Chapter 687 Crossing the Canglan, Fierce Mid-Air Battle

He reached out and held Zhuang Yuechan’s icy, delicate hand, gently flexing her fingers as he mused aloud, “Oh, right, you probably don’t know yet. Yun’Er has come of age and completed the clan’s first combat assessment. To be honest, his performance was much better than mine was. You’ve only met him a few times, but he’s always remembered you. I haven’t told him about your current condition, but that child has been exceptionally bright since he was little. He’s probably guessed something is wrong. I think… if you were to be his mother, he would want that too. So, you have to wake up soon. Otherwise, if too much time passes, Yun’Er won’t remember you anymore. By the way, tomorrow I’m going with Second Senior Brother to investigate the Canglan River. It might be a little dangerous, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll be back soon…”

Song Changsheng spoke calmly and unhurriedly while Zhuang Yuechan listened in silence, until the sun set and darkness fell.

In truth, Song Changsheng didn’t know if Zhuang Yuechan could hear him, but he just wanted to talk, to say whatever came to mind. Whether she could hear him or not seemed to matter less.

「The next morning.」

Song Changsheng’s door was pounded on with a series of loud BANGS. Niu Dazhuang’s booming voice followed, “Changsheng, time to go! If we wait any longer, the sun will be…”

Before he could finish, the door swung open to reveal Song Changsheng, his face a mask of annoyance.

“If I’d been cultivating just now, you might have scared me into Falling into Demon.”

“Tch. Who are you kidding? If a Purple Mansion Cultivator could be driven to Fall into Demon that easily, you might as well give up on living. Hurry up, let’s get ready to go.”

“Have you even figured out the direction?” Song Changsheng asked, eyeing Niu Dazhuang doubtfully.

“Who do you take me for?”

Niu Dazhuang’s eyes bulged. He pulled a Map drawn on beast hide from his robes and, with a finger as thick as a carrot, pointed to a dashed red line on it. “Look, we’ll take this route. Cut straight through. No problem at all.”

Hearing this, Song Changsheng leaned in to take a closer look. His vision went dark. No matter how he looked at it, the dashed line seemed to be something Niu Dazhuang had scrawled on the Map at random. It didn’t mark which clans were on the path, or which Great Demons. What was the difference between this and just fumbling around in the dark?

“Alright, I’m not relying on you for this. I already planned a route before I came. Just follow me,” Song Changsheng said, pushing Niu Dazhuang’s Map back at him with a look of utter exasperation.

“Hehe, I was waiting for you to say that. Let’s go!” Niu Dazhuang chuckled, grabbing Song Changsheng’s arm and pulling him down the mountain.

The two first took a Space Transmission Array to the Song Clan’s territory, then used Vast Mist Peak’s Space Transmission Array to travel directly to Five Elements Peak in Zhangye County.

After greeting Song Lutong and the others stationed at Five Elements Peak, Song Changsheng and Niu Dazhuang arrived at the banks of the Canglan River.

Gazing at the vast Canglan River, Song Changsheng pointed at the calm water before them. “I’ve already had people scout it out. This section of the river is usually free of Great Demons. It should be relatively safe for us to cross here.”

The Canglan River was unlike other rivers. A bizarre Gang Qi Layer hung above it. Not even Purple Mansion Cultivators could cross through the Gang Qi Layer; they could only fly at an altitude of less than one hundred zhang from the river’s surface.

This altitude was enough to avoid attacks from all Tier Two Demon Beasts, but to a Great Demon, a distance of one hundred zhang could be crossed in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, to cross the Canglan River, one had to be wary of the Great Demons within its depths. Here, they were the true Kings.

After long-term surveillance and scouting by Song Lutong and his men, they had finally found this relatively safe route for Song Changsheng.

The two flew out over the Canglan River. Below them was the turquoise water, and above, the violent Gang wind that could shred a man to pieces. It had to be said, they were in an extremely dangerous position.

They moved quickly, reaching the middle of the Canglan River in just a quarter of an hour. The journey had been uneventful so far.

Suddenly, a shrill cry pierced the air from above, making both of their scalps tingle with dread.

“Not good. It’s a [Red-tailed Golden Eagle],” Song Changsheng’s expression changed abruptly.

