Chapter 85 I’m Going to Die

A scream of pure agony tore from Xue Yao’s throat as the heavy talon stomped her flat against the earth. The air left her lungs completely, and she could hear the terrifying sound of her own bones straining beneath the ridiculous weight. The rock-like scales on the bird’s foot cut deep into her skin, staining her dark hunting clothes with blood.

’I’m going to die... I’m really going to die here...’ Her mind panicked, tears of pain gathering at the corners of her eyes.

Using her last remaining strength, she summoned her Medium-Grade Chicken Drumstick of Absolute Persuasion. She swung it blindly from beneath the bird’s foot, striking the monster’s ankle.

Whack!

The heavy blow made the bird stagger back a step, releasing the suffocating pressure on her chest.

’Screw this, Screw this! I don’t intend to die here.’ Xue Yao coughed violently, spitting blood onto the silver ferns. She desperately reached for her Medium-Grade Shadow Escape Talisman, intending to run away, but the mother bird was faster.

The giant bird opened her beak, and the silver moonlight condensed inside her throat exploded outward in a violent stream of pure energy.

Whoosh!

Xue Yao didn’t even have time to activate the talisman before the silver flames engulfed her entirely. The intense heat seared through her clothes, burning her arms, shoulders, and legs. Her skin blistered instantly, and the sheer force of the energy blast sent her tumbling through the dirt until she crashed heavily into a pile of rocks.

The Shadow Escape Talisman in her hand burst into silver sparks, completely destroyed by the S-rank attack before it could even activate.

[System Notification: Medium-Grade Shadow Escape Talisman destroyed.]

[System Notification: Host’s physical body has suffered 90% structural damage. Life signs are critically low.]

Xue Yao lay flat on her back among the broken stones, her body completely covered in burns, soot, and deep cuts. She couldn’t move her hands, she couldn’t lift her head, and even drawing a single, shallow breath sent a wave of excruciating pain through her entire torso. The bright blue sky above the green canopy began to spin violently in her eyes, slowly turning darker and darker.

’Mama... Papa... Chen’er...’ She thought weakly, her inner voice fading into a pitiful whisper. ’I’m sorry... I really broke my promise... I can’t come home anymore.’

The mother bird strode toward her slowly, her fierce eyes completely devoid of mercy. She raised her massive beak high into the air, aiming straight for Xue Yao’s chest, ready to deliver the final, fatal peck that would end her life forever.

Xue Yao weakly fluttered her eyes closed. ’I can’t die like this... I can’t die in the hands of a big chicken... bird or whatever it is... it is meant to be eaten by me... why should i die like this... if I must die... then I shall not die alone.’ She snapped her eyes open, and for the first time, a blue light circled her iris.

"Ahhhhh!"

A blood chilling scream tore from her throat and two blue ring lights formed around her, the force pushing away debris and stone.

.....

Meanwhile, only a few hundred meters away, the five wolf pups were running blindly through the thick ferns when they suddenly collided with a massive, silver-white wall.

"Ah!" Little Ancestor stumbled backward, nearly dropping the white egg. He raised his head, only to meet a pair of furious, burning golden eyes. "Brother!" Little Ancestor cried out, tears finally spilling down his face.

Lie Lang stood there, his long silver hair messy from his frantic sprint through the mountains. His chest rose and fell heavily as his golden eyes swept over the five trembling pups, then locked directly onto the smooth white egg in his little brother’s arms.

Behind him, Beta Han Luo and several fully grown hunters burst out of the bushes, their weapons drawn and their faces pale with shock.

"Little Ancestor!" Han Luo gasped. "What are you doing here?!"

"The human!" Tie Tou wailed, pointing back toward the clearing. "Sister Xue Yao is fighting the big bird! She told us to run!"

Mu Dou sobbed loudly, clutching Lie Lang’s leather boots. "The bird is an S-level Spirit King... a mystic bird! She’s going to eat her! Alpha, save her!"

The moment the words S-level and human entered Lie Lang’s ears, his heart violently tightened. The sweet, distinct human scent drifting through the wind was completely mixed with the metallic smell of fresh blood and burning fabric.

His beast inside him let out a terrifying, possessive roar that shook his entire spiritual sea. Without a single word, Lie Lang pushed off the ground.

Boom!

The earth shattered beneath his boots, and his figure instantly turned into a brilliant silver blur, tearing through the forest with a speed that defied the heavens.

....

Back in the clearing, the mother bird ignored her energy outburst. Its massive beak slammed downward toward Xue Yao’s body like an executioner’s axe. But the energy circling her stopped the bird’s attack, the two forces sent waves through the air.

Bai Xue Yao’s eyes widened slightly, as one of the rings broke, the bird channeled all its energy to its beak, and then the second ring broke.

’I’m really...I’m going to die...’ her thoughts trailed off as darkness crept from the corner of her eyes.

Suddenly, a deafening, earth-shaking crash echoed through the forest.

Lie Lang appeared directly over her small, broken frame. His broad shoulders completely blocked the sun, and his left hand had shot forward with terrifying precision, firmly grasping the mother bird’s massive beak mid-air, stopping the fatal blow just an inch away from Xue Yao’s face.

The sheer force of his arrival created a violent shockwave that blasted the surrounding trees and ferns completely flat. His golden eyes burned with an intense, murderous fury that surpassed even the S-rank beast before him.

A deep, suffocating growl rumbled from his chest as his claws extended, digging straight into the bird’s beak until blood splattered onto the grass. "How dare you touch what is mine?!" Lie Lang thundered.

Xue Yao slowly peeled one eye open through the haze of her fading consciousness. She looked up at the broad, silver-haired back standing protectively over her, shielding her from the entire world.

’He... he came back...’ The thought barely formed in her mind before the darkness finally swallowed her completely, and her head fell limply to the side.