In midair, saber light clashed with thunder once again.
Luo Yun took a purple lightning arc head-on, leaving a scorched patch across his Golden Scale Armor. Instead of retreating, he used the lightning as cover and suddenly soared higher, slashing upward with his saber.
"Golden Scale Sky-Piercing Slash!"
Dazzling saber light tore through the crimson mist and slammed into the root of the Crimson-Gold Thunderwind Eagle's left wing.
Squelch!
Crimson-gold feathers drifted down in great swaths, and scalding beast blood spattered the rocks with a sizzling hiss.
The Crimson-Gold Thunderwind Eagle let out a piercing, anguished cry. Its massive body lost its balance in midair and plummeted diagonally over a hundred feet. Only by desperately beating its wings did it avoid crashing into the cliff.
Its golden eyes fixed on Luo Yun, then looked past him toward the crimson tide essence in the stone pit, brimming with unwillingness to give it up.
But Mutant Beasts sought advantage and knew how to avoid harm.
With one wing already injured, even if it fought on and managed to drive Luo Yun back, it might not live to enjoy the Spirit Essence.
Screee-
The Crimson-Gold Thunderwind Eagle cried out again, its wings whipping up a great gale. Riding the wind, it shot skyward and became a crimson-gold streak wreathed in lightning, fleeing into the depths of Scarlet Cloud Mountain.
Luo Yun did not pursue.
He watched the Thunderwind Eagle disappear from his position in midair. Only after confirming it was not doubling back did he slowly exhale a stale breath.
Though he had appeared to hold the upper hand in that battle, the lightning had actually left his internal organs faintly numb. If he pursued deeper into Scarlet Cloud Mountain, there was no telling what other Mutant Beasts he might attract.
Besides, his