Almost no living creature could survive in the Gang Qi Layer, but the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] was an exception. Legend had it that it possessed a trace of the [Golden-winged Roc]’s bloodline, allowing it to develop its speed to the absolute limit. Among Cultivators of the same tier, almost none could match it.

Encountering a [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] in such a precarious position was several times more dangerous for Song Changsheng and Niu Dazhuang than encountering a Water Demon.

“Senior Brother!”

Song Changsheng roared.

“You got it!”

Niu Dazhuang came to a sudden halt in mid-air. His hands flew through a series of seals, and with a sound like a tiger’s roar and a dragon’s cry, a silver light shot toward the sky.

“SCREECH—”

The shrill cry rang out again. Song Changsheng saw only a streak of golden light flash past their heads. Clearly, Niu Dazhuang’s attack had missed.

“Changsheng, it’s no good! This beast’s movement speed is just too fast! I can’t keep up with it!” Niu Dazhuang shouted anxiously.

“Be careful. The beast could ambush us at any moment.”

“Let’s drop altitude. We’ll fly close to the water’s surface and lure it out of the Gang Qi Layer.”

“Right!”

The two descended simultaneously, flying so low they skimmed the surface of the cold river water.

The [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] indeed couldn’t resist the temptation. It transformed into a golden arrow and shot straight for Song Changsheng’s back.

“Little Divine Technique—[Flowing Cloud Hand]!”

Song Changsheng struck out behind him with a palm. The [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] dodged nimbly and immediately launched another surprise attack.

“Scram!” Niu Dazhuang seized the opportunity, throwing a punch with lightning speed. The fierce wind from his fist was like sharp blades, carving several bloody gashes into the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle]’s body.

“SCREECH—”

The [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] let out an enraged cry. With a shake of its wings, it manifested countless golden feathers that rained down upon Song Changsheng and Niu Dazhuang.

“Little Divine Technique—[Celestial Spirit Shield]!”

“Little Divine Technique—[Celestial Spirit Shield]!”

The two of them unleashed their defensive Divine Techniques in unison.

The countless golden feathers were deflected back, but the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] dodged them all with its nimble speed.

“This beast’s tier isn’t high. We still have a chance.”

After that exchange, Song Changsheng had gotten a feel for the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle]’s tier. It should have just entered Tier Three Low-Grade. Its strength and speed weren’t that great. As long as he and his senior brother worked together, they were more than enough to handle it.

“Senior Brother, create an opening for me,” Song Changsheng transmitted secretly.

“Alright!”

Niu Dazhuang steeled himself and, great axe in hand, charged the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle].

As the saying goes, enemies see red when they meet. Seeing Niu Dazhuang dare to charge it, the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] ignored everything else and flew straight for him.

The man and the eagle were soon locked in a fierce struggle.

Niu Dazhuang was not skilled in speed. He couldn’t even touch one of the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle]’s feathers and was being run around in circles. His body was soon covered in a dense web of cuts.

Fortunately, the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] only excelled in speed; its strength was not great. To the thick-skinned and tough Niu Dazhuang, these injuries were no more than scratches that would heal quickly.

But this only served to arouse the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle]’s ferocity. It became dead-set on tangling with Niu Dazhuang, completely forgetting Song Changsheng’s existence.

“[Demon-Binding Rope], go!”

Naturally, Song Changsheng would not let such a perfect opportunity slip by. The [Demon-Binding Rope] in his hand transformed into a streak of green light, shooting toward the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] in the air.

Caught off guard, one of the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle]’s legs was bound.

The [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] was instantly snapped back to its senses. It beat its wings, trying to escape.

How could Niu Dazhuang let this rare chance go? The great axe flew from his hand. With a flash of blood, a large chunk of flesh was lopped off the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle]’s left wing, nearly causing it to plummet from the sky.

“[Purple Void Divine Fire]!”

A scorching flame bloomed from Song Changsheng’s palm.

All the feathers on the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle]’s body bristled. From that flame, it sensed the threat of death.

“SCREECH—”

With a long cry, the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] broke free from the [Demon-Binding Rope]’s restraint and shot toward the Gang Qi Layer at its fastest speed…

…

PS: There was a family celebration today, and I forgot to post the update. Please forgive me!