Chapter 30: On the Brink of Despair, Part One

Little Nine had told Li Hao to unlock the power that the Divine Lord of Liyang had sealed within the Nine-Dragon War Halberd, allowing Li Hao to temporarily break through to the peak of the Touring Realm. Yet even so, Li Hao was unable to contend with a single opponent, let alone with two masked cultivators in black attacking him simultaneously, both at the mid-stage of the Fragmented Mirror Realm.

At this moment, Li Hao had no strength to fight back; his only hope was to find a way to delay. He pinned his hopes on the Golden-Winged Roc, wishing that once it finished off the Evil Demon Wolf and the Dark Demon Eagle, it would come to his aid. Although he had no real connection with the Golden-Winged Roc, Li Hao trusted in Lu Zhengtian’s integrity and hoped the Roc would help him overcome this crisis. As it turned out, Li Hao’s faith was well placed.

His idea was sound, but reality proved far more brutal than he had imagined. In just a few breaths, Li Hao was wounded. The Golden-Winged Roc, though utterly committed to defeating its foes, could not end the battle in a single instant; its strength was not so overwhelming as to annihilate opponents at a glance.

Li Hao took a solid punch to the back, pain radiating through him, sweat pouring from his brow. Even so, he grit his teeth and endured, refusing to utter a sound of pain.

Above, the Golden-Winged Roc fought fiercely with the Evil Demon Wolf and the Dark Demon Eagle, locked in deadly combat. Li Hao used the force from the masked cultivator’s blow to his back to propel himself forward, pressing on.

He had taken a blow amounting to eighty percent of the masked cultivator’s strength, yet did not die instantly. The masked cultivator was amazed by Li Hao’s resilience, unable to comprehend how the young man the young master wished dead could possess such formidable defenses. The more Li Hao proved his endurance, the stronger the killer’s bloodlust grew; he became all the more determined to finish him. If Li Hao survived, his own life would be forfeit.

Li Hao moved through the forest like a fish in water, using the trees for cover and dodging with all his might. But when misfortune strikes, it never comes alone—bad luck compounded itself.

After rushing some seven or eight hundred meters, Li Hao found himself at the edge of a bottomless canyon. There was no way forward. The masked cultivator pursuing him arrived instantly from behind, leaving Li Hao with no choice but to risk everything and leap into the abyss.

The Golden-Winged Roc, though it had no desire to serve Li Hao, recognized the gravity of the situation. It knew this youth was its master’s dear friend. Initially, it had been forced into submission by Little Nine’s overwhelming presence, but now, with Li Hao teetering on the edge of death, it couldn’t let selfish desires ruin its master’s reputation.

Since Lu Zhengtian had met Li Hao, the Roc had stayed within his All-Spirits Ring, observing everything clearly. It had watched Li Hao act with courage, follow them to register, and drag himself along to this place. The Roc deeply admired Li Hao’s conduct.

Admiration, however, did not mean it was ready to serve Li Hao willingly; that was another matter entirely.

After finishing off the Evil Demon Wolf and the Dark Demon Eagle, the Roc descended at full speed without a moment’s pause. When it reached the spot where Li Hao had landed, there was no sign of him. Only ancient trees and trembling animals cowering before its bloodline aura remained, without any trace of battle.

The Roc searched carefully but saw neither Li Hao nor the masked cultivators. It soared skyward, and when it reached a thousand meters above the ground, it focused its power into its eyes, observing below in detail. Everything was clear, but the dense forest revealed nothing in a radius of several kilometers.

The Roc landed atop a giant tree, circling the area, and finally spotted the two masked cultivators beside the chasm.

The masked cultivators saw the Roc, knowing full well that the Evil Demon Wolf and the Dark Demon Eagle had perished under its claws. Unease filled their hearts; they had underestimated the Golden-Winged Roc, never expecting their mounts—both at the Fragmented Mirror Realm—would be so outmatched.

The Roc truly deserved its reputation as the noblest of birds, able to easily slay two opponents at its level.

The two men had intended to leap into the canyon and continue their pursuit of Li Hao, but the Roc arrived too quickly. They thought Li Hao, having forcibly broken through to the Touring Realm, would not be able to fly, and falling into the bottomless abyss meant certain death. Their primary task now was to kill the Roc; if their presence was exposed, they would surely die.

They exchanged glances, each understanding the other’s intent, and attacked the Roc with full force. The Roc had just finished a fierce battle with two beasts at its own level, expending sixty percent of its strength and had no time to recover. Now faced with two human cultivators who surpassed it by two minor realms, it could have used its dominance of the skies to escape—but with Li Hao’s fate uncertain, how could it return to its master in shame? Its lofty dignity would not allow it to bear the name of cowardice and betrayal.

Forced by circumstance, the Roc had no choice but to fight for honor and loyalty.

