Firmament Sword

Xu Luo stared intently at the small braid on the opposing old man’s head. He desperately wanted to laugh; the old man was just too amusing. However, he also sensed an extremely powerful aura coming from him.

”All this fighting and killing does such a number on our harmony. Look, your big cat here is about to die anyway. Why don’t we all just share it? A beast this big could feed us for at least a year and a half. Besides, the flesh of a High-tier Spirit Beast is a great restorative. We could eat the big cat’s meat, drink fine wine, and chat about our dreams and the meaning of life. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?” Xu Luo said with a serious, beaming smile.

”You little brat! I’ll kill you and feed you to my big cat!”

The old man with the topknot was thoroughly enraged. His figure moved like a phantom, pouncing toward Xu Luo. A powerful momentum pressed down like a great mountain, making it hard to breathe.

”Whoa, you’re really coming at me!” Xu Luo executed the Shaking Light Step, zipping far away in an instant. He ducked behind the female giant eagle and shouted, ”Giant eagle, get him!”

”Get him, my ass!” The female giant eagle was so angry she could have coughed up blood. ’Where did this damn human boy crawl out from? How can he be such a bastard?’ she fumed inwardly.

Faced with the overwhelming pressure from the old man with the topknot, the female giant eagle didn’t dare to meet him head-on either. Spreading her massive wings, she flapped them and soared into the sky.

With a flicker of movement, Xu Luo leaped onto the female giant eagle’s back. He gripped her iron-like feathers tightly and yelled, ”Giant eagle, run! That little-braid old man is terrifying!”

”Get the hell off me!” the female giant eagle finally roared, executing a rapid barrel roll in midair.

But Xu Luo’s grip was like a vise; he wouldn’t let go. The female giant eagle, however, grew dizzy from the sudden roll due to her injuries. Sensing the old man’s murderous intent locking onto her, she quickly began flapping her wings with all her might, soaring high into the sky.

The giant eagle’s speed was incredible. The old man’s pounce hit nothing but air. He watched the female giant eagle soar higher and higher until she became a tiny black dot in the sky. He was so furious his mustache bristled, and his triangular eyes glinted with cold rage. ”You little whelp,” he roared, ”don’t you ever let me see you again!”

”That scared the hell out of me. Damn, that little-braid old man is terrifying!” Xu Luo said, his heart still pounding, as he clung to the eagle’s feathers.

”Stop grabbing my feathers, and would you please get off?” The female giant eagle’s voice was as crisp and clear as a young girl’s, but it was currently laced with thick anger.

”We’re acquaintances now, don’t be so heartless. Look, at the very least, I helped you grievously injure that big cat. It probably won’t live much longer, so that counts as helping you, right?” Xu Luo said, then sighed. ”What a waste of that tiger hide, though. Think of all the tiger-skin chairs I could have made!”

”...” The female giant eagle was left speechless by this infuriating human boy.

”Hey, giant eagle, how about becoming my mount? I can help you reach an even higher realm, you know!” Xu Luo said, his voice full of temptation.

”Don’t even think about it! You helped me once, and I helped you escape that old man’s deadly grasp. Now we’re even. As for wanting me to be your mount... you’re not worthy!” the female giant eagle stated angrily.

”Or... what if I just kill you? If I can’t have tiger meat, some eagle meat would be a decent substitute!” Xu Luo muttered. He patted the female giant eagle’s iron-cast back and mused, ”This should also last me a good year and a half!”

”Brat, if you spout any more nonsense, I’ll throw you from the sky and watch you fall to your death!” The female giant eagle was furious. ’This damned human is too despicable!’

Xu Luo’s expression darkened. ”You won’t be my mount, and you won’t let me eat you. Now *I’m* angry!”

As he spoke, Xu Luo released a fraction of his power. The already injured giant eagle immediately found it hard to breathe. Her body swayed precariously high in the sky as she cried out in shock and anger, ”Aren’t you afraid I’ll take you down with me? If you kill me, you’ll fall to your death, too!”

”That’s not possible,” Xu Luo said dismissively. ”I have a large cloak. I can just grab the four corners and glide down slowly.”

The female giant eagle was already suppressing a monstrous rage over her only child being eaten. Now, being threatened by a human on top of it all, she snapped. She began to tumble and roll frantically in the sky, trying to shake Xu Luo off.

But unfortunately for her, it was as if Xu Luo had grown right onto her back. Annoyed at being thrashed about, he raised his fist and slammed it down hard on the giant eagle’s back.

POUND!

A deafening clang rang out, as if striking solid steel.

Xu Luo grimaced, shaking his hand. ”Damn, you’re tough!” he muttered.

The giant eagle, however, shrieked in pain and began to plummet. Xu Luo’s punch had nearly knocked the wind out of her.

At that moment, she finally understood the human’s objective: he wanted to tame her. ’But as a High-tier Spirit Beast, I have my pride. How can I simply accept a human as my master?’

