No Way Out

This strange bird that emerged from its nest was only seven or eight meters long, much smaller than ordinary strange birds, but it had golden eyes and three claws.

Three claws are the hallmark of the Three-legged Golden Crow. These strange birds in front of us are certainly not golden crows, but their three legs prove that their bloodline is closer to that of the Three-legged Golden Crow, making them much stronger than other strange birds.

Upon seeing the Three-legged Monster Bird appear, his expression darkened further. He sensed that this Three-legged Monster Bird was the leader of the group of strange birds, and its energy was more than ten times stronger than that of the other birds, making it even more beyond his ability to deal with.

It would probably take only a moment for this strange bird to tear me to pieces.

Moreover, its speed must be incredibly terrifying!

With this strange bird leader around, how are we supposed to pick these lotus seeds?

Yi Yun was speechless. This Empress Secret Realm offered such a great opportunity and benefit, yet he could only watch helplessly as he couldn't obtain it. The difficulty was simply too great.

Yi Yun believed that his strength was already among the top of his peers, but looking at the red lotus in front of him, he didn't dare to pick it at all.

If it were someone else, they would be even more at a loss.

Picking lotus seeds is like a moth drawn to a flame; not picking them is also unsatisfying for Yi Yun. Thus, he lies hidden behind a large rock, caught in a dilemma.

Just then, Yi Yun saw the three-legged bird on the cliff fly down from the cave. It flew to the center of the circle formed by the other strange birds and began to examine the prey they had caught.

"A tribute?"

Yi Yun's first thought was that the prey caught by the other strange birds were all offered as tribute to this leader bird, but later he realized he was wrong.

The Three-legged Monster Bird used its claws to rip open the carcasses of each prey, tearing out their hearts from their corpses.

The heart was bright red, and blood was flowing freely. Then, the Three-legged Monster Bird grabbed a beast skull that was more than a meter long from somewhere. It used the upper part of the skull as a container to let the blood from the prey's heart flow out and fill the skull cup.

"Take heart blood?"

Yi Yun felt a chill run down his spine. Heart blood was the essence of a wild beast's entire blood. What did this Three-legged Monster Bird want to do with collecting heart blood?

After taking the heart's blood from all its prey, the Three-legged Monster Bird suddenly flew towards the lava lake. With its sharp claws, it deftly plucked several lotus seeds from the lotus pods.

Seeing this scene, Yi Yun's heart sank; the strange bird had taken away all the mature lotus seeds.

This kind of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures is probably not easy to harvest. It's not easy to take it away with its stem and roots intact. Even swords and knives might not be able to cut through its roots and stems, not to mention that there are so many strange birds eyeing it covetously. Yi Yun is not confident that he can do it.

He could only manage to collect a few lotus seeds, but now, even the ripe lotus seeds have been picked by that Three-legged Monster Bird.

The Three-legged Monster Bird placed the lotus seeds into the skull cup, then carried the cup back to the cave on the cliff.

The cave located on the cliff made it even more obvious, and the leader of the strange birds was guarding it. Yi Yun was increasingly speechless. It was even harder to get it than if it were in a lava lake!

"What is this strange bird trying to do? It took the lotus seeds, the heart's blood, and even used a bone cup made from the exposed bones of a wild beast to hold it."

Yi Yun sensed that this Three-legged Monster Bird might not simply want to drink the heart's blood of the wild beast. Otherwise, given the wild beast's nature, they could simply eat raw meat and blood directly; why would they need a bone cup?

It would be quite difficult for a wild beast like the Three-legged Monster Bird to make a bone cup, and drinking blood from a bone cup would be extremely laborious; it had no need for it to do so.

However, no matter what the Three-legged Monster Bird wanted to do, Yi Yun was helpless. With his strength, he could do nothing in the territory of these monster birds.

After the Three-legged Monster Bird disappeared, the other strange birds ended their bizarre ritual and began to share the prey on the ground.

Dozens of strange birds pounced on each other, and blood and flesh flew everywhere. Yi Yun noticed that while these strange birds were hunting, the few strange birds on the cliff top that were on guard did not relax their vigilance. They continued to watch over the lava lake until the other strange birds finished eating. Only then did a few more strange birds flap their wings and fly up the cliff to replace the few strange birds on the cliff top who were on guard.

"So strict!" Yi Yun was speechless. They were just a flock of birds, yet they were guarding the outpost like humans, keeping a tight watch on everything.

What should he do?

