Sawtooth Turtle ignored the Thunder Leopard and immediately opened its mouth, revealing two rows of sharp teeth, while a large amount of water vapor began to condense, forming a misty water ball.

At this moment, the Thunder Leopard launched its attack, biting the Sawtooth Turtle's vital neck.

In pain, the Sawtooth Turtle's attention was immediately diverted, and the compressed water ball it was about to fire shot off-course, though it did head toward the Titan Python.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, the compressed water ball exploded violently, turning into a wave several meters high that swept toward the Titan Python.

The Titan Python hurriedly curled up, immediately reacting with the ground, Immovable as a Mountain, and was then instantly submerged by the waves.

With the Saw-Toothed Turtle hitting the mark by mistake, the Qingli Bird immediately adjusted its target, its two huge wings pulled together, then suddenly spread out to both sides, producing two huge Wind Blades ten feet long, which shot rapidly toward the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow that was just about to crawl up from the ground.

The Qingli Bird did not care about the life or death of the Saw-Toothed Turtle; firstly, it knew the Saw-Toothed Turtle could not die, and secondly, before setting off, Li Changsheng had told them their target this time, which was the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow!

As long as they killed the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, they could gain their freedom!

Resist Fire Ring!

At the critical moment, the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow's entire body ignited with flames, followed by a sudden explosion, and a huge ring of fire rapidly expanded toward the surroundings.

Under the explosion of the fire ring, the Saw-Toothed Turtle and the Swift Thunder Leopard, which were closest, paused violently, and were then forcibly pushed back several meters by the Resist Fire Ring; the fur and turtle shells on their bodies turned charred black, and they suffered a certain amount of fire damage.

Almost at the same time, two Wind Blades a zhang long rushed into the fire ring; by the time they shot out of the fire ring, their size had shrunk significantly, and the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow barely dodged one Wind Blade, only to be hit by the other huge Wind Blade immediately after.

Whoosh—

A sound like tearing cloth rang out, the base of the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow's left wing was cut off by more than half, countless scorching fresh blood sprayed out, and the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow finally suffered heavy damage.

At this moment, the Titan Python lunged straight over and quickly entangled the Qingli Bird.

The Titan Python had greater strength and was even more adept at close combat; for a time, it became significantly more difficult for the Qingli Bird to continue attacking the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

On the other side, the Saw-Toothed Turtle swung its huge head with force, barely shaking off the Swift Thunder Leopard that was biting down without letting go, but before it could launch an attack on the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, it was immediately entangled by the Swift Thunder Leopard again.

"Phew, nothing special!" Zhao Wencan looked at Li Changsheng opposite him, feeling a sense of relief in his heart; Li Changsheng's sudden attack just now had almost scared him into wetting himself.

From the beginning until now, Zhao Wencan subconsciously assumed that Li Changsheng was a killer sent by an enemy, wanting to take his life.

It was also because of this that Zhao Wencan kept a distance of a hundred meters from the battlefield, ready to flee immediately if the situation turned bad; at the same time, he took a Smoke Tube from his Space Ring, pulled it in his hand, and accompanied by a 'chirp' sound, an exceptionally brilliant, huge firework bloomed in the sky.

A Cloud-Piercing Arrow, and ten thousand troops come to meet!

This was the distress signal of their Famous Clan, the Zhao Clan, which could be clearly seen within a radius of ten miles; as long as nearby Zhao Clan disciples saw it, regardless of their strength, they had to unconditionally rush to support.

Yecheng was the base of the Zhao Clan, and the Ash Forest was not very far from Yecheng; Zhao Wencan had sufficient reason to believe that Zhao Clan disciples would arrive to support soon.

"It seems I really can't hold back anymore!" Li Changsheng sighed in his heart, a brilliant Blood-colored Hexagram appeared not far away, and then a huge shadow shrouded the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

"This... this is..." Zhao Wencan was clearly shocked in his heart, and his heart immediately rose to his throat.

Li Changsheng had no choice but to summon the Savage Giant Beast.

Roar—

The Savage Giant Beast let out a roar, as if a thunderclap had sounded on flat ground, and the clouds in the sky seemed to have a tendency to be shaken away.

After a month of accumulation, the Savage Giant Beast's realm had reached Upper Rank 9, and it could become an Elite-level Demon Pet at any time.

It was not just the Savage Giant Beast; Bai Tian, Hei Ye, the Emperor Crocodile, and the Light Bird had also reached or were approaching the critical point of a breakthrough.

Adai took a step, its stride was very large, covering three meters in one step, and it arrived directly in front of the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, its huge right forelimb grabbing at the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow's head.

