Killing

"Chirp~"

A clear eagle's cry echoed from high in the sky. As if provoked, the golden giant eagle dropped the roasted rabbit in its talons, turned its head, and dived straight for Ye Yun's flying sword. Ye Yun hadn't expected the eagle to turn back, and before he could change his sword technique, his flying sword, shimmering with a faint blue light, collided directly with the metallic sheen of the golden giant eagle's sharp talons.

"Clang!"

The collision produced a sound like metal striking metal, and sparks flew from the point of impact.

Missing its target, Ye Yun quickly shifted his magic power. The flying sword in the air began to dance nimbly, constantly attacking the golden giant eagle. The eagle, as expected of the overlord of the skies, though not as agile as the flying sword, always managed to block Ye Yun's attacks with its talons or wings at the crucial moment. For a time, the sky was filled with dense "clanging" sounds, accompanied by a constant shower of sparks.

In just a few minutes, Ye Yun had attacked no less than a hundred times. To his surprise, the giant eagle had blocked every single one, not even losing many feathers. Although he was currently just controlling his flying sword for a simple attack and hadn't used any powerful sword techniques, Ye Yun was still amazed that the eagle could hold out for so long.

While Ye Yun was astonished by the eagle's strength, the fact that it had stolen his roasted rabbit was undeniable. Furthermore, if he hadn't dodged quickly just now, he might have been dismembered. Therefore, this eagle had to die.

Seeing that he couldn't kill the eagle with his flying sword, Ye Yun recalled it. When he saw the tiny nicks on the sword, he was speechless. This was a treasured sword capable of slicing through iron, and now, after just a brief head-on clash with the eagle, it was covered in nicks. Ye Yun could only comment that it was worthy of being a demonic beast; its physical defense was truly incredible.

Ye Yun looked at the golden giant eagle and thought to himself, "This eagle's physical defense is no joke. It's tougher than refined iron. Ordinary attacks can't pierce its defense. In that case, watch this: One-Hit Wonder!"

His thoughts raced. Ye Yun's magic power surged throughout his body, and he slowly rose from the ground. He swung his long sword, holding it upright before his chest. With his left hand, he formed a sword finger and placed it on the sword. His eyes gazed straight ahead at the sword, and his entire body radiated a dazzling blue light. When the light became too bright to look at directly, Ye Yun let out a sudden long cry, merging with his sword as he shot towards the giant eagle like lightning.

As Ye Yun channeled his magic power to perform his sword technique, the golden giant eagle was not idle. Its demonic power also rapidly gathered, forming a golden feather in front of its body. By the time Ye Yun unleashed his sword technique, it had also prepared its killing blow. With a slight flap of its wings, the golden feather shot out like an arrow. Both sides were aiming for a killing blow; now it was a matter of whose strength was superior.

In the blink of an eye, the distance of two to five hundred meters vanished. The two instantly collided. However, the expected head-on clash did not occur. When Ye Yun's long sword touched the golden feather, it was like a hammer smashing against glass. The golden feather shattered into pieces, unable to even slow it down. Ye Yun, breaking through the golden giant eagle's attack without stopping, pierced directly through the golden giant eagle blocking his path.

"Chirp~"

The eagle let out a mournful cry, and blood continuously spilled from the large hole Ye Yun had created. Its massive wings flapped weakly twice before falling lifelessly. However, at that moment, something that shocked Ye Yun happened. The golden giant eagle, which should have plummeted to the ground, suddenly abandoned its sorrow, let out a proud cry, and emitted a brilliant, meteor-like light as it shot straight into the sky, dissolving into specks of golden light in the heavens.

"Truly a proud creature of the sky! Even in death, it chooses to die in the air, not falling to the earth. Although you were just a demonic beast, you have successfully earned my respect." Looking at the golden male eagle that had returned to the heavens as golden light, even Ye Yun, its opponent, couldn't help but feel admiration.

After a brief moment of remembrance, Ye Yun tidied up his newfound thoughts and flew back towards the cliff behind him. His roasted rabbit was nowhere to be found, and he was still hungry. As the saying goes, the world is vast, but eating is paramount. So, a little sentimentality was enough.

About half an hour later, a rich aroma wafted from the bottom of the cliff again. This time, no one (or thing) disturbed his meal, and Ye Yun ate heartily.

After tidying up the campfire and resting for a bit, Ye Yun once again formed a sword gesture and took to the sky. He didn't want to waste too much time searching for the Vermillion Fruit Tree. Although it was indeed an excellent spiritual medicine for increasing magic power, it wasn't particularly precious to him.

With the mindset of "find it if I can, don't worry if I can't," Ye Yun stood on his flying sword, carefully searching the cliff face. Suddenly, a faint, ethereal fragrance was carried down by the mountain breeze, making Ye Yun's spirit lift. This was the unique scent of spiritual medicine. Although the fragrance was faint, it was concentrated and did not dissipate, indicating that the spiritual medicine emitting it was nearby. This instantly invigorated Ye Yun.

Since he could smell the fragrance, he just needed to follow it. There was no need to meticulously search every inch of the cliff, which significantly increased Ye Yun's search speed. As Ye Yun flew nearly five hundred meters up the mountain, a young eagle's cry faintly reached his ears. Looking up, he saw a lush, verdant sapling, just over a meter tall, immediately catching his eye.

The small tree was rooted in a crevice of the steep rock face. It was only a little over a meter tall, with leaves no bigger than a thumb, a vibrant green. Under the sunlight, they shone like sparkling jade. Amidst these jade-like leaves, a few red fruits, slightly smaller than a thumb, were faintly visible.

"Vermillion Fruit Tree!" Ye Yun exclaimed in surprise. He never expected to find a Vermillion Fruit Tree under such circumstances. However, when he saw the cave next to the Vermillion Fruit Tree, he understood. Clearly, the previous golden eagle was the guardian, or perhaps the owner, of this Vermillion Fruit Tree.

After carefully checking for any danger, Ye Yun took a small jade bottle from his waist pouch and approached the Vermillion Fruit Tree.

Upon reaching the Vermillion Fruit Tree, Ye Yun didn't rush to pick the Vermillion Fruits. Instead, he carefully examined the tree. This examination actually revealed some information to Ye Yun.

The Vermillion Fruits on the Vermillion Fruit Tree were all ripe. However, there weren't six, but eight. This was because Ye Yun also saw two fresh fruit stems, likely picked by the golden male eagle. Ye Yun didn't know if the picked Vermillion Fruits were eaten by the golden eagle or fed to its young. This made Ye Yun feel very fortunate. If he had come a day or two later, these Vermillion Fruits would likely be gone.

He gently picked the six ripe Vermillion Fruits from the tree and stored them in the jade bottle. He also picked a few leaves and put them in to prevent the medicinal properties from dissipating, then sealed the lid.

After handling everything, Ye Yun turned his gaze towards the cave beside it.