A Blood Contract bound them together.
Though Lu Yuan could not pinpoint its exact location, he could sense that the Golden-Winged Great Peng was wounded. The injury was not overly severe, but the crisis had clearly not passed; it remained in danger, seemingly being pursued.
"Those daring to make a move on the Golden-Winged Great Peng shouldn't be beings native to this world." His expression was cold. He knew only extraterrestrial beings would have the audacity to do this.
Not long ago, he had slain three members of the Nether Bull Clan to make an example of them, deterring a vast host of entities. Yet unexpectedly, they still dared to strike and cause trouble. With the intelligence of those beings, how could they not know the Golden-Winged Great Peng was Lu Yuan's mount?
Without another word, he rose directly and walked out of the room.
Outside, upon seeing him emerge, Ice Fairy and Zhu Qingyu immediately stepped forward to meet him.
In truth, the two women had been keeping vigil outside the room for quite some time, not daring to disturb him lightly for fear of disrupting him. Now that the man himself had stepped out, they relayed the intelligence the authorities had obtained regarding the Golden-Winged Great Peng.
"The Nether Bull Clan has made a move. According to our surveillance, there are also other extraterrestrial beings watching like tigers eyeing their prey, ready to strike at any moment," Ice Fairy spoke, explaining the situation in detail.
Having reached the Shackle Realm, she had now joined the Heavenly Court. In other words, Lu Yuan was her direct superior. Both Ice Fairy and Zhu Qingyu had been assigned to serve as aides to the Lord of the Heavenly Court. The two were quite pleased with this arrangement, as it allowed them frequent contact with him.
"I understand." Lu Yuan nodded. "Do we know the Great Peng's current location?"
The Great Peng was in peril, ambushed and pursued by powerful beings; there was no time to waste.
"We do. With the coordination of various ground forces, we've had it under constant surveillance," Zhu Qingyu said, transmitting the tracking trajectories from the military units straight to Lu Yuan's communicator.
This showcased the prowess of the authorities: commanding the greatest resources, so long as there was a lead, they would be informed of any development at the earliest opportunity.
"Good." Lu Yuan glanced at it, grasped its approximate location, and gave the two women a nod.
Taking a step forward, he suspended himself in midair.
An aura surged from his body, and in the next moment, his entire person shot rapidly toward a certain direction.
One in the Golden Body Realm could travel through the air; while not blisteringly fast, it could easily break the sound barrier.
"It seems even after joining the Heavenly Court, we cannot afford to slack off," Ice Fairy remarked with a sigh as she watched Lu Yuan's receding figure.
She recalled how he had appeared when she first met him; back then, she had assumed they were on the same level. Even when Lu Yuan subsequently demonstrated overwhelming power, she had believed she might catch up. Yet looking back now, the gap had only widened.
"Indeed, we must work harder," Zhu Qingyu nodded. "At the very least, we cannot disgrace the Heavenly Court's prestige, and we must follow closely behind him." Yet a distinct, complicated emotion flickered in her eyes.
Having soared into the firmament, Lu Yuan pulled out his communicator once more to verify the coordinates. He accelerated further, smashing clean through the sound barrier like a fighter jet, etching a visible streak across the sky.
Meanwhile, far across the distance on the other side.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng flapped its wings, radiance flowing across its feathers.
It had already entered the Golden Body Realm, its strength vastly enhanced, and its innate flying talent had improved by leaps and bounds. The aura it exuded was far stronger than before, no weaker than that of the Peacock King and other beast kings—exceedingly formidable.
At this moment, however, the Golden-Winged Great Peng was wounded, blood dripping from its wings. Its speed had slowed considerably as a result.
"Curse them, daring to lay an ambush! Detestable!" the Golden-Winged Great Peng snarled, fury raging in its eyes.
Possessing a bloodline far superior to most creatures in this world and immense potential on the path of evolution, it was inherently proud. To be hunted and wounded was naturally intolerable to it. Yet there was nothing it could do; those extraterrestrial beings were extraordinarily powerful, an entire realm above itself.
"Stop running! You won't get away—submit to your death obediently!"
Soon, a shout echoed from behind. At the same time, four or five mighty auras surged relentlessly in this direction.
It was the Nether Bull Clan, flying through the air at high speed and dogging its heels.
They were all in the Sovereign King Realm, even more formidable than the three that had previously climbed Mount Tai. Originally, joining forces to deal with the Golden-Winged Great Peng wouldn't have been difficult, but the beast was simply too fast; only by straining with all their might could they keep up. Furthermore, the human side had mobilized various measures, launching unknown weapons that nearly caused them to lose track of their quarry.
"Wishful thinking! I might indeed be no match for you, but once my master arrives, you will be the ones dying!"
The Golden-Winged Great Peng looked back. It was naturally aware of what had transpired before, which was why it had fled in the direction of Mount Tai.
"Your master?"
"I'm afraid you won't have the chance."
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out from up ahead, carrying a chilling, intimidating aura.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng's heart jolted. Looking forward, it involuntarily slowed its speed.
There stood a humanoid figure roughly thirty feet tall.
He appeared somewhat human, yet bore three heads, each with a distinct expression resembling a vicious ghost. In his grip, he held a trident divine halberd; tricolor radiance rippled across its length like waves, exuding a majestic, imposing presence.
Standing suspended in midair, the gaze of his central head held utter callousness, dripping with killing intent.
It was over.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng's expression changed.
The newcomer was also at the fifth stage, the Sovereign King Realm, and was even more formidable and dangerous than the four Nether Bulls behind it.