At the same moment, while Yi Yun saw the treasure but could not obtain it, on the first floor of the God Descending Tower, in a sealed space...

Shentu Nantian has been sitting here in silence for several months.

He was pale, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were sunken.

For months, he repeatedly challenged the array left by the Black Armored Warrior, which was a torment to him both physically and mentally.

Looking at Shentu Nantian now, he doesn't resemble a gentleman at all. There are traces of blood at the corners of his eyes, making him look like a devil.

Shentu Nantian was extremely ambitious, and he was indeed very hardworking. He devoted all his efforts, overdrawing his physical strength, and disregarding the backlash from the array plate's image on his soul and body, all in order to comprehend the array plate and master the Mysterious Charm of this move, thus making rapid progress in his strength.

However, even now, Shentu Nantian has not been able to discern the profound laws contained within the Black Armored Warrior's attacks.

Shentu Nantian was unwilling to give up. He had chosen this array plate, but failed to see the laws within it, which was equivalent to wasting the opportunity he had obtained in the Empress Secret Realm.

How could Shentu Nantian accept this?

Time and again, Shentu Nantian kept trying. Despite his eyes bleeding and his face and body being cut open as if by a knife, with deep bloodstains appearing, he still stared intently at the battle between the Black Armored Warrior and the Kunpeng.

Bang!

No miracle occurred. In the instant the spear flashed across the sky, Shentu Nantian was once again violently thrown out.

"Boom!"

Shentu Nantian slammed his head against the wall, blood streaming from his nostrils and mouth.

Shentu Nantian was furious. He believed that Yi Yun had most likely found a way, and how could he accept losing to Yi Yun again?

"Ah!"

Shentu Nantian roared and suddenly drew his Longsword, wildly slashing around in the space.

The sense of defeat this formation inflicted on him was simply too intense.

"Snap snap snap!"

Sword Light poured out in all directions. After several dozen breaths, when Shentu Nantian finally calmed down, the ground and walls around him were covered with crisscrossing sword marks.

These sword marks were not left by swords cutting into the walls of the Empress Secret Realm; in fact, the walls of the Empress Secret Realm are indestructible. These sword marks were left because the Sword Qi lingered here, remaining stagnant and not dissipating.

"This is..."

Shentu Nantian was stunned. These Sword Qi were sharper than usual, containing an indescribable fierceness. This was a Sword Intent, seemingly formed from the unyielding, unwilling, and angry spirit that had been suppressed for too long and erupted in despair!

Sword Intent is the will of the sword. When Shentu Nantian can infuse his will into the sword, he can manifest the Sword Intent.

This situation surprised Shentu Nantian. Normally, when he was at his peak, the Sword Qi he unleashed would naturally be stronger than it is now, but it did not have this sharp Sword Intent.

"To be honest, I should have given up long ago, but I'm still standing..." Shentu Nantian's thoughts and attention had been focused on the array plate, and he hadn't paid attention to himself. But now, he suddenly realized that the energy in his body had become much more refined without him noticing. Most importantly, in the months of tempering, his soul power and willpower had been greatly enhanced.

For a swordsman, these two points are of utmost importance.

"Hahaha!" Shentu Nantian suddenly burst into laughter after standing there for a moment. "That's right! Although I haven't been able to comprehend this array, it has served as a whetstone for me. These past few months of cultivation have been of great benefit to me. I've been cultivating for over twenty years, and my vital energy is abundant, and I have no shortage of techniques. But when it comes to Sword Intent and soul power, they were indeed my weaknesses. Now, however, I've made up for them!"

Shentu Nantian was overjoyed. This was an unexpected gain, one that could only be encountered by chance!

He glanced again at the array plate left behind by the Black Armored Warrior. This array plate was far beyond his level. He tried his best, but he couldn't even see the moves clearly, so he had no choice but to give up.

However, he figured that Yi Yun couldn't possibly gain anything from the Black Armored Warrior's moves themselves. Yi Yun's gains would likely be in the realm of soul and will, and he himself was definitely no worse than him.

"I knew it! How could I be inferior to that kid!"

Shentu Nantian was full of fighting spirit. He had fallen far behind Yi Yun in the previous trials, but he believed that he would gradually catch up.

Shentu Nantian had made up his mind that he would follow Yi Yun's choices from now on, so that he would never suffer a loss.

Shentu Nantian stepped out of the enclosed space, glanced up at the path leading to the second level of the God Descending Tower, and strode up.

"This time, I'm sure I can gain the approval of the God Descending Tower and enter the second level!"

...(To be continued~^~)