Chapter 97: Fire Bird

A Fire Bird flapped its wings frantically, attempting to escape the suction force.

A crack split open in the wall, and a massive crystal crashed down from the bottom of the cave, shattering into fragments all over the ground.

The suction force intensified once more!

The Fire Bird that hadn't escaped mingled with the fiery energy, and both were pulled by the suction into the center.

The originally scorching cave suddenly seemed to grow somewhat cold.

The aura of the red crystal pillar kept rising, breaking through the limits of the Foundation Establishment stage.

A powerful sense of oppression spread from within, pressing down on Junior Brother Bai Ming's chest until it felt stifled, making it hard to breathe.

Clang.

The massive red crystal pillar exploded into smithereens, and countless fragments, like sharp blades, pierced in every direction.

For a moment, it was a scene of devastation; even Junior Brother Bai Ming was pierced by quite a few fragments, his wounds bleeding.

His hair disheveled, Junior Brother Bai Ming was unable to open his eyes due to the fiery energy and could only squint as he looked ahead.

A golden-red figure slowly emerged; a pair of vertical pupils hidden beneath the columnar flames revealed only two glimmers of light.

Golden Core aura!

This was a spirit beast that had just successfully advanced to the Golden Core stage!

Through the flames, Junior Brother Bai Ming barely caught a glimpse of its form, his eyes filled with lingering shock.

To think there was a Golden Core level spirit bird here.

Was it hibernating here, or had it just successfully advanced?

Junior Brother Bai Ming didn't know, but one thing was clear: he had to leave this place immediately.

Driving the Qingming Storm Soul with all his might, he moved against the slowly weakening suction, inching toward the cave entrance.

Remembering something, he hurriedly put away the cyan scales in front of him, doing his best to conceal his aura, not daring to expose even a trace.

These cyan scales were a protective talisman and a pass in front of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

But in the eyes of a Golden Core, this was a provocation.

For Junior Brother Bai Ming, it was even more of a death warrant!

No Golden Core spirit beast would allow the aura of another Golden Core spirit beast to appear on its territory.

A resonant bird cry rang through the valley.

The Golden Core Fire Bird noticed Junior Brother Bai Ming, its vertical pupils locked onto this intruder.

As it flapped its wings, the stifling fiery energy spread throughout the entire cave once more.

A heaven-shaking pressure struck from behind, causing Junior Brother Bai Ming's spiritual power circulation to stutter for a beat; his entire body felt as if it had been filled with molten lead, unable to move freely.

With a grim expression, he knew he couldn't stop; he had been targeted by the Golden Core Fire Bird, and stopping meant certain death.

Enduring the pressure, Junior Brother Bai Ming reached the path he had come from, his eyes solemn as he gazed at the spurting tongues of fire before him.

But with the Golden Core Fire Bird behind him, what else could he do?

Just as he took a step, a feather-shaped flying flame shot straight at him.

The moment the flying flame made contact, Junior Brother Bai Ming's clothes were instantly vaporized, and a piercing pain surged across the surface of his body, as if he had been ruthlessly crushed by a piece of scorching hot iron.

"Ah!" Junior Brother Bai Ming cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

In an instant, the flying feather flames spread over his entire body, as if intending to burn through his meridians.

A massive shadow descended over Junior Brother Bai Ming's head; its two huge wings were fully spread, their surfaces still emitting fiery energy.

Under the gaze of those vertical pupils, the flames on Junior Brother Bai Ming's body slowly receded.

Forcing himself to stand, Junior Brother Bai Ming clutched his right arm and looked into those pupils.

Playful, cruel.

The Golden Core Fire Bird was filled with a violent aura, no different from the spirit beasts of the night.

What on earth did it want?

Exhaling hot air with difficulty through his lips, Junior Brother Bai Ming's face twisted in agony, his whole body in constant pain.

Although he didn't know the Golden Core Fire Bird's intentions, it was likely nothing good.

Man and bird, they stood in a standoff.

Even if Junior Brother Bai Ming were in perfect condition, he would have no chance of defeating the Fire Bird before him.

Now, his life hung in the balance of the Golden Core Fire Bird's whim.

The Golden Core Fire Bird stared at Junior Brother Bai Ming for a while, exhaled a puff of flame from its mouth, and simultaneously nudged its head slightly, seemingly telling him to leave.

Junior Brother Bai Ming held his breath and immediately turned to flee.