Now, with an ambush in front and pursuers behind—all stronger than itself—its chances of survival were exceedingly slim.
"Weren't you good at running? Keep going!" Behind it, the four Nether Bulls caught up, their breathing somewhat ragged.
There was no helping it; racial talent dictated that the Golden-Winged Great Peng was simply too swift. Straining with all their strength had barely kept it in sight. Under any other circumstances, they would have given up long ago, but their superiors had issued a strict order that left them no choice.
Now, they pressed forward, releasing their respective auras.
"Leave it to me. Since descending, I have yet to open a slaughter," the warrior of the Three-Headed Ghost Clan spoke, his gaze piercingly sharp. "No one of my clan has ever hunted a Golden-Winged Great Peng. A legendary, mythical bloodline—even if it hasn't matured, if it dies by my hand, it will set a precedent for my clan."
His words carried absolute confidence; after all, his cultivation realm held absolute dominance. The Golden-Winged Great Peng clan was renowned across various star sectors. He was exceedingly intrigued. What was more, he could refine the creature's essence blood afterward to bolster his own evolution.
"Then let's see if you have the ability," the Golden-Winged Great Peng said, unwilling to wait for death. It still had a few trump cards. Though trapped in desperate straits, if it unleashed them, it could definitely escape, albeit at a heavy price. But things having reached this point, it could no longer afford to worry about the cost.
"Hmph, courting death."
Hearing this, the three faces of the Three-Headed Ghost warrior twisted in rage, unleashing intense killing intent. The trident divine halberd in his hands also radiated an exceedingly perilous aura. Without hesitation, he poured his power into it, brewing a storm that scattered the vast blanket of clouds around them.
Accompanied by a thunderous boom, the trident divine halberd was hurled forth, piercing the horizon. Cloaked in dazzling tricolor brilliance, it streaked like lightning, aiming to pin the Golden-Winged Great Peng dead.
The Great Peng also felt a tremendous sense of crisis. Golden radiance erupted from its wings like heavenly blades. Clearly, faced with the Three-Headed Ghost warrior's strike, it dared not take matters lightly.
Yet in the very next instant, it abruptly halted, hovering in place.
It withdrew its power, facing the flying trident divine halberd virtually unprepared.
What was happening? Had it gone mad?
The Three-Headed Ghost warrior and the Nether Bulls wondered. But very quickly, an overwhelming sense of crisis surged within their souls, causing them to shudder violently.
In the blink of an eye, the hurled trident divine halberd froze in midair. A figure shrouded in golden light appeared, catching it in hand with effortless gentleness, as though the tremendous power imbued within the halberd posed not the slightest threat to him.
Impossible! I poured my utmost power into that strike—how could it be blocked so easily?!
That was the first thought that flashed through the Three-Headed Ghost warrior's mind. He tried to summon it back, only to find he couldn't budge it at all.
"Not bad. It barely passes as a type of divine material," the golden figure remarked. Then, the brilliance dispersed to reveal his true appearance: it was none other than Lu Yuan.
Gazing at the trident divine halberd, a faint smile surfaced on his brow. He knew this item was similar to the sacred relic from the Western Church, fit to serve the evolution of the Daluo sword core; otherwise, he wouldn't even have bothered taking it into his hands.
"Master," the Golden-Winged Great Peng bowed its head.
It had chosen not to resist earlier precisely because it knew its master had arrived. With that, all danger was sure to be dispelled.
"It's that human—the one who killed our clansmen?!"
"Not good, this man is too strong! Flee!"
Seeing this, the Nether Bulls were stricken with terror. Without the slightest hesitation, they turned to flee. Pursuing the Golden-Winged Great Peng was fine, but now that this human had appeared, he was someone they could never match!
"It's already too late," Lu Yuan said softly without even turning his head.
In his hand, the Daluo sword core manifested, trailing streams of sword light. Then, he simply gave it a casual slash, imbued with the sword intent of One Sword of Heaven and Earth.
Clang, clang, clang—!
Pfft—!
In an instant, surging sword intent coalesced into dazzling brilliance, instantly slaughtering every single Nether Bull present. From start to finish, it took only a single blow. And not only that, after piercing through their bodies, the sword light of the Daluo sword core surged onward, cleaving off the entire peak of a nearby hill—a true mountain-severing strike from a single sword.
Having done all this, Lu Yuan did not move an inch. He looked toward the Three-Headed Ghost warrior. "I bear no grudge against your clan. However, since you came knocking and insisted on provoking me, I can only send you on your way to the afterlife."
As he spoke, the aura within his body erupted like a bursting dam, pouring forth.
The Three-Headed Ghost warrior was shaken to his core, retreating step after step. It was unbelievable. How could a human from this world reach such heights? The urge to flee seized him as well, yet he understood it was impossible. An overwhelming killing intent had thoroughly locked onto him; if he made so much as a twitch, he would face tempestuous wrath.
"Behind me is the Three-Headed Ghost Clan, one of the top hundred star sectors' great clans! My actions here are under the direct order of the Celestial Clan's tenth sequence! If you dare kill me, you will face joint retribution from both clans!"
Terror had gripped him, yet the formidable backing behind him lent him the courage to shout these words. Across the various star sectors, both the Three-Headed Ghost Clan and the Celestial Clan were immensely powerful; unless a clan was among the highest-ranking, none dared provoke them.
Yet when Lu Yuan heard this, not a ripple of change appeared on his face. He said softly, "So what? If they dare continue provoking me, I shall slaughter both clans!"
Chapter 134