Then, the giant eagle thought of her poor child. It had nearly grown into a full-sized eagle and was about to learn to fly, yet it had been eaten by that damn White Tiger.

This was a blood feud, carved into her very bones. It had to be avenged!

But the appearance of that old man with the topknot had put immense pressure on her. She knew with absolute certainty that she was no match for him.

If she hadn’t fled so quickly, she would have died at his hands.

And that White Tiger, her mortal enemy... was the old man’s pet.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the female giant eagle suddenly spoke. ”It’s not entirely out of the question for me to become your mount, but you must agree to one condition!”

Xu Luo, still on her back, said, ”Name it.”

”You must help me kill that damn White Tiger. If you do, I’ll agree to be your pet!” the female giant eagle said, her voice seething with hatred.

”Deal. I promise. I’ve been wanting to kill that big cat myself,” Xu Luo said.

’Hmph. You just want its hide,’ the female giant eagle cursed silently. But seeing him agree, she relaxed slightly. ”You must honor your word,” she said. ”Otherwise, I would rather die than become your pet!”

”Don’t worry, I always keep my word!” Xu Luo declared. ”Whoa, what are you doing?”

He had just spoken when he realized the female giant eagle was flying him back toward the White Tiger.

”We’re going to kill it! You just promised me!” the female giant eagle said, her crisp voice full of confidence.

”Are you crazy, you giant eagle?” Xu Luo said with an exasperated look. ”The old man is right there with it. Are you trying to get us killed?”

”Are you trying to trick me?” the female giant eagle’s voice grew angry again.

”Why would I trick you? We just can’t go kill that big cat out in the open. If we were strong enough for that, why would we have run away earlier?” Xu Luo said, rolling his eyes.

Although her judgment was clouded by hatred, the female giant eagle hadn’t lost all her senses. She had to admit the human had a point.

”Then when will you get my revenge?” she asked.

”This can’t be rushed. And you have to trust me, it’s highly unlikely that big cat is going to survive,” Xu Luo said seriously.

He wasn’t lying to the female giant eagle. The killing intent within the Breaking Army Seven Kills was extraordinarily potent. What Xu Luo had unleashed was the Sixth Kill: Rage Sea Tide. A terrifying, formless murderous will had surged into the White Tiger’s body like a tidal wave. It wasn’t something just anyone could dispel.

”I won’t be satisfied until I see it die with my own eyes,” the female giant eagle said.

”Fine. We’ll go back and take a look. We’ll just fly high above them. But whatever you do, don’t get impulsive and dive down to fight,” Xu Luo warned.

”I know.” ’This human is such a coward,’ the female giant eagle thought disdainfully, conveniently forgetting that she had also chosen to flee when facing the old man with the topknot.

...

”Poor Xiaobai. Don’t worry, with Master here, you definitely won’t die!” The old man with the topknot was desperately trying to save the White Tiger. No one would willingly give up on such a powerful Spirit Beast unless there was absolutely no other choice.

The White Tiger endured the waves of agony wracking its body and said in a deep voice, ”It’s no use, Master. That damn human destroyed me from the inside. I don’t have long!”

The old man with the topknot knew this all too well. At first, he had thought the tiger had only suffered superficial wounds, which was why he hadn’t been dead set on killing the human boy.

It wasn’t until after Xu Luo had escaped that he discovered the White Tiger’s true injuries were all internal.

This sent the old man into a blind rage, and he began cursing incessantly.

”Damn you, you little pest! Don’t let me see you again, or I swear I’ll tear you limb from limb!”

”You little whelp, to strike so viciously... I’ll hunt you down and kill you!”

The old man’s triangular eyes shone with a venomous light. He had spent an immense amount of effort to tame this White Tiger, only to see it beaten to the brink of death. His heart burned with an unquenchable hatred for Xu Luo.

Just then, he suddenly looked up. High in the sky, the giant eagle had actually returned and was circling far above.

The old man with the topknot completely lost his temper. With a flick of his hand, he pulled a massive black bow taller than a man from his Storage Ring. He then produced a golden arrow, nocked it, and fired at the giant eagle in the sky.

FWOOSH!

The golden arrow was unbelievably fast, almost seeming to tear a rift in space itself. It let out a piercing shriek as it flew, glowing as if wreathed in golden flames.

”See? The big cat is about to die, isn’t it? You can rest easy now, right?” Xu Luo was saying to the giant eagle when a violent tremor suddenly seized his heart. He was startled for a moment, and then he saw the old man below swiftly draw a bow. Without a moment’s pause, he nocked and fired. A long, golden arrow, blazing like a torch, shot toward them like a bolt of lightning!

”Holy shit!” Xu Luo couldn’t stop a curse from escaping his lips. He slapped the eagle’s back hard. ”Run!”

But it was too late to run. The giant eagle had never imagined the old man would be carrying such a powerful bow.

The long, flaming golden arrow arrived in an instant, its razor-sharp killing intent washing over them.