"Not good! Quickly dodge!" Zhao Wencan's face turned pale instantly; he remembered the information about the Savage Giant Beast, and at the thought of its indestructible characteristic, his scalp went numb instantly; he wanted to recall the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, but it was too late now.

This characteristic of ignoring defense was definitely one of the strongest characteristics; a graze meant injury, and a touch meant death, unless one possessed a physique like a dragon.

Regarding Adai's attack, the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow could not help but take it to heart, but unable to fly, its agility on the ground was no different from the Saw-Toothed Turtle, so how could it dodge such an attack.

In this situation, the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow opened its Bird Beak and sprayed a scorching Flame Pillar from its mouth, hitting Adai first.

Unfortunately, Adai seemed to have no reaction; even though it was hit head-on by the Flame Pillar, and even though a painful expression appeared on its face, its movements remained unchanged, and even the angle of its grab did not change at all.

Adai was very dull, but it had a stubborn personality of not turning back until it hit the southern wall.

Sss—

The Three-Legged Fire Sparrow's physical defense was like tofu; a huge claw directly cut its neck into two sections, and regardless of skin, flesh, or bone, everything was vulnerable under this grab.

The Three-Legged Fire Sparrow only felt itself flying up; it saw a headless corpse spraying blood, and how did this corpse look so familiar!

So... that was me!

The Three-Legged Fire Sparrow's eyes instantly lost their luster, and before it could even let out a scream, it was successfully killed in seconds by Adai.

A large amount of fresh blood gushed out, but before it could fall to the ground, it hovered in mid-air; it was Li Changsheng who had timely activated his Mental Power, not wanting to waste this blood.

This was a Three-Legged Fire Sparrow with a Concentrated Grade Three-Legged Golden Crow Bloodline, and the Bloodline Essence contained in its blood far exceeded that of ordinary Spirit Beasts.

Pfft—

At the moment the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow died, Zhao Wencan widened his eyes, his pupils shrank, his Consciousness Sea shook crazily, his throat felt sweet, and he tilted his head back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

His face was pale and bloodless, and his eyes were filled with panic; for the first time, he felt that death was so close.

Escape!

Escape quickly!

I cannot die!

Zhao Wencan was extremely panicked in his heart; even though he was injured on top of injuries, he still forcibly recalled his two Demon Pets, then desperately flapped his mental wings, rushing toward Yecheng at the fastest speed.

Li Changsheng deliberately directed the Qingli Bird to chase for a while, while he himself cleaned up the battlefield at the fastest speed, collecting the corpse of the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow; he even dug out several pieces of blood-stained ground, having no intention of letting anything go.

Even a small piece of meat is still meat, not to mention the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow had indeed shed quite a bit of blood earlier.

Finally, Li Changsheng also cleared away some traces; at this time, the Qingli Bird just happened to return, as it was only scaring Zhao Wencan by borrowing the tiger's might.

From beginning to end, Li Changsheng never had the thought of killing Zhao Wencan; his brain wasn't broken, so he wouldn't have such a thought.

Taking a step back, even if Zhao Wencan accidentally discovered his identity, Li Changsheng likely would not have killed Zhao Wencan; after all, killing the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow and killing Zhao Wencan were two completely different concepts. The former could still be regarded as a provocation, and the Yuanling Academy could suppress this disturbance; the latter would be directly poking a hornet's nest, becoming irreconcilable with the other party's clan, and the Royal Academy would definitely not let go of this opportunity, as Li Changsheng was sufficiently monstrous and had the potential to threaten the status of the Royal Academy.

Li Changsheng rarely acted on impulse; before doing something, he would always analyze the pros and cons; to put it nicely, it was called being steady, and to put it bluntly, it was called being cautious!

Simply put, it was still a matter of strength; if Li Changsheng's strength were sufficiently astonishing, he would not need to fear the Zhao Clan and the Royal Academy.

"I will keep my promise, but it is not safe here; in a while, I will find a safer place to set you free!" Without extra nonsense, Li Changsheng recalled the Saw-Toothed Turtle and immediately rode the Qingli Bird to leave the scene.

In order to leave as soon as possible, he also added Mental Acceleration to the Qingli Bird, and the Qingli Bird immediately left the Ash Forest at the fastest speed.

Li Changsheng's luck was not bad; he did not encounter any obstruction along the way, and before long, he left the Yecheng area and flew toward the direction of the Yuanling Academy.

On the other side, Zhao Wencan flew several miles in a panic, and finally met a Zhao Clan disciple who came to support; he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief, he was saved.

"Find a few more people!" For the sake of safety, Zhao Wencan dared not take risks easily.

It was just that when Zhao Wencan gathered several Zhao clansmen and rushed to the Ash Forest, Li Changsheng's figure was nowhere to be found, and even the scene had been cleaned up very cleanly, not giving them any chance at all.