Seeing the masked cultivators charging, the Roc gathered the laws of heaven and earth within a radius of seven or eight hundred meters into its body. Its golden feathers gleamed with the power of metal, each one like impenetrable armor. At that moment, the Roc radiated a kingly aura, disdainful of all other birds.

The Roc refused to await its doom and launched the attack first. The masked cultivators were equally fierce, gathering the laws of heaven and earth from a thousand meters around, manifesting a phantom seven or eight hundred meters tall. They intended to defeat the Roc quickly and then search for Li Hao.

The massive phantom split in two: one wielded a blade, the other a sword, and together they slashed at the Roc’s wings, left and right. The phantoms sped forward and reached the Roc almost instantly. Sensing their ferocity, the Roc swiftly folded its wings, evading the attack. The two enormous phantoms brushed past, and with a burst of forward momentum, the Roc slipped between them.

As its wings aligned with the phantoms, the Roc suddenly spread them wide, shattering both with a powerful sweep—the phantoms dissipated into the world. Seizing the opportunity, the Roc targeted one masked cultivator, its iron-like talons gripping his shoulder and, with unstoppable force, plummeted at a forty-five degree angle toward the earth from thousands of meters high.

The masked cultivator tried desperately to break free of the Roc’s iron grip, but it was futile. He was smashed into the ground hundreds of meters deep, blood spurting from his mouth.

He had never imagined the Roc, two minor realms below him, would be so formidable. Meanwhile, the other masked cultivator soared a thousand meters up, and as the Roc hammered his companion into the earth, he conjured a phantom eight hundred meters tall above the Roc. He aimed to stomp the Roc’s left wing, hoping to cripple it in a single blow.

The Roc’s left wing was struck by the descending phantom with overwhelming force. The smashed cultivator, gravely wounded and drained of sixty percent of his strength, hadn’t managed to rise before the Roc was driven down onto him.

The Roc’s left wing was numbed, nearly broken, but it survived the blow, its body’s defenses living up to its reputation as the ruler of birds. The masked cultivator, sacrificing his companion to injure the Roc, underestimated its resilience.

The Roc intended to abandon the injured cultivator and counterattack, but the other was too quick, offering no chance. Driven down onto the wounded man, the Roc ceased resisting, instead lunging at him. This allowed its left wing a moment to recover sensation and gave it the chance to finish off the masked cultivator below.

As the Roc struck, its hard beak pierced the man’s throat, blood gushing forth—the masked cultivator died instantly, never imagining his life would be used as bait by his own teammate.

After Li Hao departed, Kuihu and the other two, not wanting to fall too far behind their leader, bid farewell to Lu Zhengtian’s group and returned to diligent cultivation.

Lu Zhengtian, Lin Huashu, Lu Xuemei, and Lu Yao strolled briefly through Lishui City. Suddenly, Lu Zhengtian’s soul trembled—he sensed his mount, the Golden-Winged Roc, was in danger. He quietly pulled Lin Huashu aside.

“Li Hao seems to be in trouble. Let’s go check on him.”

“Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, Lin Huashu grabbed Lu Zhengtian and set off in pursuit of Li Hao.

“Wait, let me tell Mei’er and the others.”

Lu Zhengtian, not wanting his sisters to worry, made up a kind lie: “Mei’er, take Yao’er and enjoy the city. Lin Huashu and I have some matters to attend to.” Before Lu Xuemei could ask what those matters were, he hurried off, leaving her and Lu Yao confused.

Lu Zhengtian rushed to Lin Huashu, who had already summoned his mount, the Nine-Colored Vermilion Bird. The two mounted the bird and sped out of the city after Li Hao.

Lu Xuemei and Lu Yao watched them depart. Lu Yao innocently asked, “Sister, do you think something happened to Brother Li Hao?”

Lu Xuemei thought for a moment, recalling how Li Hao had broken Du Qingfeng’s legs on the way to registration, and suddenly felt uneasy. Though worried for Li Hao, she comforted her sister, “Don’t worry, Yao’er. Brother Li Hao has Big Brother’s Golden-Winged Roc protecting him; he shouldn’t be in any danger. If anything happened, Big Brother would sense the Roc’s distress signal.”

In reality, Lu Xuemei was deeply concerned, but she reassured her sister, speaking words she didn’t entirely believe. After witnessing her brother and Lin Huashu’s unusual behavior, she knew she was only comforting Lu Yao for appearance’s sake.

Lu Xuemei wanted to follow her brother to find Li Hao, but considering how young Lu Yao was, she couldn’t take her along on such a dangerous journey. Torn between her sister and the boy she saw as a younger brother, Lu Xuemei was in anguish. Watching her brother leave, she could only place her hopes in him, praying that fate would protect Li Hao from harm.