He didn't understand the Golden Core Fire Bird's thoughts, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he couldn't let it pass.

Following the memory in his mind, he returned along the original path, weaving back and forth to dodge the surrounding tongues of fire.

But gradually, he felt a wave of dry heat behind him; a flaming feather followed closely behind, neither fast nor slow, matching Junior Brother Bai Ming's escape speed.

But Junior Brother Bai Ming had to watch out for the tongues of fire, having to weave and dodge along a straight path.

Moreover, he was seriously injured, and both his speed and willpower had declined.

The fire feather didn't need to weave!

If this continued, he would sooner or later be caught by the fire feather.

This Fire Bird is toying with me!

It treats me like a toy, wanting me to die after I'm exhausted.

Through the fiery energy, Junior Brother Bai Ming could see the Golden Core Fire Bird's playful face.

There was no time to hesitate; he quickly turned back, looking at the tongues of fire in front of him.

Whether it was because the Golden Core Fire Bird had awakened or because it was deliberately controlling them, the number and frequency of the tongues of fire had greatly increased.

Forcing himself to stay focused, Junior Brother Bai Ming was cautious, doing the absolute best he could as he flew toward the exit with all his might.

An unexpected tongue of fire erupted; Junior Brother Bai Ming tried to dodge, but it was too late.

"Ah!"

The flames grazed his right arm, and Junior Brother Bai Ming screamed from the burn.

There hadn't been any tongues of fire here before; this was intentional.

Glancing at the approaching fire feather behind him, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt despair, but he suppressed the pain in his body and continued forward.

After great hardship, he reached the end of the path.

But the fire feather was less than a few meters away; he could even feel the lingering heat radiating from it.

Gamble it all.

Things had come to this; it was too late to weave and dodge the tongues of fire.

He could only seize the gap between the clashing tongues of fire and dash out in one go.

Taking a breath, Junior Brother Bai Ming stopped in place, carefully observing the pattern of the erupting tongues of fire.

The fire feather behind him slowly approached, now less than half a meter away.

"Now!" Junior Brother Bai Ming's pupils widened as he dashed forward in one breath.

Within a few breaths, taking advantage of a lull in the tongues of fire, Junior Brother Bai Ming was almost about to rush out of the cave entrance.

But when he was less than half a meter from the entrance, several surging pillars of fire appeared out of thin air, firmly sealing the exit.

"Damn it!" Junior Brother Bai Ming cursed angrily.

From beginning to end, this Golden Core Fire Bird never intended to leave him a way to survive.

Having missed the opportunity, the tongues of fire below were restless, ready to erupt at any moment.

In the distance, the Golden Core Fire Bird waved its wings, and the tongues of fire were quelled, no longer erupting.

Junior Brother Bai Ming had no strength left to resist; he could only watch helplessly as the fire feather inched closer.

Caught between two sources of high heat, his consciousness gradually drifted, and his vision blurred little by little.

Just as Junior Brother Bai Ming's consciousness was about to fade, the mark on his right hand emitted a dazzling blue light.

A sensation of coolness spread through his entire body, all the fiery energy dissipated, and Junior Brother Bai Ming's consciousness gradually returned, becoming clear once again.

Junior Brother Bai Ming raised the corners of his mouth. "You've finally arrived."

The Golden Core Fire Bird's vertical pupils shook slightly; it opened its beak and flapped its wings continuously, condensing flames around its body.

The flaming feather accelerated, piercing fiercely toward Junior Brother Bai Ming.

Junior Brother Bai Ming's expression was calm, with not a ripple of emotion in his eyes.

"Only now thinking of killing me? It's too late!"

A tremor shook the earth, and the cave entrance was smashed open by a behemoth.

The fire feather was extinguished by a right claw covered in cyan scales.

An even more formidable aura came from behind Junior Brother Bai Ming, colliding and contending with the aura of the Golden Core Fire Bird in the distance.

A cold wind whistled in from outside the cave, filling the entire cavern.

The Giant Lizard landed on all four claws, firmly shielding Junior Brother Bai Ming beneath it.

A patch of cyan entered his vision, and Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a sense of relief; his body was suddenly overcome with exhaustion, making him want to collapse and sleep.

He bit down on his right arm, forcing himself to stay alert.

He couldn't sleep just yet.

After all, he hadn't yet seen that Fire Bird die with his own eyes!