"Damn it, don't let me see him again!"

Zhao Wencan's face was livid; having lost the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, the gap between him and Zhao Shuyi had widened even further.

"No, I must sabotage Zhao Shuyi's taming plan. It would be best to snatch that Swift Thunder Roaring Tiger to make up for the loss of the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow!" At the thought of Zhao Shuyi, Zhao Wencan had another idea and prepared to take several clansmen to search for Zhao Shuyi in the Ash Forest.

Unfortunately, they were destined to labor in vain; even if they turned the Ash Forest upside down, they could not possibly find a trace of Zhao Shuyi.

Two or three hours later, Li Changsheng rode the Azure Li Bird and landed in a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters; this belonged to the Peng City territory, only a few dozen miles away from the Yuanling Academy.

"You are free!"

Li Changsheng released the Sawtooth Turtles and proactively revoked their Temporary Contract; the Contract Mark on their heads quickly vanished.

Chirp—

The Azure Li Bird's gaze was gentle; it carefully patted Li Changsheng with its wing, then flapped its wings and soared high, disappearing from sight within a few breaths, no one knowing where it went.

On the ground, the Sawtooth Turtles revealed grateful expressions; under the healing of the Light Bird, the wounds on their necks had already scabbed over and would fully recover before long.

Howl—

After exchanging greetings, the Sawtooth Turtles stepped with their sturdy limbs and slowly walked toward a nearby lake.

Watching them leave, Li Changsheng leaped onto the back of the Light Bird and soon returned to the Yuanling Academy.

Number One Courtyard!

"Good thing there is no high-level Bloodline!" Upon seeing that there was no high-level Bloodline in the blood of the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, Li Changsheng breathed a clear sigh of relief.

He currently only had two thousand-plus Academic Credit, while an Advanced Demon Heart required three thousand Academic Credit; if the blood of the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow contained a high-level Bloodline, it would inevitably be very troublesome.

Under Li Changsheng's practiced production, it only took an hour for him to obtain a bowl of Three-Legged Golden Crow Spirit Essence.

After pouring this bowl of Three-Legged Golden Crow Spirit Essence into the Jade Ceramic Jar, it filled it just right.

Li Changsheng wiped his sweat, his face overflowing with joy; after more than a month of effort, he had finally gathered enough Three-Legged Golden Crow Spirit Essence.

"The Instructor is saved!"

Li Changsheng put away the Jade Ceramic Jar, impatiently left the Number One Courtyard, excitedly rushed to Instructor Ning Bizhen's courtyard, and knocked on the main gate.

Creak—

The gate opened, revealing the old woman's haggard and sorrowful face; there were tear stains on her face, clearly having just cried.

"Granny, you... what happened to you?" Seeing the old woman's appearance, Li Changsheng's lips trembled, and he subconsciously felt that something was wrong.

Instructor Ning couldn't have had an accident, could she!

"Young Master Changsheng, you are a step too late. The Young Lady was awake for a while this morning, but she fell asleep again before noon. Before she slept, she told me that she was afraid she would never wake up again."

Upon seeing Li Changsheng, the old woman remembered the instructions Ning Bizhen had left behind and could not help but shed tears, wiping them away sorrowfully.

"Instructor... Instructor, she... no, that can't be!" Li Changsheng grabbed his hair with both hands, looking incredulous; even as he scratched his scalp, he seemed to feel nothing.

At the first moment, Li Changsheng rushed through the gate and looked first at the withered Li Fire Parasol Tree, seeing Instructor Ning Bizhen lying peacefully in the hollowed-out tree trunk, holding the Three-Legged Fire Crow, her eyes closed and motionless.

At the roots of the Li Fire Parasol Tree, the Seven-Evening Wind Speed Cat and the Jade Rabbit stood quietly; they were no longer playing, watching their sleeping master without blinking, their eyes full of grief.

At this time, the old woman came to Li Changsheng's side and said with suppressed sorrow: "Young Master Changsheng, before the Young Lady fell asleep, she entrusted me to ask you to take care of Xiaofeng and Xiaoyu!"

She did not want the white-haired to bury the black-haired; she prepared to follow in her master's footsteps and leave this world after fulfilling her master's final wish. If there were a next life, she would continue to follow her master.

"Don't say that, let them be taken care of by the Instructor!" Seeing the Contract Mark on the foreheads of the Seven-Evening Wind Speed Cat and the Jade Rabbit, Li Changsheng breathed a clear sigh of relief; it was just a false alarm, fortunately.

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'. As long as I am willing, even the Grim Reaper cannot take her life!"

The corners of Li Changsheng's mouth overflowed with a confident smile.

For some reason, the old woman believed him!

Today's goal: Three, Pig, Proof!

(End of this chapter)